Scary Kitchen Nightmares Sound Effect

I just had my own mini-investigation moment while watching Bar Rescue. There's a sound effect used in it, and in Kitchen Nightmares, and on Hell's Kitchen, and on Survivor, and more...

Looking it up, all you can find is that it's commonly described as the "Hell's Kitchen Waterphone." At least waterphone gives us something to work with.

I check Reddit, I check sound effect websites, nobody's even asked: WHO MADE IT?

Through Reddit, I find one name: Rick Livingstone. Did he create it?

No. He's the music editor for a bunch of those shows. Does he mention who created it? No. Just that he started using the sound effect on Survivor, and found it became increasingly popular.

(Side note on Rick, he was the frontman for a short-lived rock band which included the drummer from Toto, the bassist from The Who, and the guitarist from the Doobie Brothers and Steely Dan.)

After a few more dead ends I finally find my mecca: the Soundeffects Wiki. Yes, that's a real thing that exists. Does not show up on the first page of Google.

And finally... the name.

Waterphone 08. Voice Crystal Media Products.

Steve Reid. The white one. (There's two jazz percussionists named Steve Reid.)

So now. Finally. We know who to blame, or who to praise, for one of the most prolific sound effects in reality TV history.

I don't know if anyone else cares about this as much as me but I love this stupid sound effect. Now whenever it plays during this episode of Bar Rescue I'm on, I point at the TV. A fucking Classic.