Ratings Gold for Gordon Ramsay\'s Reality Empire

September 7, 2012, 3:00 pm

By ADAM W. KEPLER

The reality television stars Simon Cowell, Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi and the Kardashian clan may have hoarded most of the headlines this summer, but the chef Gordon Ramsay has quietly (at least for him) cemented his spot as one of TV's most popular personalities. His three shows on Fox - “Hell's Kitchen,” “MasterChef” and the recently launched “Hotel Hell” â€" all rank in the Top Ten of all summer programs in the 18-to-49-year-old demographic, the age group most coveted by advertisers.

“Hell's Kitchen,” a competitive cooking show in which Mr. Ramsay whips aspiring restaurateurs into shape as they aspire for the grand prize of becoming a chef at Gordon Ramsay Steak in Las Vegas, is stil l the most-watched and highest-rated among Mr. Ramsay's offerings, with an average of almost 7 million total viewers, a highly consistent audience that has dropped only 1 percent from last season. The show is ranked second in the 18-to-49 demo for the summer, trailing only “America's Got Talent” on NBC. The show, currently in its 10th season, was renewed by Fox for two more seasons last April.

“MasterChef,” in which Mr. Ramsay is the lead judge brusquely putting amateur cooks through their paces, has made significant gains in its third season, with an average of 6.8 million total viewers, good for an 11 percent increase when compared to last season. That growth is accompanied by a 12 percent increase in the 18-to-49 category, making “MasterChef” the only summer broadcast program that has grown in that category. Fox ordered a fourth season last July.

Last month, with the debut of “Hotel Hell,” Mr. Ramsay stepped out of the kitchen and brought his r eclamation project concept from “Kitchen Nightmares” to the world of hotel room service, ultra violet lights and haunted bed and breakfasts. What qualifies Mr. Ramsay as an expert in matters of hotel management is up for debate, but viewers nonetheless responded strongly. The six-episode season averaged 5.3 million total viewers and was the No. 1 new series of the summer in the 18-to-49 category. It was renewed by Fox for a second season last week, proving that an audience exists for programming based on his personality alone, without any connection to his culinary credentials.