‘Next Level Chef’ season 3 episode 1 recap: Who makes the cut in ‘Auditions – Social Media’ premiere episode? [LIVE BLOG]
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New this season, “Next Level Chef” features three audition rounds, challenging three groups of eight chefs with experience ranging from professional chef to home cook to social media culinary superstar. In the premiere episode, eight social media stars battle it out on the three kitchen levels. Only five chefs will advance to join the teams of mentors Gordon Ramsay, Richard Blais and Nyesha Arrington in the all-new “Auditions – Social Media” season premiere episode of “Next Level Chef” airing Sunday, January 28 (10:00-11:00 PM ET/7:00-8:00 PM PT live to all timezones) 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. 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.
10:00 p.m. — Previously on “Next Level Chef”! In the Season 2 finale, Tucker Ricchio, a 31-year old professional chef from San Jose, California was crowned the franchise’s second winner. She became the first champion from Team Ramsay, following Season 1 victor Stephanie “Pyet” Despain, 30-year old social media chef from Kansas City, Kansas (Team Nyesha). Who will stand out this season? Let’s get started!
10:05 p.m. — Twenty-four chefs walk into the kitchen and face the mentors. They’re told only 15 will survive this audition round, beginning today with the eight social media chefs. They’ll begin where every great chef has started: at the bottom. After each round, the worst dish will be eliminated until only five social media chefs are left standing. Nyesha will mentor this round while Richard and Gordon watch every move from the lounge.
10:10 p.m. — Nyesha explains the first challenge is inspired by one of TikTok’s hottest trends. They’ll have to make a phenomenal dish out of canned meat! They have just 20 minutes to plate something delicious and the clock starts now! The platform descends and cooks have just 30 seconds to grab their ingredients. After they begin to cook we begin to learn more about the chefs. First up is Gabi, a 29-year old from Brooklyn, New York. She lives in a brownstone apartment with an “adorable” garden she completely renovated. Gabi love to showcase fresh produce, what she finds at her farmer’s market and how to be creative with plant-based ingredients. Tim is the oldest here. The 55-year old is a father of five whose children encouraged him to get on social media, where he quickly amassed over two million followers.
10:15 p.m. — Matt is just 22 years old, but stands 6ft-7in tall. The Ingleside, Illinois native is a big presence in the kitchen and online. He admits he barely graduated high school and struggled to figure out what to do with his life. Suddenly he discovered food and started to gain a following on Snapchat. Brittany, a 26-year old from Kinder, Louisiana, is a wife and mother of one. She’s familiar with all kinds of protein including snake, turtle, deer, rabbit, squirrel, possum and frogs. There’s nothing she won’t try!
10:20 p.m. — The first major disaster in the kitchen comes from Jordan, a 29-year old from Tampa, Florida. While working on his tuna fritters, his station goes up in flames. He quickly gets it under control, but realizes he doesn’t have the sauce he hoped to make. Regardless, time has run out and it’s time for someone to go home. The mentors gather at the head of the kitchen to taste each dish. Gabi’s chicken and dumplings tastes good and looks beautiful. Izahya’s canned clam pasta is “very acidic” and “doing too much.” Jordan’s tuna fritter is “delicious,” but needs a sauce and Richard comments that “he looked a little frazzled.” Matt made a crispy corned beef with “good heat,” but it’s “very sweet.” Nicole‘s canned ham and pasta is “smart” and Gordon calls it “delicious.” Tim’s canned salmon fritter is “unique” and “delicious.” Brittany’s ramen noodles with canned shrimp is a good idea, but “it needs a broth” and the shrimp is overcooked. Brittnee’s burger-inspired Benedict shocks Gordon, who calls it “actually quite good.”
10:25 p.m. — The mentors talk amongst themselves and decide who needs to be eliminated first. The social media chef going home right now is Brittany. The Louisiana social media star is left in tears as the mentors wish her “Good luck” and walk away.
10:35 p.m. — On the second level, the remaining seven chefs will be mentored by Richard. He tells them to make them a “viral dish” that will inspire millions of views from people at home. After a frantic grab at the platform, the 20-minute cook time starts now! Here we learn more about Jordan, the Tampa native and hip-hop artist. He says he was bullied as a kid and made people laugh by rapping. His culinary journey didn’t blow up until his wife encouraged him to cook on YouTube. Eventually that turned into a full-time career. Gordon even responded to one of his videos, in a viral moment that garnered over 200 million views as Jordan burned off his fingerprints. We also learn more about Nicole, a 28-year old from Kennewick, Washington, who was a competitive dancer and pageant queen. She started a smoothie series on her YouTube channel and it blew up, almost overnight.
10:45 p.m. — Time is up and it’s time for this second dish to be judged. Jordan’s skirt steak has a nice fresh salsa, but Gordon hated watching him slice the meat and lose all the juice. Izahya’s crispy chicken is “cooked beautifully” and “very pretty.” Great job! Matt’s trout dish is “delicious,” but the proportions are “off.” Nicole’s spice-seared pork chop is “smart” and a “good audition.” Gabi’s tilapia and romesco sauce tastes better than it looks. Brittnee’s hand-made tortilla with glazed shrimp is “really brave,” but the tortilla is way too thick and doughy. Tim’s hand-made fettuccini is undercooked and Nyesha says he should have spent more time on the sauce. After a quick discussion, they’ve made a decision. The second chef going home is Tim. Trying to make a fresh pasta dish in 20 minutes was just too much to overcome.
10:50 p.m. — Gordon welcomes the final six to the top level kitchen. Their final challenge is simple: cook an extraordinary Next Level dish. Everyone grabs high-end ingredients and gets 20 minutes to cook. Brittnee is disappointed she didn’t grab vegetables and literally has one spinach leaf. The 29-year old from Atlanta plans to “salt it with her tears.” I don’t know if she’s going to make it to the next round, but I definitely like her personality. Making here even more endearing? She began her online culinary journey after losing her cat. She felt too guilty to eat and decided if she filmed herself cooking it would feel like work. She even hired a lost cat detective. They never found the cat, but according to her “cat medium,” her beloved feline is still alive and somewhere else being a good pet.
10:55 p.m. — Izahya explains football was his first love. It got him all the way to college, but it all came to an end when the 24-year old from Miami was injured. He considers it a blessing in disguise and hopes to channel that competitive edge in “Next Level Chef.” The pressure is on him for this final challenge because Gordon tells Izahya he’s got the best protein in the room — a Wagyu steak. Will he deliver?
11:00 p.m. — Time is up and it’s time to taste each dish. Gabi’s duck is “bright and fun.” Gordon says she “nailed it” and is shocked to learn it’s the first duck she’s ever cooked. Brittnee’s halibut is under-seasoned and needs vegetables. Nyesha loves her potatoes. Izahya’s Wagyu steak and puree is a “classic interpretation.” Nicole’s seared tuna was “nailed,” but the vegetables feel like an afterthought. Matt’s rack of lamb is cooked beautifully, but Nyesha thinks the potatoes are over-salted. Jordan’s scallops have a nice sear and Nyesha is “really impressed” by the complexity. Gordon says they’re “perection.” After one final deliberation, the mentors decide to eliminate Brittnee. She walks away knowing Gordon gave her cat a shout-out and loved her hollandaise sauce, stating, “I love that for me!”
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