- What a game.
Welcome to the world's toughest culinary competition,
"next level chef."
Every great chef had to start at the bottom
And work their way up.
So I've created a three-level culinary proving ground
Like you've never seen before.
- Let's go!
- Let's go. Gotta move.
Each week these chefs will be battling to level up.
- Hurry up. - And the only way
To move to the top is to cook your way up.
Can you rise above the rest?
Those cooking on the top level
Will get the first pick of ingredients.
- I got the lobster.
Oh, yeah.
- If you're down in the basement
You'll have to make due with whatever's left.
- This is like things you'd find at the goodwill
On sale for a dollar.
- Once again, nyesha arrington...
- You want to stay in this top-level kitchen?
- Richard blais... - Make it look beautiful.
- And I are going head-to-head...
We are not going down on the floor tonight.
- To find the next great talent.
This season we've already handpicked our teams
Of talented home cooks, social media chefs,
And professionals.
- I'm gonna fight, scratch, and claw
My way to the top.
- With an amazing one-year mentorship
And $250,000 on the line,
The journey to the top starts tonight.
- ♪ gimme something new ♪
- Their first challenge is to level up a classic dish
In only 45 minutes
With whatever ingredients they can grab
From the platform.
- It's like fighting for your last meal.
And by the end of tonight
One chef will leave the competition for good.
If there was ever a time for you to cook
The best dish of your lives,
This is it.
This is the evolution of cooking competitions.
And it starts...
[bleep].
Right now.
[dramatic rock music]
♪ ♪
[suspenseful music]
♪ ♪
- Okay, okay.
- All right, I'm hearing some activity.
- Oh, my goodness.
I wonder who picked me.
I know that most people are gonna say
They would love chef gordon to be their mentor,
But I've been dreaming about chef arrington.
- Who do we got?
[all screaming] - let's go!
- Yeah, girl! [all screaming]
- Yes! God, you're real, and you're listening.
- Let's go. - We are gonna go.
All we're gonna do is go. - Let's go.
- Guys, listen up.
I know we randomly drew the basement
For our first challenge, but I promise you
We could still cook our way to the top.
- Let's go!
- Who do we got? We're just rushing.
[rock music]
[all screaming] - let's go!
Let's go! - Get outta here! No way!
- Oh, my god!
I am so freakin' stoked to be on team ramsay.
We are gonna absolutely knock this out of the park.
- Remember I have handpicked each and every one of you.
- [laughs]
- All of you will have 45 minutes
To create a next-level dish.
And remember this: I do not like losing.
- No. - And nor should you.
- Okay, I can die happy now.
Gordon ramsay picked me. [laughs]
- We're still waiting for our chef!
[hydraulics whirring]
[dramatic music]
[all screaming] - let's go! Let's go!
This is where I wanna be.
I was an athlete my whole life, and I have pre-game jitters.
- Grab your aprons.
Champions wear blue.
- We're ready. Game on.
Like, time to play.
- We were very lucky getting the top level
In the random draw today,
It means you get the best ingredients and best equipment
To work with.
Now it's go time. - Okay.
- Platform is on the way.
- Here we go.
When the light's green, it's go.
[electronic chime] go time!
- Let's go. - Here we go!
- I ran track in high school.
I'm small, but I'm a fireball.
I literally will... [imitates smashing sound]
- Yes, we are off. Okay, what do we got?
- Being on the top floor,
We have all these amazing ingredients.
Everything you can imagine.
And then I see this beautiful filet.
I said, "I'm gonna grab this filet.
I know how to cook this."
- We're gonna grab a bunch of things.
You should already have a few things in your hands.
You're on the top level. Grab the good ingredients.
- Oh! Oh, my gosh. I'm panicking.
It's like fighting for your last meal.
- All right, don't be afraid of jars, cans, flavor.
Ten seconds!
- I grab the ground turkey, but it wasn't top-tier.
- Five, four, three...
- I'm at the top level.
I'm trying to present a top-level plate.
It's like, "what the hell are you gonna make out of this?"
- Two, one!
If you can grab it, you can get it!
- Standby. Standby.
- Let's go, let's go, let's go.
- Oh, oh!
- Sheer bloody panic.
- Think about it! Come on!
- Scallops. I see scallops.
I'm like, "okay, I love a good scallop."
I'm ready to bust out a next-level dish.
Just really show them, like, who I am on a plate.
- Look at those ingredients. Tuna. Great choice.
- There's people flying around.
They're looking for ingredients.
Man, we're just like chickens with no heads
Running around this kitchen.
- 20 seconds to go. Come on.
Ingredients, starch, herbs.
Five, four, three, two, one!
It's going, guys. It's going!
Let's go! Well done.
♪ ♪
- After all the anticipation, here it comes.
- Go! - Excuse me, chef.
♪ ♪
- Grab your ingredients! Get as many as you can.
I'm grabbing with zero plan
Just trying to get to anything that's left.
All I see are things that I absolutely do not want,
Because it's so sparse.
- Five, four, three, two...
- I grab imitation crab.
There's not a better option.
- One! That's it. If it's still here, grab it.
[electronic chime] you got this. Let's go!
- Let's go. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go.
- Geek yogurt. - Let's go. Let's go. Let's go.
What the heck am I supposed to do with yogurt?
I'm puerto rican; I don't know how to cook with yogurt.
- 45 minutes starts now. Let's go, let's go, let's go.
- 45 minutes to make your first impression.
All: Yes, chef.
- It's your chance to wow us.
- Just under 45 minutes to go, guys.
Yes? All: Yes, chef.
- Let's go. Want this team to victory.
Right. Mark, how are you feeling?
- Feel good, chef. - Good.
Why go for shrimp?
- I'm a seafood guy,
And shrimp is kinda like my staple.
I like shrimp, a little garlic, a little heat.
- Don't overcook it, okay? - Yes, chef.
- Be smart; they take seconds to cook.
- Yes, chef.
- Give me a little bit of history.
How did this start?
- Watching my grandma cook in the backyard
Barbecuing over an open fire.
And then obviously,
My career going to the national football league.
- And a nice job by mark mcmillian.
- My name is mark mcmillian. I'm a retired nfl player.
And I always told my brother that one day
I'm gonna play in the nfl.
People were like, "you're too small.
You're not gonna make it."
But I just kept grinding away at it,
And eight years later,
I was in the national football league.
- Mcmillian again.
- Boy, that is a competitive guy.
- Coming from a sports background,
I'm very competitive.
Anything I put my mind to, I want to win.
Spending eight years in the national football league,
That's all you know.
Now I found my new passion with cooking.
I'm not a professional chef, just a home cook,
But now I'm getting an opportunity
To cook against some amazing chefs,
And I want people to see that anything is possible.
So don't count me out.
- I wanna see that background going to this kitchen.
- Yes, chef. - Yeah?
- I'm excited. I always was the underdog.
- Yes.
- Now, I feel like I'm the underdog again
In this whole competition, and I wanna win it.
- Come on. - Yes, chef.
- Let's crush it, you guys. Let's freaking crush it.
- Yeah, baby. - Lotta stress, lotta stress.
- Cassie, what did you grab protein-wise?
- I grabbed ground beef.
I'm going to make a ground beef dumping,
A jammy tomato,
Which is a fusion of a dish my mom always made me,
Which is a tomato egg, and then infuse it into the dumping.
- Biggest influence growing up was who?
- My mother, and she'd be really proud of me.
She taught me how to cook.
We never ordered takeout when I was growing up.
She would come home after a long day after work,
And he would cook for my entire family.
And now I'm kind of the cook of the family.
- I love that.
Make sure that filling inside
Is seasoned beautifully. - Absolutely, chef.
[dramatic music]
- I want the intensity hot in here!
- Yes, chef! - Let's go, let's go!
Omi! I smell some amazing aromas coming off this station!
I feel the love.
- You feel the ancestors... - Yes, ma'am!
- Is what you're feeling, ma'am.
- It is so fascinating to me that the chicken oysters
Made it all the way down to the basement.
- I am very excited about that.
- What's your vision?
- Make, like, a pollo guisado, which is like a stewed chicken.
- Yum.
- It's very traditional in puerto rico.
- How are we developing flavor?
- I throw in some paprika,
Some garlic powder, onion powder.
- Amor. - Some cumin, oregano.
La cantidad que te llegar de la corazón.
- Vámanos, mi amor. - Pa ya!
- Allá! Here for it. - [laughs]
- Nuri. - Chef.
- Yes, chef. - Your ingredients look great.
- I've never worked with black cod,
But I'm thinking
Sear it, baste it with a lot of butter
So the skin can get nice and crispy.
- Make sure there are no bones in the black cod.
- Yes, chef. - They have very thin bones.
Okay, chef? - Yes, chef.
- Let's go, chefs.
- Hello, chef. - Hello, chef.
How are you? - I'm good.
- Talk to me about your dish, April.
- We have grits and imitation crab.
- Amazing.
- It's something I am familiar with, so I grabbed it.
Now I just have to figure out what I'm gonna do with it.
- Southern comfort classic kind of vibe?
- Exactly.
- Going with your wheelhouse of cooking?
- I figure start out with where I'm comfortable.
- Make sure those grits are cooked through, right?
- Yes.
- I do not wanna lose to the bottom floors!
- Heard! - Good, guys.
We're good, we're good.
- Please keep it elegant and classy up here.
You're on the top floor.
Kamahlai, what do we got? - Some jerk meatballs.
- So ground turkey? - Yes.
- On the top level? - Yes.
- Oh, my gosh.
That's not usually an ingredient you see on
You know, the fine dining restaurants, right?
- Really, I know.
- But it's a one that you cook with a lot, right?
- Yes. - Okay.
- Ground turkey jerk meatballs
Is what I decided to come up with.
How do you make that a top-tier dish?
I don't want to let you down.
- No, you're not gonna let me down.
- I'm letting myself down. - You can never let me down.
- I just don't want him to look at me different
And be like, "oh, I handpicked her"
And I'm disappointing.
That's the last thing I wanna do is disappoint him.
- Mehreen, you have so much flavor going on here.
- Always.
I'm gonna sear the ocean trout
And then I'm making, like, a curry sauce
With a tomato paste, the anchovies, the spices.
And then I'm making a puri,
Which is just like a handmade bread.
- You got a lot of work to do.
Okay? - Yeah.
♪ ♪
Okay, darryl, what are we thinking over here?
So you're grilling the lamb. - Yeah.
- What's the rest of the dish? - Vegetable medley, basically.
- Make sure that the broccoli's not raw.
- Okay, I will.
- And we're doing this for the atl.
- Oh, did someone say atl? - Atl.
- Let's go! - Yes, chef.
- Keep it going, yes?
Right, preston. What did you grab?
- Some cauliflower, some canned meat.
- Canned meat?
That kind of stuff normally ends up in the basement.
- Yes, chef.
- I have to remind myself that you're 19 years of age.
- [chuckles] I mean,
I've just been cooking as long as I can remember, chef.
I've always had this hunger and passion.
I just want to keep pushing myself.
Been watching you since I was seven or eight.
- [bleep]. Am I that old?
[quirky music]
- I mean, you look pretty good to me, chef.
- Trust me, I am on it.
- [chuckles]
- All right, vinny. How you feeling?
- Oh, great, chef.
- The tuna. What are you doing?
- I'm going italian over here.
I think I'm gonna sear it at the end,
Incorporate the mushrooms in there.
The great chef, gordon ramsay,
He's talking to me.
I am starstruck. It's gordon ramsay.
I've been watching you my whole life,
But, uh, been watching--
Oh, cut.
- Vinny, what're you doing?
- Uh-oh. The medic needs to come out here.
- Medic. - Medic. Hurry up!
Two minutes into the challenge, we're one finger down.
[dramatic music]
- Vinny is just bleeding.
- Sliced the [bleep] nail off.
- Uh, medic? Sliced the [bleep] nail off.
Uh, where's the medic?
Yeah, just nicked the top of the finger off.
- Yeah, yeah. - Quick, please.
Dude, not the best start. Let's go.
- Thanks, chef. I appreciate it.
What's happening is, I lost one of my favorite shirts.
[chuckles]
- 35 minutes to go, yes? - 35 minutes.
- Yes, chef.
- Nuri, with all that height on yourself,
You must have a nickname. - Yes, chef.
Stretch, chef. - Chef stretch?
- Chef stretch, chef.
A buddy of mine saw me reach up.
He's like, "wow, stretch!"
And it's just stuck ever since, chef.
- Oh, amazing. - [laughs]
- Chef nuri stretch. - Yes, chef.
What's up, girl? [imitates explosion]
- ♪ don't stop ♪
- I'm nuri. I'm from maryland.
I'm 22 years old, and I'm a professional chef.
I do in-home private events, catering,
I've cooked for a few nfl players.
Dinners, birthday parties. You name it, I do it.
At the age of, like, five years old,
I knew I want to be a chef.
I didn't watch cartoons. I watched cooking shows.
That was my after-school entertainment.
I am gonna be a dad! I'm so excited.
And I'm having a baby girl.
I'm gonna be the best dad in the whole world.
I wanna be a role model and an inspiration.
I'm trying to win this competition for my baby girl
To give her an amazing life.
I have what it takes to be the next level chef.
Chef stretch is coming.
- Bring it home, chef. - Yes, chef. I got you.
- Work! Please work.
- Chef pilar, talk to me about your ingredients.
- I have squid.
My vision is a fritto misto with a coconut curry sauce.
- Why are you here today?
- I'm here to prove that with dedication and passion,
You can make it places like here.
I'm ready.
- I can see it in your eyes, girl.
- [laughs] - you look fierce.
You're gonna leave here with $250,000.
- No other choice, no other way.
- I believe in you, plar.
- The basement does not compare
To what I'm used to.
I did the oscar awards, I did emmys.
This is like things you'd find at the goodwill
On sale for a dollar. [chuckles]
Oh, my god, I can't get this [bleep] open.
[loud clattering]
- Bit of a setback there.
- It's all right, chef. I'll bounce back, baby.
- You know, you got the tuna.
That takes literally two minutes each side.
- Seconds.
- You're gonna go round there? Where are we going?
- Round. - Whoo!
Got this, y'all.
- Yes, we do.
- Oh, boy. The heat is on.
Amazing ingredients.
What I am worried about is vinny.
Sliced his finger within two minutes.
But my goodness, is he confident.
[dramatic music]
Tucker. - Chef.
- How are you feeling?
- A little scrambled by the grab,
But I'm chillin', chef.
I grabbed some scallops and I grabbed the chickpeas.
What in the absolute [bleep] is this?
Who puts these together?
- Is that all we got? No other veg?
You've just got chickpea? - Correct, chef.
- Wow. Nothing else?
- I am obviously panicking. Oh, god.
And chef gordon ramsey's right here.
- Okay, get creative. - Yes, chef.
- Okay. Yeah?
- My name's tucker.
I'm from san francisco, and I'm a professional chef.
I got out of kitchens just because of the pandemic,
So I teach classes online.
What up, guys? I'm chef tucker.
Welcome to the truffle shuffle.
I've picked up all these little tips and tricks
At all these really cool restaurants,
And so I love sharing that with people.
I want everybody to up their culinary game.
And then they can make awesome food at their house.
I hope to be an inspiration to young gay girls
Who want to find their way in the culinary world,
Because representation super matters.
Like, until you see someone else like yourself doing it,
You don't really know that you can do that too.
I hope that somebody sees me and is like,
"wow, I can do that." 'cause you totally can.
- We don't have a lot.
We've got to elevate that thing.
Okay? - Elevation, chef.
♪ ♪
- [claps] tini, how are you doing?
You have this star ingredient. - Yeah.
- Right? You got the filet.
You know how to cook a steak,
'cause I've seen it on the tiktok before.
- Oh, you have? - [chuckles]
- Filet, the mistake people make with filet
Is they char it too much.
You don't want a crust on the filet.
- No crust?
- You don't want it to be, like,
Dried out because it's so lean. - Heard.
- Listen. Remember, everyone.
I'm looking for the best dish. All: Yes, chef.
- This is your first presentation of yourself!
- This is fun.
♪ ♪
- I do not wanna into that elimination
Too early in the game.
Cook your way out of this basement.
All: Yes, chef.
- Mr. Chef. - Hi, chefs. Hi.
Making a little breakfast sausage meatball.
- Right now, it seems a little compartmentalized.
We just don't want it to be pasta with meatballs on it.
It's gotta be one dish together.
It has to make sense.
- Thank you. - You're doing it. You're here.
Right?
Nuri, can't believe you got black cod.
- I know, chef.
My first time working with chef arrington,
I don't want to look like an idiot in front of her.
- The thing about black cod... - Okay, chef.
- It takes on a glaze really nicely as well.
- Okay, a glaze.
Chef arrington's giving me advice.
To glaze or to not glaze?
- It's kinda-- - glaze, take on a glaze.
- It does take on a glaze. - A glazed black cod.
Heard, chef. Glazed black cod.
- Generally, you'll see that, like, miso glaze or soy glaze.
- Yeah.
Should I take the tip, should I not take it?
I was a little confused.
- Bring it home, nuri. - Heard, chef. I got you, chef.
♪ ♪
- You got less than 20 minutes.
- Killin' it, y'all. Killin' it.
- Get those things cooking.
This is where we're in it, right here.
- Yes, chef.
- First impressions, lots of great ideas,
Some challenging execution.
Kamahlai, I mean, she's got those
Turkey meatballs up there.
I just hope there's a magic wand somewhere,
Because I want kamahlai to turn those turkey meatballs
Into filet mignon.
It's time to deliver and step up to the plate.
Right now, we're about 50/50.
Matt, how are we doing over here?
- How you doin', chef?
- Okay, so what have we got going on?
- So I got a beautiful veal chop.
- Now, listen. I know you're a big barbecue guy, right?
- Yup.
- So veal chop, that's right in your wheelhouse.
- Gonna nail it.
My strength in this competition is the meat.
The veal is going to be the star.
- So you're gonna go sauce, chop, ragu on top?
- Yes, sir.
It has to be cooked perfectly.
Beautiful.
- Chris, I'm worried about you. - Why are you worried, chef?
- You haven't started your pork, and we're under 15.
- Yes, chef. I'll start 'em right now.
- All right?
- Let's hustle! - Let's go, chef.
- Bring it home, yes? All: Yes, chef.
- You only get one first, right?
- Only get one first.
- Where's the imitation crab, April?
- It is in the oven.
- In a cake form? - Yes.
- Okay.
- It's a grits crabcake? - Yes.
- Okay.
Winning dishes, guys.
You're about to present food
In front of some of the best chefs in the world.
- Let's go. - Let's go.
Let's put those clams in, let's have some confidence.
My heart is racing 200 beats per minute.
I know I'm a doctor, but I need a doctor.
Trust me.
- Alex. - Yes, chef.
- What's most stressful-- - this is more stressful.
- The er or is this more stressful?
[laughter] - trust me.
This is worse than a cardiac arrest right now, okay?
Cardiac arrest is you do this, you do this,
You do that, you do that. - Right now it's all you.
- Right now, somebody needs to resuscitate me.
[dramatic music]
- Right. Michelle? - Yes.
- Chicken thigh. Great. Amazing flavor there, okay?
Take me back to the beginning, michelle.
How did this journey start?
- I've been in the kitchen since I was a little girl
Watching my dad cook,
And it's a way that we bonded together
As a big italian american family.
- And how good was dad as a cook?
- He was a really good cook. He was scrappy.
That's what I loved.
We could have nothing in the house
And he'd put together a beautiful dish.
- That's an art of a great chef.
- It is.
- Nail this thing. - Yes, chef.
- Mark, where's the sauce?
- I'm gonna make the sauce with the shrimp.
- Gotcha. - I'm gonna cook the butter.
- You're leaving so much to the last minute,
So don't overdo it, okay? - Yes, sir.
You're on the gridiron right now, boy.
You're on the frickin' gridiron.
- I'm with you every step of the way, yeah?
- Ooh, whoo. - Careful, careful, careful.
- All of a sudden, I see this giant fireball.
- Put it down, put it down, put it down.
- What the [bleep]? - Put it down. What happened?
- I start a huge fire, and I'm only making it worse.
[dramatic music]
- Too hot.
- Oh, watch your rag, watch your rag!
- [bleep].
- Put it down, put it down, put it down.
[dramatic music]
Too [bleep] hot.
- Oh, watch your rag, watch your rag!
[pan clatters] - [bleep]
- Get another pan on quick.
Get another pan on.
Get another pan on quick.
- I felt like I let myself down,
I let chef ramsay down,
But I still gotta focus on this dish.
- I said get the pan hot, mark,
But don't burn the [bleep] kitchen down.
Tucker. - Chef.
- The scallops, you need to nail them.
What you do need is a great sear on those scallops.
They take seconds, those things.
- There's no cast iron.
- Sorry. I know.
Um, listen-- - non-stick?
- Top-flight's kitchen's upstairs.
- Yeah. - This is the middle ground.
Downstairs is way worse.
Get that piping hot.
- Oui, chef. - So be smart on that, yes?
Good.
♪ ♪
- 15 minutes, guys.
- Sorry, alex. - You're good, my man.
I love you, brother.
- April. Sauce?
- I decided to utilize my mushrooms.
- Amazing. Do you believe in yourself?
- I--I do. - Great.
That's the most important thing.
I am April.
I am from muscle shoals, alabama.
I am a home cook.
I found myself a single mom
Needing to provide for my children.
That turned into me hustling casseroles
Out of the back of my vehicle in the school parking lot.
Now I have a catering business.
Anything that I've ever wanted I've had to fight for.
That's what I'm bringing into this competition.
If you don't fight for it,
You're not gonna appreciate it when you have it.
[uplifting music]
- Ten minutes only!
If your station is a mess, your plate is gonna be a mess.
- Don't make it look like mine.
- It is a first day fire drill.
- Chef. - All right, kamahlai.
You've gotta get through this, okay?
- Oh, my god. - No, don't worry.
We're gonna do it together, okay?
- Chef, please? - Yes.
- Would you recommend I do this crispy skin up?
Before it-- - I think so, right?
- Chef, can I get you on the stove for me?
- I have kids. This is out of control.
Dad, dad, dad!
Good. Deep breath, deep breath. You're here.
- Chef, uh-- - yes?
Dad, can you help? Dad, can you turn the stove on?
- Chef, I need you. God.
- I'm an octopus on fire.
- I'm just all over the place.
- Who are you cooking for?
Besides you and besides-- - my children.
- Your children? - My children, my mom.
- Well, good. We're gonna do it for them, okay?
- I am kamahlai. I am from pittsburgh, pennsylvania,
And I am a home cook.
Well, we would go to my grandparents' house
For the summer.
While my cousins and sisters are out playing,
I'm in the house with grandma while she's cooking.
So I just grew a liking to cooking.
I love feeding people.
It changes everybody's mood.
Anybody who's hungry, I'm there to feed them.
I cook for the homeless.
We give away free food.
We pretty much are known in the community as feeders.
[laughs]
The three words that best describe my cooking.
Authentic, delicious, so-so-licious.
[laughs]
- These meatballs need to be fantastic.
You do these at home, right? - Yes.
- And your family loves them? - Yes.
- So then we're gonna love 'em.
♪ ♪
- Eight minutes left to pull this together.
- Eight minutes, eight minutes! Let's go! Let's do this.
- What's the plan with the black cod?
- I just seasoned it. Salt, pepper, garlic powder.
- I thought you were doing a glaze.
- Yeah, but you said not too sweet, chef.
- I did not say not to; I did not say not to.
- All right. Heard, chef.
- You said brown sugar glaze. - I can make it quickly.
Yes, chef. Heard.
- I want you to cook your dish. That's all I want from you.
- Yes, chef. All right.
I got you, chef. I gotta believe in myself.
- Nobody else gonna do it but you.
- Be a mentor. Yeah, baby.
- There is so much intensity happening in this kitchen.
There are a lot of nerves flying.
I want nuri to elevate his dish, right?
He has all the heart and the passion and the excellence.
I know it's in there, but you can tell he's very nervous.
- Let's go. Let's go, bruh. Let's go, stretch.
[dramatic music]
- Two minutes. Now it's go time.
Is this the plate you're serving on?
- Yes. - No, no, no.
- No? Okay. - Let's get sturdy.
- Okay. - Quick, quick, quick!
- I'm busting out in sweat, my stomach is bubbling,
And I'm like "oh my gosh,
I don't want to be in elimination."
- Plate right here so you're not making a mess, okay?
- [sighs] yes, chef.
[hydraulics whirring]
- Platform's here! - Ah, [bleep].
- Let's go, guys.
You only have 15 seconds to get your plate on that platform.
All: Yes, chef.
- Let's go, let's go, let's go, let's go.
♪ ♪
Five, four, three, two, one.
- Whoo!
- The platform is insanity.
It is so nerve-racking.
- That platform is coming. Gotta get on. Let's go.
20 seconds to go. Come on.
Let's go. Mark, we've gotta move.
15 seconds. - You got it, mark.
- You've gotta get it on.
- Time is going fast.
- Ten, nine...
You gotta get it on, you gotta get it on.
Seven--mark!
Five, four, three, two, one.
Hurry up, hurry up, hurry up!
Hurry up! [plate clatters]
[all groan] - [bleep]!
- [bleep].
♪ ♪
[bleep].
♪ ♪
- Fudge!
I dropped the plate. You're going home.
♪ ♪
[dramatic music]
- Here comes the platform, everyone!
Let's get ready! Here it is! The platform's here!
Darryl, you gotta get over there.
Last looks, last looks. Look at this.
- You got it. Yay. - You got it. You're good.
- Thank you. - I got you.
[suspenseful music]
♪ ♪
- That was difficult.
There are some promising-looking dishes here,
Let me tell you.
But this year, we're doing something different.
The best dish from each of our teams
Will earn one of these.
♪ ♪
A next level immunity pin.
- What? - [laughing] what?
- What? - What?
- My jaw drops when I see this immunity pin.
- If you are ever nominated for elimination,
You can turn your pin in and avoid the cook-off altogether.
And trust me, these are worth their weight in gold.
Understand? All: Yes, chef.
- Richard, nyesha, shall we start with the top floor?
- Let's do it.
We'll start over here.
We have some turkey meatballs glazed in jerk spices
With a little bit of pea puree and a parsley salad.
- I'm a big meatball fan.
This dish has got great potential,
But it just didn't come together.
A bit of a disaster.
- It's just not necessarily a top-level presentation.
Next up here, we have a beef filet
With roasted mushrooms and a chimichurri sauce.
- It may be two minutes over,
It's sort of mid-rare to medium,
But it tastes good. It tastes really good.
- Next, we have a pan-roasted pork tenderloin
With a pepper and sweet potato romesco.
- I love the sweet potato puree.
Unfortunately, the pork is under-seasoned.
- Such a shame.
- A spiced lamb chop with a seasonal vegetable medley.
- Medley.
- You've heard of the term. - It's been a while.
- "medley" sounds older than martha stewart.
[laughter]
- It could've been a keto-style dish
With just vegetables, you know.
I've lost a lot of weight with keto.
- Lamb's cooked beautifully.
But then it's let down with these raw vegetables.
It's not the most appetizing of sounds.
- All right. Next, we have a crispy skin ocean trout
Swimming in a curry sauce.
- It's a curry.
There has to be enough curry for it to be a curry.
- Absolutely delicious.
- Whoever put that together understands spice.
The flavors are frickin' delicious.
- Look at the flaky texture of this bread.
This is like a croissant.
- Great job.
- Next, a new york steakhouse veal chop
With a bacon and pepper ragu.
- It makes sense. It's cohesive. It's delicious.
- Whoever cooked this certainly knows how to nail meat.
It's delicious. It's very chef-y.
Right. Let's go down a level.
- Please.
- This dish worried me. Grabbed three ingredients.
Canned chickpeas, scallops, capers, and that was it.
Brown butter, hummus.
- To be able to transform the ingredient is amazing, right?
That's a true feat right there.
- One of the first cookbooks I ever bought
Was a gordon ramsay cookbook
With some scallops and some capers.
It's almost as beautiful.
I mean, really, really well done here.
- Dish is exceptional. Definitely next level.
Here we have ground beef dumplings.
A little tomato ragu.
- There's so much complexity
Coming off of this tomato condiment.
It's lovely.
- Dumplings are joy. - Mm.
It's beautifully plated.
There's a lot of soul in this dish.
And the acidity from the tomatoes?
- Wow.
- Yeah, that's on another level.
♪ ♪
This is a chicken thigh that's been cooked skin side down.
The topping is a pickled fennel.
♪ ♪
- It's simple, but it has depth of flavor.
- Chicken on the bone in 45 minutes,
And this one's cooked correctly.
And it is as golden as nyesha's aura.
[wind chimes jingling]
- Here we've got a crusted loin of tuna.
[suspenseful music]
- This is a type of dish that makes sense.
It's cohesive, right? It's beautiful.
- Here we have canned beef with a cauliflower puree.
♪ ♪
- The puree is so velvety. Presentation is elegant.
It's lacking a little bit of flavor.
- This individual spent his first career timing
To absolute utter perfection.
Tonight his timing was way off.
The dish fell off the platform, toppled over,
So visually, it looks terrible.
It's a lemon pepper shrimp.
- You drop a plate, you gotta be at risk.
You gotta expect to be on the bottom two.
- To me, the shrimp are undercooked.
- Shall we move to the basement?
- First up, we have a black cod
With zucchini and carrots.
Beautifully plated.
♪ ♪
- I've got no idea who cooked that dish,
But it tastes like it's cooked by a pro.
Black cod is incredible.
- It's so elegant. - Cooked perfectly.
Next up, we have the chicken oyster with an arepa.
♪ ♪
- Flavor-wise the oyster is delicious.
I like it. - Great choice of ingredients.
I want that on the top floor. So tasty.
- ♪ [singing in spanish] ♪
♪ ♪
- We have here a prosciutto
And clams over rice.
- Over rice. - Yes.
- Okay.
- Strange combination,
But the actual flavor is spot-on.
- Next up, we have a squid with zucchini
And a coconut curry sauce.
♪ ♪
- Yeah, this dish is flat.
And it does taste like it's come from the basement.
- Next up, rigatoni with a breakfast sausage.
♪ ♪
- Great choice of using this sausage.
It's got all that salt and all that flavor in it, but--
- The execution has really let this one down.
Doesn't look like a great use of 45 minutes there.
- Next up, we have a play on a crab cake.
It is an imitation crab with grits.
Never heard of a grit cake.
- Yeah, so that tastes strange.
I'm not too sure what went on here.
- I don't get any crab.
- All I'm getting is parmesan in my mouth and dough.
- Disappointing.
- I'm in shock.
That is not something that I expected.
This is what I'm passionate about.
I have no idea if I've done enough.
I am a nervous wreck.
- Wow.
Some very good dishes here tonight, let me tell you.
There is a lot of pressure on the three of us
To choose the best dishes.
Please, nyesha, richard?
[suspenseful music]
- To be there with that kind of anxiety and suspense,
I'm literally 15 feet away watching them discuss our fate.
- Tonight it's not about winning.
It's about knowing what we've got.
And trust me, you two are in for a rough ride.
- Gordon, I can tell
That you're feeling your team's dishes,
But I do think I have the winner.
- You boys don't know what you're talking about.
- All the proteins, top-level proteins,
All of them cooked perfectly on the top floor.
- [scoffs]
- Some of your food felt like
It came from below the basement.
- [chuckles]
- Strengths in yours?
- That black cod. - That was beautiful.
- Very beautifully plated. - That dish is elegant.
- It's very elegant. He cooks with a lot of passion.
- The flavor was spot-on.
- And then when I look at those scallops,
Each one of them were nailed to perfection.
- [sighs]
- And that beautiful, brown butter hummus?
- Oh, my gosh.
- Brown butter hummus! - So inventive.
- I have a cohesive restaurant dish in that veal chop
With the bacon and the pepper ragu.
That's ready for a menu.
- That pepper ragu was killer.
- Two or three of them buckled under the pressure.
Those shrimps had the makings of something magical.
- Presentation was off. - He fell short tonight.
- The meatballs are a little bit dense.
- It definitely seemed like nerves, though.
Right? - Mm-hmm.
- Like, the idea is there.
- Is there such a thing as a grit cake?
- Absolutely not. - No?
- Mind-blowing.
- Are we in agreement? - Think so.
- Shall we?
[suspenseful music]
♪ ♪
Nyesha, who will you be giving your immunity pin to?
- [inhales deeply]
It's not easy cooking in the basement.
I saw a couple chefs today that really cooked with heart.
♪ ♪
[sighs] today the person who cooked the best dish on my team
And earned that immunity pin is...
Nuri. - [sighs]
[cheers and applause] - nice job!
- Let's go, chef. - Awesome!
- I'm on cloud nine right now.
This just gave me a sense of validation
To know that I'm here for a reason,
And I'm ready to make next level dishes.
- I know I was hard on you today.
That's because I want to push you to excellence.
Let's go. - Thank you, chef.
- All right! [cheers and applause]
- Yeah.
- This has been a really tough decision for me.
But he person who cooked the best dish on my team
And winning the immunity pin is...
Tucker. [cheers and applause]
[upbeat rock music]
- Thank you, chef. - Amazing.
- Ah! [laughs]
I've come out swinging. That feels good. [chuckles]
- Trust me, keep cooking like that,
You're gonna be unstoppable.
Great job.
- It's just very validating
Proving to other people that I deserve to be in this world,
So I'm just gonna try to shine my brightest here.
[suspenseful music]
- All right.
Honestly, one dish stood out for me today.
That dish that had earned the team blais immunity pin is...
Matt. - [exhales deeply]
- Way to go, matt! [cheers and applause]
- Yeah, buddy. - Attaboy, matt.
- I just never thought I'd be here in this position.
I never thought that
I'd be a top dish the first day.
- Don't fall a level. Keep rising.
- You got it. - Good job, man.
- Thank you chef. Thank you, chefs.
[cheers and applause]
- Let's go, jersey!
[upbeat music]
- Now, of those three unique dishes,
Only one stood out above the others,
And that winning dish will save their team
From the dreaded elimination.
That dish was cooked by...
[suspenseful music]
♪ ♪
Tucker. Congratulations.
[cheers and applause]
[upbeat music]
♪ ♪
- All the way to the top!
- I feel really proud of myself.
Like, I did the damn thing.
- Whoo! - Let's go, tuck.
- Wow. Thank you.
- Bruh, she just saved your tail.
You owe everything to chef tucker.
Very close call.
- Team ramsay, congratulations.
And the good news is,
The next time you cook in this competition,
You're starting at the very top,
The next level.
[cheers and applause] - let's go.
We got this, guys.
- Relax, because you've earned it.
This season, we are doing something different.
The team who wins safety gets to hang out in the lounge
And watch the elimination cookoff.
Well done. Get out of here. - Thank you, chef!
- Thank you!
- Whew.
- [laughs]
[upbeat music]
- [sighs] - I'm so proud of you.
- Thank you. [chuckles]
- Everybody nailed it. - You did great, guys.
- You did really good.
- Good work, good work, good work.
- [laughs]
- Now, unfortunately,
That also means, nyesha and richard,
You must now both choose one individual
From your teams to face off in that elimination.
♪ ♪
- Honestly,
I didn't really want to be in this position this early.
The person that I'm gonna have to put
Into the elimination is...
- The person that
I'm gonna have to put into the elimination...
[suspenseful music]
Is April.
- It's all right. You got it.
- You've got it. You've got it.
- I'm just trying to hold my head up high.
I don't wanna be the first one to leave the competition.
- April's going up against-- richard, please.
- I'm gonna go with the dish that for me
Was the least successful today.
♪ ♪
And that dish was cooked by...
♪ ♪
Kamahlai.
- You got this.
- April, kamahlai, the good news is,
You've both got one more amazing opportunity
To redeem yourselves.
We're giving you both something
That every chef in the world should know how to nail:
A perfect steak.
You'll have 30 minutes, so do not hold anything back,
Because the winner of tonight's elimination
Will be based solely on taste.
Richard and nyesha will join us after the cook to taste
Not knowing who cooked what dish.
Understood?
- Yes, chef. - Yes, chef.
- Head to that top flight kitchen
And I'll see you in a moment.
[suspenseful music]
♪ ♪
[dramatic music]
Kamahlai, April,
You will both be going head-to-head
In a steak cookoff challenge.
If there was ever a time
For you to cook the best dish of your lives, this is it.
- Yes, chef. - Yes, chef.
- Now, the chef that cooks the best dish
Not only progresses in the competition
But keeps their team in the middle level
For the next challenge.
The chef who's eliminated tonight,
Their team will not only be down a member,
But they'll be sent down to the basement.
Make sure it's a next level dish
Understood?
- Yes, chef. - Yes, chef.
- 30 minutes to cook a perfect new york strip.
Both of you, over to the doors.
The platform is on its way, yes?
[cheers and applause]
- My head is in race mode.
I have to give it my all.
I don't want to leave out of here
Without fighting for my place,
My spot, what I deserve.
It's game time.
- Platform is coming, guys.
- It being the first time in the top-level kitchen
Being in an elimination challenge,
Is overwhelming, but I want to win.
- And let's go, guys. [cheers and applause]
- Let's go. - Take your time, April.
- There you go. - Get everything.
- Yup, yup, yup! - Yeah, there you go!
- Red wine.
- I got tunnel vision.
I was just looking at the ingredients.
What am I gonna do with all of this?
Oh, [bleep].
- Relax, girlfriend.
- April, don't forget your steak, girl.
That's yours there. - Yes.
- New york strip. Well done. - I knew it would be here.
- Okay, one minute gone. Let's go, ladies.
The platform's not going anywhere, okay?
- Take a deep breath, kamahlai. - You're in good shape.
- I am a fighter. I don't give up.
My mom used to say nothing beats a failure but a try,
So I'm here, and we'll give it all my got.
- Take your time seasoning the steak.
Kinda get that fat side too, babe.
- Yeah. - Yeah, yeah.
- Kamahlai's in a great position to win it.
She cooked at the top kitchen already.
April hasn't cooked on the top yet,
So there's an advantage right off the bat.
- April, give me insight to the dish.
Where are we going? - [sighs]
I am going to sear my-- - you okay?
- My mind went blank.
- Oh, she looks rattled.
- Yeah. - Oh, no.
- Kamahlai, are you good? - Yes, chef.
- Wine will work well with that.
- Yeah, no, it will. That'll be fine too.
- Tomato? - Yeah.
- Now have a quick look in your pockets.
What have you to in there? - [chuckles]
- There you go, there you go.
- [sighing] oh, gosh.
- You're not going home, right? - No.
- No? There we go. Cook with those ingredients.
Let's go.
- I'm used to cooking at home for my children, my family,
And I can cook a quick meal in 30 minutes, but a gourmet meal?
I'm like, "oh, my gosh."
- Smells great. - Kamahlai!
- Come on, baby. - Let's go!
- [groans]
- No, it didn't sizzle right.
- Needs to be hotter. - Wait, it's not hot enough.
- Take it back out, babe.
- Take it out, take it out, take it out.
- Take it back out.
- Great caramelization, but let it rest, okay?
- Crazy environment for somebody
To come in and cook in.
I am a bit taken aback.
- Are we good? - Yes. Yes, chef.
- Good. You're on, steak is searing.
Get another pan on there and get your red wine in there
And you start that side. - Yes.
- That's looking lovely, though.
- You got it, April.
- So your color there, beautiful color, okay?
- Focus on that sauce and your sides.
That steak's money. The steak's gonna be money.
- There you go, there you go, there you go.
- What do you need, what do you need?
- I'm just looking at color. - Okay.
Make sure it makes sense, make sure it makes sense.
- That's what--nothing makes sense that I see so far.
If I don't succeed,
It would be more than myself that I let down
And more than my family that I let down.
I have a whole community that is invested in me.
- April, April!
You are 15 minutes away from leaving this competition.
Think about it! - Yes, chef.
[dramatic music]
- Come on, girl! - Think next level! Next level!
- Take a breath, relax. You're looking good.
[cheers and applause]
- I couldn't imagine being in elimination.
Kamahlai and April being in the pressure cooker on day one!
- Okay, ladies! Last two minutes!
Start dressing! Let's go, let's go!
- Come on! Come on, girl! You got this!
- Sauce first. - Sauce first on the plate.
Do not glaze the steak with it.
- Ah! [chuckles]
I just hope this is never me.
- That's it. - Lay 'em all down the middle.
There you go. Perfect, girl.
- Drizzle it around?
- Yeah, drizzle it around the plate. There you go.
- This is nuts!
- Lay that steak. That's the star of the show.
Right on top, girl.
- Beautiful! - There you go, girl.
- Yes! - There you go.
- Drizzle that sauce on top.
- Kamahlai, start with sides, sides.
- Sides, sides, sides, sides. - [sighs]
- Start stacking the broccolini.
- The broccolini. - Let's go!
- You've got this, kamahlai! You've got this, girl!
- Clean that plate, love.
Make it look nice and beautiful.
That steak's gonna be delicious.
- Last 30 seconds! Come on!
- They both have me concerned.
- They do. - At different points.
- Me too. - Yeah.
[dramatic music]
- That's it, girl!
- How we looking? Clean that plate up.
- Ten, nine... All: Eight, seven...
Six, five, four, three, two, one!
- Stop. [cheers and applause]
[suspenseful music]
♪ ♪
- Nyesha, richard, that was intense.
Two incredible new york strips.
Let's start here.
This one here was done with asparagus,
Sautéed potatoes, a red wine reduction.
- Classic pairing. Plate looks well-balanced.
- You know, the sauce looks a little oily to me.
We'll see how it tastes.
- Wow. - Cooked beautifully.
- Nice. - Perfect.
[suspenseful music]
- I am just trying to remember to breathe.
If I'm the one that passes out on the floor,
That's gonna be a dead giveaway whose dish it was.
- When I go to a steakhouse and I'm looking for a steak,
This is it.
Great sear, great color.
You can tell it's been rested, which is very important.
If anything, a little finishing salt could really elevate this.
- The steak is cooked to a proper temperature,
The fat was rendered,
And I love that there's like was a proper side here.
The asparagus, the mushrooms,
The potatoes all works together.
And I love the drippings.
It doesn't look very good, but it tastes delicious.
- There you go. - Nailed it.
- [inhales deeply] this one here.
Was done with a smashed potato, broccolini,
And a worcestershire sauce reduction.
- Visually, looks very simple and appetizing.
- I love the pepper confetti.
There is a freshness to it, which I love.
I'm intrigued.
[suspenseful music]
♪ ♪
- Nice little pan dripping jus,
But the steak, it's a little bit chewy.
♪ ♪
- Well, I love the sauce.
I love the contrast that the sauce provides.
Cooking's a little more medium-well than medium,
But I like what's going on here.
- Richard, nyesha,
Two phenomenal new york strip dishes.
Sadly, for one individual, it's the end of the road.
Nyesha, which dish would you eliminate tonight?
Is it the new york strip with the asparagus
Or is it the new york strip with the broccolini?
♪ ♪
- Honestly, it's difficult, right?
These are very close.
You have two dishes, and on one hand,
You don't want to send your team member home,
But you have to choose the dish that tastes better.
The dish I'm gonna eliminate tonight,
It's gonna be the steak and broccolini.
- Thank you.
Chef richard, which dish are you gonna eliminate?
- I think for me, it's gonna come down to
Which do I wanna eat again, right?
For me, the dish that I'm gonna eliminate is going to be...
- Please let it be April. [chuckles]
Please let it be April. Please don't let it be me.
- The new york strip...
With the broccolini.
- [sighs]
[somber music]
- That dish was cooked by kamahlai.
- Wow.
♪ ♪
- I don't look at it as me being defeated.
I feel like it was an awesome, amazing opportunity.
You don't get a chance like this
To work with three amazing chefs,
So that right there
Is hands down a million-dollar experience.
- Kamahlai. - Yes. [chuckles]
- When I come to your hometown, I'm gonna look you up,
Because your food is delicious.
- Thank you so much. Thank you guys.
- Good job. - All right.
- Keep cooking. - Yes, chef.
[applause]
♪ ♪
- April. - Yes, chef.
- Congratulations, young lady.
Great job. - Thank you, chef.
- You've all just witnessed
How stressful it can be in here tonight,
So stay out of that elimination.
- Understood?
All: Yes, chef.
- And I promise you it's gonna get harder.
Get some sleep. You're gonna need it.
Good night. All: Good night, chef.
[dramatic music]
- This season on "next level chef"...
- This isn't day one anymore.
- You want to stay in this top level kitchen?
Cook like it.
- I have never done anything like this before.
I don't know if this is gonna work.
- We're coming up there! - Okay, see you never!
- Bold or stupid? We'll find out.
- [bleep].
- What I see here is the future of cooking.
- Someone's going home on the other [bleep] team.
[loud clattering]
- Put the plate on the platform now!
- [screams]
- How did this happen again?
- There is no room for mistakes.
- I'm having whole anxiety attack right now.
- Keep the [bleep] pan down!
Do not screw this up. All: Yes, chef.
- Our next level chef is...
[dramatic music]
[cheers and applause]
- You wanna change apron colors?
- No, I don't think gordon ramsay would be
Very happy about that!