Why did Kitchen Nightmares have a 10-year hiatus and why did it return?

Kitchen Nightmares is finally back for reality TV lovers to enjoy in 2023, after 10 years off the air. Here’s some insight into why it originally ended and why it’s returned.

Now that Kitchen Nightmares is back in full force, fans of the show have a lot to celebrate. Viewers get to enjoy glimpses into Gordon Ramsay‘s intriguing life as a professional chef and restaurant consultant.

Oddly enough, Kitchen Nightmare spent nearly a decade off the air before making its comeback in 2023. The show has amassed 6.54 million subscribers on YouTube, which says a lot about its likability and success.

So, why did Kitchen Nightmares have a decade-long hiatus –– and why did it return?

Here’s why Kitchen Nightmares had a 10-year hiatus

According to the New York Daily News via Mashed, Gordon was tired of filming Kitchen Nightmares because it wasn’t yielding the right results. He was bothered by the way restaurants were seemingly falling back into old habits, despite all of his efforts.

He outright said, “I got fed up with ‘Kitchen Nightmares’ because I was getting s***. So I woke up one morning and I thought ‘f*** it, I’m done.'” The decision wasn’t one he took lightly at the time, based on the candid regret he shared in that same interview.

Gordon said, “Yes, it was wrong to pull my own show off air… but that’s it.” Despite the fact that the show was doing well among viewers, Gordon’s personal feelings at the time were too much for him to ignore.

Why has Kitchen Nightmares returned in 2023?

Kitchen Nightmares is back because Gordon believes it’s the perfect moment to keep making a difference in the restaurant industry.

He told Variety, “I stopped doing the show over 10 years ago and it means a lot for me personally to bring this show back. The time felt right.”

He went on to say that he loves the challenge of visiting different restaurants, interacting with various families and owners, and digging deeper with each new circumstance.