Gordon Ramsay taps Rhett & Link, Zach King, Lexi Hensler for YouTube cooking competition

In a new cooking competition series, creator contestants are vying for the ultimate prize: A personal insult from Gordon Ramsay himself. The hot-blooded chef and TV host has premiered Idiot Sandwich, which he is distributing through his official YouTube channel.

Idiot Sandwich got its start as a bit on The Late Late Show With James Corden. As part of a Hell’s Kitchen parody, Ramsey personified one of his favorite barbs by holding pieces of bread on both sides of a person’s head. And thus, the “idiot sandwich” meme was born; it’s now evolving into a full-fledged series that will feature creators like Rhett & Link, Zach King, and Lexi Hensler.

Rhett & Link, who reach more than 18 million subscribers with their show Good Mythical Morning, guest-starred on the premiere episode of Idiot Sandwich. The two YouTube legends took on Mythical Kitchen host Josh Scherer in a sandwich-making showdown, with Ramsay serving as the judge. At the end of the 20-minute competition period, one of the contenders earned the show’s coveted reward: Bread-on-the-head courtesy of Chef Ramsay. I’ll let you watch the episode to learn which creator took home the “idiot sandwich” title.

Idiot Sandwich is produced through Studio Ramsay Global, a joint venture between the chef and Fox. Weekly episodes will see release on Ramsay’s YouTube channel, which counts more than 20 million subscribers. Deadline noted that there are no plans to bring the competition to linear TV, but Studio Ramsay Global will develop Idiot Sandwich through products, merchandise, and experiences.

“It was incredible to watch that one tongue-in-cheek moment, turn into this huge, viral sensation,” Ramsay said. “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.”

When it comes to creator team-ups, Idiot Sandwich is not Ramsay’s first rodeo. His collaborators have run the gamut from MrBeast to Selena Gomez, and he has remained relevant by embracing TikTok and the short-form boom it catalyzed.

If Idiot Sandwich takes off, there are plenty of strategies Ramsay could use to build it into a digital empire. A spinoff focused on donuts would be a fitting choice.