If you’re a Bar Rescue fan like me, you’ve surely seen your fair share of Jon Taffer memes and snarky comments about his “colorful” personality on Bar Rescue. Whether it’s his overly dramatic facial expressions, his no-nonsense attitude, his signature catchphrases, or his Tafferisms, it seems like everyone has something to say about the man behind the rescue mission. I certainly love a good meme or funny comment and have made a bunch myself, some of which I include in this blog. I also know teasing and similar types of humor require a strong base of love and admiration to work well. Most of what I see respects this and is hilarious. But not all of it.

Jon certainly has unorthodox methods that don’t work for everyone. However, I have seen some criticisms of Jon in the name of humor that fall far below the belt. One of the reasons I find it problematic is because I have taken more than a moment or two to consider what it would be like if the cameras followed me around at work 24/7 for five days in a row and then condensed it into a 42-minute national television program—or, say, 250 of them to be viewed as original airings and then 24/7 nonstop on Pluto TV, Paramount Sunday marathons, or just available potentially forever on demand.

No matter how competent I am at my job, I imagine I would feel some sort of horror at having my most uncensored and cringe-worthy moments, my quirks, and my not-so-glamorous side broadcast for the world to see over and over again. I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t make for the most riveting television, either. In fact, for the majority of us, it would probably highlight our most well-hidden vulnerabilities and make us appear horribly boring, thick-witted, or possibly even cruel, even if we think we are intelligent, funny, kind, and competent.

Thinking about my life being recorded, edited, and broadcast across the world in perpetuity—regardless of the money I would earn—makes me believe Jon has some serious courage. He willingly puts himself in the line of fire, subjecting himself to public scrutiny and critique, all in the name of freely rescuing struggling bars from financial ruin. He keeps us safe from raw chicken contamination, salmonella and E. coli, insect infestations, animal feces, mold, over-serving, and a bunch of other random dangers that await us at establishments owned and operated by drunk, inattentive, ignorant, and/or neglectful owners and staff. All while walking a hair short of blindly into a situation to save strangers from themselves, even if they do resist his influence, question his expertise, step up to him to threaten him and his crew, get his people and family sick or injured, and personally attack his hair style.

Sure, his idiosyncrasies and larger-than-life personality make for some hilarious memes, but I never want to forget that behind all the theatrics, there is a person who is immensely dedicated to his craft and isn’t afraid to show the world who he is for the good of others. In a time and industry where image is everything, Jon stands out as someone who is unapologetically himself. I, for one, appreciate the guts it takes to be in his shoes and recognize it would be easy to critique him from the comfort of my living room. This alone makes it possible for me to overlook any imperfections I might think he has and to feel comfortable knowing that before I would ever hit “post” on an even slightly questionable comment, I would remind myself that it takes real courage—courage I don’t possess—to step into the spotlight and do what he does. While I think he is remarkable for many reasons, he has earned my reverence and respect for his courage to just step onto the worldwide stage as he has, let alone to shine on it as illustriously as he does.