‘Next Level Chef’ season 3 episode 4 recap: Who was eliminated in ‘The Draft/Smash Bash’? [LIVE BLOG]

Denton Davidson
·6 min read
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Tonight on “Next Level Chef,” mentors Gordon Ramsay, Nyesha Arrington and Richard Blais draft the top 15 chefs into their three teams. Then, the contestants are challenged with preparing an all-American smash burger that proves their cooking abilities are next level in the all-new “The Draft/Smash Bash” episode of “Next Level Chef” airing Thursday, February 15 (8:00-9:02 PM ET/PT) on FOX.

In an epic three-story kitchen, the only way to move to the top is to cook your way up. Each week professional chefs, home chefs and social media chefs have seconds to grab, minutes to cook and moments to deliver their dishes to mentors Gordon Ramsay, Richard Blais and Nyesha Arrington. Who will rise to the challenge? Gordon promises the toughest, most competitive and most grueling season of “Next Level Chef” yet. With an amazing one-year mentorship and $250,000 on the line, only one contestant can climb their way to the top.

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Follow along with our live blog recap of tonight’s episode below.

SEE ‘Next Level Chef’s’ Richard Blais on Season 3 feuds with Gordon Ramsay and Nyesha Arrington: ‘It gets a little heated this year’ [WATCH]

8:00 p.m. — Previously on “Next Level Chef”! In episode 3, five professional chefs cooked their way into the team draft: Ari, Chris, Zach, Von and Angela. Along the way we lost Jennie, Summer and Charity. Now it’s time to see which team these chefs land on. And who will be the next cook eliminated? Let’s go!

8:10 p.m. — The Top 15 chefs enter the studio to be drafted. Since Richard is the only mentor who has never won a championship, Team Blais gets the first pick. Below is each team drafted, in order they were chosen by their mentor.

Team Blais: Zach, Lauren, Angela, Nicole and Matt

Team Arrington: Von, Christina, Ari, Alexandra and Mada

Team Ramsay: Chris, Gabi, Jordan, Izahya and Wendy

Next Gordon explains it’s time for their very first challenge. They’ll all be making an all-American burger. But it’s not just any burger, it’s time to make an amazing smasburger. But, it has to be next level. As the reigning champs, Team Ramsay will start at the top level. Team Arrington will start in the middle while Team Blais cooks in the basement.

8:20 p.m. — The platform is on the move. As it descends, the ingredients will become more sparse, with Team Ramsay getting first dibs. By the time the platform gets to the basement, Team Blais is stuck with proteins like salmon and plant-based mixtures for their burgers. Zach was lucky enough to walk away with ground short rib. The condiments are nearly dried up and they can’t even find any pickles! Will Team Blais survive this first challenge? Their 25 minutes starts now!

8:30 p.m. — On the middle level, Ari has a little drama when she sets her station on fire. She calmly lets it die down and continues on. Down in the basement, Matt is a bit concerned about his salmon meat. He’s never eaten or cooked a salmon burger before. Nicole is worried about her plant-based “meat” because she’s never worked with that either. Next, the platform descends again, holding baskets of side items. They’ll each have to fry up something crunchy and delicious to go alongside their smashburgers. Nicole continues to struggle with her plant-based burger, which are now sticking to her spatula, burning and crumbling all over the skillet. Chris is also struggling upstairs, forced to pop his burgers in the oven in hopes they “come back together” after breaking apart when he flips them. Finally, the clock ticks down to 0 and everyone puts their finished plates on the platform.

8:35 p.m. — The top floor will be judged first. Izahya’s Wagyu beef burger is “a little bit over-cooked” for Richard, but Gordon loves it. Next, Gabi’s lamb burger is “exciting to eat” according to Nyesha. Chris’ brisket burger is “messy” and both Nyesha and Richard think he used too much salt. Jordan’s pork burger is “out of the box” and Gordon calls it a smart grab. Last up is Wendy’s shrimp burger — and Nyesha loves the shrimp, but finds the bun “a little bit dry.” Richard asks, “Is it a smasburger?”

8:40 p.m. — Next we go to the basement burgers. Nicole kicks things off with her plant-based dish and Gordon is a bit overwhelmed by the barbecue sauce. Although it’s good, the burger is drowning in it. Angela’s chicken burger is “cooked beautifully” and Gordon loves the heat. Matt’s salmon burger is “slightly overcooked” and the raspberries “just don’t work.” Zach’s short rib burger is “delicious,” the seasoning is “on point” and his fried jalapenos earn rave reviews. Last, Lauren’s venison burger is “cooked beautifully” and Nyesha enjoys the “pops of acidity.”

8:45 p.m. — It’s time to judge the middle floor. Christina’s sirloin burger is seasoned beautifully and the cook is “spot-on.” Von’s dry-aged beef burger tastes good and the fried egg elevates the dish. Mada’s turkey burger “leaves a lot of bitterness on the palate.” Alexandra’s veal burger is “a shame” because it needs more texture and crispiness. Ari’s ostrich burger is undercooked. Next, the judges walk away to deliberate.

8:50 p.m. — Before the mentors announce their decision tonight, Gordon reminds everyone about the immunity pins. Each mentor will award one immunity pin based on the chef’s performance — not necessarily meaning they had the best dish. But who worked the hardest? Who impressed them in the kitchen? Gordon pins Jordan, Nyesha pins Christina and Richard pins Zach. These three chefs can now save themselves in the future if they’re ever up for elimination. Next Gordon announces the best burger of the day — Von! The professional chef has earned Team Arrington immunity and they’ll cook in the top kitchen next week.

9:02 p.m. — Gordon and Richard must each choose a member of their team to go into elimination. Gordon sends in Chris, his first pick in the draft. Richard sends in Matt, saying the platform got the best of him. For their elimination challenge, they’ll have to put a Next Level spin on a classic fish taco. Nyesha will mentor them before Gordon and Richard judge in a blind taste test. After a race to the platform, Chris grabs Mahi Mahi and Matt gets cod. Everything seems to be going well until Chris flubs his homemade tortillas and realizes there are not store-bought ones left. Who will make the best fish tacos? After 25 minutes, their dishes are plated and Gordon and Richard arrive to judge. They say Chris’ tacos are “super wet” but delicious and vibrant. Matt’s tacos are “clunky” but the fish is “beautiful.” Gordon thinks there’s a bitter aftertaste. Without knowing who cooked what, both judges decide to eliminate the cod tacos. That means Matt will go home tonight.

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