Be that as it may, I took time to watch the show again, a second time. I wanted to know if I missed anything, and I wanted to see if I could detect the "exaggerated" claims of the restaurant's owner.
First of all, I admire the owner. He knew he'd take a beating from "Restaurant Impossible" chef Robert Irvine, but he did it to save his parents' business. If I had to suffer humiliation to help the folks, so be it. Sign me up. It's the least I could do. I'd gladly be yelled at.
After watching the show a second time, I find myself a bit more sympathetic toward the owner. It's mainly based on those opening "family" scenes and comments.
As for the filth, I'm sure the producers picked the worst video. It was some awful stuff. On top of that, both a waitress and the cook said the restaurant needed a cleaning-- badly. There was a lot of crud, and it was clear it had accumulated over a period of time. You can't fake that. In addition, there were scenes with the owner and his mother talking about the run down condition of the restaurant and the dirt.
I can't believe the owner was so naive. "Restaurant Impossible" has been on the air for a while. He should have known what to expect. Did he call other restaurants, that have already appeared, to get the skinny?
The "exaggeration" is turning out to be a difficult story to swallow.
