Anyone watching this?

Wow, Alton Brown really comes across as a jerk in this!

I’m not certain this is a good fit for him, he does not seem to be having a good time and seems genuinely angry most of the time at the contestants. Anne Burrell gets annoyed in a good natured way then jumps in and corrects and instructs but Alton just seems like an angry asshole here.

You mean worse than Gordon Ramsay?

I haven't seen the show, so I can't really comment on it. But I will say this: In over a decade of working in a variety of kitchens, some of them college eateries serving a few thousand over a few hours per meal period, and a country club doing banquets, working in a kitchen under a demanding chef is not for weaklings or anyone with thin skin. I've worked under some highly rated chefs that absolutely roasted my ass alive in front of the whole kitchen when I fucked up. It's their job. Hell's Kitchen may be a "reality TV show" and the drama is played up with the interviews and whatnot, but the truth is, it's not far off from the reality. Chefs tend to be both perfectionists and tyrants, and a good one will happily tear a new asshole into a cook trying to send out a substandard dish to a customer rather than let it besmirch their name, as it should be.

If you like Alton Brown better in his "I'm teaching you something" dynamic, I get that. I love it, too. Would I have ever guessed he could be an asshole to bad cooks? You're goddamn right, and I would be terrified to work under him. He's intensely passionate about his art, and I respect him for not suffering fools and stupidity. When you're judged on your product, standards are incredibly important, and for a chef to lose control of their kitchen is the difference between getting a paycheck or not.

Yes but he’s not a chef and these contestants are home cooks, not restaurant cooks.

Fair enough. I still say that anyone who went to culinary school, produced I don't know how many seasons of his own cooking show, and earned two James Beard awards and is as passionate about cooking as he clearly is puts him in a category where the "perfectionist tyrant" is very likely to come out. And, I was no trained cook when I was taking my lumps, either. Never did culinary school. I was a highschool and college kid to start at the country club and I got roasted good and often by the head chef. You take your lumps, you fix it and you move on. If a 17 year old kid can do it, so can a home cook.

I guess I'll just have to watch the show at some point and see what you're talking about. We're all quite capable of "asshole."

Since the show isn’t about cooking, but entertainment, it makes sense. All they want is viewers.

We've been watching, and I don't think he's been too much of a jerk to the contestants. I like his dry and sarcastic wit. I think a lot of it has to do with the editing. Even when the host chefs are demonstrating how to make a dish, everything is done rapid fire in order to keep the pacing of the show and to give the impression that the tasks are overwhelming to the contestants.

Wife has been watching it. I kind of like the salty Alton Brown.