Gordon Ramsay responds to claims he's ripping off Anthony Bourdain with his new Nat Geo show

Entertainment Weekly

The reality TV chef has been criticized for his upcoming Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted show, which plans to test "Ramsay against the locals, pitting his own interpretations of regional dishes against the tried-and-true classics." Ramsay responded to his critics in an EW interview: "God, the feeble warriors that sit in their dungeons and spout negativity without understanding what we’re doing," said Ramsay. "I’ve been doing assertive, combustial  shows since 2006 since I started The F Word — whether it’s diving for giant crab or hanging off a 500-meter cliff chasing puffins. So I’ve been on that level of exploration and understand those cultures. I’m a chef that needs to get motivated by understanding different cultures. I helicoptered into Nagaland 50 kilometers from the Burmese border in Northern India and cooked at a wedding. And in order to get accepted into the wedding, I had to buy a f*cking buffalo. That was 12 years ago. Tony Bourdain was a great mate of mine. We were on the red carpet together last year at the Emmys. I think he’d be happy and impressed at (Uncharted‘s) level of jeopardy and jumping into these (places)— Brazil, Peru, Alaska — and sourcing incredible ingredients and then highlighting some of the best [culinary] talent that hasn’t been noticed yet. It’s a dream come true. Judge (Uncharted) when you see it."