- Last time on "next level chef"...
- Nathan, tell them what they're cooking!
- Ah-- [laughs]
- Stand back. Stand back!
There was one great dish--
Preston's. - Yeah!
[all cheering]
- Behind, hot behind, hot!
- The dish that I'm eliminating
Is the fish with the curly fries.
- April--
Oh, dear.
- Oh, man.
- Chris, well done. - Thank you, chef.
- And tonight...
- Today, you'll all be creating
A next-level fish dish.
- Let's go!
- One more thing--
For the first time ever,
That platform will not be stopping.
- $250,000 and a one-year mentorship--
They're going to throw all the curveballs at us.
- Let's bury those top floors, guys!
- Blais, what'd you get?
- Cod. - You're [bleep].
- What?
[tense music]
♪ ♪
[dramatic music]
♪ ♪
- Welcome back, guys.
Line up. We have one hell of a day for all of you.
It's a big one.
The cream is rising-- yes, team ramsay?
- Yeah--oh, yes, chef. All: Yes, chef.
- We are back on that top level--
Right where we belong, yes? - Told ya.
Told ya. - Yes, chef.
- Yes, thanks, preston.
- I'm feeling really, really good about today.
Winning top dish for my team
In the last challenge, I feel unstoppable right now.
- Okay, trailblazers--
- Whoo. - Chris, listen,
Twice into the elimination and twice you come back,
Which makes you either very lucky
Or very good. Which one is it?
- I think I'm very good, chef.
I don't have so much arrogance
That I think I'm the best one in the room,
But I do have enough resilience
To tell you that you could bury me in the ground,
And I will crawl back out
Like a zombie and come after you.
[evil laughter]
- All right, team arrington, listen--
We lost April last time,
And we're back in the basement.
I do not want to lose another chef.
- Yes, chef. - Yes, chef.
- Today, you'll all be creating
A next-level fish dish,
And of course, we'll expect
All of you to filet it first.
- I was a butcher at a restaurant.
I can break down fish.
I got this.
- We're gonna show you the proper way
To filet a fish.
Nyesha, shall we start with you, please?
- Please. What I have for you esteemed chefs today
Is rainbow trout. - Mmm.
- Here, I'm just gonna make oner incision at the tail,
And then flip to the other side,
Allow the knife to just guide along those bones...
And voilà.
- Like a surgeon, just--
Boom, boom, boom, done.
For me, it's gonna come out
Looking like it just went in a blender.
- So nyesha had a round fish.
What I'm going to demonstrate for you is a flat fish--
A lemon sole.
I'm gonna start by making an incision
Up near the head of the fish,
Right to the base of the spine,
And then very simply, I'm gonna run my knife down
The backbone of the fish.
When you're cutting fish, it's different than meat.
You want nice long strokes,
And there you have a beautiful
Filet of lemon sole. - Beautiful.
These things come in all different sizes.
Richard, I may need a hand
Lifting this thing. Could you get that side there?
That's it. Ready? - Okay, ready.
- I have an amazing...
[laughter]
Sardine!
- It's about the size of my fish I catch all the time.
- Now, that goes down through there.
Bend the knife. Let the knife do the work,
And off.
That's how you filet a sardine.
- Nice job, chef.
- Whoo. - Nice job.
- A great chef can filet a fish of any size.
Understood? - Yes, chef.
- So chef, are you saying it's not the size of the fish--
It's the motion of the ocean?
All: Ooh! [laughter]
- Wow. - Good one.
- My gran's watching.
[laughter]
Listen, there's one more thing--
For the first time ever,
When that platform comes down,
It will not be stopping.
All: What?
- Oh. - Oh, baby.
- Wait, what? - Huh?
- Yeah. - They're going to throw
All the curveballs at us.
I get it. It is $250,000 on the line
And a one-year mentorship.
Bring it on.
- Right, team ramsay, thanks to preston,
We have access to that top level kitchen.
Head the elevators. Good luck.
- Chef. - Thank you, chef.
[rock music]
[elevator dings]
[elevator whirs]
- Keep your head in the game--
Best dish comes off this floor.
[elevator dings] [all cheer]
- What's up, dude?
- Oh, how I've missed you.
- Oh, my god. - She pretty.
[elevator whirs]
- Nail the fish. - Yeah.
Fish gotta be nailed.
I have fileted whole-ass yellowfin tuna.
[elevator dings] I worked at a fish place,
So let's go, baby. Let's go!
[elevator dings] yeah, baby.
Man, middle kitchen.
We go up. All right, let's see here.
- Ooh, look at our boning knives.
- Okay, guys. Winning dish today, guys--
Let's get it. - I freaking live
In the basement in this competition.
[applause]
Yes! - Vamanos!
- Back home, baby. I'm back home.
- I don't know that I'll call it a home.
[cheers and applause]
- Let's go!
Stop clapping now. Let's go, let's go,
Let's go, let's go. Line up, please.
[elevator dings] [cheers and applause]
- Feeling good, feeling good? - Feeling good.
- Let's go, guys. - Yay.
- How are you feeling? - Great, chef.
- Are we good, ready? - Feeling good, chef.
- Okay, let's go, let's go, let's go.
Line up.
Here we go.
- One, two, three-- all: Team!
- Four, five, six-- all: Ramsay!
- Platform is on its way.
Oh, guess I should tell you one last thing--
We are changing things up big time.
- Oh, geez. - There are just
Three large fish, so you need to decide!
- Sorry, what? - Grab one as a team!
- Oh. - My god!
- Go, go, go, go, decide!
What are you gonna grab?
It is not stopping, okay?
So make it count.
- Three ginormous fish
That look absolutely terrifying.
- The salmon--beautiful.
- [laughing] vinny, like, grabs the salmon.
Like, he's a firefighter.
He can hold the fish by himself.
Like, why am I gonna get that all over me?
[laughs]
- What do you wanna do?
- What do you mean, "what do you wanna do?"
- Put it down, put it down. - What do I wanna do?
What do you wanna do? - Filet this.
- What are you doing? Put it down!
It's dead!
- Listen up, everyone.
On that platform,
There's only two large fish left,
And you have to grab one.
- What? - You'll work together
To break it down.
- That's exciting.
- Here it comes! - It's green.
- Okay, pick the fish you want as a team.
- Is it halibut? - And I see the giant monster.
[screams]
It's disgusting. I don't--
[laughs] - cod, cod, cod, cod, cod, cod.
- You want cod?
- I'm, like, grabbing this fish
And then I'm grabbing--
It's getting bigger and bigger and bigger.
I'm like, "whoa." - ew!
- Mehreen's over here like, "ew!"
- I just need to be as far away from this as possible.
- Guys, make it work.
There's only one big fish.
- What the heck?
- You're working as a team today to break this down.
- In key west, we eat a lot of fish.
Usually, I let the fish monger do the work.
- Go, go, go, go, go, go, go. - Go, go, go, go, go!
- Come on, stretch.
- Work as a team. - One fish.
- One big-ass fish.
What are we supposed to do with this?
- I got y'all, I got y'all, I got y'all.
I got it, I got it. - Yes.
- It's this huge halibut
In my face.
Pick it up--boom--
Slam it on the table.
It's go time. - Who's doing what?
- I'm gonna break down, chef. I'ma break down.
- Okay. - I'm comfortable with fish.
I was a sushi chef for almost a year.
Seafood and fish is my specialty.
I got this.
- That's our sushi chef right there, baby.
- Yeah! - She's done this before.
[dramatic music]
- I'm gonna break it down.
Somebody else pinbone it.
I am a professional butcher,
So I'm going to break down this fish.
- You're confident in this right?
- Yes. - Okay.
- I didn't really leave much room for other opinions.
This is my fish. I'm going to butcher it.
- Beautiful. Well done.
- Yeah, baby, that's it. - Beautiful.
- Yeah. - Well done.
- Oh, my--got it. - Oh, my god.
- Blais, what'd you get?
- Cod. - Cod?
You're [bleep].
- The cod is fantastic.
I haven't seen one this big in years.
- Who's doing the cutting?
One person should do it, right?
Both: Yup. - Matt immediately steps up.
I think matt's comfortable butchering fish.
I know he's the meat guy.
- Four distinct cod dishes.
Be very careful. You picked the toughest fish
To cut, but the best one to cook.
- Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. - Yes.
- Try and do one big cut.
I'm getting a little worried,
Because cutting cow and cutting fish--
They're way different. - You're a meat butcher.
I know you're a meat guy. You're cutting it like meat.
- For cow, you are, like, hacking at it,
And then fish, it's, like, one nice glide,
So I'm just hoping he doesn't butcher this fish.
You want a nice smooth cut going towards tini.
- Oh, man.
I'm trying to be as delicate as I can and find the line
To kinda follow.
- Careful on that.
All right, let's go. We gotta cut it.
This is the prize piece.
Don't mess up this part right here.
Watch your belly. Watch your belly.
- My god, I can't filet a fish.
We are in trouble.
- Long strokes, long strokes.
You're hacking at it. You're hacking at it.
Keep looking over like, what is he doing?
It looks terrible.
- Matt-- - careful.
[dramatic music]
It's like, stop.
- This is stressing me out.
- I butchered that.
- You're cutting it a little bit like meat.
You're a meat butcher. I know you're a meat guy.
- I know I am. - You're cutting it like meat.
- You're hacking at it. You're hacking at it.
- The fish-- I had loads of training,
But matt decided to drop in
And take charge on this one.
- This is the prize piece.
Don't mess up this part right here.
- I'm gonna use those collars.
This is a competition.
You're either gonna get got
Or get gone. That's it,
And if I have access to giant cod collars--
That are a chef's dream,
Done, out of the way.
Coming over. Give me the knife.
Coming over. - You got this.
- Make 'em nice. Make 'em nice.
- I certainly am not gonna go to elimination.
Fish will be chris' top dish today.
- Beautiful.
Good, good, you're going good.
Chris saved us, and I'm feeling relieved
- Two of your portions right there.
- How big a piece do you want?
- All of you, you're gonna need
Ingredients to go with these
Incredible salmon filets. - Yes, chef.
- It's time for the mid-round mayhem, guys.
- Today's curveball city.
I don't know what's going on.
It's just blur.
[hydraulics whirring]
- The rest of the ingredients are on their way down.
And go!
Grab, grab!
- I know I need lemon.
I mean, that's, like,
The key ingredient that goes with any fish--
Green onion, sweet potato, yukon potato.
- Five,
Four, three, two...
- I got a smokin' grab today.
- One. Goodbye!
Let's go. Well done.
- All right, it's on the move, guys!
Here's your ingredients!
- We're goin', we're goin'.
- Get all the ingredients you need.
- I'm looking for white wine, and I grab that.
This is gonna be good.
- Three, two, one.
We get flavor.
Back to your stations.
- I lay everything out, and I'm like, "holy [bleep]."
The bottle isn't white wine.
It's elderflower.
What am I gonna do with this stuff?
- Get garn--garnish, greens. Come on, guys.
- Yes.
- Lemon. - Grab what you need
For four distinct dishes.
- I grab garlic, onions,
Greens, carrots.
It is working in my favor to omify my dishes
And puerto ricanize them every single time,
And I'm going to continue to do that.
- Five, four, three, two, one!
Back to the stations.
Let's go. Good job, good job, good job.
- Whoo! - Let's go, guys!
Let's go!
- Neesh!
- What's up? - How's the halibut?
- It's amazing. They did a great job
Fileting it, actually.
- We got the salmon, and we're staying on top, girl.
- Okay, chef. Okay, we'll see.
- Enjoy the basement. - We're coming for the top!
Pilar, what are you working on?
- I'm gonna do a milk-poached halibut, chef,
With some smashed sweet potato.
- I know how bad you probably wanted sushi today, right?
- [laughing] no.
- Tell me more about your black girl sushi.
It's super inspiring to me.
- Yeah, it's just bringing, you know,
Typical soul food-- sweet potatoes, collard greens,
In a sushi roll. - Wow.
- Just wanna bring something different, chef.
- Keep cooking. You got this.
- Thank you. Chef arrington
Is a huge inspiration for me as a woman in color,
And I wanna make her proud.
- You guys good? You good, homie?
You good, chef? - Yeah, we good!
- Let's do it, baby. - We good, chef!
- You okay, shay? - Good.
- What's the plan, my friend?
- I am gonna do a mediterranean-style stew
With these potatoes and tomato and sumac,
And I'm gonna crust my fish
With this beautiful bread,
And this-- I grabbed these herbs,
And I don't know what they are. - Yeah, beautiful.
- I thought this was rosemary.
- This is actually a sea vegetable.
Did you taste them yet? - Not yet.
- Always. That's the last time
I'm gonna ask you, okay?
It's your first time. - You'll never have to--
Ooh! - For saline, right?
Oceany. - Mmm, that's good--yeah.
- Yeah, yeah, yeah. - Thank you, chef.
- How we feelin', omi? - Feeling good, chef.
- Talk to me about what you have in this frying pan.
- This is called bacalaitos.
These are fish fritters.
My grandmother taught me this recipe
At a very young age.
She would call it-- [speaks spanish]--
Revive the dead. [laughs]
If you were ever sick,
This was the dish she would make.
- I mean, it smells beautiful. It's like puerto rico, girl.
- Thank you, chef.
- We wanna stay on the top floor here.
Yes? All: Yes, chef!
- Good. - Okay, guys,
They're coming for us. Put your heart into it.
- Tucker, how are we feeling? - Great, chef.
- Possibly the hardest task tonight.
- You fileted it beautifully. - I wanted to make sure that
My team and I had the best protein on there, chef.
- Love that. What are you gonna be doing?
- Confit cherry tomato, rosemary-roasted potatoes,
In a smoked butter. - Love that.
- You haven't played that pin, yet.
Does it worry you about the size
Of the target on your back?
- I'm a fighter, chef.
I'm coming out swinging every time.
- Okay, good luck. - Thank you, chef.
- Well done.
Right, michelle, what's that for?
- This is gonna be the sauce.
- Good. - I'm thinking, like,
A nice citrus butter sauce
And then, I grabbed some sea beans.
- That's good. - I think I'm gonna
Blanche 'em and maybe fry 'em.
- Yeah. - To get some textural element
On the plate as well. - Good, I love that.
I'm seeing this home cook elevate yourself.
Are you feeling more confident? - I absolutely am, chef.
Every challenge, I feel like I'm getting more like a chef
And less as a cook. - Good.
Young lady, good luck. - Thanks, chef.
- Right, young man, tell me, what are you doing?
- Salmon--I'm marinating it
In soy sauce and tobasco right now.
- Wow, and what's the smoking gun for?
- I want it to be, like, a nice smoky salmon.
I'm using applewood right now.
- Applewood--smart. - Trying to incorporate
That flavor into all aspects of the dish.
- So it's a cold smoke with a marinade, right?
- Yes, chef. - Have you done this before?
- Uh, kinda.
I've been kinda shy, going into this competition,
But I'm really trying to step out more
And be more bold with both my flavors, techniques
And really just focusing on more on the cook.
- Beautiful dish there, young man.
- Thank you, chef. - Wow, really good, indeed.
- The competition is leveling up now.
Every single tiny detail matters.
- Do not overcomplicate it.
- Yes, chef.
- Vinny, we good? - Yes, chef.
- You get a chance to cook salmon in that firehouse?
- Yes, I do. I cook with salmon
All the time, and I'm pretty pumped about it.
Where I work in the firehouse,
It's always big cooking
For multiple people.
Here, I gotta learn to cook
Not for the masses, but quality dishes.
Getting that boost the last time I cooked,
I am a new person.
- It's a big, flavorful dish for such a tiny ingredient.
- I think you're gonna see some good stuff come from me
From here on out. - Tell me about the dish.
You have a part-blanched sweet potato.
- And the white potato.
I'm gonna make separate mashed for each,
And then I wanna make purees
And throw some lemon on there. - Okay, you gotta get
All them-- if you're gonna do purees,
Get them on, 'cause you're behind it right now.
35 minutes to go. - Yes, chef.
- Let's go, guys.
- All right, mehreen, what are we up to over here?
- Today, I think I'm going to do a butter-poached cod,
And on the side I'm also gonna
Make a vanilla chili butter.
- Got it, okay.
- I love vanilla and seafood.
I tried it in mexico city recently,
And that flavor just immediately comes to my tongue.
So I'm thinking it's time
To go back into risk-taking mode.
I'm praying it comes together. [laughs]
- Tini, what do we got going on over here?
- I got a bunch of stuff.
- Are you gonna make a red wine
Reduction sauce-- - yeah, oh, I have red wine.
- Or is this sauce gonna be the avocado?
- I don't know.
- Okay, well, that's something you gotta figure out.
You got the workings of a classic dish, right?
- Okay.
- Matt, how we doin'?
- I'm doing okay. - What is this right here?
- Elderflower. - Okay, so you got
This reduction? - I'm a little worried
About the sweetness.
- Okay, great.
You're gonna have pancetta in there, right?
'cause the elderflower's sweet. - Yeah.
- I'm not worried about the sweetness.
- We just gotta balance out the sweet.
- As long as it's salty here. - The pancetta fat--
- All right, keep going.
Matt's got elderflowers here--
A tough ingredient to work into a dish with cod.
He's just gotta pull it together
And make this dish beautiful.
- You're making a little stock here?
- Yes, chef. - Nice.
- Building the flavors in this broth first.
- What's the plan with the potato?
- Uh, to get them fried for some texture--
Just lightly boiling them first
So they're cooked in the inside and soft.
- Okay, so yeah, I've never really seen someone
Fry a potato and then put it into a broth.
- Shoot. - I'ma restart that.
- You have time. Think.
- Fried potatoes in broth-- does that make sense?
[laughing] I'm like, "I don't know, chef!"
- Keep going, keep going, keep going.
- Yes, chef.
- How you feelin', team? - Feeling good, chef!
- Love that excitement! Let's go!
- I'm confident cooking my bacalaito fritter--
I've cooked it before. I know it's gonna take
Two to three minutes before I have to flip it
To the other side and have it nice and golden.
- Turn your heat down. Turn your heat down.
- Yes, chef.
- You see it burning in front of you?
- Yes, chef, yes, chef.
I flip it, and it's burnt.
[exhales]
- Put some cold oil in there.
- The basement is not helping me
Because the fire is so inconsistent in the stove.
I don't wanna panic at a moment like this,
But I need to get a bacalaito fritter on this plate.
- Chris, what do we got going on?
- So I'm gonna do cod collars.
I'm gonna grill them.
I have them marinating here
In sake, lemongrass, kumquats, garlic.
- You are going big, dude. - Yeah.
Everyone on my team has won top dish of the day--
Been long in the making
That chris needs to receive
That mantel at some point.
I think today could be that day.
I know it's gonna kick ass.
Sugar, spice, and everything nice.
[tray clanks]
- What the [bleep]?
Oh, my god.
I see pancetta
All over the floor.
I knocked it over.
I can't believe that.
[groans]
It was the one thing
That I was hoping
Was gonna bring a little bit of salt
Because of the sweet sauce.
Oh, god. - Can't use it.
Can't use it. - Nope.
I don't know what to do.
- One thing is when we make a mistake--
Which is life, right?
It's how we get through it.
Yeah.
- I don't get flustered.
I work in chaos
With my high school kids.
They are living, breathing, frigging chaos,
But this challenge,
I'm seriously, seriously worried about.
- 15 minutes left!
- Heard, chef. - Heard, chef!
- Butter and cream... - Let's go, let's go, let's go.
- I got you, chef. I got you.
- Gimme one good one.
Gimme one good one, and I got you.
I have now made four bacalaito fritters,
And they've all burnt on me.
Come on. Do right by me, baby.
Do right by me.
I'm down to the last of my batter,
And I'm thinking of my grandmother,
All the things that she taught me in the kitchen.
This has to work now.
Yes!
- How we feeling, guys?
- Feeling good. - All right.
- When are you cooking the salmon?
- Around the ten-minute mark.
- Ten-minute mark, good. Don't forget--
When it comes out of the pan,
It still cooks, okay?
So bear that in mind, all of you, yes?
Both: Yes, chef.
- Good. Where are the carrots?
- Carrots on-- - that's why I said
Don't leave it till last minute.
That stuff needs to be pureed properly.
Put your head up. Let's go.
Make this count.
- Chris, you're gonna-- you gotta start cooking
That collar soon, right?
- Yes, chef, it's going on right now.
[fish sizzling]
Cod collars are getting engulfed in flames,
And that is exactly how chris likes to grill his fish.
You guys can go with the loins all you want.
- Look at that smile, dude.
I don't think I've seen that smile before.
- It hasn't been here in a while.
To be in this competition,
You need to be thinking outside the box.
- All right, once again here,
You gotta bring in the tornado a little bit, right?
- Yeah. - Do you wanna do
Red wine sauce or the avocado crema?
- I think I'm gonna do red wine.
I want the red and the green.
- Okay, some sugar in the red wine reduction
Is not gonna be a bad idea, okay?
- Okay. - Because it'll take away some
Of the tartness of it. - All right.
[objects clank] ah.
- It's time for us to rise up
And put out four amazing dishes.
Both: Yes, chef.
- Okay.
- I go to turn my fish,
And the skin is just stuck.
I'm falling apart here, chef.
- It's okay, matt. You got it.
- Like, what am I gonna do now?
- You wanted to cook another piece, matt.
Nothing's telling you you can't.
There's a thing called a fryer
That always gets things
Golden-brown and delicious.
Have you ever heard of it?
- Five minutes to go, guys, yes?
[fish sizzles] that's it, good--
Beautiful color.
90% of the salmon should be cooked skin side down, yeah?
- Yes, chef.
- Preston, the salmon's out.
How's that look now?
Raw, yeah?
How are you gonna cook the rest of that salmon?
- In the oven, chef.
[dramatic music]
- Oh, boy. Preston, right now,
He's going off-piece again and overcomplicating his dish.
If that salmon isn't cooked, trust me,
He's in a world of trouble.
♪ ♪
- Can I throw this fish in the fryer real quick?
- What do you think, chef? Yeah.
- Holy crap. I'm gonna throw my freakin' cod
In a fryer.
[oil sizzling] I need a miracle.
♪ ♪
- [groans]
Two minutes. Let's go--let's plate.
- Finishing touches, guys, come on.
Finishing touches. Let's go.
- Let's go. Keep going, keep going.
Come on, guys, push!
- 30 seconds to go.
- Man, this cook, like--
The level of stress cannot be described.
- Ah, vinny, work on the board, please.
- 15 seconds, guys.
Make it perfect.
- Platform coming down, guys.
- Platform's on the move!
Let's go, let's go, let's go!
- Let's get out of this basement.
- Platform is here!
Five,
Four,
Three,
Two,
One!
[hydraulics whir]
Good job. Way to filet that fish, girl.
- Pilar, you're a star.
We love you.
- The platform is here.
Matt, you got this. You don't run out of time.
- I'm praying I cooked my fish well,
But my head's just spinning.
- Come on, matt!
♪ ♪
- Let's go. Any finishing touches--
All the way to the end.
[hydraulics whir]
- The fact that I got something on that platform
Was a frigging miracle.
- Ahh!
- I'm going up, y'all.
- Platform's there, guys, okay?
Let's go, let's go, let's go.
Three, two, one,
And stop! Well done!
[dramatic music]
♪ ♪
- I'm feeling pretty confident.
I went from being, like,
Freaking obi-wan kenobi
To, like, yoda.
Like, the force got stronger with me.
[lightsaber humming]
- Shall we dive into the tasting?
- Please. - Shall we?
Let's start off with the top floor.
This is a pan-seared salmon,
Two purees, the sweet potato and mashed potato.
- Well, the idea of having two different purees,
It's really nice to be able to pick one lane
And not try to do too much.
Sometimes, less is more.
So the dish is rushed.
- Yeah, I mean, this dish to me--lacking focus,
And I'm sure whoever cooked this ran out of time.
- That was bad. I dropped the ball huge.
To make a plain jane dish
Like I did today is very unacceptable.
- This is a pan-seared salmon. The individual who cooked this
Was the individual that fileted their salmon.
Skin crisped beautiful-- oh, my god.
- You can hear it. You can hear how crispy it is.
- Got that layer of bacon on top--
With that crispy skin,
It's just delicious.
This is a salmon that was beautifully marinated.
It was done with citrus beurre blanc,
A beautiful char-- grilled properly,
Sea asparagus on top.
Wow, the cook on that is beautiful.
- This has to be one of the most
Beautiful cooked salmons I've ever had the pleasure
To enjoy. The sauce is powerful--
Love that. - Great job.
This is a roasted salmon
Served in a purple cauliflower puree.
That's raw.
[suspenseful music]
I got excited, watching the smoking of this salmon
Taking place.
Um, unfortunately, that salmon is way undercooked.
[dramatic music]
I'm upset, and I'm concerned,
'cause it's not good.
♪ ♪
[dramatic music]
- Unfortunately, that salmon is way undercooked.
- My heart dropped when I see how raw it is.
That's unacceptable,
Especially at this level in the competition.
Yeah, it was bad.
Richard, shall we move to your floor?
- Come on down. - Wow, is that a collar?
- Yeah, so we'll start here--
We had a curry-marinated char-grilled cod collar
And a fresh little salad.
- Wow.
Kudos to the guts
To pick a collar,
And it's an absolute dream come true.
- Getting that flavor inside
And then char-grilling this cod--
It's the perfect way to cook this.
- Today, I performed like a badass.
That $1/4 million and year-long mentorship
Is as good as mine.
- Okay, over here, we have
A butter-basted cod filet
With red wine, avocado, and grapefruit.
- Avocado, big no-no.
You don't sit that in a red wine sauce.
It's a shame-- could've been a showstopper.
- Maybe do something more with avocado and grapefruit--
Make a dish or salsa to garnish on top.
- All right, over here, we have a little bit
Of pan-roasted cod filet
With a sauce of potato,
Seaweed, and vanilla.
- I first learned how to bring in vanilla to fish
With guy savoy in paris at the age of 22.
I've never stopped using it since then.
So I love the confidence there. Great job.
- Very whimsical and imaginative--
Absolutely stunning.
- All right, over here, we have
Pan-fried cod filet with potato puree,
Elderflower beurre blanc,
And broccoli.
- This dish is a little confusing
On my palette. It just doesn't seem
Like a cohesive dish.
- Elderflower with gin and tonic?
I get it.
Elderflower in my cod dish?
I'm not too sure we're ready for that.
- I absolutely just fell flat on my face.
I'm seriously, seriously worried.
- Should we go to the basement?
- Basement chefs, yes.
- Wow, what do we have here?
- First up, we have a pan-roasted halibut.
This has a shellfish jus,
A potato puree,
With sauteed greens.
- I think we can be a little bit more uplifting
In this stage of the competition
Without presentation.
The mashed potatoes are lumpy.
- It looks restrained.
There's not a clear sort of sense
Of focus on this dish.
- Next up, we have a milk-poached halibut
Served with vegetables with crispy capers.
- Poaching it keeps it nice and moist.
Capers, tomatoes-- classic combination.
- It's really eye-catching.
It's popping. All the flavors are there.
It's delicious.
- Next up, we have a bread-crusted halibut
To serve over a rustic tomato and pancetta sauce.
- I love the flavor.
To the naked eye, the halibut
Looks like it's undercooked,
But it's not. It's cooked beautifully inside.
- There's too much of the ragu.
Put these on top and present it a little tighter.
Flavors are good--presentation,
Not quite there.
- Wow. - Next up, we have
A trio of halibut.
Chef took the trim, made a beautiful broth,
Crispied the skin,
And made this amazing fritter.
♪ ♪
- Delicious.
The star is that beautiful fishcake.
It is really good.
- Wow, I mean, this is very personal dish,
Whoever cooked this--so much elegance and refinement.
I love all of the plays on texture--so smart.
- I feel incredible.
Hearing these comments
About my grandmother's most humble dish--
I'm overwhelmed.
- Uh, we need a big moment.
♪ ♪
- That was terrible. It was terrible.
- Should we talk about that collar?
- Yeah. - That was delicious.
- I love it. It's so brave,
And especially for this chef,
Who has kind of struggled recently.
- And that beautiful fresh salad on the side.
It complements it so well. - Yeah, yeah.
- I hope I get the best dish of the day.
- The halibut seared, served in broth--wow.
- Really impressed. - I mean, listen,
I'm gonna make a bold statement right here--
One of the best dishes in the history of this show.
- Mm, yeah. - Yeah.
- I'm shocked that I got a raw salmon
That you guys had to eat, so my apologies.
- I'm also shocked with an individual
Sticking two purees on the plate.
- That's like a rookie, day one sort of mistake.
- 100%. - What was that cod
With the elderflower?
That was so floral.
- And it was just a train wreck of a dish.
- Yeah. - Wow, and that cod
With the avocado and red wine.
- Individually, they're great, but together,
It's not really making sense.
- It wasn't a complete dish.
♪ ♪
- Okay, some of you got really creative,
And some of you were somewhat struggling.
The most outstanding dish tonight...
Was...
♪ ♪
The halibut three ways.
[applause] - oh!
- That's how you do it!
♪ ♪
- Young lady, I wish you were a part of my team,
Because that has shown such creativity.
- Thank you, chef.
- You mentioned your grandma in this dish.
What did she give to you?
- She gave me everything
Since nine years old,
Cooking with her in the kitchen.
- Her presence was very prevalent in this dish tonight.
- Thank you.
Thank you so much.
The last time I spoke to my grandma...
She told me we're gonna cook together.
And I went to puerto rico,
And right before I got to see her,
She passed,
And I never got to cook with her.
Today, she got to cook with me.
- Thanks to omi, you're all safe.
You can head back to the lounge.
[applause]
- Good job. - All right, guys.
- Well done, omi!
- Now for the harder part.
Unfortunately,
Gordon and richard,
Each of you has to choose one member of your team
To go into that elimination cook-off.
Richard, let's start with you.
- [exhales]
It's a tough decision-- a big one for the team.
But the person I'm sending
Into the elimination tonight is...
♪ ♪
- The person I'm sending
Into the elimination tonight is...
♪ ♪
Matt.
- Yes, chef. - Just clean yourself off
And take one home for team blais upstairs.
- I got it, chef.
I didn't even need to hear any of the feedback.
I know it was a bad dish.
The elderflower got the best of me.
[dramatic music]
- Okay, gordon, please.
- Tonight,
The person I'm gonna put into the cook-off
Is...
Preston. - Yes, chef.
- Young man, if you can't cook a piece of salmon,
You're never gonna become the next level chef.
- I definitely deserve to be in this elimination round,
But I don't think it's my time
To leave this competition.
I may be in a corner right now,
But I feel like I can bring my a game
And make it out of this.
- Preston and matt,
Please stay here.
The rest of you
Head up to the top level.
♪ ♪
- You know, going up against preston
Is a little bittersweet,
Because he's the age of kids I teach,
And my whole goal in life
Is to see kids chase their dreams.
So that's tough to think that I could send him home,
But I'm gonna do my best to get that out
And just focus on what's in front of me.
- [sighs]
- Okay, gentlemen,
You have one last chance
To save yourself in this competition.
Both of you will have 30 minutes
To create a dish using one of the finest ingredients--
Lobster.
- Oh, man, I was definitely hoping for a land animal
To be the protein for this challenge.
I've only really worked with a lobster once before.
So I don't know how I'm gonna come out of this.
- I will be up in that kitchen with you.
Richard and gordon will join us after the cook is done.
Please head up, and I will see you soon.
- Matt, do something you know is delicious, all right?
- Preston, come on. - Your food, okay?
- Get it together, young man. - That's it--just like
You're cooking for the fam, okay, matt?
- Lobster isn't alien to me.
I know how to cook it,
So I got this.
♪ ♪
- Let 'em roll. - Matt is such a solid cook.
Out of everybody in the competition,
He's the one I didn't wanna go against,
Because he's such an amazing person.
[all cheering]
But I wanna be the next level chef,
So I'm hyping myself up.
I'm gonna bring that passion and fire
Back into the elimination round.
- Matt. - Yes, chef.
- Preston. - Yes, chef.
- You have 30 minutes up here,
One beautiful dish celebrating lobster.
Both: Yes, chef. - Okay, gentlemen,
Hands on the elevator, please.
- Let's go, preston. - Let's got, matt.
- This is a good matchup--
Our oldest and our youngest contestants.
- [laughs] - aw.
- Oh, I'm nervous for them. - Me too, man.
- All right, guys, platform on the move.
[chiming] go!
- Go, matt, go! - Let's go, preston.
- Platform's here the entire time, right?
- I'm looking for pasta,
Tomatoes, grab some garlic.
- Matt, matt! There's caviar
Right in front of you, the left of your hand,
There's caviar. - I'm good.
I see that beautiful caviar,
And I'm like, "this is gonna be good."
- He got caviar. - Yes.
- Ooh! - Okay, baby.
- Make it fancy.
- Matt, what's your plan? What's your dish?
- I'm gonna do a grilled lobster, chef.
- Yes? - With a tomato-basil pasta
With a lemon butter sauce.
- Amazing, sounds delicious.
- Thank you, chef. - What are you making, chef?
- I'm gonna try to make a lobster pasta, chef.
- What type of pasta?
- Tortellini, chef. - Tortellini?
- Yeah. All: Oh!
- Wow! - Tortellini!
- Battle of the lobster pastas.
- This is my first time making tortellini.
- Turn the dial down. You need more flour.
- Yes, chef. That's a big gamble
Going into this, but it has that passion,
It has that innovation.
So I'm hoping that I can execute it well
And that the judges will think
It is technically advanced for this dish.
- You see how fast those first five minutes go, right?
- Yes, chef.
- What's the plan with the rest of the lobster?
- Uh, I'm just using the tail right now.
- Okay. - I'ma grill that.
- Matt's saying he wants to grill lobster tails.
You do not want those to stay on the grill for too long,
Because it goes from zero to rubber real quick.
Here we go. [claps]
Here we go.
Lowers--there you go, there you go.
- I think if it's even remotely chewy,
Then that's not gonna-- - that's not gonna be good.
Some big ol' chewy piece of lobster?
- Yeah.
- Get in there, dude. Rip that tail off.
Here.
Come on, preston. - Yes, chef, working.
- Don't cook scared.
- I'm seeing preston manhandle that lobster.
He looks worried.
I'm concerned for him.
- Whoo! - Guys, ten minutes down,
20 minutes to go, right?
♪ ♪
- [speaking spanish]
- Come, come get your lobster.
I'm serious. Lobster's on fire.
Honestly, I could whistle through my butt
With how much it is clenched right now.
[clapping] let's go, matt!
Oh, my god.
- It's burning!
- Come on, matt, come on.
- Take it off the heat. Oh, my god.
- Lobster's on fire. There you go, buddy.
There you go, buddy, there you go.
- Yup-- poppin' it right in the oven
For a few. - You got this, you got this.
- Bright, beautiful dishes, right?
Celebrating the lobster. Both: Yes, chef.
- Ten minutes--for one of you, this is the last ten minutes
In this competition. - Let's go, preston!
You've got this! - Cook like it, yes?
- Yes, chef. - Some big chunks
In the ravioli.
- Oh, boy. - Interesting.
- Good? - One more minute,
And then it'll finish in here. - Okay.
- Done. - Even if he needs
One more minute, I would take it out right now.
They do not want overcooked pasta.
- Does it taste great?
- It's getting there.
- Are you leaving it in or out of the shell?
What do you wanna do? - I was gonna leave it in.
- Take it out. - Yeah.
- One minute left, guys!
- One minute, yes, chef.
- Gently! Yeah, twist in the bowl,
Twist in the bowl. - Yes!
- There you go.
- Wow. Plate it nice.
- Ah, shoot--
- Hurry up. This is a dish
To save your life, right?
Cook like you mean it!
- Where's the caviar? Where's my cav--oh, here we go.
- All right. - I got it.
- Tiny dollop in the center.
Whoo! - You're good, matt,
You're good! - Do you like the way it looks?
- I do. - Ten, nine...
All: Eight... - Put your pan--
All: Seven, six,
Five, four, three,
Two, one! [all cheer]
- Get over here! Both: Get over here.
- Amazing.
[dramatic music]
♪ ♪
- Richard, gordon,
We have two dishes featuring lobster.
Only one of these dishes is gonna go forward
And save the chef who made it.
- Aw, man. - They both look good,
I gotta say.
- First, we have a grilled lobster tail
With caviar and pasta.
♪ ♪
- Um,
Lobster's nailed,
And pasta's cooked beautifully--
Really beautifully.
The only bit I wouldn't agree with is that lump of caviar
On top, because it doesn't really need it.
- Tomatoes, basil, white wine,
Caviar, lobster--this is a good restaurant-quality dish.
- Next dish we have here is a lobster tortellini.
♪ ♪
- Delicious-- pasta, absolutely transparent--
Cooked beautifully.
- Super brave to make tortelloni in 30 minutes.
Also, I love the dual use of lobster here
To make that beautiful shellfish broth.
- Okay,
Obviously, only one of these dishes
Is gonna go forward and save the chef who made it.
So richard, I'm gonna start with you.
Which dish would you eliminate tonight?
- [exhales] maybe the toughest one we've had up here--
I mean, two really tasty dishes,
Two different styles.
I'm thinking about the totality of the dish,
And the one I'd rather eat again,
And for me, the dish that I'm eliminating...
♪ ♪
Is the lobster tortelloni.
- Gordon, which dish are you eliminating tonight?
- There's no bad dishes here.
I think that's the hard thing for me.
These are both next-level lobster dishes.
The dish I'm eliminating is...
The linguini and lobster.
- [gasps]
- Oh, boy.
- Nyesha, that means it's one all,
And you're gonna break the tie.
- So difficult--being up here,
Watching these two gentlemen cook.
The dish that I am eliminating tonight...
♪ ♪
Is...
♪ ♪
The lobster with linguini.
- This dish was cooked by matt.
- [exhales]
- Matt.
- Aw, no.
- It really came down
To the technical execution, right?
Tortellini in 30 minutes-- unbelievable.
- Matt, you saved your best for last.
Your family is going to be so incredibly proud of you.
- They are. - That's the great thing.
They're gonna watch this with the same amount of pride
That I feel right now.
You threw down during this competition.
That was delicious.
- I appreciate that.
- Great job.
- This has been a wild ride, man.
I never gave up.
I hope my kids saw that.
And I'm proud of preston, man.
You know, he's 19 years old.
He's chasing a dream.
I'm living my dream--
A beautiful wife,
Beautiful, healthy kids--
Like, I'm going back to a dream.
You know, I hope preston finds his here.
- The bond that I grew with matt
In this competition was something that I--
It was truly remarkable.
To see him go is heartbreaking,
To say the least.
- It's far from over.
[cheers and applause]
- Yeah, matt!
Viking!
- Uh, preston, I don't know how you go
From an undercooked salmon
To a delicious tortellini.
There are no more excuses, young man, okay?
- No more excuses, chef.
- Listen carefully.
The game is about to change.
The next challenge
You're about to face,
Honestly, is the toughest one yet.
- [exhales]
- Good night.
All: Thank you, chef.
- Man.
♪ ♪
- That's, like, the most bittersweet thing
I've ever done. - It is.
- He was gonna teach me how to shave tonight.
[laughter] - he was--stop!
- I got you, I got you, I got you, I got you.
- That's so cute!
♪ ♪
- Next time on "next level chef"...
Go, guys! Let's go!
The team competition is now over.
You're now individuals fighting to become
The next level chef.
- This is what I came for.
- Your 40 minutes starts now! Let's go, guys!
- [squeals]
- Guys, time to push.
- Have you eaten one yet? Have you tasted it?
- I have not. - Oh--
- Stock went down. He didn't turn that handle in.
- I'm screwed.
- Come on, come on! Right here!
Right here, right here! This is to all the people
That doubted me.
[blows raspberry]
♪ ♪