Viewers of 'Hells Kitchen' might remember Ralph Pagano as the amusing runner up from the first season, and he's back with the same no nonsense cooking attitude. This show is half cooking instruction, half travelogue, with lots of suffering from the big guy to boot. Ralph is forced to choke down some horrible local delicacies when he fails, and they seem to make the challenges hard enough to keep it fair.
All in all, not necessarily better than Ramsey's shows, just different in a good way. Rather than focusing on others, Ralph cuts a loner's path of self sufficiency through foreign cultures, proving that a good attitude and work ethic are universally appreciated.