The long running American counterpart to Gordon Ramsay's original British series, each season we follow anywhere from 12 to 20 contestants to determine a single winner, who will ultimately be offered a $250,000 head chef position at one of Ramsay's restaurants. Known for his vulgarity and harsh treatment of the contestants, over the now >20 seasons Ramsay's charm somehow still shines through; you can tell how deeply he not only cares about cooking but genuinely cares about cultivating and improving the chefs' talent and skills. Watching such a long running competition series is an interesting study in how the format is altered season to season, however I must say they essentially stick to the same format over its entire run, with many fan-favourite mini challenges making their appearances each season with only minor tweaks. They do switch things up a bit in some later seasons, bringing back some older contestants, only having 20-somethings compete, or having a young vs old team, however the majority is the expected men vs women in the blue and red kitchens respectively. Contestants are eliminated each episode until teams are combined to receive their beloved black jackets, and then finally a single winner is crowned. Throughout its entire run, Ramsay is always the star, front and centre, and he's built his impressive culinary empire around the show. Beyond cooking, he's one of the most competent business minds in the game. With a 23rd season airing now, and a 24th already filmed I think there's plenty more to come, and somehow it's never overstayed its welcome. If you like reality tv, and don't mind a few profanities, would highly recommend.