- Previously on "next level chef"--
The team competition is over.
You are all cooking as individuals.
- Have you ever worked with black cod before?
- I don't think I have, actually.
- [exhales pointedly]
- This time token goes to mada. - Aah!
Top dish!
- Go, go!
- The dish I'm going to be eliminating
Is the tempura.
- Oh, nicole.
- ♪ I'm going down fighting ♪
- And tonight--
- Welcome tini younger.
[cheers and applause]
- You'll have 30 minutes to recreate a dish
From a photo.
Remember, when the platform leaves,
The photo goes with it.
- This is next level crazy.
- It's gotta be picture-perfect.
- We've had one of the strongest competitions ever.
- I'm not gonna let nobody stop me
From chasing my dreams.
- ♪ I'm going down fighting ♪
[knives shinging]
[dramatic rock music]
[elevator dings]
♪ ♪
[timer ringing]
♪ ♪
- Welcome back. - Whoo!
- Come on. - What's up?
- So good to see you all. - Yeah!
- Feeling good?
All: Yes, chef.
- Listen up, as you can see, there are only six of you left.
Only three of you can make it into that grand finale.
And the clock is ticking.
- Poof! [laughing] wow.
Wow, wow. We are in the top six!
This is a opportunity to change my life.
- Team ramsey, nothing would make me happier right now
Than seeing three gold aprons in that finale.
- Now I'm here.
I'm in it to win it, baby.
There can only be one next level chef.
- Zach, z money.
- Whoo! - [laughs]
- My first pick and my last man standing.
The man bun is looking extra tight today.
- Thank you, chef. I'm feeling super good.
And I'm ready to bring it, chef.
- My hopes are all riding on you, my friend.
- Heard.
- I want the best for you all, but, you know,
Team arrington looking sharp in those aprons.
- All the way, girl.
- And we're standing strong. - Yes.
- These guys are representing the home chefs.
- Let's go. Let's go. - Let's go, mada.
- Okay, chefs, listen up.
Food isn't just about the taste.
It begins with that first look.
- The pictures that we paint on that plate,
They feed our souls as well.
- Now, listen, nobody knows better
Than you social media chefs,
A gorgeous dish equals likes and follows,
Which these days can turn into cold hard cash.
- In fact, someone near and dear to our hearts
Is making waves every day on social media.
She is creating amazing-looking dishes
That are bringing hundreds of thousands of people
To her channel on her brand-new bite originals series.
- A team trailblazer through and through,
From season 2 of "next level chef,"
Welcome tini younger! - Yes!
[cheers and applause]
- Welcome back. - Tini, she's so cool.
You can't not like tini.
I just want to give her a hug.
[laughs]
- Tini younger from team blais,
Who is absolutely crushing it.
- One dish stood out, and that dish was beef tongue.
- She's got her own show on bite.
- This is "from scratch with tini."
- She's got a book.
She's got millions of followers.
- It's like a mouth-gasm.
Can I say that?
- She resonates with so many people.
So proud of her and glad to see her back.
- It's so awkward right now.
- Tini, welcome back!
- Thank you for having me.
- We have missed you, girl.
- I missed you.
- Tini, people used to ask me,
"what is it like working with gordon?"
Now they ask me, "what is it like working
With the girl who cooks for her boyfriend on social media?"
- [laughs]
- How about a quick challenge for you, tini?
- Yes.
- If I showed you a photo of a beautiful dish,
Do you think that you could recreate it just by looking
At it for a few seconds? - Yes, definitely.
- You seem really confident. - Yes, I can do it.
- You have learned a lot from "next level chef."
The confidence is just oozing out of you.
- I had a good mentor. - Yes, you did.
- No offense to you.
[laughter]
- Okay, we're going to try it, tini.
Okay, here we go.
Right here on this tablet is a picture of a dish.
It's an upscale short rib poutine.
You got it? - Yes.
- That was like, what, maybe 10 seconds,
That she saw that picture, okay?
It's go time.
Wait, are you sure there were six potatoes on there?
- Six, I counted six. - You sure?
- Yes.
- Watching tini do her demonstration,
She's making it look easy.
I have a little bit of a mind of a goldfish.
I'm nervous, man.
- What do you do when you walk past and see a platform?
- Elevators are like flashbacks for me now.
- Cold sweats in every elevator you're in.
- I know. [exhales]
They went on top. They went on top.
- You sure? - 100%.
All right.
- Absolutely spot-on.
- Well done. Come on.
- You still got it, tini. - Amazing.
- You still got it.
- All of you, give it up for the amazing tini, please.
Thank you. - Thank you.
- Really good to see you, my darling.
- Thank you. - Bye-bye.
- Bye, tini. - Good luck, everyone.
- Thank you. - Trailblazer for life.
- Bye, tini. Thank you.
- Think you guys can do that too?
All: Yes, chef. - I hope so.
Because for today's challenge, you'll have 30 minutes
To recreate a dish from a photo
You'll see when that platform drops.
- Whoa. - [laughs]
- When the platform leaves, the photo goes with it.
- There is a twist every day.
- Please remember, they've also gotta taste good, too,
Understood?
Now, mada, you had that best dish
In the last challenge, which earned you
A time token of 10 seconds.
So are you going to keep the extra 10 seconds for yourself,
Or will you take those 10 seconds away
From another competitor of yours?
- If you want to achieve greatness, set yourself up.
You never bring other people down.
So I want the 10 seconds for myself
To look at that picture.
- Love that. - Respect.
- Now, izahya and gabi, you escaped
The elimination last time, so we are in the basement.
- Christina and mada, you both had
The top dishes last time,
So you're heading to that top level.
- Good luck. - Good luck.
- Let's go, guys, top-level dishes.
[dramatic music]
[hydraulics whirring]
- Photographic memory starts now.
♪ ♪
[elevator dings]
Whoo! Let's go.
- Good luck.
♪ ♪
- I'm going to be at the finale,
Taking it home for chef blais.
There's no more mr. Nice zach.
[laughs]
I'm stoked.
- Let's go, let's go, let's go.
- All right.
- Let's get it. Let's go. - Ooh!
- My second time in a row coming into the basement.
Now, I have to embrace the basement.
I have to cook in there with confidence,
And that's the only way I'm going to make it
Out the basement.
Trying to go to the top five, let's go.
[laughs]
- Picture-perfect.
- Picture-perfect, let's go.
Let's go. - All right, chef.
- Right.
- Let's go.
- We are down in the basement.
How are you feeling? - I'm feeling good, chef.
- Yeah? - Doing good, yeah.
- The good news is that there's no grab.
There's a basket.
And so focus on that picture.
You okay? - Yes, chef.
- We got this? - Yes, chef.
- Let's get it. - Let's go.
- Yeah!
- Yes, all right. - Rock and roll.
- All right, great, chef. - Let's make it happen.
Let's make it happen.
- Aah!
Come on! - All right!
- Let's go! - Yeah!
- We got the team now.
We got the team now. - We're so good, you guys.
- Even though we're no longer in teams,
I still, deep down, I have to have love for team arrington.
I'm honestly 10 times the chef I was since I got in here.
- When the light changes green, you're going to go first.
- Yep.
- And christina, you'll follow after the 10 seconds.
- Let's go! - Platform is on the move.
- Come on!
I am coming in just like a freaking monster today.
- Go!
All right, mada, look around.
- I've never done anything like this before,
Recreate an entire dish just by looking at a photo.
It's all about the little details.
Every little thing counts.
And I saw that veal, and it looked beautiful.
And I was like, you know what, boom.
Let's go.
- Christina, go, go, go, go, go!
Take a look around, right?
Grab something you're confident cooking.
- I see a mole.
Mole sauce takes like, weeks to make or days.
No.
I see the shrimp dumplings, and I'm like, it's simple.
But the flavors are not simple.
So you still get to showcase a lot of technique.
- Count how many dumplings, 3, 2, 1.
- I'm going to take this one for sure.
- Right?
You got the picture in your mind.
- Here we go, picture-perfect. Go time.
Go, go, go, go!
Okay, there it is.
What do we got?
- That's a chicken mole.
- I see ravioli.
And then I kind of look at the other ones, I'm like,
Screw all the other ones, ravioli.
- So ravioli, mole, and ramen.
- Oh, [bleep].
I just know mole takes forever. I'm like, absolutely not.
- Oh, you got paella.
- I know how to cook seafood, and it's rice, so let's rock.
- Right, you got it? - Yes, chef.
I am burning this picture into my soul right now.
Every little detail counts.
- Richard, send it, please.
- It's on the way, gordon.
It's on the way.
- Get set--
Go!
Amazing, chicken mole.
- I just run to one,
And I stick with the first one I see.
But then I see izahya out of the corner of my eye
Just like, coming over to peek.
What is he thinking? Like, this is my basket.
Like, go away.
Today, I am ramen. [laughs]
- Does anyone--ramen.
Stay there, focus.
- I'm left with the chicken mole.
- Study every component.
Radishes, what have you got there?
You got one, two, three, four shallots.
Five seconds, guys.
- Egg.
- Good.
Look at the color of the miso. - Miso.
- Yeah, look at the egg and the bacon.
- Yes.
- Yeah, study, study, study.
Okay, guys. - Okay.
- Start working that out.
- Oh.
- Your 30 minutes starts now.
You ever made a chicken mole? - No, chef.
- Oh, [bleep].
- I don't even know what the main components
Of a mole sauce is.
I'm opening up my basket.
I see chilies, chocolate, pine nuts, limes.
And I'm like, which one goes into the mole?
- All the ingredients are there.
- Yes, chef.
I've never made a chicken mole before.
- Okay, so it's a really nice, rich, beautiful mexican sauce.
Traditionally, they take eight hours to make.
- [scoffs] I also don't have 8 to 10 hours to do this,
So every second counts.
- Can you picture that chicken mole in your head?
Start thinking about those mexican spices.
- Yes, chef. - You've never tasted a mole?
- Never tasted a mole before. - All right.
- I'm--I'm in panic mode right now.
I have to get this right.
- Get that chicken on, my man. - Yes, chef.
- Good. After that, get your rice on.
And then with that mole sauce,
So sometimes they put chocolate in there.
- I didn't even know that it was really a chocolate sauce.
So this is all something new for me.
But hey, I don't back down from no challenges.
I'm ready to take it head on.
- Right. What did you grab?
- I have the ramen.
- Ramen, lovely.
- So this is going to have to get really crisped up.
- Yeah, exactly.
How many slices were on there?
- It looked like two, but it could have
Even just been one fat piece.
I really tried to lock in photographically,
Like all of those elements.
The only thing that I'm a little worried about
Is maybe my pork belly.
I think there's three pieces.
If not, then I-- I don't know.
I don't even know where else to go from here, honestly.
- Get them in quick. - Nice, mada.
Where are we at?
- Ooh, I got the veal schnitzel.
I got the potatoes going right now because I know
They're going to take the longest.
- Okay, and what's your technique with pounding
This beautiful veal cutlet?
- I want to get it nice and thin, but not too thin.
I want to still get a nice cook on it.
- Smart.
- Even though it's going to look the part,
It's going to taste the part too, chef.
- I love that.
All right, christina, how are we looking?
- I'm feeling and looking good right now.
- You are feeling it looking good right now.
- Yeah.
I can't panic in the icu.
So I can't panic here either, chef.
- Absolutely.
Christina, what basket did you grab?
- Shrimp dumplings basket.
- What do you think is going to be the most challenging
Component of this dish?
- Just getting that filling flavor spot-on
And making sure I nail that plating.
- Do you use memory much in the icu unit?
- Oh, yeah. You have to.
Everything's memory.
You have to know what meds to give
With different heart rhythms.
You have to know what to do when
Someone's in cardiac arrest.
The skills that I use for being an icu nurse
Totally apply to this competition.
I have to think on my toes.
It all crosses over.
- Five minutes down, guys.
- Jordan. - Yes, chef.
- Right, you got paella, right? - Yes, chef.
I've never made paella.
And I know traditionally, paella is
Supposed to take a long time.
This is stressful.
- The key is trying to get that--
That rice to that amazing color.
Did you have any other ingredients in here?
- Just saffron, smoked paprika.
- So like, you want to get some wine in there
And get some saffron in there.
You know, it's the world's most expensive spice.
It's the bling of the spice cabinet.
- Yeah, there you go.
Right up my alley, right, chef? - There it is.
I'm a hip-hop kid, jordan.
- I-I could tell, chef. I could tell.
- You can? - Yeah, absolutely.
- Oh, know what?
- Yeah, when you told me to flow with my food
In auditions, I was like,
Okay, he knows what he's talking about.
- Focus on the details, right? - Yes, chef.
- All right, z money.
- Yes, chef. - Back to it.
I like the z money thing. - I'm loving it, right?
- Z money and blais, it's like
A fun am talk radio show we should do.
- Damn right. I see a pasta roller, chef.
- Okay.
- I got ravioli, feeling super comfortable with that.
- It must be nice.
- All right, so zach, how many ravioli were on the plate?
- Five or six.
- Okay, all right. - Yeah.
I think there's five raviolis on the plate,
But I'm going to make extra, just in case.
You have to cover your own ass.
- No surprise being the pro chef,
But you took probably the hardest thing
To make happen in the time limit,
And that is the pasta.
A lot of pressure riding on you, man.
I want you to be someone who gets to the end here.
- 100%. - There's only one of you left.
- I know.
I got to represent team blais, chef.
I'm in it for you, baby.
- Coming up to halfway, guys.
Coming up to halfway.
- Mm. - Keep it going, mate.
You've just got to focus on that mole sauce now.
- Yes, chef. - Yeah?
And you are home and dry.
Keep it going, yes? - Yes, chef.
Keep working, gabi. Let's get out this basement.
- Yes. Let's do it, izahya.
- How many dumplings are you making?
- Uh--
It's so difficult.
You think you saw all the details,
And then you're like-- [laughs]
I missed, like, the-- the most important thing,
Was how many dumplings are on the plate.
I'm going to make seven. - Okay.
- So now I have no choice but to guess.
- Guys, make sure you're looking.
Here's the beauty.
These chefs get a second look to refine their vision.
We are looking at every single detail on that plate.
It can come down to missing a garnish.
- One, two, three, four, five, okay.
[sighs]
The ipads descend from the gods.
- Look at that puree.
Look at what's in the salad, what greens are on the salad,
Right? - Yeah.
- Garnishes, five dumplings. Let's go.
- Guys, platform is here again.
It's another chance to study the picture.
- Oh, yes.
Okay.
- It's only going to be here for a bit.
- How is that chard like that?
I look at my picture,
And then I notice this squid is cross-scored
And rolled up and torched.
And I'm like, oh, I didn't catch that last time.
Yeah, mussel, mussel.
- One, two, three, four, five.
- Make sure you get all the details.
What are the colors?
What are the herbs?
- I'm glad I looked really close because there's
Chive and pistachio on it.
So I'm catching these minute details.
Boom, this is going to get me top dish, baby.
- Do I have all of the elements?
- That is a rich plate.
- Nice job.
- Guys, guys, guys, look--another look--
- Another picture.
- Look, look, take a look.
Study every detail. - Rice, pepper.
- Every detail.
- Belly, three slices, two of this, half an egg.
- See what color plate it's on.
You got a little bit of garnish there.
- And I have these white stripey in the oven.
- Well done, the noodles? Good.
Well done, well done, well done, good.
[dramatic music]
- I like it. I like it.
That looks pretty damn similar to that picture, chef.
- That looks really, really close.
Well, you're a social media chef, right?
- Yes, chef.
- So have you ever done this sort of thing,
Where you see someone's post and then you replicate it?
- Yeah, I usually have a little bit more time to
Figure it out, but you know-- - true, true, true.
- Well, maybe tini's good luck, I think,
That she cooked the paella last time.
Just hoping we can get this thing cooked down.
- If you're worried about the cooking,
Get a top on it, right? - Okay.
- Only nine minutes left.
- Heard. - Yes, chef.
- Make sure the ravioli is right.
They've been really, really crimped and tight,
So water doesn't get in them.
- Yes, chef.
- And that's why you don't need the water like rip roaring.
This one is popped, it looks like, right?
- Yep. Yep, discarding that.
- Those look about the right size too.
- Yeah.
- Everybody good? - Yes, chef.
- You're looking composed, guys.
How many pleats do you have here?
- I didn't count the pleats, but--
- Okay.
- Chef arrington asked me if I counted
The pleats on my dumplings.
Like, no, I didn't count the pleats.
Now I'm freaking out again.
- You know, gordon and richard
Are going to be looking at that.
Just make sure they're nice, and they're all the same, okay?
- Man, if they make a comment about
The number of pleats on my dumplings,
Like, this is next level crazy.
- Come on, guys, big push.
- Final five minutes.
- I'm sure this rice probably has sazon in it
Because my rice is more red than--
- Okay. - I'm looking at my rice.
My rice is more on the whiter side
Compared to that red, rich color.
- Are you sure it was?
- As soon as he asked me, am I sure I want to do that?
No, I don't know if I'm sure.
I'm not sure anymore.
I'm actually just running it with my rice like this.
- You're sure?
- Yes, chef.
- You got four minutes to do it, guys.
Only four minutes left.
- Yes, chef.
- Is the rice feeling good?
- Super toothsome.
- Like raw in the middle?
- What are you suggesting right now?
- You got to get a cover back on it.
And I mean, you got to just let it go as long as you can.
- Okay. - Right?
Just get everything organized.
Because again, you're going to be
Going right up against the wire with the rice.
- Yes, chef.
Any time a mentor is worried about my cook, I'm worried.
- Don't mess with it, right? It's like opening the oven now.
- Chef blais is stressing me out right now.
- Okay, we're running out of time.
Let's go. - Uh--
This is literally going to come down to the last minute.
♪ ♪
[dramatic music]
- Two minutes left, guys, two minutes left.
- Oh. - Start plating.
- Thank you, chef.
That's why I love you. - [laughing]
- As I'm plating, I'm thinking,
Are my dumplings facing all the right way?
Are my sesame seeds messy?
Do I have the right number of red chilies on my plate?
Like, I don't know.
It's stressful.
- Mada, don't forget that sauce.
Picture-perfect. Mada, you got to go, bud.
- Chef arrington, chill.
I got my veal, check, mashed potatoes, check,
Salad, check, lemon slice,
Caper sauce, check, check, check.
There is nothing missing on my plate.
I'm feeling confident right now.
- One minute left, guys.
One minute left.
It's got to be picture-perfect, gentlemen,
Every little garnish, every color.
- Just praying that that rice is cooked to perfection.
It tasted good to me.
So fingers, toes crossed, we're crossing everything.
- 30 seconds to go. Well done.
We are not missing that platform.
Let's go.
Okay, let's go. Come on. Platform's here, guys.
Seconds away.
Well done. Well done. Well done. Well done.
Go, go, go, go, go, go, go.
Go, go, go, go.
Well done. Well done.
- Oh! - Yes.
- Good job.
That's what I'm talking about.
- Platform is here. - Heard.
- Guys, platform is here. - Yes, chef.
- Platform is here, guys. Zach, platform is here.
- Yep, coming.
♪ ♪
Yes.
Whoo!
- Platform is here.
Waits for no one.
Plates on the platform right now, guys.
Let's go.
Let's go, let's go, let's go!
Okay, baby.
- Yes!
♪ ♪
- Oof.
Oh, my goodness, look at these.
- I nailed that photo.
I got all the minute details to the plate,
Five raviolis with the rings around the ridges.
I tasted it. It was fire!
Z money, honey!
- Shall we start in the basement?
- Yes, please.
- First up, a pork belly ramen.
Shall we take a look at the picture?
- Let's do it. - And look at the comparisons?
Wow, that's good.
- From the amount of the pork belly to the cook on the egg,
It's really stunning.
- Let's hope it tastes as good as it looks.
[tense music]
♪ ♪
- The look is spot-on.
The taste is also spot-on.
- Gorgeous broth, I love that.
It's really hugging my soul.
- That's all I ever want
When people taste my food
Is to just make them feel like I'm giving them a hug.
- Next up is a chicken mole.
The other five competitors ran a mile
When they saw this basket coming towards them
Because it's virtually impossible
To do a mole in 30 minutes.
- Yeah, visually, another one that's really, really close.
It's almost like one of those games online
To see what's different.
Maybe the color of the rice is a little bit
Different in both.
- Please dig in.
- It's incredible the amount of depth of flavor
That was achieved in such a small amount of time
Is singing on my palate.
Unfortunately, it's a little bit let down by the rice.
It's lacking in seasoning and a touch al dente.
- This is a really good 30-minute attempt at mole.
It is underserved by the flavor of the rice, though.
- Now richard, shall we head to the middle floor, please?
- Let's, yes. The middle floor.
The first one up right here is a seafood paella.
To me, they're pretty much identical,
Even to the point of the squid
Getting grilled and just charred.
- This thing looks delicious.
- My presentation looks great, but are these flavors there?
- I'm a little bit lost for words.
I mean, in 30 minutes, these things take hours to cook.
That's why the spanish sleep
For five hours every afternoon. [laughter]
For me, it's delicious.
- There's three different seafood on one plate,
And they're all absolutely beautiful.
Really lovely dish.
- This takes me back to when
I was an apprentice in barcelona.
And man, this is--this has got some feels on it, for sure.
Next up, we have bologna ravioli,
Ravioli from bologna.
- The visual impact is stunning,
The right cadence of sauce.
The raviolis are beautifully glazed.
Sadly, I'm seeing
One, two, three that have burst.
They can't allow any water going inside
Because it just destroys the flavor.
And that burst needs to be captivated
Inside your mouth, not that pan of water
That you're boiling them in.
It's a shame.
- I thought these raviolis were perfect.
- Well, I mean, an incredible attempt at this dish.
Mushroom's cooked really beautifully.
And I think that the pistachio gives
A really nice texture to this ravioli.
- It's funny because I had to go for a second ravioli.
One's wet and soggy and cloy with no seasoning
Because the water's affected it.
But the one that was sealed was delicious.
- Are you kidding me right now?
Like, how did three pop?
This is it. I'm going to elimination.
- Shall we head to the top floor?
- Yes, please. - Let's do it.
- So first up, we have shrimp dumplings.
- You know, the secret of these dumplings
Is caramelization in the pan.
Whoever have done these have done them
Absolutely beautifully, beautifully pleated.
- Let's taste.
- I mean, another one that is as tasty as it is beautiful
And an absolute replica.
- Also just replicating the sauce based off of
A visual is challenging, but balanced really nicely.
- Delicious.
God, I mean, we're looking for a replica.
This replica is in front of us.
- Lastly, we have a veal schnitzel.
- One thing I noticed right off the bat
Is the missing wedge of lemon.
- [bleep]. I forgot one lemon.
I can't believe I forgot the lemon.
[bleep].
- Missing the lemon.
That is quite a pivotal moment of the dish.
- I'm just kicking myself so bad right now
Because I had everything on the plate.
It's a game of inches.
It's a game of lemon slices. It's a game of garnishes.
But its effect is going to be so large
On me being in this competition right now.
Aah!
- All of you, well done.
Shall we?
- Please.
- Oh, boy, where do we start?
This is hard.
The ramen. - The ramen.
That's an easy dish to make look good,
But not taste delicious. - Yeah.
The chicken mole.
- The rice was just so basic.
- I focused more on my mole trying to get that done
In 30 minutes than on my rice.
- The seafood paella,
Picture-perfect rendition of this dish.
The chef had not made paella before.
- The bologna ravioli.
- This one hurts because it is good.
But with three raviolis bust open,
That's a technical flaw. - Yeah, totally.
- Top floor?
- Yeah, this wasn't really about the cooking as much.
It was about the big wedge of lemon.
It was the easiest thing to see.
- And he cut it, chef. It was on his cutting board.
- Oh! - Damn.
- I had the lemon cut, like, from the get-go.
- Did you? Was it just sitting there?
- Yeah. - Mm.
- When I looked at those shrimp dumplings,
I couldn't tell a difference.
They were identical.
- Like, I'll order that dish at a restaurant.
- Mm, that's interesting.
- Good job. - Let's go, girl.
Let's go. Let's go. - Yes, yes.
- [sighs]
[tense music]
- Okay, listen up, this has been a incredible challenge.
So let's start off with the outstanding dishes
That are moving to the top level.
The shrimp dumplings.
- Whoo. - Christina--
- Yes. - Well done.
Really well done. - Good job.
- Thank you so much.
- The next dish moving to the top floor,
The pork belly ramen. - Mm.
- Gabi, well done.
- Thank you. Thank you so much.
- But only one of you cooked a dish
That will earn you the amazing next level time token.
This thing is critical at this stage of the competition.
This will give you an advantage of either
A 10-second additional grab,
Or you get to penalize a competitor
And take 10 seconds off their allotted time.
Today's outstanding dish is...
♪ ♪
The shrimp dumplings.
- What?
- Christina.
[applause]
Come and get your well-deserved time token.
Great job. - Team arrington.
- I'm going to sage it. - Wow.
- Thank you, chef.
- Good job, christina. Good job.
- Good job, girl.
- I feel freaking spectacular.
This was my first hot dish of the day.
I broke that top-level curse.
I'm staying put.
I'm just so proud of myself.
- There were dishes that were unsuccessful today
That lacked in finesse and somewhat in flavor.
The first dish headed to that elimination...
♪ ♪
Is the ravioli.
Sadly, that water seeping through those layers of pasta
Destroyed the texture.
- Oh, man, you go here, and then, boom,
Bring you right down here.
First elimination, you know,
I wanted to go all the way without going in one.
But you know, [bleep] happens.
And I'm in elimination now.
- Joining zach in the elimination is...
♪ ♪
The veal schnitzel.
Mada, your lemon exempt from your dish
Has put you in the elimination.
- I'm just kicking myself so bad
Right now because I had everything on the plate.
It just needed that lemon slice.
- Richard, nyesha, and myself discussed at length,
And there's one more headed to the elimination.
That dish is the chicken mole.
Izahya, picture-perfect dish.
What let your dish down was the underseasoned rice.
- I'm going to keep fighting because
I'm not going to let nobody stop me from chasing my dreams.
- Okay, mada, zach, and izahya,
You still have one last chance to save yourselves.
And this time, you're not going to have
Any pictures to inspire you.
This dish is going to have to be your own creation.
This elimination cook-off, you'll be making
A picture-perfect seafood risotto.
Okay, you have the jeopardy of the risotto itself,
Having it get cooked, and the double jeopardy
Of having to get seafood incorporated into the risotto
And not overcooking or undercooking that.
This is a really technical dish that
Requires time and a deft hand with seasoning, for sure.
- Everything's at stake right now.
My entire livelihood in this competition
Is riding on this risotto.
- Okay, all of you, head to the top floor.
I'll meet you up there in a little bit.
Good luck, everyone.
- Come on, izahya-- - let's go, mada.
- --Taste. You'll take 20 minutes to cook.
Taste every step of the way, yes?
- Flavor. - Flavor, guys.
- Finishing. - Get the rice cooked.
- Man.
- Come on, baby.
- It's got to be close, man.
Two cooks away from the final.
Get it.
- I'm about to crush mada and izahya in this elimination.
They better watch out because I'm coming in hot.
- Okay, everyone, we're doing good?
- Yes, sir. - Doing good?
- Yes, sir. Yes, chef.
- All right, you got 25 minutes to make a seafood risotto.
You know the thing about risotto,
Got to get the rice cooking.
Cook like your life on "next level chef"
Depends on it because it does.
Okay, let's line up at the elevator.
- I'm like a freaking lion waiting for its prey.
As soon as it turns green, I'm pouncing.
- You'll have 25 minutes to make a plate
To keep you in this competition.
Go!
- I'm boxing mada out.
Zach's trying to get in front of me.
I see beautiful scallops.
Zach sees the scallops as well.
- There's three huge dudes.
I feel like someone's about to get knocked out.
- And I just ripped them out of his hand.
- [bleep], I was stuck with the lobster, whatever.
- If you're not ready to fight with the big dogs,
Then you better go home, you puppy.
- Mada grabbed shrimp.
- Hey, I'm not shrimp daddy for no reason.
I want that shrimp, and that's exactly what I'll get.
- It's the heavyweight competition now.
- Let's [bleep] get it.
- You have an idea, yet?
- Spinach pea risotto with the pan-seared scallops.
- Scallops and pea risotto is a classic.
- Time to execute. Let's get it.
- What are we making, zach?
- I'm going to do a squid ink risotto
With a little bit of lobster, chef.
- Truffle?
- I saw that black truffle, yep.
- That's a tough ingredient to work with.
All right, mada, so it's going to be
A sun-dried tomato and shrimp--
- Sun-dried tomato, chili, shrimp risotto.
- What I love about this is you're just going mada style,
Big, strong flavors.
- I know my taste is going to be there.
The flavor profile is going to be there.
But 25 minutes to cook a risotto?
It's going to be super tight.
- Izahya, how are you going to cook the scallops?
- The scallops, I'm going to pan sear them, chef.
- And then you have these beautiful green vegetables,
The spinach and the peas.
- Yeah, I'm going to blanch them
And then incorporate them into my risotto as well.
- All right, so zach, you got the lobster out of the shell.
You're keeping it on the skewer--
- Yes, chef.
- --So that the lobster doesn't curl up.
- 100%. - Got it.
- 10 minutes down, 15 minutes left.
- I found some sherry wine.
I'm going to deglaze my pan with that before
I start adding my lobster stock.
- Zach's pouring this jug into his risotto rice.
Wow, he's really putting a lot of that liquid in there.
I wonder what it is.
- You're cooking the rice in sherry vinegar and stock?
Yeah, I think that's going to be really acidic.
- I thought it was sherry wine, but I grabbed sherry vinegar.
Completely is going to ruin my rice.
I cannot serve that.
I have to restart my risotto.
- How are you doing, zach?
- That sherry vinegar is way too vinegary, man.
- [bleep].
Zach's starting his rice over.
You don't have time to do this, dude.
- Aah!
- Oh, my god, my mind is racing.
There's no way in hell I'm going home
Because my rice is not cooked.
- Now we got to do some things that maybe
You don't do in a professional kitchen.
- Heard.
- Like hit that rice with boiling water.
Get it cooked. - Stressed out, man.
- So stressful.
This is like the ultimate time crunch.
I'm stressed for zach right now.
- We're halfway down, 12.5 minutes left.
You got to get your rice cooked.
You two guys got to be careful you don't overcook
The rice at this point, okay?
A perfect risotto on the plate is like shrugging shoulders.
It doesn't stand up on the plate.
It doesn't just go into soup.
It sort of just relaxes, like shrugging shoulders.
- I got faith in zay.
He looks calm.
He looks composed.
He seems like he's working hard and consistent.
Zay looks good.
But I look over at mada, and he is just sweating.
- Dude. - Fighting for my life.
I got-- - got yourself there.
- I got my sweat towel. - No worries, no worries.
We don't need-- - thank you, chef.
- We don't need any extra salt in that dish, okay?
- [laughs]
- How's your rice looking, mada?
You got enough liquid in there? - Yep.
- Careful, bro. You don't want it too hot.
- Man, this rice is just not cooking.
I got it on full blast because I know if it's undercooked,
These mentors are going to know.
And I'm going to get sent home for it.
- You've been boiling this so hard, right?
- Yeah.
- Just make sure that you don't want
To really brown that rice, okay?
- Yes, chef.
- Izahya, how are we doing? - I'm doing good, chef.
- Okay, got it.
So your rice is already cooking, right?
- Yep.
- You got a beautiful simmer going on.
Right, so just keep babying that, more stock,
More stock as you need it.
- Izahya, he seems really calm and collected.
But zach is freaking me out.
- Come on. Come on, rice.
Cook, baby, cook.
- It looks like it's starting to thicken, zach.
- Let's go, guys, keep moving. Let's go.
Again, lobster's great. - Yep.
- But I'm worried about the rice.
I want to taste it, but I can't take that top off of it, dude.
It's got to cook. It's got to cook.
- How are you doing, izahya? - I'm good. I'm good.
- That looks nice and green, zay.
- Mada, don't overcook it.
That flame is high.
- That rice, you're going to take it right to the edge
On that rice.
- I'm taking it all the way to the end, chef.
- 2.5 minutes, we're plating in 30 seconds.
[dramatic music]
Let's go. Come on!
- Yeah, baby.
It's crunch time.
I'm putting in my squid ink.
I'm praying right now.
I tasted it.
It's al dente.
I'm hoping for a little carryover cooking
To get me to perfect.
- I grabbed my pan with my risotto in there.
I'm just letting it lay out like lava.
Man, I want to dive in and eat it myself.
- 60 seconds, zach, you got to go.
- Zach, you have to start plating.
- Oh, my god, this is so stressful,
You guys are going to have me in the emergency room.
Zach, you need to get it on the plate.
- Come on, zach, you got this.
- 10-- all: 9, 8,
7, 6,
5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
Stop cooking. Hands up.
- Whoo!
[tense music]
♪ ♪
I'm on the tip of my toes right now.
I know I'm much better than this.
I let myself down.
- Nyesha, gordon, an absolute epic throwdown up here.
I feel like I've been working in a busy italian restaurant.
So we'll start over here with the scallops
With a pea risotto.
- There's so much of it.
That's a risotto for four.
- I love the use of going that extra step
And making a vegetable puree to add viscosity and sort
Of levity in that risotto.
It's really nice and sort of naturally creamy.
I think the scallop itself is cooked absolutely beautiful.
- Yeah, first off, the risotto is cooked beautifully,
Whoever cooked it.
However, I just need a little hint of lemon juice.
That's good.
It's really good.
- Okay, next up, we have butter-poached lobster
On a squid ink risotto.
- Visually, bold one, whoever made
This one, especially with a squid ink
Across an elimination.
Presentation needs to be tightened up.
That lobster's cooked beautifully,
Whoever cooked that lobster.
And the rice is about 90 seconds undercooked, still
A little bit too al dente.
But it's got some really nice contrasting flavors.
- I wouldn't generally think to mix
Squid ink and black truffle, traditionally.
But those flavor profiles balance really nicely.
But yeah, just on presentation alone, not super appealing.
- Okay, last up, we have a sun-dried tomato risotto
With some seared shrimp.
- I can see where this chef was attempting to go.
The tomato and the basil bites, that's really beautiful.
I think that this risotto could have used a couple more
Ladles of stock and a little bit of butter
To really drive the nuance of what a risotto is.
- Yeah, combination-wise, it's on point.
It's just the consistency of the risotto has gone down,
Almost like a sort of paella caramelized kernels,
As opposed to a risotto.
But that shrimp, cooked beautifully, delicious.
- So there we go, three successful
And very different risotto dishes.
And it's hard to separate good from good.
Gordon, I'm going to start with you.
I need you to tell me which risotto
You'll be eliminating tonight.
- It's a tough one.
- I put everything onto that plate.
But at the end of the day,
I feel like it could still go either way.
- The risotto I'm eliminating...
- I don't want to go home at this time of the competition.
I've worked so hard to get to this point, and it's here,
I'm living it.
- Is...
- My heart is just stopped.
Because whatever comes out of his mouth next
Is going to change my life.
[dramatic music]
- The risotto I am eliminating is the...
♪ ♪
Shrimp risotto.
- Okay, nyesha, same question,
Which risotto will you be eliminating tonight?
- Well, I think they were all really creative
And so vibrant and different in different ways.
It's thinking about what risotto
Would I want to revisit.
And for me,
The risotto that was the least successful today...
Was the shrimp risotto.
- That risotto was cooked by mada.
Oh, dude.
[somber music]
- I cooked my heart out.
You can see the sweat on my face.
Oh, man, yeah.
Just lost for words right now.
But obviously, the hardest part is calling my wife and kids
And telling them I lost.
♪ ♪
I don't want to disappoint them.
I know they're not going to be disappointed.
I know they're going to love me, regardless.
Oh, man.
♪ ♪
I gave it my all.
You know, obviously, the competitor in me
Is just really upset.
But I can wear my head up high.
I represented myself, my family, my culture.
I'm walking out of here 10 times a chef,
As I did walking in here.
You guys, honestly, like, you changed my life.
- Mada, honestly, having you on team arrington is a joy.
It is a pleasure. You hyped up the team.
You brought the energy and that spirit.
And you left it all in the kitchen
Every single time you stepped in.
- 100%.
- Full throttle.
You should continue on this path of greatness
Because it's within you.
You have that. - Yes.
- Absolutely.
Young man, you have been one of the most
Consistent competitors in this competition.
And you are going far, further than you think.
We're going to miss you, bud. - Very much so.
- Thank you.
I'm going to miss you guys so much.
- We just want one more thing before you go.
- Oh, you want it? - We want it.
Of course, we do. Come on, guys.
- Go, mada!
- You guys, step on the side.
[haka chanting]
[cheers and applause]
Thank you so much.
Man to man, thank you so much.
- Mada, my last teammate
And my last fellow home cook.
It's emotional.
- I'm really going to ride this wave
And continue on this journey because
I have this deep passion that I've found now,
And it's unstoppable.
- Whoo!
- Love you, bro.
- Come on up.
[laughter]
- Tough day.
But the good news is, there's only five of you left.
- Whoo!
- Five.
- It's a bittersweet moment,
But only one person will win this whole competition.
And I want it bad. I want to win.
- I'm so proud of you all.
- Thank you, chef. - Thank you, chef.
- I came here to this competition to show no mercy.
I'm here to win it, take it all the way to the end
And get that w.
- Now, listen carefully.
Because next time we see you,
You're going to have to clear your auras
And bring that positive energy.
Got it?
- Yes, chef. - Yes, chef.
- Yes, chef, all day. - Good night.
- You too, chef.
- Oh, my goodness me.
- [screams]
- Take care, guys. - Yes!
- Well done. - Nice, brother.
Nice, brother. Good job, homie.
- Good job.
- Next time on "next level chef"--
We are down to the final five.
There's some rice for good luck.
It's raining down there.
- This guy's too much, man.
- The platform is moving.
Go! - Let's get it. Let's get it.
You're coming home with me today.
- You went right back to risotto.
We don't have a ton of flavor over here.
Oh, my god, I'm having literally
Flashbacks right now.
- What's he thinking? - I know, chef. I know.
- It feels like it's a dish that looks half-finished.
I want more from this individual.
This was a bad grab.
- I could puke right now.