In the world of reality television, mean celebrities are a dime a dozen. Among the ocean of jerks and hateful hopefuls, two men stand head and shoulders above all others (the women have their own category that includes hundreds). Gordon Ramsay of Hell’s Kitchen and Kitchen Nightmares fame, and Simon Cowell, the judge from hell on American Idol. These two men are the cream of the crop as far as men in reality television, and it seems at times that they are constantly trying to one up each other on the nasty scale for their respective shows. Who has the advantage?
Gordon Ramsay - Ramsay has a very witty way about him and often mixes his rants with comedy. This is not so much to soften the blow for the cook he is slamming as it is to make him look less nasty to the television audience. He is not above throwing things, cursing, spitting, throwing up, or screaming at the top of his lungs to get his point across. He has called the female contestants cows on many occasions, and an F-bomb or two is almost a weekly thing with Ramsay. At the least Ramsay is certainly entertaining.
Simon Cowell - Cowell is not nearly as demonstrative as Ramsay, but he is much more emotionally damaging and humorous. His biting commentary on such a grand stage as American Idol has to hurt those contestants far more given that they have millions watching on television and a huge audience in front of them as well. Usually he finds a way to humiliate someone without them even realizing it, and that gets style points to be sure. He is a master at the put down, and a reality television legend.
Off the television screens, these men are both top shelf human beings. They both give time and money to very noble causes, and they are very much playing a character on television when they act that way. Ramsay, however, has been known to go on these rants in his own establishments. Cowell has a reputation for being a bit short off stage as well when the situation warrants.
So who takes the cake as the toughest SOB on reality television? With kindest regards to Simon Cowell, it has to be none other than Gordon Ramsay. This guy is not somebody I would ever want to run into in a kitchen and certainly not on a television show in a kitchen. Though he is one of my favorite people off the screen, and I love his television shows, Gordon Ramsay is without a doubt the meanest man on reality television today.
Image credited to wikipedia user Dave Pullig
