[upbeat rock music]
- Previously, I've brought you all here
To plan an adventurous outdoor dining experience.
[cheering]
This will test your hospitality skills.
- Yours is raw.
- Your table is looking like a [bleep] sushi bar.
- Queen's ego and stubbornness got in the way.
- I cannot partner with someone who isn't able
To consider other opinions from her teammates.
The person I will not be investing in is queen.
We're done.
[applause]
Tonight I'd like all of you to create
Your very own recipe videos for social media.
I'm testing your ability to communicate
Through digital marketing.
- Caroline wants to take over everybody else's role.
- That is [bleep]. We did our best.
- No, we didn't do our best.
- That was devastating.
[dramatic music]
♪ ♪
[upbeat music]
♪ ♪
- We're just over the halfway point.
And in a few weeks' time, I get to choose the person
That I'm investing at least $1/4 million in.
Now, I want to partner up with someone who is one step ahead,
Someone who can make noise,
Quite frankly, someone who could go viral.
♪ ♪
[goat bleating]
I've asked my eight remaining contestants to meet me
In the underwood family farm...
- These onions are so cute.
- In moorpark, california, where I'll be testing them
On their digital marketing skills.
- Oh, my. - Oh, my gosh.
- Wow. - Is that who I think it is?
- Wow. - What?
[laughter]
♪ ♪
- A downgrade from the other vehicles.
[cheers and applause]
- Finally!
- Good morning. All: Good morning!
[laughter]
- I am the most followed chef on social media
Anywhere on the planet.
That's over 100 million followers across all channels.
- Wow.
- A strong online presence is a necessity in business today.
Without a recognizable brand
That customers want to engage in,
You will not succeed.
This week I'd like all of you to create
Your very own tiktok style video.
[laughter]
- Wow.
- You'll need to show how to make
A delicious farm-to-table vegetarian recipe
Using ingredients found right here
On this amazing farm.
Now, let's make one thing absolutely clear.
I am not testing your cooking skills.
- Mm-hmm.
- I'm testing your ability to communicate
Through digital marketing and be trendsetters.
And remember, it's a recipe,
So make the instructions clear enough
That anyone watching can recreate the recipe.
Today you'll be in two teams of four.
Sydney, caroline, tony, and ashley,
You guys are the yellow team.
That means, aaron, lan, chris, and megan,
You guys are the blue team.
- Mm-hmm. - Good.
You've got just three hours to make your video.
And first thing tomorrow, I'll be judging you
On those videos using my expert social media experience.
One person will be going home from the losing team.
Make sure that is not you.
Got it? - Got it.
- Good, right. All of you, good luck.
Off you go. - Whoo!
- Social media is such an important part
Of my career today.
It should be slightly runny in the middle.
Oh, man.
Some of my videos have gone viral,
Viewed by millions of people across the globe.
Have you ever seen a sandwich looking that good?
You just want to dive in there.
It's one of the biggest marketing tools on the planet.
And, more importantly, it's free.
First job, teams need to pick a viral-worthy dish
From a recipe book I provided.
- What do we have here?
- Spiced eggplant steaks with a chimichurri and feta.
- It sounds like it would taste good.
It's not super pretty. - Ok.
- I think we should go with the fried cauliflower.
It's gonna have that drool-worthy viral appeal
For people that are scrolling through.
- It seems to be simple.
I really like that one.
♪ ♪
- So going through these, I mean,
The thai red potato curry, there's definitely lots
Of beautiful colors in this.
So we want to make sure it's simple.
- Vietnamese style impossible meat lettuce wraps.
This one stands out to me not just because I'm vietnamese,
But it's visually appetizing.
- Yeah. - You know what I mean?
It looks fresh.
- I think that would be a good one.
- Recipes picked, the teams need to decide on a leader
To drive the content creation.
- This is my first real stab at tiktok.
- Yeah, ok.
- But I've seen plenty of tiktoks.
- Yeah.
- I feel like I'd love to oversee
How it's all coming together because I have the eye for it.
- Ok. - All right, I love that.
- At toto, cookies and cookie dough--
We always say that the more food porn-esque the better.
[upbeat music]
Hello, my name is sydney webb,
And I am the cookie queen here at toto.
My business, it's really sales
And being the front-facing person of the brand.
So while social media isn't my specialty,
I'm really excited to see where I lead my team this week
- In my younger years, before children,
I was a myspace celebrity.
- What? Celebrity at the table?
- But I think, in this group,
The person with the most contemporary experience
Is this guy right here.
- Yes. - Yeah.
So I'm known as the snowcone king on tiktok.
I have 236,000 followers.
- Wow. - What?
That's wild.
- And the biggest thing that I've learned
Is that people are on these apps for entertainment.
You want your scenes to be short
Because, otherwise, you'll lose their attention.
- You'll be the leader? Both: Yeah.
- Good morning. I'm the snowcone king.
Welcome to snowcone tiktok.
Social media is crucial to my business.
Back home, I've turned this little shaved ice place
Into something that's actually successful.
At 20 years old, I'm the youngest competitor.
And I lobbied my case the last challenge
To gordon how I had more to prove.
So now I'm the one that should be holding it together
For the team.
- Finally, the teams must decide
Who will be the face of the video
And help generate maximum engagement.
- Obviously, I want you in the kitchen.
- I'll take the kitchen.
- We all want you in the kitchen.
- With tony b's steak chips,
I haven't done a lot of tiktoks.
But, you know, I'm down with the fried cauliflower.
- I think that's a really great idea.
- I work well with tony.
I really like him as a chef and as a person.
Hopefully, he will be great on camera.
- I feel like having me, as a vietnamese person,
Be a face of a vietnamese dish, it's really intuitive.
When I saw that recipe, that it was vietnamese plant-based,
I was excited.
My company, fat miilk, is a vietnamese coffee brand.
So I'm always here to represent vietnamese culture, food,
And heritage in any way possible.
What do you guys think? - That sounds good.
- Since this is the first time aaron and I have worked,
I would really like us to be the face of the video.
Because I'm thinking, like, really bring
The comedic aspect of it.
- If you guys want to do this one, by all means.
Because I feel like-- - what do you think?
- We can take that more fun aspect,
I think that would add a lot more to the virality
That gordon is talking about.
That's what's gonna get us the best video.
- Love it. - Yeah.
- Let's pick some vegetables out of the dirt.
- Let's go!
- Before they can start production, the teams
Must pick their farm-to-table vegetarian ingredients.
- This is like, a whole visual challenge.
Everything we pick just has to be beautiful.
- 100%.
- I have an amazing team.
Caroline, she's been a bestie
From day one of this competition.
Her and I are very, very similar.
And I think we really respect each other.
My team's definitely good enough to win.
- Wow, you got some big ones.
- Well, gee, thanks. [laughter]
- I've never picked my own vegetables from a farm,
But aaron and me on camera,
We're gonna make a really good, funny video.
- Let's go. - Let's do it.
- Hell, yeah, let's boogie.
- I've laid on two prep kitchens...
- Oh, my goodness gracious.
- And provided teams with smartphones
To capture their content.
- Let's get to video making!
- Teams have just three hours to create their videos.
First task, to devise a trendsetting concept.
♪ ♪
- Asmr for food is huge.
I don't know if you guys know what that is.
But it's essentially like... - Yeah.
- You get the sound of us cutting the cauliflower,
Get the sound of us opening a jar.
- Are we gonna be doing-- like, talking over the video?
- We don't necessarily have to talk at all.
It could be all asmr. - Yeah, oh, for sure.
As long as it's step by step, it's not too confusing.
Right now, sydney is taking the lead on doing our video.
I hope she can deliver on that.
I've never been in a grilling, and I don't plan to be.
- We have to make sure that when we're listening
Back to the videos that we can hear it.
- We can hear it.
- 'cause we're gonna want that sound.
- Yeah. - I'm into it.
- We should probably think about, like, aesthetic
That we want to use across the video.
- All right. So this is how I envision this.
So, first, send the boys out to get the produce.
Cut to you just see a bunch of produce hitting my face,
And it lands onto the table.
And the guy eats.
But then, like, you could take the lettuce wrap
And just throw it in my face.
- Humor is not necessarily my exact wheelhouse.
The boys are taking the reins today.
- Are we all cool with that plan?
- It's just a matter if you can execute it.
- Right. - Cool.
- Concepts decided, the teams have just 2 1/2 hours
To film and edit their videos.
- Ok, we need everything to be all chopped up.
4 cups of spinach--
This is spinach?
- Leading the yellow team's production with her concept
Of asmr, sydney.
- Ok.
- Good? - Yeah, I think so.
- A reminder, we have to be as quiet as possible
So we can hear all the sounds.
- Whoo! That's spicy.
I can already tell on my face.
- Hey.
- We're gonna asmr this.
♪ ♪
- Extra virgin olive oil.
- Oh, caroline, I could hear you.
- [whispering] quiet on set.
- Ok, go.
Shoot. Sorry, tony.
You're gonna hate me, but it cut out.
- We're gonna do it again.
- I am witnessing tony and sydney just firing off
Shot after shot after shot.
I want gordon's investment.
I wouldn't be here if I didn't.
So I'm gonna jump in and try to help out.
You should test it first
Before you just shoot it, right?
So you can see what the shot's gonna be.
- So, tony, what I want you to do--
You want a quick shot of all of the different ingredients--
- I do, I do. - Before he does that?
- But I think-- - ok, let's hurry up.
[tense music]
- Hey, hey, hey. - I know, but--
- Let's not do that. - I know, but I'm just saying--
- Let's not do that.
- We got to hurry up. - Hold on, tony.
If I say something like, hey, let's get a shot of this,
Don't snap at me and say, let's hurry up.
Ok? I'm just making a suggestion.
- I mean, everybody's been all over the place right now,
And time is of the essence.
Caroline wants to take over, you know,
Everybody else's role.
Sydney, she needs to stand up for herself
And tell her buddy, "back the hell away.
I need to do my job."
- So we understand time. - Ok, ok.
- But I'm allowed to make a suggestion.
- So am I.
- You just cut me off. That's not cool.
♪ ♪
[dramatic music]
- America's top food and drink entrepreneurs
Are battling it out to win my $250,000 investment.
- Such joy.
- Digital marketing is the key to success for any business.
So this week, I'm testing their ability
To create an engaging social media video for tiktok.
- Want a quick shot of all of the different ingredients?
- Already, tensions are running high
With the yellow team...
- But I think--
- Ok, let's hurry up.
- Led by sydney.
- It is tough being in this position
Because I'm trying to do a lot at once.
I'm trying to manage tony, and then I also have caroline.
- So we understand time. - Ok, ok.
- But I'm allowed to make a suggestion.
- So am I. Let's go.
- So I just made a suggestion, and you just cut me off.
- Ok. - It's not cool.
- I think she's a little bit nervous
Because she hasn't seen things.
She just wants to see this video executed.
If we don't all work together as a team,
We're not gonna get this done in time.
- Ok.
- [sighs]
- With less than two hours remaining,
The blue team are filming their comedy concept...
- [laughs]
- Led by tiktok specialist aaron.
- Gordon is definitely expecting the most
Out of me and my team.
I really enjoy working with chris.
He brought in the aspect of us literally throwing stuff
Farm-to-table and it hitting him in the head.
Genius.
- Was that good? Let me see it.
- I don't know if gordon is gonna like this,
Disrespecting the process like this.
- I think we're good.
- What's nerve-racking about it,
Everyone's, you know, sense of humor might be different.
You know? And I think that's a risk.
I'm the only contestant that's gone to the grilling
Three weeks in a row.
So I'm hoping I bring home a win
For the first time in this competition.
- Does anyone else want to throw anything
At chris while we're here?
- So I'm hoping that gordon ramsay thinks it's funny.
- With video production underway,
I've come to check out the team's plan of action.
Blue team, how are we doing?
- Hey, chef. - Food-wise, what are we doing?
- We've got a vietnamese-inspired
Plant-based lettuce wrap.
- I feel right at home.
My own business, fat miilk, it's a vietnamese coffee.
So that definitely stood out to me almost automatically.
- Smart. - Yeah.
Thank you. - Bring that to this.
- Yes. - Good.
Give me a little insight on how we're gonna shoot this.
- Um, it's gonna start, you know,
First step, get the boys to pick the produce.
So we'll hold hands, pick a produce.
Produce will fly in the air, hit me in the face,
And it'll land on the table.
And then eat, and then the finished product
Ends up in someone's face.
- It's a recipe-driven content video.
- Right.
- You can't just throw all these items
Together and it's gonna-- wow, it's gonna work.
Everybody at home has to follow along.
Make sure you're communicating each step clearly.
- Mm-hmm. - I'm expecting fireworks.
- Ok. - Ok?
Good luck.
Aaron and chris, the kings of comedy.
I think it's got a lot of potential to be fun.
But pulling up vegetables like the mario brothers
Doesn't necessarily illustrate clear instruction.
- I think the most important thing that I took away
From gordon--this is a recipe, and it has to be able
To be easy to follow.
- We have a lot of shots to shoot then.
- Yeah.
- Next up, the yellow team.
Yellow team, how we doing? - Hi.
- Are we good? - Good.
- Right. Give me an insight food-wise.
Where are we going?
- We chose the fried cauliflower.
It's something that's super trendy.
It's everywhere right now.
- Right.
Tony, for the production, what are you thinking?
- The theme of our video is asmr.
I am cooking, and sydney is going to be directing.
- Smart. Very smart.
They're up to date viral techniques.
I love that.
- Absolutely.
- It sounds like you guys are on the right track.
- Yeah. - But don't massage four egos.
- Right, of course. - It's not working.
- Somebody stand up and say, damn, don't do that.
- Cool. - Yeah?
Understood? - Understood.
- Good luck. - Thank you.
- Yellow team, their team got people
With very strong voices.
They need to make sure one strong story
Comes across that video.
- Ok, go.
- What's up, y'all? - Sorry, sorry, sorry.
It was a photo.
- How are you guys feeling about how
All the shots are coming?
- Good.
This should be the last that we need.
- Can I see?
I haven't been able to see anything.
And the two that I saw worried me.
Be careful of the shadows. - I know.
- Look at that. Those shadows are [bleep].
I'm looking at these shots, and they are not
Good enough to show to gordon.
And I am willing to do whatever it takes to win this
And become his partner.
- We need to get all the ingredients again.
We're gonna redo this?
- We're redoing all of it.
Listen, that was a test run.
I'm gonna watch you do every single shot,
And we're gonna agree on them.
- Like, is that necessary?
I'm just getting nervous about time.
At this point, I'm gonna hand caroline
The camera, so she can get what she wants
And we can be done with this.
- What I need is at least a shot of the whole farm.
So I'm gonna stay here with her,
And you need to go out into the field
And shoot some really beautiful stuff.
- I guess I'm going out to the field.
- I'm just gonna do this for the third time.
- Tony and I are both frustrated with caroline.
She just tries to overpower everyone with her knowledge.
But because sydney cannot
Speak up for herself over caroline,
It's bringing the entire team down.
- When I say action-- [whispers]
- Action? - Don't talk.
That's why I had-- - you said action.
- I know, but I had to say it quiet.
Right now, I feel like me taking charge in this moment
Is kind of saving the day.
It's the first time I've ever had a team
That's all on the same page.
- While the yellow team begins a full reshoot,
Over at the blue team with less than an hour to go,
The time crunch is on.
- Once we shoot this, just start editing the video.
- Ok. - There, good.
- The pressure's on.
Usually, I'm editing two to three hours a day
To coincide my videos down to a minute.
- All right, we got under an hour, by the way.
- Over 30 clips to edit, less than an hour's time.
- With a voiceover, no voiceover,
Text--whatever's easiest and fastest.
- I know, I know.
I'm well aware. - Ok, cool, cool.
- We recognize that there is an expert in this field
That can really apply what they know.
And we really put our trust in aaron.
- We just need to get that structure,
Make sure it's under a minute, so--
- Yeah, you got it.
- You know, to get gordon's $250,000 investment,
It's gonna take my business to a whole 'nother level.
So I have to win this challenge.
If I screw up on this, then I'm going home.
- I'm testing my entrepreneurs on one
Of the most important skills in business,
Digital marketing.
- Ok, and go.
- I've challenged them to create a recipe video
For social media that I'll be judging tomorrow.
- I like that.
- I'll be looking for a video that has the potential
To engage millions and go viral.
- Ooh, that's scrumptilescent.
- While the blue team work on their edit,
The yellow team capture their final shots.
- I got it.
- I'm a little bit nervous that we're
Not gonna have enough time.
- Sydney. - Yes?
- Let's stop editing and let's focus on making sure
We get the right shots.
And then we'll get back to editing, ok?
- All right, team, we have 20 more minutes.
- We have so much time.
- Caroline is someone who I deeply respect.
But we wasted time to get some of these shots.
I need to start editing now.
- Um...
- So, guys, I'm just nervous right now
About getting all of our text onto this video in time.
- It's kind of confusing because of the--
Where I'm chopping the stuff for the glaze.
- It's happening not in order? - Yeah.
- You're, like, showing ingredients
That are in the product.
- But it's a how make this dish.
- I know, but--
- Gordon mentioned that he wanted to see, you know,
Guidance throughout this social media post.
You don't think we should have, like, somebody, like,
Talking over it a little bit?
- Then it ruins the asmr, like, sound stuff.
- Mm.
- It just feels like everything I was saying was bouncing,
You know, right off their foreheads.
[tense music]
- All right, we've got about two minutes left.
- I'm on my last clip right now.
- Are you having it hit chris' head on the carrots?
- The carrots?
Oh, I forgot the hitting your head part.
No, I totally skipped that.
Edit, ok.
Time is running out, and I'm getting a little nervous.
I've got to make our story full circle,
So people can understand how to make our recipe.
- You're gonna get this hero shot,
And I think we should use this hay barrel.
Help me, help me. Come on.
- Help caroline, please. - [groans]
Ok, right here. Boom, ok.
Put it on here. Sexy.
- Make the last line a little bit bigger.
- If we have time to flip them, can we say garlic first?
- I ain't changing [bleep].
- We got it, we got it, we got it.
- All right, ready?
- Yep, we got it, we got it. - And done.
- Whoo! - Done!
- Oh, god.
- Ooh, looks pretty good.
- Good job, aaron.
- Working with aaron is great,
But I'm nervous that the video wasn't too quirky.
I'm just hoping that it hits the mark and gordon ramsay
Is impressed by what we were able to accomplish.
- That was exhausting. Tiktok--
- Good job. - I'm worn out.
- I definitely was stressed going into it,
But I think it's definitely good enough to win.
- Tomorrow I'll be judging
The tiktok instructional videos,
Putting the content to the test.
[dramatic music]
Day two, launch day, and first up...
Good morning.
It's the blue team. - Good morning.
- Excited? - Yes.
- Very much. - We are.
- Off you go, guys.
And what they don't know is,
They'll have a big surprise waiting for them.
- Oh, my goodness.
- [gasps] ok, what's going on?
- Unbeknown to the teams, I've drafted in some help
To judge their videos,
Two everyday home cooks and, going undercover,
Two social media sensations...
♪ ♪
Tiktok recipe star owen han,
Who's gained over 3.3 million followers
With his trending asmr food content,
And the winner of "next level chef" season one,
Pyet despain...
- Happy native american heritage month.
- Who's gone viral sharing recipes
From her native american and mexican heritage.
Right, take a seat.
Now, I mentioned yesterday, your recipes need
To be clear enough that anyone can follow along.
These videos are gonna be shown on a loop.
And the home cooks are gonna recreate your recipes.
- Excellent. - Understood?
- Yes, sir. - Good.
- Let's go. - Good.
And, lan, describe the dish, please.
- Yeah, so the dish is
A vietnamese plant-based lettuce wrap.
- Great, playing to your strength.
Right, without further ado, I will present you
The blue team's video.
- Wonder how gordon's gonna like it.
He's either gonna laugh or be like, what the [bleep]?
- Enjoy.
[suspenseful music]
♪ ♪
- I'm a little worried.
Just watching them, I'm feeling they are confused.
- [sighs]
- Oh, my god.
- This is painful.
[suspenseful music]
- At underwood family farm, california,
The blue team are presenting their tiktok recipe video
To undercover experts, pyet despain, owen han,
And two home cooks.
- [sighs]
♪ ♪
- This is painful.
- 4 tablespoons of soy sauce, 2 tablespoons lime juice,
Lime zest.
Pouring tablespoons of your sauce
Into your plant meat,
Cook until brown.
[grunts]
♪ ♪
[grunts]
[laughter]
♪ ♪
Oh, yeah.
- Home cooks, you can get going.
Off you go. Good luck, guys.
♪ ♪
Young man, in terms of the information, is it clear?
- It's pretty quick, but I think
If you just watch it a few more times,
You can pick up on it.
- Yeah? Good luck.
- Thank you.
- Young lady, how are you doing?
- I think it's pretty easy to follow.
- Mm-hmm.
- But I think having the same, like, funny thing happen over
And over, and over, it got a little cheesy after a while.
- Sure.
Smells good, good luck. - Thank you.
- Oh.
- Here we go.
All right.
- Once you finish, place those lettuce cups in front of you.
Give 'em a round of applause.
- Whoo! - Great job!
Maybe some questions for the blue team?
Young man.
This is owen han.
Trust me, he knows a thing or two about tiktok.
In the first 12 months from his platform,
Just under 2 1/2 million followers.
- Whoo! - Wow.
- Owen han is this tiktok superstar,
And that had me shaking in my boots a little bit.
- Owen, did it draw you in to begin with?
- For starters, I absolutely loved the first five seconds.
I think having the humor in the beginning, especially,
Is a great way to captivate the audience's attention.
It looked great.
- Yeah!
- Young lady with the hat on,
I believe you've got a question.
Blue team, this is-- - we know!
- Pyet despain, our first ever winner
Of "next level chef,"
And a social media marketing expert.
Pyet, did it translate from the pictures
To the final result in the bowl?
- Yeah, I think so.
I think it's pretty easy to follow.
What made you guys choose this dish specifically?
- When I saw the recipe-- I'm vietnamese.
And I know you've done it, as well,
For your native american background.
Any opportunity that we can showcase
Our culture and our heritage, I'm always for that.
- I appreciate that.
How come you weren't in the video?
[dramatic music]
We need to see more of your face
And have that authenticity come through.
- But I get your point.
And me being vietnamese, that would have made total sense.
- Yeah. - Yeah.
- I think, for me personally, having a funny video is great,
But, like, I want someone that's, like, authentic.
Like, this is her cuisine. This is her doing it.
For me, it was just two guys
Throwing vegetables at each other.
- Definitely.
♪ ♪
- Right, great questions. Well done, all of you.
Blue team, I'll see you back at the restaurant.
- Chef pyet is someone that I really respect.
And that was a little devastating.
It was a missed opportunity, you know,
Because very rarely do vietnamese cuisine
Get to be put out there,
And have a vietnamese person be the front of it, you know?
- Yeah. - 'cause I look at chef pyet.
I know what she's done with "next level chef"
And being able to represent her culture.
I wasn't, you know, front and center.
And if it kicks us in the butt tomorrow,
That is something that I will own.
- I'm sorry, babe.
[dramatic music]
- Next up to launch their vegetarian recipe video...
Straight through. - [laughs]
- The yellow team.
- I'm thinking, oh, crap.
They're gonna make our recipe from the video that we made.
- [sighs] - right.
So these home cooks are gonna make your vegetarian recipe.
Caroline, what's the dish?
- The dish is, uh,
Tony b's, um, delicious,
Um, chicken lettuce cups.
- Cauliflower.
- Cauliflower, sorry, made to look like chicken.
- It's a vegetarian challenge. - It is.
- It's vegetarian, so that's what we did here.
- Exactly.
- These are fried cauliflower lettuce cups.
And hopefully, you get the message.
- Right. Home cooks, good luck.
Are you ready to see the video? - Yes.
- Yes, sir. - Roll the tape.
- [sighs]
- I'm tony b, and welcome
To my farm-to-table fried cauliflower.
Check it out.
- Check it out.
[tense music]
♪ ♪
- Look at their faces. Oh, god.
- Ooh, that scrumptilescent.
You need to make this now.
- But can you, is the question.
♪ ♪
- First impressions? - A lot.
I'm trying to keep up with these instructions.
- How are you doing? - Good.
First impressions of the video?
- A lot of reading.
- First impressions, what did you think?
- It's a little confusing to begin with.
I'm gonna just go with my instincts
And just move forward. - Yeah, good luck.
Mass confusion here.
- Gordon's face right now-- he's looking at us with utter,
Like, disappointment.
♪ ♪
- How you feeling about it? - I'm not feeling too great.
- Yeah.
- Should it have been broken up as,
Like, step by step versus a bunch of dialogue in one--
I mean, I'm learning a lot from this.
- Totally, totally.
- We did our best.
I don't-- - no, we didn't do our best.
We said from the beginning, we have to make sure
We show step by step.
And I made that very clear. - So I have a question for you.
Wait, did you make that clear? - Yes.
- Did you jump in and try to change it?
- Yes, I did. Yes, I did.
- That's [bleep].
- What a disaster.
- In my business competition
For food and drink entrepreneurs,
I'm testing a key metric of marketing,
Creating a video good enough to go viral.
- On stage, presenting their fried cauliflower recipe video
And making their voices heard, the yellow team.
- We did our best.
I don't-- - no, we didn't do our best.
We said from the beginning, we have to make sure
We show step by step.
- Wait. Did you make that clear?
- Yes.
- Did you jump in and try to change it?
- Yes, I did. Yes, I did.
- That's [bleep].
- Uh-oh, uh-oh.
- Oh, my lord.
We've got a live grilling taking place here.
- Didn't we all agree to try to get some better shots?
- I will say-- - you were critiquing my dish.
- Yes. - And then you half-assed it.
I wanted to talk over the whole video,
But nobody was listening, right?
- You guys done yet?
[dramatic music]
♪ ♪
Right. Home cooks, well done.
Any questions for our yellow team?
Young lady in the back,
And gentleman in the baseball cap,
Would you mind taking your hats off?
[light music]
Yellow team, this is owen han, a prolific tiktoker,
And first ever winner
Of "next level chef," pyet despain.
- Oh, god. [laughs]
- Questions for the other team?
- What was the reasoning of not having voiceover on the video?
Definitely could have done a better job
With adding more of the steps.
- Some of us wanted to do the voiceover,
And I think ultimately it led to us running out of time.
- Owen, what did you think of the creativity
Behind the video?
- I loved the use of asmr.
What I would have changed, though,
Is in terms of the audio, I could literally hear
People's voices in the background.
I think if you're gonna commit to asmr--
- Yes.
- You should really focus on the sound.
- The only thing I could hear is them
Arguing amongst each other.
- Wow.
Right, yellow team, I look forward to seeing
You all back at the restaurant for the grilling.
- Thank you. - Awesome.
- Thank you. - Off you go, please.
- Caroline said that we did our best.
I did not do my best.
So I do not want to be included in her "we."
That's ultimately what set me off.
And I will not go down with this contest on my name.
- I really did try my best.
- I know you did. I know you did.
- And I swear, like, I just wanted to help make it better.
- I--you did make it better.
[somber music]
- With the challenge over, the fate of my contestants
Is hanging in the balance.
- Going into the results, I really want
To win this challenge specifically because I can't
Lose at my own tiktok game.
- Tomorrow, in la, I'll be sharing the results.
- What I had envisioned for this video
Is very different from what we actually got to produce.
I'm feeling nervous.
- And for one of them,
Their journey will come to a close.
[tense music]
♪ ♪
Now, this week your task
Was to make short recipe videos for social media.
You had to show me that you can communicate
Through digital marketing.
Now, I asked you from the get-go to make them
Entertaining, educational,
Something that anyone could easily follow along.
Now, let's start with the blue team.
You made a recipe for vietnamese lettuce cups
With plant-based meat.
I'd like to know, what's the one thing
That you'd love to have changed across that video.
- Probably adding lan as the face of the video.
- I want to make it very clear that me not
Being the face of this video does not represent
My commitment to my community.
- You heard that from pyet.
You missed a big opportunity there.
Right, yellow team, you made a video showing
A recipe for fried cauliflower.
What's the one thing that you could have changed?
- We are sitting on a stage in front of your guests,
And that was the moment that ashley chose
To come at me like that.
I was mortified.
I was embarrassed, and I apologize.
- I wanted to make sure it was not represented
That I did my best, nor tony, as there was suggestions
That we gave that were brushed off.
- I spoke at length with all my guests,
Who gave both videos mixed feedback.
This is no landslide, but the winning team is...
[tense music]
♪ ♪
[tense music]
- I've made my decision.
♪ ♪
The winning team is...
♪ ♪
The blue team.
[soft music]
♪ ♪
Blue team, I'll be honest,
Not everyone appreciated the comedy.
Honestly, that was a big risk.
But the good news is, it did pay off.
You had light-hearted entertainment
And clear, concise instructions on how to cook your dish.
Yellow team, my guests liked your video,
But they didn't love it.
Your video did not feel like it had a single united vision.
One of the biggest issues I had is that your video
Lacked voiceover.
In fact, the only thing they said they did hear
Was you arguing, which left a really bad taste in my mouth.
Now, I need to hear from all four of you
And really get to the bottom of what went wrong
Before I make my final decision
On who stays and who's going home.
Meet me in the restaurant.
Blue team, well done.
Ashley, sit down, please.
Caroline, sit down.
Sydney, take a seat.
Tony, what a day, what a day.
First time in the grilling.
- It does not feel good.
- Let's talk about the video.
First impression is, it's all over the place.
I'm amazed that you stepped forward and wanted
To lead that video when you haven't got the experience
That's necessary.
What the hell happened there?
- I was vocal about the fact that I hadn't done it before,
But I'm the person that's always going
To give it my best effort.
- Yeah, but it's all very well talking,
But you need to be heard.
There was no management in your team.
Why did your video lack a singular vision?
- Sydney said she was 100% confident,
Until caroline decided to pitch in and tell her
That she was doing it incorrectly.
Sydney, she needs to learn to stand up for herself.
- Why let sydney become leader of something
That she wasn't capable of leading?
- It went over to sydney, and all I did was back her.
And I did everything I could to make it as good as possible.
- How did we end up in that situation
With four of you on that team?
- Sydney knows exactly what was going on in that dish.
But with caroline, it completely broke down.
Everything was stonewalled. Everything was chaos.
- Caroline was over your shoulder contributing.
Were you overwhelmed?
- Caroline was the only one who stepped up to help me.
- Knowing how caroline is,
It can get very hostile very quickly.
- When I speak up, it rubs people the wrong way,
But I'm going to stand up for what I believe is right
Because I want this opportunity so badly.
- I'm investing in one of you as my partner.
Would you allow a video like that to go
Out on your social platform?
- I would not have put that one out, no.
- Yeah, I was embarrassed.
- I even felt a little lost watching it,
And that was disappointing.
- My professional guests, pyet and owen, they said,
We can't even hear the video because they're arguing.
And that demonstration turned to a bitch fest.
- Knowing caroline, if it wasn't addressed then,
This would have continued.
- I don't know what that was, honestly.
I was mortified.
Ashley absolutely should be going home for that.
- Why didn't you step up and say, hey, cut it out?
- I was incredibly caught off-guard.
You're part of that team, and you dug your head in the sand.
It could be the same equation in business together.
Who let you down the most?
- Sydney. We need proactive people here.
She let somebody else make decisions for her.
- Caroline's disruption, butting heads--
Why did you tolerate that so much?
- She just wanted to make sure that we were staying on track.
She was truly coming from the best place in her heart.
- But I want you to stand up for yourself,
Not stand up for caroline.
- Absolutely.
- Part the friendship aside. - Ok, ok.
- This is a competition.
Was sydney overwhelmed with that challenge?
[tense music]
- I think so.
These challenges are not made to be easy.
And we both know this is a competition.
You know?
What if at the end, it's her and I?
We're obviously both gonna fight for your investment.
And I'm not going to let any friendship stop that.
But I'm also going to have her back when it's deserved.
And sydney tried her best.
- Thank you, caroline. - Thank you, gordon.
Thank you. - Thank you.
♪ ♪
Ok.
I've just heard from four people
With four different approaches to this one challenge.
And honestly, I have reason to send any one of you home.
But from where I'm standing,
It appears that one person is more responsible
For the confusion than anyone else on your team.
The person I will not be investing in...
♪ ♪
Is...
♪ ♪
Sydney.
And I have a lot of respect for you stepping up as a leader.
However, in business, it is absolutely crucial
That you stick up for yourself.
And this week, unfortunately, that was your downfall.
For those reasons, I will not be investing in you.
We're done.
For a young lady at just 26 years of age,
You've built this business, toto cookie dough and cookies,
Into something incredible already.
I'll be watching very, very closely.
- Thank you.
- Sydney stepped up with a great idea for a video
But did not stand up for herself to make sure
That that final product really met her standards.
And there's an old saying in business,
If you don't stand for something,
You fall for anything.
And sydney just fell.
Maybe she'd still be here had she not spent time
Across the grilling defending caroline.
- Sydney. - It was an absolute pleasure.
I definitely don't think that I'm the one
That should have gone home tonight,
But I had such an amazing time working with gordon.
For toto cookie dough and cookies,
This is just going to improve everything
That we're doing ten times over.
- That was the hardest moment
Of my entire competition so far.
[sobbing]
Now I'm gonna focus, and I'm gonna win.
Maybe it's good that I don't have any friends left
Because then I won't be distracted, right?
- What's up, seattle?
- For your next challenge,
All of you will be running a pop-up coffee shop.
I want to test your ability to thrive in a crowded market.
- It's a crazy but very exciting morning.
- If you don't have a better idea, maybe jump on board.
- I am so worried caroline and lan are gonna get
Into a fight in front of the customers.
- Caroline, whatever. - [sighs]
- Uh-oh. - Nascar pit stop, baby.
- Oh, no!
- No crying over spilled milk.
- [bleep] me.