‘Stick to the cooking!’ Gordon Ramsay’s game show which asks contestants to answer questions and balance gold bars on a wobbly cross is slammed by viewers over ‘confusing’ rules and its ‘cringe-worthy’ banter
- Gordon Ramsay’s Bank Balance premiered last night but viewers were left cold
- The TV show, which will run for three weeks, marks the chef’s game show debut
- Viewers complained it was ‘slow’ and the rules were ‘difficult to understand’
- Another said Ramsay’s hosting style was ‘cringe’ and he should ‘stick to cooking’
Gordon Ramsay might be the king of celebrity chefs, but his TV game show debut left viewers decidedly unimpressed.
Gordon Ramsay’s Bank Balance, which premiered on BBC1 last night, was slammed for its ‘confusing’ rules, ‘slow moving’ format and ‘cheap set’, while the host left viewers ‘cringing’ over his banter with contestants.
‘I think it’s one and done for me with #GordonRamsaysBankBalance,’ tweeted one viewer. ‘There’s no excitement or pace to the show everything feels laboured and takes way to long plus the rules need changing.’
TV critics were similarly damning, with the Daily Mail’s Christopher Stevens giving the show a two-star rating.
Gordon Ramsay’s Bank Balance, which premiered on BBC1 last night, was slammed for its ‘confusing’ rules, ‘slow moving’ format and ‘cheap set’, while the host left viewers ‘cringing’ over his banter with contestants. Pictured, Gordon introducing the show
Viewers were left unimpressed and questioned how the TV show was ever commissioned
The show sees a team of two contestants answer questions from 12 subject categories and are rewarded with bars of gold for correct answers.
As it’s accrued, the bullion must be strategically stacked on a precariously balanced platform like a four-way seesaw so that the stacks stay standing.
Get the weighting wrong and the whole lot crashes to the ground, meaning it’s game over for that team; but get the balance right – as well as negotiating the 12 rounds of questions – and the pair can win the jackpot of £100,000.
Although Ramsay declared the instructions ‘simple’, viewers were left baffled.
Some compared it to Friends’ fictional game show ‘Bamboozled’, which had famously convoluted rules.
One posted: ‘Gordon running through how the game #GordonRamsaysBankBalance works made me think of Joey and Bamboozled in @FriendsTV Far too confusing.’
Another posted: ‘#gordonramsaysbankbalance can someone at the #BBC please explain why this was commissioned?’
A third added: ‘Managed 12 minutes of #BankBalance before turning over. I fear that #TheWheel has set a new bar for TV Quiz Shows for me and this comes up way short. #GordonRamsaysBankBalance.’
Others complained about Ramsay’s lack of ease with the contestants and pointed out he looked uncomfortable on set.
One posted: ‘Lol I’m cringing already. Stick to cooking Gordon #gordonramsaysbankbalance.’
In his review, Stevens pointed to Ramsay’s apparent unease on set, writing: ‘It’s obvious within minutes that he doesn’t have the telly skills for this show, because he simply cannot think on his feet. Without a scripted quip, he’s floundering, ten seconds behind the action.
The show sees a team of two contestants answer questions from 12 subject categories and are rewarded with bars of gold for correct answers (pictured, the bars)
As it’s accrued, the bullion must be strategically stacked on a precariously balanced platform like a four-way seesaw so that the stacks stay standing
Get the weighting wrong and the whole lot crashes to the ground, meaning it’s game over for that team; but get the balance right – as well as negotiating the 12 rounds of questions – and the pair can win the jackpot of £100,000
‘His first contestants, brother and sister Tosin and Tobi, were a polished double act of noisy show-offs. Bickering like children, they’d have been a gift to a real gameshow host. Alexander Armstrong and Joe Lycett wake up praying for a couple like this in the studio.
‘Gordon had no idea what to do with them. He behaved like a maitre d’ in a restaurant, politely waiting to one side until his customers finish having their public row. Simpering with embarrassment, he chipped in: “Psst! I’m still here, you know”.’
However a handful of Twitter users were pleased to see Ramsay taking on a new role, with one saying she ‘lives’ for him as a game show host.
Gordon Ramsay’s Bank Balance continues tonight on BBC1