Unless your head is perpetually stuck between two pieces of bread, then you know how successful Gordon Ramsay is at creating cooking entertainment.
Whether it’s the fierce team competition of Hell’s Kitchen, the frightening details from restaurants across America on Kitchen Nightmares, or the three-level cooking adventure that is Next Level Chef, he’s got a nose for transforming culinary delights into must-see TV.
But even if you are one of those folks who never escapes their own doughy existence outside the entertainment realm, you probably know about the Idiot Sandwich meme.
Although the meme has taken off like wildfire over the years, most people are unaware of its genesis. As it turns out, it was not Gordon Ramsay and a real contestant on one of his shows.
Who knew? Well, we did.
The Idiot Sandwich meme was born in 2105 from a sketch on the Late, Late Show w/ James Cordon, starring Chef Ramsay.
The person between the slices of bread — the idiot in that sandwich — was no other than Big Brother‘s Julie Chen Moonves.
The meme went on to become a viral sensation, viewed hundreds of millions of times across YouTube and TikTok, and remains on one of the internet’s most popular memes.
Now Chef Ramsay is turning the success of that meme into its own digital series where contestants compete to create their best, most unique, and hopefully delicious, sandwiches.
As its cuisine competitors, Chef Ramsay and Studio Ramsay Global have assembled an array of the biggest social media influencers and digital content creators from YouTube and TikTok.
They have a total reach of more than 400 million combined followers across Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and Facebook.
In each episode, three competitors race against the clock in front of a live audience on the Las Vegas Strip to assemble their own sandwich creation, in an attempt to impress Chef Ramsay, and his tastebuds, and be crowned “Idiot Sandwich.”
Presented by Hexclad Cookware, Idiot Sandwich is executive produced by Gordon Ramsay and produced by Studio Ramsay Global, a FOX Entertainment company.
In a statement, Ramsay, executive producer and host of Idiot Sandwich, said, “It was incredible to watch that one tongue-in-cheek moment, turn into this huge, viral sensation.
“I’ve been thinking for a while about trying to find a smart way of turning the ‘Idiot Sandwich’ meme into its own series.
“As an idea that exploded on the internet and across social media, there was no better way to bring this series to life, than having it air as a digital exclusive, have some fun and showcase the sandwich-making skills of some of the biggest influencers and content creators out there.”
“Gordon Ramsay joined the Hexclad family in 2021, pairing the world’s most revolutionary talent with the world’s most innovative cookware,“ said Hexclad CEO Danny Winer.
“Now we expand that relationship into the world of groundbreaking entertainment with the amazing new YouTube series Idiot Sandwich. We couldn’t be more excited to continue building products with Gordon, both in the kitchen and on screens all over the world.”
If you watch any of Ramsay’s productions, you know how involved he gets and how quickly his temper can ignite, frightening even some of the best chefs he’s encountered.
But is there any chef or aspiring chef who wouldn’t want the opportunity to be in his orbit, even if it’s to be called the ultimate idiot sandwich?
Most assuredly not.
Filmed on location in Las Vegas, it stars social media funny guys @GoodMythicalMorning s Rhett & Link and @mythicalkitchen‘s Josh as they hope to craft the winning idiot sandwich.
The first episode of Idiot Sandwich is available now, and you can check it out below.
New episodes of Idiot Sandwich will be available weekly.
Carissa Pavlica is the managing editor and a staff writer and critic for TV Fanatic. She’s a member of the Critic’s Choice Association, enjoys mentoring writers, conversing with cats, and passionately discussing the nuances of television and film with anyone who will listen. Follow her on X and email her here at TV Fanatic.
