Chef and reality TV restaurateur Gordon Ramsay is returning to Nat Geo for a second season of Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted, and the show is going to push the boundaries even further in the next batch of episodes. Ramsay's adventures this time around will take him to South Africa, Tasmania, Louisiana, Guyana, and more. With episodes taking place in some extreme environments, Ramsay encounters a variety of bugs that he definitely wouldn't come across in a kitchen. According to the Uncharted showrunner, the show has an unexpected way of dealing with bugs. Yes, including a giant tarantula.
Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted showrunner Jon Kroll spoke with CinemaBlend about the second season of the National Geographic show, and he shared how exactly the Uncharted team handles bugs:
Well, bugs are an issue for us sometimes. So we just eat them. I mean, we eat more insects on this show than any show I've ever been a part of. We haven't gotten really devoured by mosquitoes anywhere. We've been pretty lucky. It was rainy season in Indonesia, but it didn't get us too badly. Definitely we're on malaria medication, of course, all the time. Because in Guyana, we're dealing with the Amazon basin. We've been pretty lucky. But like I said, the bugs aren't as lucky. Gordon eats a Goliath bird-eating tarantula this season. Last season, he ate those toe-biters and stink bugs. So yeah, when bugs bother us, we just eat them.
Not everybody might be bold enough to consider themselves lucky in a scenario that involves eating bugs. If anything, many of us watching from home might consider ourselves lucky if we don't live anywhere near a bird-eating tarantula! John Kroll's explanation sheds some light on how the Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted team handles bug issues that could get very bad. What better way for the crew of an action-packed cooking show to handle bugs than by eating them?
Summer is grilling season, after all, so Gordon Ramsay grilling up a tarantula in Guyana should be pretty entertaining. Jon Kroll's comments also reveal that the Uncharted team takes some serious precautions when it comes to battling bugs that can't just be eaten. Rather than risk malaria in some of the mosquito-heavy climates, they go on malaria medication. Mosquitos certainly don't seem particularly grill-able, which isn't the case for bird-eating tarantulas!
When I noted that viewers of Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted might not expect the crew to eat bugs behind-the-scenes as well as Gordon Ramsay on camera, Jon Kroll explained:
Well, some crew are more adventurous than others. The crew is very polarized this year on durian, which of course was in the Indonesia episode. I am a durian lover. Durian of course cannot be taken on public transport in Southeast Asia because it stinks so badly. Gordon, not so much. Our director Neil was a hater, producer Tara loves her durian. So it just just depends. The crew's very, very polarized on some of these things. But most people would not be doing a show like this if they were not game to try those kinds of crazy things, including the bugs.
Working on Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted is not for the faint of heart or weak of stomach! Durian is a famously pungent fruit that comes from Southeast Asia and is literally banned in some places due to the odor, which stops some people from even tasting it. In fact, durian is so divisive that Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted isn't the only cooking TV show that has had people struggling with the smell. I for one might have an easier time with a bug than getting past the smell for durian!
That said, you might really need to see a bird-eating tarantula to understand what Gordon Ramsay and the Uncharted team brave to produce their episodes. Take a look at some teases in the trailer for Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted Season 2, and don't worry -- there's a lot more to Uncharted than the bugs:
The wait for more Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted is almost at an end. Season 2 kicks off on Nat Geo on Sunday, June 7 at 10 p.m. ET with Gordon Ramsay and Co. heading to Tasmania for some good eats in exotic locations. If you missed the first batch of episodes or are just ready to relive Ramsay's previous adventures, you can find the full first season streaming on Disney+ now.
For some additional viewing options now and in the coming weeks, be sure to check out our 2020 summer TV premiere guide.
