Welcome to Hells "Cruise" Kitchen!

The problem with reality shows is that nobody wants to see celebrity pet swap or dancing with the stars partners. So its music to my ears to hear, that in the style Gordon Ramsay's "Hell's Kitchen," Royal Caribbean have announced the start of the new “Allure of the Seas Culinary Challenge”. This contest has come about to find a new head chef for the ship's 150 Central Park, the jewel in the crown of the Oasis class dining experience.....
Rather than having bigwigs at the company finding and appointing the head chef, Royal Caribbean is jumping on the culinary competition bandwagon and attempting to find the most qualified candidate to run the restaurant aboard the new Allure of the Seas. Now unfortunately, if you are thinking of applying, you need a few more qualifications than knowing how to poach an egg. To enter you need to either have a bachelor's or Associate's degree from CIA, and no Royal Caribbean are not looking for a spy chef. The CIA is the Culinary Institute of America! The applicants will have to create an original menu and submit a video that demonstrates the preparation of the recipe. The video must also detail why he or she should win the competition and the one-year contract that comes along with the job title. Sounds like a you tube interview!

According to a statement from the cruise line 10 semi-finalists will be chosen at the end of the entry period, at which point their videos will be posted to the contest Web site. From June 28, 2010, through July 11, 2010, the public will have the opportunity to watch each video and vote for their favourite chef. There is also a bonus for voting, if you register you will be entered into a draw to win a trip for two onboard the ship.

The entire competition will be documented in a series of episodes on the Allure of the Seas Web site. So is this going to work? Are they going to find the right man/woman for the job or is this just one big publicity stunt? I think it’s a great idea to drum up interest for the restaurant onboard; people I think are going to want to get involved then sample the finished product. Only time will tell!