Things are about to get fishy on Next Level Chef.
Three sea monsters slam onto the platform this week, and suddenly Gordon Ramsay, Nyesha Arrington, and Richard Blais are watching their teams dive headfirst into chaos. The chefs must slice, hack, and perfectly fillet their massive catch in a pressure cooker of a challenge that tests both technique and teamwork. One sloppy cut could sink an entire squad.
With scales flying and the clock ticking, it’s sink or swim. Someone will rise to the top — and someone else will be left gasping in the dreaded elimination.
See how the “Sea Monsters” episode plays out on Feb. 26 below.
The Teams
Below are the 15 contestants drafted to compete this season, with previously eliminated chefs crossed out.
NameAgeHometownChef CategoryTeamConnor30Manhattan Beach, Calif.Pro ChefArringtonDanielle43Puyallup, Wash.Home ChefArringtonEmerson46San DiegoHome ChefArringtonMachete34HoustonPro ChefArringtonMatt54Chesapeake, Va.Social Media ChefArringtonChristian35Austin, TexasSocial Media ChefBlaisDarian34Buffalo, N.Y.Pro ChefBlaisElise36CincinnatiHome ChefBlaisJared38Grand Rapids, Mich.Home ChefBlaisTim35Dripping Springs, TexasSocial Media ChefBlaisAmber30Joshua Tree, Calif.Home ChefRamsayAndy37Malibu, Calif.Social Media ChefRamsayCole31Los AngelesPro ChefRamsayGabrielle34Palm Beach, Fla.Pro ChefRamsayMareya56Capistrano Beach, Calif.Social Media ChefRamsay
The Challenge
Because of Christian’s top dish last week, Team Blais will cook in the Top Level kitchen. Thanks to Emerson’s victory in the elimination cook-off, Team Arrington lands in the Middle Level. And after Mareya’s elimination, Team Ramsay must cook their way out of the Basement.
Gordon reveals that this week’s platform will feature just three massive items — one giant protein for each level. Each team must grab a whole fish and work together to break it down, portion it, and transform it into a standout dish.
But there’s even more at stake. In addition to winning safety for their team, the chef behind the best dish of the day will earn the Next Level immunity pin. The pin allows its holder to remove themselves from an elimination cook-off, forcing their mentor to choose someone else in their place.
“The world’s ugliest monkfish”
When the platform drops, Team Blais gets first pick of the fish — halibut, monkfish, or swordfish. They opt for the swordfish, which perplexes Richard. One level down, Team Arrington grabs the halibut, sending the monkfish to Team Ramsay in the Basement. “It’s squishy, slimy… cold — a monster!”
Darian does an excellent job breaking down the swordfish for Team Blais. Gabrielle handles the monkfish for Team Ramsay, but admits she’s “learning on the job” — and ends up cutting her finger, forcing her to call for a medic. Meanwhile, Matt handles the fish for Team Arrington “like a samurai.”
Contestants Christian and Darian in ‘Next Level Chef’Lorraine O’Sullivan / FOX
Later, the platform returns with extra ingredients for the chefs to choose from. For the rest of the time remaining, these chefs are on their own. May the best dish win!
Top Chef
After tasting each dish, the judges named Andy’s pan-roasted monkfish satay with peanut sauce the top dish. She keeps Team Ramsay safe tonight, earns the season’s only immunity pin, and brings her team up to the Top Level kitchen next week.
Contestant Andy and Gordon Ramsay on ‘Next Level Chef’Lorraine O’Sullivan / FOX
Cook-off
With Team Ramsay safe, Nyesha and Richard each had to nominate one chef for the elimination cook-off. Richard chose to send Elise into the fire, while Nyesha sacrificed Emerson for the second week in a row. Going from surf to turf, the two will face off cooking a dry-aged steak.
Elimination
Gordon was on hand to coach Emerson and Elise through their steak cook-off before Richard and Nyesha returned for the blind taste test.
Emerson’s grilled ribeye with purple mashed potatoes was called “impressive,” complemented nicely by both chimichurri and bone marrow butter — but the potatoes were deemed “gummy.” Elise’s New York strip with mashed potatoes, roasted mushrooms, and asparagus was praised as “classic” and “delicious,” though the plating was sloppy and the potatoes were lumpy.
In the end, the both Nyesha and Richard voted to eliminated Elise’s dish, sending the home chef from Team Blais home to Cincinnati in 14th place.
“I’m disappointed,” she admitted through tears. “I am obsessed with being the best version of myself and being here has gotten me closer to that. There is so much more to accomplish for me. It’s going to be virtually impossible to get me out of the kitchen at this point.”
Contestant Elise in ‘Next Level Chef’Lorraine O’Sullivan / FOX.
Next time
It’s carnage at the platform when the judges announce the moving table of ingredients won’t be stopping this round. “You have to grab on the go,” Gordon reveals, before Andy admits, “I don’t want to use my immunity pin.” Another chef’s dreams go up in smoke in an all-new Next Level Chef airing March 5.
