‘Next Level Chef’ season 2 power rankings: Top 11 finalists ranked from worst to best
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The teams on “Next Level Chef” are being dismantled. Following the elimination of Matt Groark on Episode 7, we learned the competition is going from a team contest to an individual battle for the $250,000 prize and a one-year mentorship. So who is most likely to succeed in this new format? And who do we think will plummet? Below are our Top 11 power rankings for “Next Level Chef” season 2. Disagree? Sound off with your pick to win it all in the comments.
Joined by two elite names in the food world, chefs Nyesha Arrington and Richard Blais, Gordon Ramsay and his co-mentors leave no stone unturned, as they’ve scoured the country and hand-picked the best home cooks, social media chefs and professional chefs who will be on each of their teams. Last year Stephanie “Pyet” Despain, a 30-year old social media chef from Team Arrington, won it all.
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Based on their performances so far this season, here are our Top 11 power rankings (from worst to best):
11. Christopher Spinosa (Team Blais)
The 29-year old professional chef from Long Island, New York has been at risk of elimination twice already and has yet to have a winning dish.
10. Shay Spence (Team Arrington)
The 32-year old social media chef from Austin, Texas has been at risk of elimination once and has a track record of poor time management. He has yet to be named a challenge winner.
9. Vincent “Vinny” Alia (Team Ramsay)
The 42-year old home cook from Columbia, South Carolina has been at risk of elimination once and has yet to create a winning dish. He can become easily frazzled in the kitchen and needed a medic to wrap a finger he cut while distracted by Gordon.
8. Preston Nguyen (Team Ramsay)
The 19-year old professional chef from Dallas, Texas lacks experience and nearly went home last week, barely escaping elimination. On the plus side, he’s innovative and eager to learn, and even won the alcohol challenge two weeks ago despite not being of legal drinking age.
7. Michelle Calcgni (Team Ramsay)
The 30-year old home cook from Oradell, New Jersey has yet to win a challenge, but she hasn’t been at risk of elimination either. She’s played it safe and remains a middle-of-the-road contestant that seems unlikely to win.
6. Tineke Younger (Team Blais)
The 20-year old social media chef from Frederick, Maryland lacks experience, but won the Week 2 Mexican food challenge with beef tongue. Since then she’s been somewhat forgettable, consistently ranked in the middle of the pack.
5. Mehreen Karim (Team Blais)
The 27-year old home cook from Auburn, Alabama consistently receives high marks for her imaginative and flavorful food. She won the Week 5 wild game challenge, in which the judges called her duck breast “gorgeous” and “elegant.”
4. Omi Hopper (Team Arrington)
The 39-year old social media chef from Puerto Rico ranks consistently high among the judges. Her personality and family-inspired dishes bring authenticity to everything she makes. Omi won the Week 7 fish challenge with a dish inspired by her grandmother, with Richard calling it one of the best things he’s tasted in the history of the show.
3. Pilar Moega (Team Arrington)
The 38-year old professional chef from Detroit started off a bit slow, but has been on an upward trajectory from week to week. She brilliantly filleted a giant halibut for all of Team Arrington during the fish challenge. Pilar won the Week 4 Chinese food challenge with the judges saying her Mongolian beef was “on a different level.”
2. Tucker Ricchio (Team Ramsay)
The 31-year old professional chef from San Jose, California won the first challenge of the season and hasn’t looked back. She consistently puts out top dishes each week and Gordon knows Tucker is an absolute rock star in the kitchen. There has yet to be a single moment this chef was even considered at risk of being thrown into an elimination challenge.
1. Nuri Muhammad (Team Arrington)
The 22-year old professional chef from Bowie, Maryland puts a sparkle in Nyesha’s eyes every time she looks at him. Nuri’s coach is clearly impressed with his talent and it’s clear she’d be willing to mentor him whether he wins or not. He often talks about competing for his young daughter, and he’s been impressive so far, winning the Week 3 upscale sandwich challenge with soft shell crab the judges called “delicious” and “outstanding.”
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