- Previously, on "next level chef"...
Today, you'll all be working with
An ingredient that can be found on the plate
Of a three-year-old--
It's cheese.
This time token goes to pilar.
[applause]
[cheering]
- Which dish would you eliminate this evening?
- The pistachio chicken.
- That dish was cooked by shay.
- Thank you so much for being the most amazing mentor.
- You'll have 40 minutes
To create a next level fried entree.
- [bleep] - ah.
- Pilar, would you take 10 seconds away
From one of your competitors?
- My decision is to use it against one of
My competitors today, chef.
- Let's go. 3, 2, 1!
- This whole competition is blown wide open.
[knives shinging]
[dramatic rock music]
[elevator dings]
♪ ♪
[timer ringing]
[dramatic music]
♪ ♪
Welcome back.
We good? All: Yes, chef.
- We are down to the final eight.
It's anyone's game at this point.
♪ ♪
Tucker, young lady, your third time in a row
In that top flight kitchen.
How do you handle the pressure?
- I have the drive, I have the focus,
And I'm super persistent.
- Tini. - Yes, chef.
- I know you have no intention of going home any time soon,
Right? - No, I don't want to go home.
I like staying here and learning.
- But how are you gonna make sure that that doesn't happen?
- I need to focus on the little things.
It's, like, the little things that I keep messing up on.
- It's time to stand on your own today, for sure.
- Yes, chef. - Nuri, do you regret
Not using that time token differently?
- I definitely regret not taking ten seconds
Away from another competitor.
It's a competition.
I'm not here to be nice and make friends.
There's only going to be one next level chef.
They have not seen the best of chef stretch yet, chef.
- Omi, I could see how much pressure
You were under in that last elimination cook.
- I forgot who I was for a moment.
I won't forget again.
- Listen, the only way to win this is to be competitive.
- I once beat a nine-year-old in a hula hoop contest.
- [laughs] - I'm not afraid to beat
None of these youngins. [laughter]
- Listen carefully:
For your next challenge, you'll all have 40 minutes
To create a delicious next-level fried entree.
- [bleep] - ahh.
- This is a process that can be tricky
For even the most seasoned chefs.
- Sauteing, stir frying.
Of course, everyone's southern favorite, deep frying.
- We're not looking for fast food.
We're looking for more finesse in the technique.
- I'm puerto rican. I fry everything.
[speaking spanish]
I'm good with this challenge.
- Pilar, young lady, you've got that incredible time token.
Big decision today.
Do you take that 10-second head start for yourself?
Or do you take 10 seconds away from one of your competitors?
[dramatic music]
What is your decision today?
♪ ♪
- My decision is to use it against one of
My competitors today, chef.
[dramatic sting]
- Please don't do something like that to me.
There's $250,000 on the line.
So, yeah, it's gonna get dirty.
- Which individual are you taking 10 seconds away from?
- It's only myself and one person at the top today.
So it's going to have to go to tucker.
- Super. Thanks, pilar.
- Interesting.
The competition is on.
- She's one of my strongest competitors.
She needs to feel the fire.
- 20-second grab.
Can you make it work with 20 seconds?
- Definitely, chef.
- She's playing the game, and she's playing to win.
Let's go.
- Pilar, tucker, I'll be with you on that top level.
Please head to the elevator.
- Go on, tucker. You got this.
That's the way to play it.
- The time token, absolute mental game.
You're taking away only 10 seconds.
But you take away so much more
Because they start doubting themselves.
- It's awkward.
- Thanks, p. [bell dings]
[intense music]
- [claps] [sighs]
- Chris, maureen, tini, and michelle,
You're in the middle level today.
Get yourselves ready, and I'll see you there soon.
- Team blais plus michelle. - Oh, boy. Yeah.
- I feel like I have a little bit of imposter syndrome
Right now.
But I'm going to be focused on the dish that I am creating.
Let's go. [clapping]
- Chef stretch, omi, both of you
Need to start climbing out of that basement, right?
- Yes, chef.
- And who better to get you out of there than me?
Best of luck. Head to the elevator.
- Thank you, chef. - Come on, guys.
- I'll see you in the basement shortly.
- You got this. - Let's go. Game face on.
- The competition is definitely heating up,
And I know what's at stake.
But sometimes I psych myself out,
And I cannot do that.
I just have to cook.
This is an opportunity of a lifetime.
[applause]
- All right. How are you two feeling?
- Feeling good. - Feeling good, chef.
[applause] - all right.
No one's going home today. That's the goal.
- There's no way in hell I'm going to elimination today,
Especially not on a frying day.
I've grown up around frying my entire life.
I could fry anything.
[laughs]
[applause]
- Girl power! - I'm telling you.
I got the two thirsty chefs. Let's go.
What are we thinking? - Grab fast.
- [chuckles] - all right.
Let's grab. Line up.
- Just be careful of these ovens.
As you know, they don't work very well.
- They're special.
- They like richard blais' hairstyle--very special.
- [laughs]
- Pilar, when it goes green, you can go.
Tucker, I'll count you in.
- It's definitely annoying that she's
Using the token against me.
I have 20 seconds. That's no time
To formulate a cohesive plan.
[dramatic music]
♪ ♪
[beep] - go, pilar.
[claps]
- I have the platform all to myself.
I immediately see the spot prawns.
That's something I can fry.
I see cabbages, I see carrots.
So I'm thinking some type of slaw.
This feels awesome.
- One. Let's go, tucker.
- I typically grab pretty well.
But I just grab the first protein
I see off the platform.
It's a veal chop.
Who fries a veal chop?
If I had the time, I would not have
Grabbed a bone-in veal chop.
[chuckles] this is not good.
- Think about your protein. Build around it.
Come on, guys. Sauteing, deep frying.
Come on. Platform is still here.
Grab what you need.
- That 20 seconds really got me.
[beep] - let's go.
Let's grab that right protein, ok?
Ok. What have we got up there?
Squid, monkfish, snapper.
- Long behold, staring right at me, the frickin' red snapper.
The last time I made red snapper, I kind of screwed up.
- Skin's a little soggy. Fish is overcooked.
- Can you taste how dry it is? - Yeah.
- So I'm hoping that this will be a little bit
Of a redemption moment for me.
- 15 seconds left. - Oh, my god.
I can make some bomb ass fried chicken.
But I don't see chicken.
You know how it's tunnel vision at that platform.
I'm like, ok. I'ma just grab some pork cutlets.
And then, I'm just grabbing random stuff.
- If you can grab it, you can get it.
- Oh. - Let's go.
Anything. I'll take a shrimp.
[clang] yes!
- Good catch, chef!
- Stand by, guys.
- Don't forget some herbs.
Herbs, herbs, herbs.
Last minute, I just grab cornflakes.
And I got canned corn and corn on the cobb.
Two things with corn.
- I got to figure out what I'm gonna do
With that damn corn.
- Here it comes. 3, 2, 1, and go, guys!
Go, go, go!
Here we go. Grab, grab, grab. Come on.
- I reach for the monkfish, and I see the plátanos,
And I'm going, "yes!"
Fish and plátanos together make a beautiful match.
Let's go!
I can make fried mofongo balls.
Mofongo is usually made with plantains
Made into balls to fry, and I love it.
- Go, go, go, go. Go.
Ground shrimp here as well. Look at that.
Ground shrimp.
- We're left with the bare minimum.
I'm grabbing a pork medallion.
I'm grabbing ground shrimp and whatever the hell I can grab.
I'm all over the place now.
- Grab, grab, grab, grab.
- Oh, I got this. Let's go, baby.
- 40 minutes starts now. Let's go.
Tucker, what's your strategy going into this cook?
- I'm doing a beautiful fried veal chop over here.
Going to do some crispy brussels sprouts.
A little fried squash blossom with some avo crema inside.
We'll see how it develops.
- Love to see it.
Did you feel like there was more pressure when
You grabbed your ingredients? - Oh, absolutely, chef.
- Really? You really feel that 10 seconds?
- I feel the target on my back.
I feel the competition. I feel the heat.
And I feel--
- What would you do if you had that time, tucker?
- Oh, I know what I'd do now.
- Let's go, chef.
- Ok, michelle. What did you grab?
And what are we making?
- My protein is red snapper.
I got a lot of herbs, some scallions,
Some parsley and cilantro.
My biggest fear with deep frying this whole snapper
Is that the fish is going to get dry.
Fingers crossed I can make it work.
- Then do, kind of, like, a chili herb vinaigrette on top.
- The yogurt's going to be the sauce?
- Yes, it's going to get worked into that vinaigrette.
- Good idea.
We'll put that in a jar if it works out.
All right. Tini? - Mm-hmm.
- What are we making? - I got pork cutlets.
I'm going to pan fry it.
- With some sort of breading or--
- The corn flakes. I have them grinded up.
- Where--where are we going flavor-wise with it?
- I--I was-- I don't know.
- I'm definitely second guessing
My whole dish right now.
[exhales]
I really wanted chicken or just something else.
None of this stuff really goes well together.
I should have a game plan, but I don't.
And I'm very shaken up right now.
- Cornflake-crusted pork medallion.
Cornflakes can have sugar in them.
Things that have sugar in them
Are gonna brown a lot quicker.
Pork cutlet's gonna be really lean, right?
So what you don't want it to do is dry out.
Get it nice and flat. All right? Head up. Head up.
Very simple. - Simple.
- Tini has trouble connecting the dots.
I see the dish.
She's just gotta pull it together
And make this dish beautiful.
- You got this, guys. Let's go.
- All right, chris. What do we got?
- I got prawns as my main.
And we're basically going to try and do,
Like, an asian riff here. - So like a satay almost.
You have peanut butter. - Yeah.
- I like this. It's a simple idea for you.
- We've been working on chris not being so psychotic
These days, right? - Oh, my gosh.
You've been really listening and, sort of,
Taking things to the next level, ok?
- I'm trying, chef.
- I want to push you to get over the line.
- Keep pushing me. - I really want a win from you.
- This has been such a long road.
I have approached this competition
With a lot of big energy.
And all of that has led me into elimination rounds.
I have to bring all that in and become, you know, next level.
- Just over 30 minutes left. - Just over 30. Heard.
- All right, michelle, whole fish, we haven't touched it.
We haven't done anything to it.
- I'm going to coat that right now.
- Are you going to score it a little bit?
- Yes, I am. On both sides, yes.
- Yeah, so I would do a couple of scores.
- Mm-hmm. - That way, you know it's
Gonna cook through, all right? - Yes, chef. Thank you.
- Ok, so listen, michelle's got a whole fish, a whole snapper.
That can be risky because the whole fish
Is gonna take a long time to cook.
It can work.
But I'm worried she doesn't have time to fry that fish.
- Ok, maureen.
The fried squid pakora.
- It's just like a deep fried fritter.
And then, we turn it into a dish called pakora chaat,
- So it's a squid fritter with a beautiful sauce and a salad.
- Yeah.
- Your sauce work has been really, really good.
And this is an appetizer at your pop-up
At the brunch place, but now all of a sudden
We're doing a dinner service there.
- Exactly, yeah. - This one's gonna go on
The brunch menu, too, or what?
- Oh, yeah, absolutely. - Ok, got it.
- Lunch or brunch.
♪ ♪
- Great grab there, by the way. - All right, chef.
I'm thinking I'm going to do a ground shrimp croquette.
I'm going to pan fry the pork loin.
- Like a fried surf and turf.
- Still bringing it to life, chef,
But I got the vision. - You're 22, young man.
Are you slightly nervous that you're lacking experience?
- I'm just trying to learn. I bring 11 cookbooks
With me every day.
But sometimes, the age can play a factor.
I just always love to cook, chef.
It's just my passion. - Love that, love that.
Omi, protein-wise, monkfish.
- Monkfish. - Beautiful.
I'm amazed it's down here. It's a gift for you.
- Yes, chef.
- I've never cooked monkfish before.
So this is a great opportunity for me
To hone in on chef ramsay and everything
He's got to tell me about it.
- It's a very tough fish, so be very careful.
You're not overworking this, right?
- No, chef. - And we may be down
In the basement, but hey-- - we're getting out of here.
- We're going to get out of here, yes?
- Pilar. - Yes, chef?
- Tell me what you grabbed.
- I grabbed spot prawn, chef.
- I just love being in the kitchen with you.
- Aww. - It's like looking
In a mirror, you know that? - Oh, my god. I wanna cry.
- It's just really beautiful.
- Yeah, I saw you-- - put that soul.
- In the chef all-star classic
When I was at wolfgang.
And I was just like, oh my god, there's a black chef here.
- Just one. There's always one.
- [laughs]
- Girl, put that soul in this dish.
- Yes. - I know you've got this, ok?
Do what you know. - Yes, chef.
- Let's stay up here, yes?
- Absolutely, chef. - Yes, chef.
- Where you at, nyesha? - My chefs are focused.
- It's way too quiet up there. What's going on?
- Yeah, they're focused. Yeah.
- Yeah, we're doing great. We're doing great.
[claps] are we doing great?
Are we doing great?
- Chris, we're doing good.
- Add it in to a peanut beurre blanc.
- You know, usually, the fried food
In a beurre blanc, that's, kind of, an odd combination.
- Sure. But I need some kind of a sauce with this.
And, you know, it's go time.
I want to get this dish right.
I've been riding the middle kitchen
For three straight rounds.
I gotta go up.
- No eggs, chef? - Eggs. For what?
What do you need eggs for, chef?
- I would love to egg wash it first before I
Throw it in the breadcrumbs.
- Egg wash it first, she says.
- Oui, chef. - You've got your wish.
Time for the mid-round mayhem.
What are you missing? - Eggs.
- Aioli. Mayo.
Something for sauce.
- Platform's coming down.
Wide variety of eggs, both fish and fowl.
- Ah! Yes! There's fish roe.
There's tobiko.
There is every type of egg you can think of on this drop.
- This should be elevating your dishes,
Incorporating into your dish, yes?
Let's go, both of you.
- Grab what you need.
If you missed something, maybe there's
Something on this platform.
So you've got chicken eggs, duck eggs,
You got salmon roe in front of you right there.
Five seconds. Caviar. There you go.
- I hear chef blais say there's caviar there,
I grab that immediately and put the roe down.
I have never worked with caviar before
For one very important reason.
I can't afford it.
If I don't use all of it, I'm definitely gonna
Eat some after this challenge. [laughs]
- It's got everything you need to elevate those dishes, ok?
Grab, grab, grab.
- Mid-round drop.
I'm grabbing quail eggs, grabbing a couple
Regular chicken eggs.
- 3, 2, 1.
Ok, good.
What eggs you get? - I got some salmon roe.
I got that quail egg.
- What the hell did you get quails eggs for?
The most difficult on the planet.
What are they for? What are you going to do?
- Um--
Oh, god.
I got some thinking to do.
- It's all, sort of, a little bit discombobulated.
But it's gotta be cohesive as a dish, yes?
- Yes, chef.
I have so many different elements,
So many different flavors.
And I'm a little bit lost on which way
I wanna take this dish today.
But I'm going to do everything that I possibly can to not
Put myself back into elimination.
- This is an important cook for these two in the basement.
Chef stretch is stretched all over the continent.
He's got some great ideas, but it doesn't make sense.
And also, a pork loin may not cook in time.
Right. 15 minutes to go, yes?
- Heard, chef.
- Don't go too dry on that, yes?
- Yes, chef.
- Just be careful of that monkfish.
You got the most difficult timing, ok?
- Fry them too early--[claps] it's gonna go soggy.
Fry them too late, they're not gonna be cooked.
So think about it, yes?
Watch your timers, guys, ok? - Yes, chef.
- There's only eight people remaining in this contest.
Who wants to be one of the seven people
Remaining in this contest? - I do, chef.
- I do, chef! - Ok.
- 12 minutes, ladies. - 12 minutes, heard.
- 12 minutes. - Yikes, this sucks.
I'm frying my veal chop.
And the breading is coming off.
And I'm just still frazzled at this point.
- Chef? - Yes, ma'am.
- What do you have here? Talk to me about--
- Bread crumbs. Egg and bread crumbs.
- Egg and bread crumbs.
So standard breading, it's going to be flour first,
Then egg, then bread crumb.
- She's like, did you flour it, chef?
And I was like, nope. - If there's no flour...
- [bleep] - it's going to sweat off.
- All right. - So you can restart it, right?
You can restart it.
- And there's, like, no time left.
Can't even bread my veal chop. That sucks.
I don't know what's going on, clearly.
- Wow.
Pilar using that time token against tucker,
I didn't think it would affect her.
But it might have gotten in her head a little bit.
It's the first time I've seen tucker
Sort of scatterbrained.
- I'm not coming back from this.
[bleep]
- Well, I'm now having to attempt
To rebread this veal chop.
- Come on, guys! 10 minutes left!
- I am panicking because I'm running out of time.
- Listen, I got to say, great strategy.
I love you getting competitive using that token.
Nobody's going to give you this competition, right?
- No, they're not, and I'm here to win.
So I got to do what I got to do.
- Yes? - Yes, chef.
- Yes. - Yes, chef.
- Let's go.
[dramatic music]
- All right, michelle.
Fantastic choice of plate.
- Thank you.
- And the sauce will pop on there, right?
- I think so. - Got it. Got it, yeah.
- Yeah, the blues and greens will look nice.
- And you're in the fryer already, right?
- I am. - Ok.
- I just checked on her. - Got it.
It's a she.
This sauce has to be banging, right?
- Do you want to try it?
This is, like, this vinaigrette, creamy, acidic.
Does it taste weird? - Oh, my gosh.
- You like it? - No, no, I love it.
- Ok. [laughs] you made me nervous.
- Listen, and I don't want to say this too loud.
But you want to change apron colors?
- [chuckles] - navy.
I think you look good in navy, actually.
- Thank you. Appreciate it.
Yeah, let's do it. [laughs]
- Well? We going to do it?
- No, I don't think gordon ramsay would
Be very happy about that.
[laughs]
- What's going on in the basement?
- We're getting out of here is what's happening!
- Eight minutes... - Eight minutes heard, chef.
- To get ourselves out of the basement.
- Yes, chef. - Come on.
Nice. Let's make sure they're cooked.
- I'm not familiar with cooking pork that much.
I have to make sure it is absolutely
Cooked to perfection and it's not overcooked.
It's not dry.
I'm worried about making a next-level dish.
- Come on, omi. Get that fish fried, yes?
- Yes, chef.
- Please do not screw this up, yes?
Both: Yes, chef.
[dramatic music]
- Delicate. Spot prawns are delicate.
They take no time to cook.
Come on, pilar. - [gasps] [bleep]
- Push. You're ok.
Push, push, push, push, push. - Yes, chef.
- Stay focused. Stay ready.
♪ ♪
- All right. I think I've recovered.
- Happy? - She needs to rest, chef.
- Should be resting, right?
- Yes, chef.
- Final five minutes!
- Those look fantastic. Are you're kidding me?
- Thank you, chef. I have a few different sizes.
- Yes. You made enough fritters for all of us.
- Yes. - Maureen made staff meal,
Everyone. [all cheering]
Maureen made staff meal. - Whoo!
- Ok, tini, your pork has got to be done, right?
You also have two. You can cut one, yeah?
- Yeah.
- When I cut my pork open to check, it's cooked perfectly,
I get distracted.
Where's my sauce?
And I accidentally cut the one that I wanted
To serve to the mentors.
- [bleep] - what's the matter?
- My hands move faster than my brain, and I'm not thinking.
- Should I slice it or not?
- No, no, don't slice it. - Just keep it?
- Where's the other one? - Right here.
- Ok. - Yeah, I thought--
- These are both of them?
- Yeah, I [bleep] up.
I don't have any spares.
I cut my spare.
- Man, it's tense. Man, it's tense.
- Three minutes to go, yes?
- Yes, chef. - Good. Right.
You're on the home straight now.
- Yes, chef. - Think about it.
- I know I got some great ingredients.
But I know I have to make sure
That the dish comes together.
I gotta get out that basement.
- Those hands are shaking, girl. Are you ok?
You've come too far in this competition now
To start shaking. Come on.
You've got this. Yes? - Yes, chef.
- I'm trying to put the mofongo balls
Into my pincho sticks.
And I can't get it together 'cause I'm shaking so much.
[imitates shaking]
- 60 seconds to go, yes?
- 60 seconds heard, chef.
♪ ♪
- Most important minute of your life right now.
Careful.
Everything ready to go, yes?
- Still don't know about this.
- Are you doing an aioli? - Yes.
- Didn't you say that? - Yes, chef.
♪ ♪
- Platform's arriving. Let's go. Finishing touches.
Please, please, please, we've gotta go.
We've gotta go. We've gotta go.
We've got to go. Omi!
- I've never shimmied so fast with my plate to the platform.
- 3, 2, 1, and stop.
Oh, man. Well done. Good.
- All right. Here we go. The platform is here.
Platform's here.
10 seconds left.
- Behind you, maureen. Maureen, five seconds.
Michelle, five seconds.
4, 3, 2, 1.
- Thanks, babe. - Whoo!
- [claps] - [sighs]
- Platform's here.
♪ ♪
- When I hear the platform's there,
I was still trying to bring my dish together.
- 10 seconds. 10 seconds.
- I didn't realize the counting when she was counting down.
- Five seconds, guys. Five seconds.
- I was hearing her counting down.
And I was still obsessing.
[sighs] - 3, 2, 1!
Come on. Get it on the platform, guys.
♪ ♪
- Ah! [dish clattering]
[bleep]
- [sighs]
- Did you hear that?
- What happened?
- I can't believe that [bleep] just happened.
[dramatic music]
♪ ♪
- I don't even know what made it on the plate.
I'm hoping there was at least a shrimp
On the plate after my jump.
- Nyesha, should we start with you on the top, please?
- Yes, please. - Thank you.
- First up, we have a veal chop.
This is served with fried brussels sprouts
And fried zucchini.
The sauce is in avocado crema.
- A lot of the same color going on here.
Just a, sort of, bad execution.
And I'm not too sure if I want to see
Everything on that dish fried.
- The veal itself, looks like the bread crumbs
Are falling off, but it's also overcooked.
And then, the avocado crema, I mean,
If you didn't say it was avocado,
I don't think I'd be able to identify it.
- I think this was clearly my worst day.
They hated pretty much everything on that plate.
There was no saving grace.
I'm hoping that pilar's screw up will outweigh my screw up.
- Next up, we have a spot prawn with a cabbage slaw
And a salmon roe aioli.
- It looks terrible. What happened?
- The time got the best of the chef today.
And unfortunately, I had to toss
The dish onto the platform.
- I didn't even subconsciously realize
That the platform was there.
Like, I was in the zone a little bit too much
At that point.
- There's some pieces that actually didn't
Even make it onto the plate.
They're still on the platform.
- Yeah, presentation aside because, obviously,
It's a little haphazard, the frying here
Is done really, really well.
- The cook on the shrimp is really beautiful--
Succulent, amazing. - Mmm.
Love the batter-- crisp, delicious.
And great pick.
What a shame.
- I feel horrible.
That plate was beautiful,
And I know I showed a lot of technique and did a lot.
- Oh, boy.
I expected a lot more from the top floor.
It's not good.
- I'm just a bit disappointed altogether.
- Off to the middle level. - Please.
Well, can I just say visually, middle level,
It actually looks like it's the top level.
- I have to agree.
Beautiful, vibrant freshness and colors.
- All right. We'll start right here.
This is a whole fried red snapper
With a beautiful herbaceous green sauce,
Caviar, and an herb salad.
- Was it fried in a wok or was--
- This was dunked in the deep fryer.
- Mm-hmm. - There's a beautiful
Richness and crispiness coming from this fish.
- The cook on the fish is exceptional.
Sauce, off the charts.
That needs to be bottled and sold online.
It's bloody good. - It's beautiful.
- Oh, my god! I cannot believe it.
This is my red snapper redemption.
- Ok, over here, we have a squid pakora
With another luscious green sauce, some tomatoes,
Brussels sprouts.
- Mmm. It tastes delicious.
The batter's crisp.
Very hard to get that right with a squid.
- This is exciting to eat. There's texture.
There's crunch.
Delicious.
- Ok. Look at this rainbow.
- Ok, so we have a crispy spot prawn with bok choy,
Yuzu tobiko and a peanut butter beurre blanc.
- A what? Sorry? - Like a satay.
- Well, ok.
- I mean, visually, what a stunning dish.
An amazing way to showcase a spot prawn.
- The peanut butter, it doesn't really need that, sort of,
Cloyiness, especially when you got
Something sweet and vibrant.
But it's cooked beautifully.
- I don't think I did enough to get to the top today,
Which is very frustrating because I've been
In the middle kitchen for, like,
The last three straight rounds.
I feel like a gold miner
That's just been hacking away.
I'm still trying to break that threshold.
- All right. Lastly, we have a corn flake-coated pork loin
With a summer succotash.
- Before we dig in, there's a weird cut on the end here,
Like someone's taken a bite.
- Of course chef ramsay noticed that.
[dramatic music]
♪ ♪
- My palate is searching for some sort of moisture.
- Pork is dry.
That needs to be pounded out and, sort of,
Kissed in the pan for, like, 30 seconds.
Cornflakes are somewhat burnt.
There's no excuse at this stage of the competition.
What a shame. - I'm really, really mad
At myself for doing that.
And I think it's going to cost me.
- Shall we move to my floor,
The glamorous basement?
So this is a monkfish tempura and a classic mofongo.
- The monkfish is moist. It's delicate.
It's well-seasoned.
- The mofongo, the lightness of the fritter is great.
The frying here is done really, really well.
- The second dish, this is a pan-fried
Pork medallion with shrimp.
So it's a bit of a surf and turf.
- Ok.
- Honestly, conceptually, I'm trying to understand
What the vision is in this dish.
- Ooh.
[dramatic music]
♪ ♪
The pork, you can see, is undercooked.
I'm being kind when I say it's undercooked.
- It's damn near basically raw.
I'm feeling so, so upset at myself.
- The seafood doesn't make sense with the pork.
And clearly, it's undercooked. - It's not ok.
I deserve to be in elimination for that.
- We do have some underwhelming dishes.
This isn't day one anymore.
Give us a second because we've got a lot to talk about.
[tense music]
♪ ♪
Dear, oh, dear.
- Such a disappointing collective.
- That's not good enough.
- Yeah, let's start off with the positives.
The whole fried snapper. - Oh, gorgeous.
- I mean, honestly, off the charts. Beautiful.
- Gorgeous. - Yep.
- It's a restaurant dish. - Absolutely.
- The squid. - That was the one that hit me.
It was, like, powerful. - Mm-hmm.
You're a big fan of the peanut butter with yuzu?
- Listen, big fan maybe is pushing it a little bit.
But I understand the concept.
It's a thai classic. - All day now.
- No, no, no. - [sighs]
- Let's talk about the mishaps.
- Some of these dishes were literally shockingly bad.
- The undercooked pork-- shocking.
It's still raw.
- I mean, it's raw enough to walk away from the table.
- It must be something with the pork loin, right?
'cause we had polar opposites. One was raw,
And one was overcooked.
- The cornflake crust.
Would you really put cornflakes on pork?
- Really? Like, at this stage of the competition,
We're, kind of, past cornflakes.
- Let's talk about the upside down shrimp.
Shrimp cooked beautifully.
It just looked a mess.
I'll be honest, I think the veal chop was as bad.
- The time token, again, flustered the chef.
- Shockingly bad.
- Not good enough. I'm sorry.
- Shockingly bad. - Not good enough.
On the back of that performance,
This whole competition has blown wide open.
[dramatic music]
♪ ♪
[dramatic music]
♪ ♪
- Oh, dear. Ok.
There were two dishes that stood out.
The first dish...
♪ ♪
Is the red snapper.
Congratulations, michelle. - Thank you.
[applause]
That was a fantastic dish.
The second dish...
Is the squid pakora.
Maureen. - Thank you.
- Honestly, really good. [applause]
You're both moving to the top level.
Well done.
- The amount of relief and pride
I feel in myself and in michelle,
Because we're both the last home cooks left
In this competition-- it's a huge stepping stone
For us as home cooks.
- Maureen, michelle, only one of you
Will receive this time token and be given
An additional 10 seconds or 10 seconds
That you can take from somebody else.
The winner of tonight's time token goes to...
♪ ♪
Michelle.
[applause] - good job!
- I'm starting to feel confident.
I'm like, I can stand up on my own two feet
Against these professional chefs.
- Well done. - Thank you so much.
- Excellent. - Good job.
- Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
[laughs]
- Ok, now for the not so good news.
Nyesha, richard, and myself had four dishes
In the bottom, of which three
Will go into the elimination.
The three dishes that missed the mark today.
The first one...
♪ ♪
The raw pork loin.
Nuri, you need to think about the concept first
Before you dive into it.
- Yes, chef.
I'm going into the elimination round
Two times in a row.
Not feeling too good right now.
- The next dish headed to the elimination...
♪ ♪
Is the other pork loin.
The pork is overcooked.
It's incredibly dry.
- At this point, I just know I have to do better.
I've been in elimination once before.
Hopefully, I can make it out
'cause I want to stay to--
I'm going to put it all in my dish.
I'm going to give it my all.
- The third and final dish in tonight's elimination
Could have come from either dish on that top floor.
But the dish going into elimination...
♪ ♪
Is the veal chop.
[somber music]
♪ ♪
Pilar, nyesha, and richard, and I all agree
That the hero, the shrimp were cooked beautifully.
- Thank god that the tempura shrimp saved me today.
- Tucker, that was shocking.
- Never been in the elimination before.
Time token, kind of, screwed me over there.
But I'm going to cook my way out of this.
- Michelle, maureen, head back to that chef's lounge.
Put your feet up and relax.
- Thank you so much. - Off you go.
- Good job, chefs.
- I feel like I just earned a vacation.
And it's literally just sitting in this lounge
And watching the final elimination cook off.
- That means omi, chris, and pilar,
You'll be headed to the middle level on the next challenge.
Head upstairs.
- You got this, ok? - Ok.
Tini, nuri, and tucker, it's time
To get out of the frying pan and into the fire
Because, for this elimination cookoff,
We are turning off the gas.
All three of you will be grilling
On charcoal and an open flame.
- I know I can grill. I'm confident in grilling.
Chef stretch is not ready to go home,
Especially not like this.
- Head to the elevator,
And I'll meet you upstairs.
Get it together. Off you go. Good luck.
- Let's go, chef stretch. - Brush it off, tini.
You got this, ok? - I got you, chef.
- I got you, too. Let's go.
- Oh, boy. I'm in shock.
[dramatic music]
- 30 minutes to save yourself.
Oh, my goodness. All right. Here we go.
[ding]
[applause]
- Come on, guys. - Come on, you three.
Chin up. - Let's go.
- One more chance. - Let's go.
Next level grill.
- I'm going against two really, really talented chefs,
So I'm ready, I'm confident,
And I'm not going to be scattered.
I'm going to have a plan.
- Right. Listen up. Listen very carefully.
30 minutes. No gas.
Super-hot grills.
Be smart.
- I never used a japanese grill,
But charcoal flames, grill grate on top.
Treat it just like a grill at home.
- May the best chef win.
All three of you line up, please.
Good luck. Let's go.
[applause]
- Let's go, you guys.
- 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, and go!
Go, go, go!
- Boom, I sprint to the platform.
I see salmon. I grab salmon.
- I know I have no shot against nuri.
His arms are as long as my whole entire body,
So I'm going to get second choice of proteins.
[dramatic music]
- They're fighting.
- Tini and I both going for the steak.
It's not personal.
I want it.
That mentorship is everything to me.
You bet I'm going to fight for it.
- Four, there we go.
These two wrestled with this steak the way
Two dogs wrestle over a freaking bone.
I'm telling you, it's going to get ugly.
- Let's go. Platform stays throughout, ok?
- I didn't get the protein I wanted.
I'm left with chicken,
But I'm going to come back stronger.
I'm not going down without a fight.
- Jeez, what happened there? - Yeah, I didn't want that,
But that's not gonna stop me. - Right.
Of course it's not going to stop you.
[claps] hey, of course it's not, ok?
Airline chicken breast. Beautiful, ok?
Get it on. Get it seared beautifully.
- Yes, chef. - Hey, look at me.
Head up now, ok? One stunning portion.
Come on. 28 minutes to go.
Tell me about this. Where are you going?
- Steak chimichurri, grilled bok choy, or broccolini.
- Ooh, she's got a nice steak!
- No wonder they fought for that guy.
- She got, like, a ribeye. - What did you get?
- Chef, I got the salmon, chef.
I'm going to do a nice grilled pineapple and corn salsa.
I'm going to beautifully grill the salmon.
I'm going to do some grilled broccolini.
- Just grill, grill, grill, grill, grill, baby.
- Make sure it all works, ok?
- Yes, chef. - Come on, guys.
- 22 minutes to go. Multitask.
Tell me about this. Where are we going?
- So I'm making a barbecue rub.
And then, I'm going to reduce my bourbon into a glaze.
- Right. - And then I'm going to make
A butternut squash puree.
- Good. Remember, the hero, the protein, ok?
That needs to rest, ok? - Yes, chef.
- I cannot tell you.
- Oh, she's pan frying it. - The chicken?
- Yeah.
- Why wouldn't she put it on the grill?
Oh, no, please don't cut yourself.
You're making me nervous.
- [bleep] ow.
Medic!
- Holy [bleep].
- Ahh!
- Can we get a medic for tini? - Medic!
- Yep. - Hey, it's not over.
- Here. You got this.
- [crying]
Now I'm bleeding.
I'm really hoping this is not the end of me.
But everything just feels like it's tumbling to the ground.
- Tini you're not going to give up, are you?
- No, chef. I want to finish strong.
I'm not going down without a fight.
It's going to be a fight.
- Slow it down a little bit.
Slow it down. Breathe.
- Seven minutes.
This is intense.
[intense music]
Final stretch. Let's go.
Hey. Psst. Hey, come here, you.
- Yes, chef? - Yeah, you're like a kid
In a candy store, stay away from it.
- Yes, chef. - What you've done here now,
Execute that now. - Yes, chef.
- Don't keep on adding to it, ok?
- Yes, chef. Chef ramsay's like,
"get the hell away from the platform, young man.
You have enough."
I'm like, "yes, chef."
- Stop feeling that salmon. You're going to break it.
- Yes, chef. - Right. Taste everything.
Use the time wisely. Let's go.
90 seconds. Let's start plating.
- Start plating! - Let's go, y'all.
- It's plating time.
My butternut squash is still not what I want.
- 30 seconds to go. Let's go.
- 30 seconds.
- Come on, guys. You got this.
- Come on, guys! Let's go!
- Let's go, y'all. Almost there.
Almost there.
- Come on!
- Come on, guys. 10...
All: 9, 8, 7, 6,
5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
- Stop. Hands in the air.
[applause] - whoo-whee!
- Good job. Well done. - Good job, y'all.
- Hey. Hey, come here. - No.
- It looks beautiful.
- Thank you. - Well done.
- Thank you. - I know it wasn't
The best start for you, but look how you adapted,
Lovely. Ok?
Great job. - Thank you.
- Come here.
[dramatic music]
♪ ♪
Nyesha, richard, what an extraordinary 30 minutes.
To say this was an intense cook would be selling it short.
Let's start here.
This is a beautiful grilled airline chicken breast
With a crushed, sauteed butternut squash,
Grilled broccolini.
- I love the minimalism here.
I love the color palette here.
♪ ♪
- One of the beautiful elements of cooking over a binchotan
Is sort of that yakitori smokiness that you get.
I'm missing a little bit of that
Sort of depth of flavor.
- Chicken is cooked fantastic.
The char on the broccolini, that's how it should taste.
Looking for maybe a little bit more sauce here.
- Second dish is a grilled slice of salmon.
The salsa was a grilled pineapple salsa.
- Already, I'm getting this just
Absolutely fantastic aromatics coming off of this dish.
♪ ♪
- It's a little bland
Until you put that charred citrus over it.
- You know, I think this is a celebration of how
The binchotan is being used.
- The final dish is a steak brushed,
Marinated chimichurri on a little red endive
And apple salad with charred broccolini.
- Apples and endive for steak is a curious choice.
I don't know. It's not a cohesive dish.
♪ ♪
- For me, the steak is cooked perfectly.
I appreciate these charred notes. Great job.
- You can taste that nice charred flavor
Both on the meat and the broccoli.
Don't love the apple combination,
But the sauce and the steak are fantastic.
- Three outstanding dishes.
- [sighs]
- Unfortunately, we have to eliminate one.
[tense music]
♪ ♪
Nyesha, which dish will you eliminate tonight, please?
- The dish that I'd be less inclined to revisit...
♪ ♪
Is gonna be the chicken.
- The chicken.
Richard, which dish are you eliminating tonight, please?
- [sighs] for me, it's going to come down
To the use of the grill.
The dish I'm eliminating is...
♪ ♪
It's the chicken.
- [sighs] that dish was cooked by tini.
[sad music]
♪ ♪
- Tini, I've been in this situation
That you're in right now.
I know how it feels. I know how bad it stings.
When I was in your situation,
Was the thing that catapulted me to the next level.
Every door that closes, three more open up,
And I know that that's going to happen for you, ok?
- Coming here cooking has been the best
Experience of my life.
I'm coming out a better chef, a stronger chef.
And I didn't even consider myself a chef
Before this challenge.
I thought I was just a line cook. [chuckles]
- You have to continue this incredible journey.
- Yes, chef. I will.
- When I'm in your hometown, we'll do a tiktok together.
- Oh, I would love that. [laughs]
- Take care, my darling. - Thank you.
[applause]
[laughter]
- I just can't.
- It's very nice hugging chef ramsay.
He smells really good.
And he got big muscles. [laughs]
[cheers and applause]
- Hey, now!
[dramatic music]
- Another stern reminder--
You've got to stay out of that elimination.
Now next time we all see you,
It's gonna be your toughest cook yet.
- Uh-oh. That's not good.
- Good night.
♪ ♪
- Next time, on "next level chef"...
- Go, go, go, go!
- Today, you won't be cooking a winning dish.
You'll be baking it.
- First time that I'm actually gonna be baking something
From scratch and then it's gonna go
In gordon ramsay's mouth?
- Chocolate cake is not life or death, right?
- It is here. - Working fast,
But working with precision. - Yes, chef.
- I am just pacing
Back and forth like a psychopath.
- You've gotta go! Let's go!
Go!
[bleep]
♪ ♪
[vocalizing]