Gordon Ramsay Reveals If He Has Plans to Retire From ‘Hell’s Kitchen’

Gordon Ramsay isn’t ready to hang up his chef’s coat just yet. Speaking about his new FOX cooking competition show Next Level Chef, Ramsay spoke with Thrillist about the possibility of ending Hell’s Kitchen after its 21st season. The 55-year-old chef said his physical health has played heavily into his career plans throughout the years.

“Can I keep going? I got consumed in this business in my early 40s. And then, how do I claw time back to become super strong and fit? I started taking up triathlons and I did my first Ironman at the age of 43 in Hawaii. And so now at 55, I’m fit as a fiddle. And I can go for another 30 seasons,” he said. “Trust me. You have not seen the end of me. Do not underestimate the power of an old man.”

He continued that before ending any of his shows, he wants to “replace it with something exciting.” Instead of getting “complacent” with the success of MasterChef and Hell’s Kitchen, Ramsay said it was important to get creative, combining elements of Kitchen Nightmares, Hotel Hell, 24 Hours to Hell and Back, and “then I sort of look at the food scene in terms of how much more we appreciate good food, and how much money we haven’t got today to cook.”

Finding the “missing links” in his programs that no one has tapped into before led to the creation of Next Level Chef, Ramsay said. “So, it’s always about being better than what we’ve already done, and constantly pushing the envelope,” he continued. “I don’t sit and think, ‘We’ve made it,’ or ‘We’re financially secure, why work so hard?’ I need that jeopardy. I need the danger of it possibly not working. And I need to be pushed, because that’s when you’re going to get me at my best.”

Ramsay isn’t ruling out a collaboration with fellow celebrity chef Bobby Flay either. “I’d make him cook off with me first and I know I would cook him under the table, head start included,” he said, teasing, “Bobby, I’m waiting!”