Jamie's Kitchen Submitted by Lezah

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image from www.shock.com.au

Sometimes a show that seems okay on TV takes on another dimension when seen on DVD. Being able to watch three or four (or more!) episodes in a row is exactly what some shows need - '24' being a case in point. I have a really hard time watching that show on TV, but couldn't shut the thing off when we saw it on DVD - I was glued to the set.

Jamie's Kitchen is another show that falls into that category. I'd seen one or two partial episodes while flicking channels, and thought it was merely okay. But when we got it on DVD and watched each episode in sequence - WOW!

The idea behind the show is that Jamie Oliver, the 26 year old British wunderkind of the kitchen, takes his riches and puts his money where his mouth is. He hand-picks 15 young unemployed British youth and puts them into a crash course where they train to be chefs in a not-for-profit restaurant Jamie opens. We see the idea basically from its genesis, with Jamie culling his chosen 15 from the hundreds who turned up for the casting call, and hunting for a suitable restaurant to open.

As with many reality-type shows, the focus is often on the problems and failures that result: from students who can't cut it and drop out; to construction costs that rocket from the original 750,000 pounds to an incredible 2.9 million pounds - all out of Jamie's own pocket. Some of the students' successes are ignored or glossed over in favour of showing the negative aspects of the experience, but hey, I guess that's what sells in TV Land...
Meanwhile, Jamie is dealing with personal things of his own too, such as a wife who is always complaining that he's never home, the birth of his first child, and a rapidly spiraling personal debt...

Through it all, there is the question - is this all a publicity stunt? This question comes up amongst his neophyte chefs, and is the source of much disgruntled murmuring and mumbling early on, which soon rises to a dull roar.

However, as time progresses and you see not only the huge personal sacrifice Jamie is making but also the incredible amount of personal anguish he goes through to get some of his trainees through the program, it soon becomes clear that Jamie is, indeed, extremely sincere in what he is doing.

When you think of what he does here - takes 15 'unemployables' and tries to turn them into world class chefs - it is truly amazing.

And the fact that Jamie himself is a mere 26 years old? Ah, it gives me faith in the youth of today!