- Previously on "next level chef"...
- For the first time ever, you'll
All be cooking in teams.
- There's no I in team, but there's a me.
- Go, go, go, go!
- David versus goliath, that's it.
- The dish that I will be sending home
Is chicken and waffle with the thigh.
- Von. - Oh, my god!
- And tonight--
- From here on in, you're are all cooking as individuals.
- [whistles] - now's the time to push.
- Normally, I have a sense of composure.
Oh, [bleep].
Today, that's not happening.
- We decided there's one more chef joining that elimination.
- [bleep].
- Who's the third person?
- I don't have much to go back to.
This is everything for me. I'm not going home.
- ♪ there ain't no stopping us now ♪
[dramatic music]
♪ ♪
- Welcome back! - Whoo!
- What's up, chef? How are we doing?
- Ah, seven. - Yeah!
- The magnificent seven. - Yes, chef.
- More than half of the competitors
Have come and gone.
Now, the team competition is now over.
From here on in, you are all cooking as individuals.
- [whistles]
- I've been waiting for these individual challenges
To start.
Enough was enough with the teams already.
I just want to kind of break out and do my thing.
- Not even a golden pin can save you at this point.
Zach, I need you to turn in the immunity pin.
- Come on, guys.
- Hopefully, I made you proud. - Good job.
- Well done. You didn't have to play it.
- Well done. - That's the impressive part.
Do you want it as a hair pin or you ok?
[laughter]
- I could use that.
- I think chef ramsay is jealous of my hair, you know.
[laughs]
Sometimes my dreads fall out, so I save them
And I mail them to friends.
So chef ramsay might just get something in the mail one day.
- From now on, you'll move floors based on how
You cook as individuals.
Oh, one more thing, the top-level kitchen is closed.
- So in order to decide who will be cooking
On the middle level and who will be cooking
In the basement, we went back over every dish you've cooked
In the competition, looking at all of your highs
And all of your lows.
- Cooking on the middle level today
Is going to be
Gabi,
Zach,
Christina--
- What?
- And...
Izahya.
- Man, it's a great feeling just
Knowing they see me as a top dog in this competition.
Time to make them proud.
- Ok, that means mada, nicole, and jordan,
You'll all be cooking in the basement.
- I kind of like that pressure.
I want to show these mentors they made a mistake.
Mada's one of the best chefs here.
- Throughout this competition, we've
Pushed you to refine your techniques,
Produce bold flavors, and then elevate your presentation.
- Yes, chef. - Mm-hmm.
- So for this first individual challenge,
You'll be creating something that requires all three,
A stunning japanese bento box.
- [laughs] - bento box.
- Each bento box today has to include one sushi roll--
- Mm.
- --One cooked protein, and one tempura item.
Got it? - Love it, chef.
- Yes, chef. - Yes, chef.
- Ok, there's one more thing.
To help motivate you today, you'll all be playing
For one of these, a time token.
The recipient of this token has the option
To add a 10-second head start to your platform grab.
But if you don't want the 10 seconds yourself,
You could use it to take 10 seconds away
From your fiercest competitor.
- Oh, lord.
[laughs]
- Ok, gabi, zach, christina, and izahya,
Head to the elevator.
Nyesha and I will see you shortly.
Good luck, guys. Come on.
- Good luck.
- Let's go.
- Whoo!
♪ ♪
[cheering]
♪ ♪
- Come on now!
- Yeah, baby! - Yeah!
- I get this. - Go!
- I got this one.
- Wow, guys, I haven't had a chance to work with any
Of you yet, so-- - I know.
- This is-- - yeah, how exciting.
[elevator dings]
♪ ♪
- Let's go.
- All right.
Nicole and the boys.
Whoo-hoo.
Everybody is in the zone today.
We don't have time to be messing around.
We don't have time to be dilly-dallying.
No chit-chat. Got to get to it.
- Good luck.
- All right, yeah, we're going to go good.
- Let's go. - Quash it.
- Let's go. - Ok, let's go.
- Hello. - Ok, let's go.
- All right. - Erupting!
- Lining up over here real quick.
We don't have a lot of time together.
But I love it down here.
This is where the stories are told.
We talked about track records, but we
Haven't talked about the mentors' track record.
My record down here, [whistles] really, really good.
- It's true.
- Ok, we know we're not going to get great proteins.
- Nope.
- We'll make do with whatever we got.
And we'll get out of the basement, right?
- You got it. - Right.
- Let's go, let's go, let's go. - Yeah, are we feeling good?
- Hey! - Hey!
[cheering]
- Yes.
- Whoo!
- I'm feeling confident.
I have my mentor in here with me.
I want to make him proud for just
Recognizing me and putting me in that middle kitchen today.
- Blais, are you feeling comfy down there?
- Yeah, you want to come down, gordon?
- No, no, no, it's your kitchen, kid, your kitchen.
- What are you doing up there?
- We're creating magic.
Ok, guys, the platform is moving.
On your marks, get set, go!
- Let's go, guys. - Let's go.
- Look at that protein, lobster, black cod.
Fake crab?
Oh, my god.
- Imitation crab meat is disgusting.
Then I see this beautiful tuna!
I snatch it up before anybody else
Can because we're not on teams anymore.
- Grab a rice, guys.
- Green beans, great for tempura as well, yes?
- I wanted chicken breast or pork cutlet.
And there's chicken strips right in front of me.
- Seconds to go, guys. Seconds to go.
One rice, one protein.
Well done. - Nice, guys, nice.
- Careful. Nice!
- When you see the light green, it's go time.
There it is. Let's go!
All right, make sure you grab a protein,
Make sure you grab a rice.
We're thinking about flavor.
- The first thing I see, it's bright.
It's red. I'm like, what is it?
As I grab it, I'm like, oh, my god, it's imitation crab.
- Yakitori sauce over here.
- Oh, my god, red shrimp, again?
Don't mind if I do.
- What is this?
Use it, ponzu, ponzu, ponzu, ponzu.
- I grabbed black cod.
I got my rice. I grabbed lots of veggies.
I have so much stuff in my hands, I can't hold it all.
- Nice haul, dude.
Those big arms come in handy, huh?
- Yeah.
- Oh, surprise, you grabbed shrimp.
- Shrimp loves me.
- Yeah, shrimp loves you or you love shrimp.
Ok, here we go.
Your 30-minute bento box challenge starts now.
Let's go.
Ok, nicole, what are we doing?
- I'm marinating my black cod.
- Black cod.
Somehow you ended up with a top floor
Ingredient in the basement.
- Oh, great.
- Have you ever worked with black cod before?
- I have not.
Have you ever been to the restaurant nobu before?
- No, I have not. I'm not that fancy.
- Oh, my gosh, ok.
- I don't have money for that.
- Have you ever eaten black cod before?
- I don't think I have, actually.
- Oh, my gosh, ok.
In the restaurant nobu, chef nobu's most famous dish
Is black cod, ok? - Ok.
- So a lot to live up to. - All right.
- No pressure.
- What's known an incredible fish.
It's super, super fatty.
It's almost impossible to overcook.
- Ok.
- But you can't undercook it.
- It's got a next-level dish right here.
- How do I want to do this? Want to fry these?
- All right, jordan. - Yeah.
- All right, what do we got? - We got some imitation crab.
I've never ever cooked this before.
- So what's the most famous sushi
Roll that uses imitation crab?
- California roll? - Yeah, there you go.
- I don't have any of the components of that, though.
So we'll figure that out.
- Well, we'll make a version of it.
- I have no idea what I'm doing.
Am I frying this thing? Am I grilling it?
Am I sautéing it?
Like, how do you even cook imitation crab?
What the hell are we going to do?
- Also, jackpot over here with citrus and soy.
This is like when you get bottle service at the club.
I don't know why I'm thinking you go to the club
And get bottle service, but do you?
- Yeah.
- You're drinking the good stuff.
- Yeah, I'm drinking the good stuff.
- Ok, right. So that's what this is, ok?
- Yes, chef. - That's what this jar is.
- Absolutely.
- Ok, you got the elements, push, push, push.
- Right, gabi, what'd you grab?
- I have some beautiful salmon, chef.
- Beautiful. What are you doing with it?
- And I am going to marinate it.
And this is actually going to be incorporated with my roll.
And then I'm going to put it on top and torch it.
- Have you made many sort of california rolls?
- No, chef. This is a first for me.
I'm really trying to visualize this dish.
Ok.
But I feel like I don't have enough time
To even do that because I need to get started on 15
Things now.
Relax, gab, relax.
- Izahya, what'd you grab?
- I grabbed the lobster, a bunch of spices.
I like spice, chef.
Instead of a pacifier, I had a scotch bonnet as a baby, so.
- Oh, nice. I'm a big fan as well.
How are you preparing your lobster?
- I'm going to grill this piece of lobster.
And I'm going to tempura batter that one.
- Be careful. You don't want a too-high heat.
Lobsters loves a gentle cook. - Yes, chef.
- How familiar are you with bento
Boxes or japanese cuisine?
- Ah, I'm not too familiar with bento boxes,
But it sounds like everything I would order
At a japanese restaurant.
So I'm just going to make it beautiful today.
I want to be creative. We're no longer on team.
So I really want to try to stand out today, chef.
- Christina. - Yes, chef.
- What are you doing with the tuna?
- I'm going to sear it in my frying pan.
- Right.
- Did you grab a rice?
- [bleep]. I don't have a rice.
♪ ♪
I don't have the freaking rice.
- How would you do a sushi roll with no rice?
- I don't know.
The most important part of any sushi, and I didn't grab it.
- Well, I said, grab a rice.
- [bleep]
- [bleep]. I forgot my rice.
You're instantly going to elimination
If you forget your rice.
- How would you do a sushi roll with no rice?
- I'm not sure if I'm going to try to use
My noodles in place of it.
- How is that possible?
- I don't know.
- [bleep] sake.
- You have 22 minutes left, ok?
- All right, now let's get started on this tempura.
Boom!
- Zach, what'd you grab, protein-wise?
- All right, chef, I got chicken strips.
I'm going to do a katsu chicken,
Super hawaiian, chicken yakitori with a chicken sushi
Roll, chicken three ways.
- I love that.
- In hawaii, the katsu chicken, that's usually
What you get in the bento box.
So I was thinking of maui today when I was making this.
- What does it say about this top seven now?
Because everyone's eyeing everybody up, right?
- You know, top seven, it feels good.
I just want to keep proving to everybody,
My mom and my family in maui, and hey,
Man, I'm going to [bleep] take it to the end, right?
I lost everything to the line of fires.
But like, I'm here for a reason.
And I feel like I'm the phoenix rising
Out of the literally ashes.
The whole future is a big question
Mark right now for myself, so.
- Sure.
- I'm going to see what this competition brings out of me.
- I love that.
Get yourself to the top floor, would you, please, yes?
- Yes, chef. Thank you.
- 20 minutes to go.
Platform's moving!
- Time for the mid-round drop.
- What goes well with your boxes?
- Grab a sake.
You can use it for a sauce.
You can cook with it.
- I see the platform start moving down
Again right in front of me.
[vocalizing]
A bowl of sushi rice.
Yes.
The universe has my back.
- Beautiful sakes, let's go.
- I see sake. I'm like, boom!
- Opportunity to grab vegetables.
- [bleep] yes.
- Well done.
- ♪ jesus, I love you ♪
[laughter]
- Everyone, it's the mid-round drop.
Grab a bottle of sake.
- Yes.
- You can also grab anything else that's on the platform.
I see fresh wasabi, pickled ginger, three seconds.
- Hallelujah, let's go.
The sake's going to go great with my sauce
To really elevate it.
And the pickled ginger is going to be a great garnish
For my bento box.
- Oh, yeah.
- Did you get your rice? - Whoo!
Yes, chef. - Ok, good.
We are lucky.
- That was a little scary, I'm not going to lie.
- You're going to use the tuna as a cooked protein?
- Yes.
I'll use some, probably inside my roll,
And then some on the side and a bunch of tempura veg.
- Love that idea.
- All right, this batter needs to get thicker.
I am feeling stressed--
Ok, a lot of elements going on, gabi.
Because I'm not managing my time well right now.
I am scattered.
Focus, gab.
Just focus.
[dramatic music]
- You have your batters made for the tempura?
- Oh.
- About to batter it right now.
- Hey, look who it is, guys! - Hey, how are you?
Doing good? - Look at that.
That was a surprise. - Yeah!
- Are we good? - Yeah, we're doing good.
- How were the crabs?
- Good enough.
Nicole's got black cod, though, down here.
- Beautiful.
- Jordan's got the imitation crab.
- Damn.
- And then here's the big surprise,
Though, gordon, mada's got shrimp and rice again.
- Is this guy grabbing anything but shrimp?
I mean, honestly--
Mada. - Hey, what's up, chef?
How are you doing? - Doing good?
- Yes, sir.
But those red prawns keep fighting me.
- This is in your wheelhouse, isn't it?
- Yes, yes I love this.
- Is this the kind of food that you've done
With some of your clients?
- I'm a big fan of asian food and asian flavors.
And I like to modify my food.
I don't eat the regular chicken and broccoli.
As you know, life's too short.
So I find ways to add flavor without calories.
- Yeah, lovely.
- And the asian cuisine is great at that.
I've been to japan many times.
So I've experienced asian cooking very authentically.
It's all about being delicate, being gentle because you
Don't want to butcher it.
- Don't underestimate how long it takes to make
That roll as well, yes?
- Yeah, I'm going to get that going soon.
- Good.
- Ok, nicole, black cod, it's usually broiled.
So we don't have a broiler per se.
You know what's not a bad idea,
One of these sort of things, right
Over the top of the fire, or you can do it in a pan.
- Ok.
- It's your dish, it's your call.
- Thank you.
- 12 minutes gone, 18 minutes left.
- All right, chef zach, are we going
Sauce over the katsu or under?
- Yeah, I'm going to put it on the side, so you could dip it.
- Beautiful.
- I got to say, for the first time,
These guys are cooking by themselves, not
In their teams.
There was beautiful ahi tuna, black cod.
Why would he grab chicken tenders?
Keep pushing!
Izahya, how are you preparing the other half
Of your lobster?
- I'm going tempura batter it, chef.
- How familiar are you with tempura?
- Tempura, I made tempura batter
For my chicken in my audition, and that's
My favorite kind of fry, so--
- For sure.
- I'm pretty familiar with tempura style batter.
- Don't wait too long, ok?
- Yes, chef.
I know that lobster might take some time.
- Yeah, of course it will.
14 minutes left, ok?
- Jordan-- - yes, chef.
- You grabbed fake crab?
- Yeah, it's the first thing I saw, chef.
- Bloody hell's bells.
- We're going to heat it over the fire real quick.
- Do not leave it too long before you start that roll.
You've got to start [bleep] rolling, please?
- Yeah. - Let's go.
- Ok, nicole, just make sure that we cook the cod, right?
- Yes.
- Again, almost impossible to overcook.
- I'm worried about the black cod.
I don't want to burn it. Ooh.
I've never put a grate on top of my fire.
And I'm definitely overwhelmed.
- That's going to need more time.
- Yes, chef.
♪ ♪
- Just over 10 minutes, guys.
- Ok, get ready to roll, gab.
Normally, I have a sense of composure.
Oh, [bleep].
Today, that's not happening.
I'm freezing up a little bit.
I'm not even going to try it.
This is tough.
Don't waste my time.
- Eight minutes left, guys, yes?
- Playing with the sesame seeds, chefy?
- I'm going to crust my tuna.
- You're in your element, girl.
- Yes, chef!
- Start to hone in your vision.
- Yes, chef!
- Right now, you should think about,
When am I going to drop my tempura?
So that you don't struggle rolling that roll, right?
- Yes, chef.
- I'm running over to the fryer to drop my tempura lobster in.
And it's filled with all the other chef's ingredients.
Everybody's using a fryer. [bleep].
So now I'm trying to work on something else.
I'm going to sear my bok choy.
- Watch out, watch out, watch out!
Careful.
- This late in the competition, the mentors
Are looking for any little minor detail
To send you to elimination.
- It's too hot.
Watch out!
- And right now, everything is falling apart for me.
- It's too hot. Watch out!
- I still have yet to drop my lobster in the fryer.
And I'm still trying to roll my sushi.
- You don't want your sushi roll too small, right--
- Yes, chef.
- --Because once you fill it, it's not really
Going to leave you space. - Ok.
- Do you have more paper? - Yes, chef.
- Ok.
- Chef arrington, she's like, you need to start over.
- Start clean. - Thank you, chef.
And I've already wasted so much time.
- This is the point you have to be calm.
- [laughs] thank you, chef.
- 5.5 minutes left, only 5.5 left.
Time to roll, right?
Ok, did we decide what we're doing with the sushi?
- Yes, we got the avocado, cucumber.
I'm going to get some herbs in there.
- That seems so nicole, doesn't it?
- Yes, chef. - Ok, got it.
Jordan, back to you.
Have you ever rolled a burrito? - Yeah.
- It's the same sort of concept.
As you're going, you're kind of pressing it down.
You really just keep going all the way to the end.
And then like, we'll pull it out and see how it looks.
Yeah, it looks pretty good. I like it.
- Ok.
I just rolled a sushi roll.
All right.
This might be the rapunzel hair that I can climb
Out of the basement with.
- You're just making a traditional maki roll?
- Yeah. - A lot of finesse here, right?
- Yeah. - Ok.
- The smaller tasks are a lot harder.
All this muscle holds you down sometimes.
Imagine rolling sushi with these giant hands, right?
Yeah, exactly.
- Ok and then, right, you dip your hand in some cold
Water, right?
That can help if your hands are sticky.
Mada's got these big, giant hands.
It takes a lot of finesse rolling
This small little sushi roll.
Physically, this is going to be probably the toughest
Challenge for mada.
Let's go, push, push, push.
[dramatic music]
- 4.5 minutes to go.
- Come on, zach. - Yep.
I'm looking good, chef.
- Make sure you leave yourself a little bit of a lip
So that you can kind of create that seam.
- Close that. - Yes, chef.
- Got you. - Exactly.
- Right, how are we doing?
- Getting my roll ready to go. - Good.
Go and get that roll now because you're time-poor.
Don't worry about all the little minutia.
Just focus now, ok? - Yes, chef.
I'm making this sushi roll.
And I had this beautiful vision.
And I'm left with this giant, fat, hideous sushi roll.
- You have a really large roll there.
- Blowtorch. - Thank you.
- Go, go. You got to go.
- I waited too long to make this sushi roll.
I don't have time to make another one.
- Now is the time to push, right?
You have a lot of elements to get done, guys.
- Start dressing your boxes.
- Two minutes left.
Go, go, go!
Jordan, have you fried your tempura yet?
- It's going in right now, chef.
- Dude, yes, please. Come on, guys.
You guys are like running right to the edge here.
[dramatic music]
- ♪ where is my spatula? ♪
- We've got to go.
♪ ♪
Start plating those bento boxes, yes?
- Yes, chef.
- Just don't over complicate it, please.
- Don't smash the roll.
Cut the roll.
- As I'm dragging that knife through it,
This salmon is starting to just disintegrate.
It's looking terrible.
- 90 seconds, guys, let's go, big push!
♪ ♪
- The platform's on the way.
We're plating now, right? - Yes, chef.
- Start building your bento box,
And there's a lot to go into it.
One minute left, only 60 seconds.
♪ ♪
Beautiful, beautiful.
Have you tasted everything?
- Yes, chef.
- Focus. Take a second.
Think about what it looks like.
Platform is here, guys.
Now is when to make it look pretty.
Make sure you fill up all those boxes if you can.
Jordan, nicole, platform is here.
♪ ♪
It's off, guys.
It's off.
- Whoo!
- Come on, guys, platform's on the move.
- Don't sweat the small stuff, guys.
- Platform's here, guys.
Let's go!
- Let's go, guys.
♪ ♪
Let's go!
- Come on, zach.
- Yes, chef. - Izahya, let's go.
- I'm running out of time right now.
The platform is here.
I have my bok choy and my pickled shallots.
But I don't have time to get those mushrooms
Onto the plate.
And it just looks so incomplete.
- 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
Yes!
Man.
♪ ♪
- Oh, man.
- What is it with you leaving things to the last minute?
What is that? - Oh, man.
- Uh-huh?
- Time management, chef, got the best of me.
I wasn't happy in my dish.
I know there's other chefs here that
Can go back to their careers or go back
To whatever they're doing.
I don't have much to go back to.
So I'm trying to make the most out of this, for real.
[sighs]
[soft music]
♪ ♪
[elevator dings]
[dramatic music]
- Wow.
- Oh, my lord.
- If you've never done a sushi roll before,
They are tough, right?
- Yes. - Yes, really.
- Shall we start in the middle floor?
- First up, we have ahi tuna, two ways, both in the roll
And seared with a sesame crust.
- Visually, I love how many elements
Are on this bento box.
I mean, this is a full meal.
It's a beautiful dish.
- The roll itself is gorgeous.
Beautiful cook on the tuna, amazing accompaniment.
- Great crispiness on that batter.
Tuna is cooked beautifully, by the way.
Really nice, indeed.
- Next up, we have a bento box with salmon.
This chef deep fried a tempura shiso leaf
And also tempura'd mushrooms.
- So visually, it's lackluster.
It doesn't have that appeal.
It just looks clunky.
- I mean, you're almost into like
Sushi-rito territory with it, you know,
The burrito with sushi in it.
- Salmon, asparagus makes sense in a roll.
I think it's just about portioning and understanding
The vision and how to bring the richness
Of the salmon to life.
- What a shame.
- It was just so far off the mark today.
This is a low, definitely.
- Ok, next up, honestly, an ingredient I
Didn't actually expect to be on the middle level.
We have a chicken satay, tempura vegetables here,
Chicken in the sushi roll as well as
A tonkatsu preparation and a sesame dipping sauce
With tempura lotus root.
- Chicken strips, slightly more difficult protein
To work into this bento box.
But the flavor is good.
- Yeah, it's probably a reason we haven't seen chicken
In a roll before or too often.
The yakitori, though, is absolutely delicious.
- Mm-hmm.
- The chicken is a little overcooked on the tonkatsu.
But the dipping sauce is incredible.
Lastly, we have a lobster with charred bok choy.
This lobster was prepared two ways,
Both in a roll and tempura.
- So timing got the better of this individual.
It looks a little bit unfinished.
- There's an empty compartment, which
Is sort of great to put some of the items
That are tough to chew.
The lobster is really, really chewy.
The tempura is soggy.
- Richard, basement, please.
- This is a bento box with imitation crab.
- Ooh.
- So it's a california roll crab salad
In the inside-out roll and then the imitation
Crab cooked on a skewer.
- The sushi roll is really beautiful.
The ingredients and the filling shine bright throughout.
- The inside-out roll, that's even tougher to roll than
Maybe the traditional maki.
And that's done pretty well, though.
- This is a tough one because these crab
Sticks are horrendous.
♪ ♪
- Next up, we have broiled black cod marinated in sake
And a cucumber veggie roll as well.
- Wow.
- I'm surprised black cod made it all the way down
To the basement, incredible.
It's one of my favorite fishes to enjoy.
However, this, it's missing a glaze, right?
- Yeah, black cod, it's one of those fish
That you really want it to be just charred.
It's a little bit underglazed.
- This box has all the makings of a perfect bento box.
But unfortunately, it's not rolled beautifully.
It's got nowhere near enough rice in there.
So it's a little bit lackluster.
- Lastly, we have a red prawn, hibachi-style,
A vegetable roll.
And we have a tempura medley of vegetables
And a spicy sweet sauce.
- Visually, it looks good.
Shrimp are delicious.
I love the glaze on there as well.
It's really elevated it.
- What I love about this is japanese food with the salty,
Sweet, spicy flavors.
- The highlight on this bento box is actually the tempura.
It has a beautiful crunch and incredible texture.
- I'm in disbelief right now.
For the first time ever, making a sushi roll?
I never tempura-battered anything in my life.
I'm so, so proud of myself.
- Right now, we just need a moment to determine who's
Heading up to the top and sadly, who's heading
Into that dreaded elimination.
Give us a moment.
Thank you.
- Ooh.
- That was tough. - That was tough.
- Damn, son.
- What a challenge. - What a challenge.
- Yeah, this one's-- - what a challenge.
- --Tough to critique because there's so many
Different things to critique in each box.
- The shrimp was delicious, by the way.
Grilled to absolute utter perfection.
- Absolutely.
And when you get those sort of charred
Notes, the caramelization of the sugar,
It's really beautiful.
- Yeah, nice to see that cook on the tuna.
The tuna was cooked beautifully.
- Really beautiful.
And it's such a risk to be able to keep
Those sesame seeds toasted and the tuna raw
But without burning them.
- Yeah, it was just the roll that
Looked a little bit clumsy. Everything else was immaculate.
- Yeah, beautifully done.
- I was amazed of the style and the shape of jordan's rolls
Because they were good.
- I was really surprised, too, because he clearly
Had not made one before. - Yeah.
- No.
- He chose to do an inside-out roll.
It's a little tougher, but it probably was the perfect size.
- Yeah, everything else was a bit of a mess.
- Totally, but the roll-- - just the roll--
- Best roll out there.
- They like the roll. - Yeah.
- That's the one thing I got going for me.
- Nicole's was lackluster.
- Black cod is a dream.
- Oh, it's a dream.
I was so disappointed in that black cod.
I was looking forward to eating that black cod,
And it was-- it was tough.
It wasn't glazed.
It didn't have a nice char.
- The chicken, tough protein to grab.
- Zach is from hawaii.
He's perfect cooking fish.
- Absolutely. - So it's an odd choice.
- It was an odd choice.
I think he was just trying to do too much.
- Yeah.
- It didn't come together at the end.
- What about that gigantic california roll?
- Ok, that-- that doesn't even qualify as a roll.
- The vision just didn't come to life.
And I think it was just out of their element.
- Listen, to me though, maybe the most disappointing
Was the lobster, chewy.
- Yeah, absolutely.
- Super chewy, impossible to eat.
- Totally, and the tempura was off as well, really soggy.
- It's the only box that was missing a compartment.
- Mm.
It feels to me like there were three boxes that
Were a cut below the rest.
This is going to be a tough call.
- Yeah. - Let's go.
Line up, guys, please.
♪ ♪
Ok, well done, all of you.
This was a very, very difficult first individual challenge.
Two of these bento boxes really stood out for us today.
Those two will move into that top-level kitchen
Across the next challenge.
The first bento box--
Was the one made with--
♪ ♪
Tuna. Christina, congratulations.
- What?
Are you kidding me?
I didn't even know what I was doing up there.
But I'm so glad it worked.
Ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh! [laughs]
- The next bento box
Moving to the top is--
♪ ♪
The one made with--
Shrimp. Mada--
- Ahh! - --Congratulations.
- Ooh!
- Coming out of the basement, how are you feeling?
- I feel incredible right now.
This is by far the toughest challenge, especially
Doing it in a basement.
But, man, I'm just over the moon right now.
- I think those two had a really great
Mentor, just not to mention.
I got to say. - Best we got.
- I agree.
I worked with them very, very heavily across this challenge.
You're absolutely right.
Now, one of these two bento boxes
Will not only move into that top-level kitchen next time
Round, but has just earned themselves
The coveted time token.
This will give you an advantage of either a 10-second
Additional grab, or you get to take 10 seconds
Off a fellow competitor.
♪ ♪
This token--
Goes to--
Mada. - Ahh!
Let's [bleep] go!
- Whoa, come on.
- Yeah, yeah!
Yo!
- Well done, man. - Congratulations.
- I'm so happy right now.
Oh, man.
Top dish!
And freaking sushi!
Call me shrimp daddy.
Everybody doubted me, but guess what, I'm in the top six,
Holding the time token.
So what's up now?
- These things are insured for $5 million apiece.
For god's sake, man. Be careful.
Now, for the not-so-good news,
The first bento box
Heading to the elimination--
♪ ♪
Was the one with the lobster.
- I should have put something better up there for you guys.
I'm accepting the fact that I'm going to elimination.
And I'm going to keep fighting like I've been
Doing this entire competition.
- Exact attitude you need to get yourself
Out of this elimination.
- Yes, chef.
- The next bento box that has earned their way
Into the elimination--
♪ ♪
Is the one made with--
- [sighs]
- --The black cod, nicole.
It was lacking in glaze.
It was lacking with the seasoning.
It tasted very watery.
And it just did not make sense.
- Yes, chef.
- Unfortunately, we've decided there's one more
Bento box joining that elimination.
- [bleep].
- Oh, no.
- The next bento box heading to the elimination--
- Three people going into elimination, this is insane.
- --Is the one made with--
[dramatic music]
- Unfortunately, the next bento box
Heading to the elimination--
- [bleep].
- --Is the one made with--
The salmon, gabi.
I'm lost for words because I know
You can do so much better.
- Yeah, that was a classic example
Of me overthinking something.
- Sure.
- And that was something to kick
Me in the ass a little bit.
- Ok, gabi, nicole, izahya, listen carefully.
A bento box is usually a traditional japanese
Lunch item.
So for tonight's elimination, we are moving to dinner.
You'll all have 25 minutes to create
An amazing japanese-inspired steak dish using one
Of the most expensive proteins on the planet,
Japanese wagyu beef.
- Ooh, nice.
- Treat it with respect and absolutely get yourself
Back in to the competition.
- Yes, chef. - Yes, chef.
- Right.
From now on, until we reach the finale, each of us
Will take a turn overseeing the elimination
Cook-off while the other two will blindly taste the dishes.
Ok, all of you, head to the elevator.
I'll meet you shortly for the elimination.
Let's go, guys. - Let's go, chef.
- Good luck, guys. - Let's go, come on.
♪ ♪
- Come on. Let's go.
- Yeah!
- I've never been the type of person to give up.
I'm the kind of girl who, when I say I'm going
To do something, I do it.
And I give it my all.
And so now's the time to give it my all.
- Let's go, let's go. - Yay!
- I'm doing this for my family.
I'm doing this for my wife.
This is everything for me, so I'm not going home.
I'm not going home.
[cheering]
- Let's go.
Right, you three, come over, please.
- I felt a little embarrassed to be there today.
I need to prove to chef ramsay that I don't
Belong in this elimination.
- First time this season we've had three of you.
So now's the best time to cook some
Of the most gorgeous, delicious food you've ever cooked.
Wish each other good luck and line up, please.
Let's go. - Good luck.
- Whoo! - Good luck, guys.
- We love you, guys.
Kill it!
- On your mark, get set, go!
35 minutes. - Whoo!
There we go, baby.
- I see the veggies.
I want these gorgeous purple turnips.
This is my main veg.
I need some of these.
- Check out all sides of the platform.
There's garlic right there.
- Oh, man.
- Enoki mushroom on the right side.
- These enoki mushrooms are so beautiful.
I cannot wait to tempura these.
- Holy [bleep].
It's so much fat.
- It's a beautiful cut, beautiful cut.
- All right.
Izahya, how are you feeling, my man?
- I'm feeling good, chef. - Ok, where are we going?
What are we thinking?
- I'm thinking about just letting the steak shine,
Making some beautiful veggies.
- What are we going to do with these veg?
- I'm thinking about pickling up some carrots.
- Nice. - I'll add in some acidity.
I do know this is very rich. - Love that.
Are you going to shave those carrots or--
- Yes, I'm going to shave them, cut them real thin,
Get a nice little slaw going with them.
- Ok, good. - How are you doing today?
- I'm good. I'm good.
- He's in the zone, baby.
- 23 minutes to go.
Right, nicole, how are you feeling?
- I'm feeling great. I'm going to keep it simple.
I'm going to do what I know because I'm
Not super familiar with japanese cuisine.
- Ok.
- I'm going to make a tempura veggie nest.
I have a bunch of veggies, and I'm going
To put the steak on top of it.
- And how are you going to cook this?
- I thought about cutting it before I sear it.
- Are you using the yakitori grills?
- I might try.
I'm going to save some and do some on the pan as well.
- And these grills are super hot, by the way.
- Yes, chef.
- Feel free, going to put one little slice on there and just
Have a look at just how it melts down.
- Oh, yeah, I'd totally be using that grill.
- Four minutes gone. - Come on, guys.
- Ok. - All right, chef.
- First of all, I'm surprised to see you here, ok?
- Chef, me as well.
- Now, what are you doing?
- I heavily salted this.
I want to just give it a kiss of heat.
- Make sure that cast iron is absolutely smoking.
- Smoking hot.
- And in terms of presentation, how are
You going to lift this thing?
- Do these beautiful purple daikon radishes in the middle.
- Good, good, good.
Seven minutes gone, guys.
- Love the pace, guys.
You guys are working hard, working hard.
- Got to get this steak on.
- Love it, love it, love it.
- Yeah, girl.
- That cast iron is hot as [bleep] girl.
- It's got to be hotter.
It's got to be hotter.
Yeah, that's it.
Good, yeah, get it really nicely colored, yes?
- Yes, chef.
- Nicole, watch those flames on that box.
- Thank you.
[dramatic music]
- Ow.
- I see all this hot grease just, pssh, on her arm.
And she's shaking her arm.
And I'm like, oh, man, she just burnt herself so bad.
That's like 500-degree grease right there.
You all right?
- Yeah, I'm good.
And yeah, this is probably going to show up a little bit.
- Right, how are you doing? - Doing good.
- You're going to take this over to the fryer?
- Yes, sir. - Well, let's go over.
And then that way, you've got a much better
Chance of doing this properly.
Ok, so you go straight there into the fryer.
- Yes, thank you. - Hang that up.
Hang that up as well.
Ok, good.
- Yeah, there you go, zay.
- Great job, great job.
- 10 minutes, guys, 10 minutes.
Ok, that's nicely rested. - Yeah.
- Where's the starch? You got the potatoes?
Are you doing anything with them or not?
- No, I don't know if I should do
Anything with them right now.
I really don't--
- Oh, get them boiled and then sauté them.
- Ok. - Yeah?
- Yes, chef. - Keep it going, big man, yes?
- Gotcha. Thank you, chef.
- Let's go, my man. - I appreciate you.
Let's go.
- Nicole, focus on your protein.
- That wagyu is going to go quick, ok?
- The steak is the star.
- Where's the steak?
- Steak is off.
It's resting. - I can see it's very rare.
- I want it rare.
- Just be careful that when you slice it,
It doesn't look like it's still raw--
- Yes, chef.
- Because it's still very-- just touch that again.
- I'll be honest, I don't have the money to be buying
A wagyu steak like this.
So I'm having a little trouble figuring
Out if it's on long enough.
- Yeah, watch-- watch your fryer.
- Oh, no.
This batter doesn't look thick enough.
- We got four minutes, guys.
- Four minutes!
- I'm running out of time, and my vegetables
Are not frying together.
The tempura batter is not working out.
So I'm going to need to pivot.
I need more flour.
Oh, man.
I just don't feel good about this.
These veggies don't look like what I wanted them to.
Getting nervous.
- We got four minutes, guys. - Four minutes!
- You guys look amazing.
You guys are crushing this.
- Lots going on now.
It's a beautifully-cooked wagyu.
Clear your desk, and then just start
Visualizing that first, yes?
- Yes, chef.
I'm ditching the tempura nest idea.
So we're just going to plate one of the mushrooms and fan
The steak out around it.
- Careful, nicole, you're doing fat on fat,
So keep that in mind.
- Do you have any acid in your dish, nicole, anything light?
Just to break all that fat.
- Thank you.
- Right, you got them?
- Grabbing them right now.
I'm multitasking out there.
I'm a dj.
I'm at my potatoes.
I'm at my mushrooms. I'm at my steak.
I'm at my slaw.
I'm just back and forth, back and forth, back and forth.
- Now we're moving.
Two minutes to go.
- Two minutes! - Let's go.
- Think about plating.
- Where did the vinegar go?
- Right here, up here, up here.
- You have vinegar up here.
- My vision is definitely not going to plan.
So I'm going to whip together a quick little sauce that I can
Hopefully garnish my plate with and at least
Make it look beautiful.
- Tik-a-tik-a-tik! - This is crazy y'all.
- Make sure it looks beautiful.
- Whoo!
- Work with both hands, izahya.
Put that tray down. Two hands, my man.
Good man. - That looks awesome, nicole.
- 30 seconds to go. Come on, guys.
- My slaw, my slaw, my slaw, my slaw.
- Season gently, gently, gently.
Ok, finishing touches, bring it home.
10--
- 9, 8, 7, 6, 5,
4, 3, 2, 1.
Stop! [cheers]
- Let's go!
♪ ♪
- Ah, richard, nyesha, welcome back.
What an amazing cook.
- Phew. Right.
- We have three phenomenal dishes.
Let's start off with this one.
This is a wagyu steak served with japanese mushrooms
And a purple fried potato.
♪ ♪
- The wagyu is cooked perfectly,
An amazing amount of sear on the outside of the steak.
And the center is warm.
It's nice and rare.
- Yeah, I mean, the temperature of the cook to me
Is really, really perfect.
I'm looking for a little bit something
To break up the fat of wagyu.
So maybe more pickles that are a little bit more appropriate,
Not that the sort of carrot shreds.
- Next up, we have a beautifully cooked wagyu
Served on a nest of a tempura veg
And a sort of fragrant soy mayonnaise.
♪ ♪
- There's a few successful components on this dish.
However, the richness of the beef and the fattiness,
It's not offset by garnish that is deep fried.
I think this pickle is very strong.
It doesn't seem like the vinegar was cooked out enough.
But I am getting a really lovely smokiness from
This wagyu that I appreciate.
- I like the fact that it was grilled,
And you can get that sort of smoky flavor with it.
But you know, you have the deep fried item,
And then you have the fatty sauce,
And then you have the fatty meat.
So that's a little overwhelming.
- And then finally, this was cooked
In a cast iron pan done with japanese turnip, sliced,
And then served.
- Smart choice searing the beef in a cast iron pan.
And that shows in the beautiful caramelization
On the outside of this wagyu.
And I love the texture, this beautiful radish
In the center.
- You know, the vegetables are so strong.
Maybe they're, you know, competing
A little bit with the beef.
But again, the beef is perfectly cooked.
- This is a tough choice.
Nyesha, which wagyu dish will you be sending home tonight?
- The dish that I will be sending home is the--
♪ ♪
Dish with the tempura.
- Richard, please.
- [sighs]
The dish I'm going to be eliminating is--
[sighs]
--The wagyu with--
The tempura.
- [exhales deeply]
- Oh, nicole.
Keep your head up high, and continue that dream.
- Absolutely.
I'm so grateful.
- As your mentor, you know, there's always someone or one
Or two people that sort of like,
Just jump on for the ride and just get
Better and better each time they cook,
And you're one of those people.
- I cannot thank you enough.
I get married in about a month.
And so I think this is the best training and prep
I could have asked for.
- Whoever's doing that catering better raise their game.
Guys, all of you, give it up for nicole, please.
Come on.
- Good job.
- Every day I woke up and I told
Myself, I was going to have fun no matter what happened.
And I put my heart and soul into every single dish
That I cooked.
And I wouldn't change a thing.
- Six of you, the finale is in sight.
- Whoo!
Top six!
- All of you, get some rest because the next time we see
You, we are expecting all of you to deliver dishes that
Are literally picture-perfect.
Good night. - Good night, chef.
- Good night. - Come on, guys.
Oh, god.
- One step closer.
- Come here.
That's what I'm talking about! [laughter]
- Next time on "next level chef,"
From season 2 of "next level chef,"
Welcome tini younger.
[cheers]
- Wow!
- You'll have 30 minutes to recreate a dish from a photo
When that platform drops.
- This is going to be insanely hard.
- It's got to be picture-perfect.
- How many dumplings are you making?
- [groans]
I have no choice but to guess.
- We've had one of the strongest competitions ever.
- I'm chasing my dreams right now.
I'm not going to let nobody stop
Me from chasing my dreams.