Like Phyllis pointed out, what makes it all funny is that the fake crazy isn't so far-fetched.
I do find it interesting that so many didn't watch Kitchen Nightmares because they thought it was all about Gordon screaming. Hell's Kitchen is about Gordon screaming at people. In Kitchen Nightmares, it's almost always the restaurant owners screaming, not Gordon. What I really like about Kitchen Nightmares is that, though Gordon reveals some hard-hitting truths, you really get to see his good side.
Another British series, Hotel GB, sort of balances the good and evil in Gordon (as well as many other British makeover show hosts). I wish we had a version of the show here. It was really quite wonderful to see all these different hosts working together to train the unemployed in running a hotel while raising money for charity.
"What can you expect from a bunch of seitan worshippers?" - Reginald Tresilian