All language subtitles for Next.Level.Chef.S03E02.720p.WEB.h264-BAE

- Last time
on "next level chef"...

- Yo!
Let's go!

From the 24 chefs
here, only 15 of you

Will make it through
the auditions

Onto one of our teams.

And today we are starting
with the social-media chefs.

- [laughs]
- [grunts]

- Congratulations, you are
now the top five

Social-media chefs
in this country.

[cheers and applause]
- come on, baby! Let's go!

- And tonight...

- It's the eight home cooks.

- Eight of you will
start in the basement.

And after each cook, one
of you will be eliminated.

- Oh.

- I said get the pan hot,

But not burn the [bleep]
kitchen down.

- This is my dream since
I was a little girl.

Give me the shirt.

[knives shinging]

[dramatic rock music]

[elevator bell dings]

♪ ♪

[timer ringing]

♪ ♪

[elevator bell dings,
hydraulics whirring]

- Let's go!

- Let's go!
[thud]

Oh, too much weight in here.
My bad.

- This is so crazy.

I'm not even
on the competition yet.

I'm still just auditioning.

And we have to do this back to
back to back to back to back.

- [squeals]
- ooh.

[all screaming excitedly,
elevator bell dings]

- Oh, this is not cool.

- This place is essentially
a dumpster fire.

But I'm going to make it work.

- Oh, my god. Eh.
- Look at this!

The colanders, there's holes
the size of golf balls.

- This is nice
that this is burnt.

You know what? There was
a slight sense of panic.

And when I say
"slight," I mean a lot.

Hey.
- How we doing everyone?

We doing good?
- Whoo!

- How's the dungeon?
I mean, basement.

[laughter]

- This is an upgrade
from my house.

- Really? Okay, I'm going
to hold you to that.

- I'm having a little bit of
a fangirl moment of chef blais,

Because I'm a huge fan of his.

I've watched all his stuff.

To just have his energy
around us is just surreal.

- We ready to go?
All: Yes.

- Okay.

For home cooks, this is
like opening up your fridge.

You got a couple minutes
on a Tuesday night,

And you got to make
magic happen, right?

- Home chefs,
show us what you got.

- The challenge is to make
something out of nothing.

This is your opportunity
in the audition process

To show us
what you're all about.

For one of you,
the audition is going to end

Right here in this kitchen.

How we feeling?
- Not nervous at all.

Not nervous at all.

Joe, are you nervous?

Yes, but I think
there's a pathway

Where I can get
into the top five.

I just got to focus.

- Line up, it's time to go.

Only the worst ingredients come
down here to this basement.

This isn't the discount rack.

This is stuff that never
makes it to the shelf.

- I was on the far right,
away from mada,

Because
in a madhouse situation,

He'll probably run over five
or six people at a time.

So I did not want to have
anything to do with that.

- When the light turns
green, it is go time.

[dramatic music]

[bell chimes]
go time!

- Oh, god!
- Check.

- I see shrimp, so I grab it.

Tiniest shrimp I have ever
seen in my entire life.

- There we go.
Get everything you need.

- I had a dream that
my first challenge,

I grabbed beef tongue,
and I was like, yes!

- Make sure you grab a protein.

- I got to the platform last,
and I got nudged.

Didn't their parents
teach them any manners?

- The ingredients
are so scarce.

I had one frickin'
baby corn that I could find

On the whole platform.

- Something to make
a delicious sauce.

- It's crazy, the gals
who are feisty and fast--

The big guy behind me,
who was looking at me

Like I'm an ingredient.

- No one's got
the alligator yet!

- Do I have a vegetable?
Do I have sauce?

- No one wants alligator.
- No one's got the alligator.

- Do I have a protein?
You have to have a protein.

- He's got it.
- Wow.

- If you can reach it,
it's yours.

Okay, back to your stations.

- I don't even know
what the hell this is.

- Your 20 minutes starts now.

Let's go.

- I don't even
know what this is.

- This group of home cooks,

They're very familiar with the
task of opening up the fridge

And making something delicious.
- Yo.

- They have the toughest
palates to cook for--

Children and family members.

- Ugh!

- So I am never surprised
by a home cook who actually

Brings it
on "next level chef."

- Ugh!
Jerk!

- Alligator, joe?
Really?

Alligator.
What?

Trash ingredients,
trash kitchen...

Trash man.

My name is joe.

That didn't sound natural.
[laughs]

I'm a sanitation worker
for the city of new york.

I was a janitor for 13 years,
and now I'm a garbage man.

So, if you think about it,
it's kind of like I graduated.

I cook every day for my wife.

She's pregnant
with our first child.

And we just bought
our first home.

Being in this competition,
I want to prove to my wife

That, you know,
an average joe can really roll

With the best of them.

$250,000 to me is
life-changing money.

So if I were to win that...

[blows raspberry]
you'd never see me again.

[laughs]

Oh, my onion.
What are you doing, stupid?

- Mada, what are you making?

- Here, we got
that minute steak.

We got the mushrooms.
We got the rice noodles.

- Got it.

- And then I'll go
over-easy egg on top, too.

- You got enough
protein in this dish?

- I eat about 10,000 calories
a day, chef?

- Do you?
- Yeah.

- 10,000 calories a day.
That's a lot.

- I'm only allowed
to eat 1,200. [laughs]

- It's a lot of food
to fill myself up

And fuel these 22-inch guns.

[growls softly]

- Daniel.
- Chef blais.

- All right, man,
what's going on?

- So we're going to do
a cauliflower puree.

- How are you going to
puree it in the basement?

- Right here.

- And you're going to
puree it in a mixer?

- I'm going to try.
I don't know.

- How do you puree in a mixer?
- Wow.

- Daniel, would your wife eat
this over here?

- [chuckles] yeah, she would.

She might give me
a little critical feedback.

I am a wealth advisor now, but
I really want to be a chef.

When I get home after work,

Cooking for my beautiful wife,
kendall,

Is the highlight of my day.

I want to win this competition
for kendall

Because she
wants me to be a chef.

And she truly believes that
I'm going to win this thing,

And I'm with her.

Let's do it.
[chuckles]

- Okay, so you got
a cauliflower puree.

- Yep, I mean, and I know these
are only going

To take about two minutes.
- Keep working, okay?

- Got it. Awesome.

- Five minutes down
already, everyone.

Five minutes down.

- Okay, let's make a sauce.

[sizzling]

- You got alcohol?
My god!

- Yeah, baby!

- Alexandra, you--oh, my gosh.

- I know, chef.
- I was over there.

You grabbed that.
- Not on purpose. [laughs]

- Okay. Have you cooked
with beef tongue before?

- No, sir.

- I mean, I wonder what
they actually cook at home.

- No chance. They're out
of their comfort zone.

They didn't see those
proteins coming.

- Oh, for sure.

- Come on, come on, come on.

- Christina, how are we doing?
- I'm good, I'm good.

- Okay, so you grabbed a--
- I got a pork chop.

- Pork chop.

- I have a bunch
of asian ingredients.

I'm going to go some noodles.

I'm going to get the sambal,
the ginger in there.

- Who are you here for?

- I'm here for my
daughter, isabelle,

And also so I can
realize my dream.

I do everything
for everybody else.

And I'm here for me
and my girl today.

I am an intensive-care
unit nurse.

Pressure does not
bother me one bit.

[chuckles] my whole
life is pressure.

Here's the spinach.
- Ew.

- Isabelle is my daughter.

She was born
with a malformed chest wall.

Whoop.
[chuckles]

She has had to have
multiple surgeries.

- Why did you take
everything down?

- Oh, because it looks so messy
with all the stuff there.

- But that's real life.
- [chuckles]

She's actually what
inspired me to become a nurse.

Like, cooking just
comes naturally to me.

And I want to live

Doing what I love every day.

Winning that money would mean
that I could take a step away

From the weight that I carry
every single day

And really focus
on my career as a chef,

Because that's what I want
to do with my life.

- I like the idea, okay?
Breathe.

- I'm breathing.
- You're here. You are here.

You got this.
- This is how I work.

I'm an under-pressure
kind of person.

- You got it.
You got it. Let's go.

- I love the energy.
- Christina.

- Let's go, sauce.

- Joe.
- I grabbed alligator.

- You grabbed alligator?

- Not the smartest move.
What am I doing?

So I'm going to maybe do,
like, a panko-crusted alligator

And a sauce.

- Okay, now, have you ever
cooked with alligator, joe?

- Nope.
- No? Okay.

- Nope.
- All right.

Alligator is like
a grassy-tasting chicken.

- Got it.

- Is there another element

Besides the sauce
and the cutlet?

- A little bit of cheese,

Which I got to melt last minute
on top.

- So we're going sort
of alligator parmesan?

- [chuckles] we could.

We could.
- Joe, we are. We are.

- Alligator parmesan,
I like it.

I feel great.
I do.

I feel...

Yeah, maybe not.

Alligator parmesan?
- All right.

Okay, listen, monika,

You got two things cooking
already really, really quick.

- Yes.
- What's the dish going to be?

- Um, um, um, this is mackerel.

I've never cooked it.

Like, an indian flair.

- You've never cooked
mackerel before?

- No, but it's
like fish, right?

- It's not like
fish, it is a fish.

- Whatever you say.
- Left the skin on it?

- Yes.
- Just don't overcook it.

- As a home cook, I can
put together at home meals,

10, 15, 20 minutes.

But right here, the
fry pans are crooked.

Knives aren't even sharp.

And everybody else was so calm.
What the hell is wrong with me?

[frantic music]

- You didn't come all the way
out here to not make it

To the middle level, did you?
- No, chef.

- Man, that did not work out.

I'm trying to make my puree.

It would help to have a machine
to be able to puree something.

And using that mixer,
it is a disaster.

I'm freaking out.

God.

I'm panicking. I'm running
all over the kitchen,

Trying to see if there's
a blender anywhere.

Nope, there's nothing.

Maybe a masher.

There is nothing in the kitchen
to make a puree.

- Come on, come on.

- What is daniel making?

- My cauliflower puree is
not going to be a puree.

And I have no clue where
to take it from here.

- I've got to come
up with a new plan.

The puree is not going
to work--time is ticking.

All I know is that I have to
get something in that bowl.

It's time to pivot.

Ding, it's time to make a soup.

- Are we tasting our food?
- Yes, chef!

- Gordon and nyesha are
watching you right now,

And we're looking to see who
we want to draft on our teams.

- Cook your way into
this competition, people.

- Five minutes left!
Only five minutes!

Oh, god, dude.

- I'm really worried
about one individual

That is just looking
so out of place...

- Mm.
- So uncomfortable.

I just don't think
richard's going to make it.

[laughter]

- Final two minutes--
it's time to start plating.

- Alligator joe.

I wouldn't think to put cheese
and alligator in one dish.

- No.
- Never.

Oh, it's cheddar cheese!

I cannot.

[ticking]
- one minute left.

Think about how it looks.

Do you have any garnish for it?
Have I tasted it?

- The mackerel's upside down.
Where's that nice, crispy skin?

- Mm.
- 20 seconds left!

- Whoa.
- Okay, wendy's getting artful.

I got to say, the ladies
are kind of killing it.

- Five, four, three, two, one!

Time's up, everyone!

- Good job, good job, good job.

[elevator bell dings]

[suspenseful music]

- These dishes look good.

So I think it's
time to dive in.

What do you think?
- Shall we? Absolutely.

- All right, this is
an alligator parmesan...

- Wow.
- Interesting.

- With a tomato sauce.

- Seriously, alligator--
tough protein,

No fat, very unforgiving and
also, just--

It's really hard to get right.

♪ ♪

I think you've pivoted
brilliantly

To do a sort of take
on an italian classic.

- What the hell?

- I didn't want to love this.

It's not the first pairing
I think about in my mind--

Cheddar cheese and alligator.

It's a good first effort.

- I think I pulled it off.
I don't know.

- Okay, so, moving along,
we have christina's pork chop

With stir-fried noodles
and crispy onions.

♪ ♪

- Delicious.

Really nice hit on the spice
there and the seasoning.

For someone that works
in intensive care,

You cook intensively.

- Moving along, over here,
we have a pan-seared mackerel

With a vegetable korma.

The vegetable
korma, quite tasty.

The fish is overcooked.

- It takes three or
four minutes to cook.

You shot yourself
in the foot there.

- This is lauren's
pan-seared haddock

With a creamy
succotash and potatoes.

♪ ♪

- Haddock's one of
my favorite fish.

I think the flavors are great.
Great job.

- This is mada's protein bowl.

This is a pan-stir-fried
minute steak.

♪ ♪

- It's a little bit too sweet.

So just be careful of that.
Just needs a touch of salt.

- Yeah, just got to make
sure salty, sweet--

You got to balance things out.

It's like leg and
arm day, right?

- You can't have chicken legs.

- But, again, put together in
20 minutes, it's good.

It's really good.

- Okay, this is
daniel's cauliflower soup

With poached shrimp.

It just started as
a cauliflower puree.

- I'd never attempt to do
any puree in this kitchen

Because we've got no blenders
to get this puree smooth.

- Just a few moments
of, like, freshness

Would be nice to give
my palate some reprieve

From the richness.

- Thank you, chef.

I just took on a task that
was somewhat impossible.

But everything's very
decrepit in the basement.

This is not
the best conditions.

It's the hand I was dealt with.

- Okay, this is wendy's turkey
stir fry with avocado.

- Wow.

Yeah, I've never seen a
puree with a stir fry.

But the turkey actually
tastes quite nice.

- When constructing a plate,
you want some element for me

To be able to enjoy that
delicious sauce that you have.

- Okay, final dish.

This is alexandra's beef tongue
with a mediterranean salad.

- No one wanted
tongue down here.

I'm amazed.
It actually tastes quite good.

So the tongue's good.

- Okay, so we need a few
minutes to discuss.

- Excuse us.
- Thank you.

- Great job.
- Good job, guys.

- Listen, you got some great
dishes to begin with, huh?

- Some mild disasters.
- I just want to keep going.

- Alligator parmesan,
I would have never thought--

- No. I think the soup was a
little bit weird

With the prawns.

That mackerel?

- She started cooking
the fish the same time

She started making the sauce.
- Yes.

- I'm never making mackerel
as long as I live ever again.

- Happy?
- Yeah, yeah.

- Mm-hmm, shall we?
- Yeah.

♪ ♪

- Okay, so one of you,
unfortunately, are going

To be leaving the competition.

The first three people that are
moving up

To the middle level are...

♪ ♪

Christina, mada...

- Thank you.

- And joe.
- Oh.

- Joe!

- Make your way up
to the elevator.

Good job.
Good job.

- I ended up turning
alligator into something

That chef ramsay liked?

[exhales sharply]
I'd go home happy today.

- The next three people
that are making it

To the middle level
are going to be

Lauren, alexandra...

And wendy.

Congratulations, you made
it to the middle level.

Join your colleagues up
in the elevator, please.

- Good job, ladies.

- Okay, so, monika, daniel...

Unfortunately, that leaves

Two of you and only
one spot left in the elevator

To head to the middle level.

The person moving up is...

♪ ♪

- The person moving up is...

[suspenseful music]

Monika.

- Mm, it's okay.
It's all right.

- You can join your
colleagues in the elevator.

- Congratulations.

- Daniel...
- Yeah.

- Today I just think the
20 minutes in the basement

Sort of got to you.
- Sure.

Yeah, yeah, thank you,
all three of you,

For this opportunity so much.
- Head up.

- Thank you.
- Thank you.

- A lot of things
didn't go right today.

But I'm getting to go home to
my beautiful wife, kendall.

[voice breaking] I'm, like,
really excited about that.

Yeah.

[somber music]

[hydraulics whirring]

- Well done, well done,
well done.

- Thank you!

- My god, is there
a bar around here?

Just a quick tequila
shot, and I'll be--

I'll be good.

- Ready for round two?
- Let's go.

- Welcome.
- Whoo!

- We've got
blenders for purees.

We got fryers.
- Can we look around?

- We got grills.
We got ovens. Take it all in.

- It's an actual kitchen.
Now we're cooking.

That's all I need,
is the middle level.

I'll stay there the whole show,
middle level.

Actually, no, that defeats
the purpose. [chuckles]

- You did very well
downstairs in that basement.

But my expectations
are way higher up here.

Line up, please.

You guys know how to make
a stunning Sunday dinner.

Now cook something unique,
get up to the next level.

The platform is moving.

- I'm considerate to all
the other contestants.

If I went full steam,
everybody's going to get hurt.

I don't want it to be
"next level emergency room."

That's what I don't want.
[chuckles]

- Let's go!
Let's go!

Turkey steak, sea bass.

- I'm grabbing
that ground beef.

- Flat-iron steak, come on.

- I immediately
could smell my mom

Cooking us up dinner
in the kitchen.

- Pork chop.

- All I see again
is a pork chop.

Oh, my god, I got
the same thing.

- Oh, my gosh!
- Come on.

- Oh, go ahead, you go first.

I'm too nice.

And as my last resort,
I grabbed the turkey breast.

- Five, four, three,

Two, one, and go!

20 minutes starts now.

Let's go.

[ticking]

- Mid-level Sunday dinner.
Both: Here we go.

- Guys, remember, we are
watching your every move, yes?

I want to see what I'm
going to be drafting...

- Yes, chef.
- Someone creative...

- [softly] I like it.
I like it a lot.

- Someone resilient...
- My gosh.

- But, more importantly,
someone that can be mentored

To the very top.

- Yes, chef.

- This sector of the auditions
in that middle kitchen--

Beautifully equipped.

The ingredients
are second to none.

So these home chefs
are in a position now

To elaborate on their
rustic home cooking.

Okay, christina, what is
this affinity for pork chop?

That's a really good grab.

- I don't even
cook pork at home.

- You don't cook
pork at home, really?

- No.
- You got potatoes, the kale.

- I'm going greek gyro flavors.

I'm seeing flavors that
actually correlate really well

With my greek heritage--

Fresh mint,
greek yogurt, potatoes.

And I'm like, that's it,
I'm going with my heritage.

The yogurt is going to be
tzatziki minus the cucumbers,

Because I couldn't grab those.
- Nice.

But you can put the onion in
as a replacement.

- Yeah, yeah, to sharpen
it up a little bit.

- Okay, good.

- Joe, you're cooking
for two people, not an army.

- Joe, so you've gone from
alligator to flat-iron steak.

That's the dream.

Get that thing
seasoned, olive oil,

And get it marinating, okay?
- Wish I had lemon.

I don't have lemon.
[bleep], I need an acid.

I'm thinking maybe
a white sauce,

Because I don't have tomato.

- If you start thinking
about all the foo-foo things,

You forget the most
important, is the protein.

- My protein.
- Well, that's

What's going to send you home,
so focus on that first.

- Got it.
- You got a great protein, yes?

Big man, what'd you get?
Both: Salmon.

I'm going to go crispy skin.

- Skin side down, but
don't overcook it.

Both: Okay.
- Yes, chef.

We're leveling up.

- I think mada's wearing
one of gordon's t-shirts.

How tight is that thing?

- He's definitely hitting
the weights.

[both chuckle]

- People always tell me I look
like a real-life superhero.

But for me, it's not this.
It's right here.

I'm originally from egypt,
grew up in new zealand.

I was a pro basketball
player, wwe star.

And now I'm a celebrity
personal trainer.

My one constant, no matter what
country I lived in, was food.

And I had this deep
passion for cooking.

I'm a home chef.
I cook for my family.

Any type of steak, chicken,
chops, you name it,

I can cook it.

I know a lot of people are
going to underestimate me.

They're going to
take one look at me,

And they're going to think

I'm just some classic
meathead bodybuilder

That only makes meal preps.

But they're going
to be surprised.

I love the look on their face
when they find out the real me.

- 15 minutes to go.
- Oh, that's going quick.

- Plenty time.
Lauren, you got the best fish.

You cooked with bass before?
- Yes, I love bass.

- That skin is delicious.

So cook it, you know,
skin side down.

Shallots are
burning, watch out.

Alexandra.
- Yes, chef?

- Where are we going
with this chicken dish?

- Chicken cutlet with kind of,
like, a puttanesca sauce.

- Nice idea,
butterflying it like that.

- It'll cook quicker as well.

Sunday dinner to me
is pasta, chicken cutlets,

Garlic bread, wine.

Can you tell I'm italian?

- How long have you
been in the police?

- Almost five years now, chef.

- Five years?
- Yes.

- So I don't expect you to
buckle under our lights.

- I won't.

Food and cooking was
a huge part of growing up.

And Sunday dinner is always,
like, a whole-day event.

So we'll have,
like, Sunday fun day

In the morning, where you have
bloody marys and your wings.

And then there will
be homemade meatballs.

And it's just your typical loud
italian family

And everyone
together on a Sunday.

[chuckles]

I am a detective
in the ballistics unit.

I deal with incoming weapons
that were involved with crimes.

Cooking is definitely
a switch off for me.

And it's fun, so let's go.
[laughs]

- Do them proud,
do yourself proud,

And get up to that next level.
- Yes, chef.

- Yes? It's coming up
nearly to halfway.

Monika, okay, what did you get?

- I'm going to do something
with the turkey steak

Because I don't have a garnish.

- Well, that's it
in terms of garnish?

What were you doing?

- These little [bleep]
were in my way.

- He's a big [bleep],
not a little [bleep].

- [chuckles]

You cannot tell me what to do.

I'll just do the opposite.

I came from corporate america.

I had a successful
career in finance.

But then something shifted.

I've always, I think,
had a passion for food.

So I quit.

Yum!

I cook with my heart.

Like, I'm a mom.
I'm not cooking with tweezers.

I mean, I pluck my chin hairs
with tweezers.

- Explain the dish.

- I'm just going
to do a bulgogi.

- A bulgogi, okay.
- Yes.

Or a stir fry.

I see it in your eyes.
I'll go stir fry.

- What, I'm telling
you to do a stir fry?

- Are you?

- You need to follow
your instincts.

- I'll go stir fry.

- Be decisive.

- I don't think he knows
he's my best friend.

But we have a connection.
We do.

- Just do what you need to do
to get yourself upstairs, okay?

- All right.
- Nine minutes to go.

Let's go.

Let's go, let's go, let's go.

- Oh, jesus.

Okay.
Aah!

- Monika's burning down
the [bleep] kitchen.

Monika, what are you doing?
- I don't know.

- I said get the pan hot,

But not burn
the [bleep] kitchen down.

- Whoo!

- Holy [bleep].
I don't want to catch on fire.

What the hell?

- Monika, what are you doing?
Honestly, what are you doing?

- It just--it caught on fire.

- You can't use
that, all right?

[suspenseful music]

Get your [bleep]
together, girl.

Let's go. Let's go, let's go.
- I hear you. Yes, chef.

- Eight minutes to go, guys.
Eight minutes to go.

- Hi, chef.

- Wendy,
in terms of inspiration,

Where is this coming from?
- From my mom.

The sauce that you loved
from the last round,

That was the sauce that my
mom made for me growing up.

And so I can't wait to be on
facetime to tell her that.

[chuckles]

Just, like, out of the
womb, I just, like, came out,

Just running out,
like, ready to cook.

But growing up
in the bay area,

Everyone ends up working
in the medical field

Or mostly in tech.

But I wanted to do
more of what I loved.

Now I am, like, the epitome
of what a home cook is.

[chuckles]

Growing up, I never
really got a chance

To see somebody
that looked like me

On a cooking competition.

So I hope when young asian
children see me on screen,

They will know that
if they wanted to,

They could be sitting
right here, too.

- Tasting. Why?
You taste all the time, yes?

- Oh, yeah.
- Yum. Good.

Touch of salt.
- Yeah.

- Taste it.
Taste, taste, taste, okay?

Macaroni, elbow.
Have you tasted it?

Have you tasted?
Have a taste.

- I saw him moving his hand.

I was like, this
is not real life.

This is not real life.

Chef ramsay's feeding me pasta.

Thank you, chef.

I don't even think I believed
it as it was happening!

This is wild!

- Oh! [bleep]!

- Tell me what you're doing.

- I'm doing a little bit of
a cheese sauce for the steak,

Because it's got to be rustic.

It's got to cook
down a little more.

- Look at me.

You're focusing on all the
wrong things right now.

You got that flat-iron steak
that's not even cooked.

And that needs to be
cooked and rested.

- And rested.
- Yeah, and rested.

Remember?
- Forgot about the rest.

- Let's go.
- Yes, chef.

- Five minutes to go, guys.

- How many?
- You got five minutes to go.

Right, you're back on track?
- I'm trying.

- Good. Come on, monika.
Let's go.

- That's going in.
- It's still not hot enough.

Get it out.
- Take it out?

- Otherwise, you're
going to boil it.

- Sorry, sorry.
- Breathe, joe.

- Oh, joe. Joey!
- Buddy!

- Come on, son of a bitch.

These auditions are tough.

It's almost like cooking
when you have company over.

Everyone's yelling.
Nothing works.

Except your company is three--

Three of the best chefs
in the world.

[laughs, sighs]

Thank you, chef.

- Got to start editing yourself

And bring it back together,
please, yes?

- The home cooks, they cook so
much different than pro chefs.

Who are your standouts?

- Alexandra and christina
right now, I think.

- That pork resting?
- Yes.

- Okay, start thinking about
that, visualize now, okay?

And we want the best for
richard and nyesha, right?

- Yes.

- I like her, man.
She thinks on her feet.

Big christina fan.
- Is that your first pick?

What are you thinking?

- Start plating, guys!
Two minutes!

- You got to pick one of these
chefs here to be on your team.

Who are you going to pick?
- I'm going with...

- Time's ticking.
Times ticking.

- Come on, you got 30 seconds.
Let's start plating.

- Ticking.
- Gordon ramsay.

- Oh, gordon ramsay.

Okay, yeah,
that's not a bad choice.

- Okay, let's go.

Five, four, three,

Two, one, and stop!

Hands up!

♪ ♪

- That was intense.

- Richard, nyesha,
welcome back.

Let's dig in.

This is a ground-beef
asian-style curry

Cooked by wendy.

- That's cooking.
That's soulful cooking.

- You stayed
in your comfort zone,

But it's a good effort.
- Thank you, chef.

- Next up is alexandra's
chicken breast served

With a little elbow macaroni.

- This hit some big
nostalgia notes for me.

That's what I grew up eating.

- Beautiful,
classic dish, right?

- The chicken's a hero.
That's evident. Well done.

- Yes, chef.

- Next one is lauren's grab.
She grabbed the sea bass.

Needs to be roasted
skin side down.

- Visually, it looks
like a restaurant dish.

I don't know if it's
Sunday dinner at home,

But it's quite beautiful.

♪ ♪

- Bass cooked beautifully.
- Thank you, chef.

Next up is christina's
pork chop,

Pan-seared, almost done
in a sort of greek way.

That there is textbook.

- I love the brightness
coming from the apricot.

I'm very impressed.
- Thank you, chef.

- This is monika's dish--

Turkey, done with a bok choy,
finished with a fried egg.

♪ ♪

It's underwhelming.

This is not next level.

Next up is mada.

This is a crispy, seared
salmon served with a succotash

And a rigatoni.

- The glaring area
of opportunity for growth here

Is controlling the pan heat
when you sear the salmon,

But the salmon inside is
actually cooked nicely.

- This dish is by joe.

This is a flat-iron steak.

Sorry about all the blood
into the sauce.

- It's apparent that the steak

Was not rested
before you plated.

- No.
- Right?

- No. The dish is a mess.
I'm relying mainly on taste.

- Well, the steak
was seasoned well.

- Thank you.
Thank you, chef.

- Seven amazing home chefs.

And based on that
last 20 minutes,

You've made it
difficult for us.

Give us two minutes.

♪ ♪

The turkey scallops with
the bok choy, monika's?

- For me, at 20 minutes,
why spend half your time

Chopping it up like that?

- You guys grabbed proper
ingredients for your dish.

[chuckles]
I grabbed two things.

- Joe's?

- I mean, literally
a bloody mess.

- Awful, awful.
- A bloody mess.

- But the steak was cooked
really, really well.

It was tasty.
- Yeah.

- It's going to look awful,
but I'm relying on taste.

- You did good.

- Happy?
- Think so.

- Yeah.
- Yeah.

- Oof.

♪ ♪

Okay, let's start off with
the first three cooks

Moving into
the top-level kitchen.

Christina, wendy,

And alexandra, congratulations.

Make your way
to the elevator, please.

- I am so proud of myself.

I'm just imagining
my mom at home being

So stoked
that I used her recipe.

[chuckles]

- The next two dishes making
their way up

To the top-flight
kitchen are...

Lauren and mada.
Congratulations.

- Thank you, thank you, chef.
- Strong, strong plates.

- Giant weight
off my shoulders right now.

Wow.

- Yes.
Good job, guys.

- Joe, you were time poor.

Monika, you were uncertain

Of where you
wanted to go with your dish.

The final person
moving to the top...

♪ ♪

Is...

- The final person
moving to the top

Is...

[suspenseful music]

Joe.

♪ ♪

- You were great.
You were great.

- You got lucky on this one.
- I know.

- Elevator.
- Thank you, chef.

- Monika, keep up the dream.

Continue climbing that ladder.

And thank you.
- Thank you so much.

- Good luck.

Oh, monika...

Bye, monika, take care.
- Bye, monika.

- Good luck.

♪ ♪

- Chef gordon ramsay
tossed me to the side.

But I'm really
confident we're going

To be best friends still,

Even though he just forgot
to give me his number.

[elevator bell dings]
- good luck, guys, yes?

Final 20 minutes.
- You guys ready to do this?

- Yeah!
- Let's go.

- Top level, baby.
[elevator bell dings]

Take a look around.
Take a look around.

Familiarize yourself.

- Yo, these are
so much sharper.

Bro.
[chuckles]

This top kitchen is
beyond incredible.

I don't know half
the equipment in here.

I'm like, is this a kids' toy?

You know how to work this?

Oh, my god.

But for me, I don't
need any equipment.

I will go outside right now
and start a fire if I have to.

- You've all looked
around, right?

It's the best
of the best up here.

This is a chef's playground.
- I'm moving in.

[laughter]

- With better equipment,
better ingredients

Comes higher expectation.
- Yes.

- I want you all to make sure
that the dish you put out

Gets you onto one of our teams.

- Yes, chef.

- Yes?
All: Yes, chef.

- Home cooks,
got a lot to prove.

- Whoo!

- Last opportunity to earn
your spot in this competition.

Line up, please.

Platform's going
to be coming down.

[hydraulics whirring]

- I'm not going home today.

I'm here for my daughter.
I'm here to change our lives.

That's what I'm here for.

- Go!

Grab a protein!

- This platform
is so much better.

I grab a veal chop.

So I'm like, here we go again!
I'm cooking a chop, I guess.

- Wow, they're feisty.
- Oh, look at that!

I like how she jumped up.

- If there was just
a competition

Just for platform grabbing,
sign me up.

[laughs]

- My feet were dangling
trying to grab the lobster.

Oh, my god!
- Leave yourself options.

15 seconds, guys.

- Only five of us
are making it onto the team.

I have got to fight
for what I want.

- Earn your spot into
this competition.

- Garlic, garlic!
- Let's go!

- Grab, grab, grab!

Get back to your
station, let's go.

- Jiminy christmas,
what a nuthouse.

- 20 minutes starts now.

[ticking]

- I need pans.
I need my fish pan.

- Lauren, what do you have?
- I grabbed a rib eye.

And I'm thinking about making
a celery-root puree.

- All your pans are
getting hot, right?

- Yes, everything's
on the fire.

- Lauren stays
pretty organized.

I guess from cooking
on a private jet,

You don't have a lot of space.

[bell chimes]

- Can I help you?

I am a flight attendant
on a private jet.

It's like cooking
in the basement on steroids.

I have one induction
cooktop burner, a blender.

So I am used to
having pressure,

At least cabin pressure.

I am so passionate
about cooking.

It is my love language.

I love cooking
for other people.

I love the yummy noises.

It just makes me smile.

I am completely self-taught.

I have never been
to culinary school.

But I want to prove to myself

That I do have the chops
to be considered a chef.

[dramatic music]

- Okay, we're already
five minutes down, guys.

Mada?

- Boom, I got
some tiger prawns.

Got the shells there
with some fish broth.

I'm gonna sear this.

I'm gonna use the pancetta

With all these
fresh vegetables

To make kind of a light sauce
for these noodles.

- Sounds like you
got a game plan.

- Yeah.
Let's go, chef. I'm ready.

- Let's go.
Wendy, what did you grab?

- I grabbed endive.
I got a lamb loin.

And I got coconut milk again.

So I'm going to do, like,
a coconut-butter cream sauce.

- That does not sound great.

- No, not with a lamb loin.
- No.

- I think it's going to taste--
- sort of malaysian influence?

- Yes, here I go.
- Stay focused.

- Yes, chef.
Thank you.

I grabbed the lamb loin
thinking it was a steak.

I have never
cooked lamb before.

I'm just going to take
a gamble on this one.

- Hi, joe.

- Here's the thing.
- Tell me.

- Plot twist--
I don't cook fish often.

You guys don't understand.
I don't cook fish well.

Like, my fish just
turns to [bleep].

Like, this was the one time,
genuinely,

Where I looked
at my ingredients,

And in my head,
I'm like, [bleep].

And, naturally, it's
on the top level.

- Israeli couscous,
where's this going?

- I'm going to do a side.

I'm going to toast it first.
- Keep cooking.

- Toasting the couscous?
- Get it in some water.

Just get it in some water.
- It needs to be cooked.

- Alexandra, how familiar
are you with cooking lobster?

- I don't cook it as often
as I would like to.

I'm blanching a lobster tail.
- Yeah.

- And then I'm going to cook
it in, like, a chorizo butter.

- Oh, I like this.
- Chorizo butter.

- Lobster with chorizo butter?
Oh.

- I can't stress enough

That you need to get
in front of time.

You see how fast
this goes, right?

Stay focused.

Veal chop?
- Yeah. [chuckles]

I am doing a basic spice rub.

I'm going to do
a blackberry reduction...

- Love that.
- Pomegranate molasses.

- I saw that look
you just gave.

Are you thinking that's
team ramsay right there?

- I like her.

- Halfway down, guys.
10 minutes left.

- Yes, chef.

- This is
a life-changing opportunity.

Let's go, let's go!

Prove that you want your
spot on gordon's team,

Richard's team, or myself.

Final five minutes!
- Yes, chef.

- Come on, mada.

Wendy, you okay?
- Yes, ma'am.

- Be careful.
Resting is so important.

It still has carryover time
to cook, you know?

Hustle, hustle, hustle!
Come on, guys!

Time is ticking away.

- Joe.
- Stay with it, joe.

Come on, finish strong.

- Watch that couscous, joe.

Guys, two minutes left.
Start plating.

♪ ♪

Bring the vision to life.

One plate that's going to get
you into this competition--

One beautiful plate.

15 seconds!

Make smart choices.

Five, four, three, two, one!

Hands up, guys!
Hands up!

- Wow, that was intense.
Well done.

- Should we taste?
- Please.

- So, first up, lauren
has prepared a rib eye.

She prepared a celery root two
ways--a puree and roasted.

♪ ♪

- Rosy pink all
the way through--great cook.

Classic combination--
celery and beef.

- Next up, we have a veal chop
prepared by christina

With a blackberry sauce,

A snap-pea
and sweet-potato puree.

♪ ♪

- I'm kind of blown away
that you got so much work done

In just 20 minutes.

And I guess the only
question I have is,

Can you cook anything
besides chops?

[laughter]
- I don't--

[laughing]
I've never cooked a veal chop.

- Next up, we have
an angel-hair pasta

With roasted shrimp.

Mada has roasted
the shrimp heads

And folded that into the sauce,
some tomatoes,

A little bit of spinach.

- The shrimp are delicious.
- Thank you, chef.

- Yeah, the seasoning's
really good.

I wish you would have tossed
the noodles with the sauce.

- Yeah.

- Next up, we have lobster

Prepared by alexandra.

This is folded in
with roasted chorizo,

As well as a broccolini.

I was concerned that the
lobster would be overcooked,

But it's really nice.

Next up, we have
a pan-roasted branzino,

Cooked by joe, israeli
couscous on the side,

As well as parmesan potatoes

And roasted onion-spinach
medley.

♪ ♪

- Branzino cooked crispy.
Really good.

- I've never made
branzino ever.

It's a win for me.

- Couscous sadly undercooked.
It's very hard.

- Next up, by wendy,
we have a lamb loin

And a coconut pan jus.

- Lamb is cooked beautifully.

The strange part of this dish
is the rest of the garnish.

It's like there's two
different dishes going on here.

- All right, guys, so we have

Some very hard decisions
to make.

Please give us a second.
- Wow.

Why would you put
coconut with lamb?

- I think
that's her wheelhouse.

- But the coconut can work,
but not in connection

With the endive
and some of the other stuff.

- No.
- You said it--

There was two dishes on one...
- Two dishes.

- On one plate, absolutely.

- I am praying with
every fiber of my being.

Like, I'm not going to accept
that it's my fate

To leave this competition
right now.

- The fish was nailed--

The bit on the side
with the silly little scales,

And then that couscous,
it was rock hard.

It was inedible.
- I did as best as I could.

But I'm a garbage man.

So, if I go home,

The rats are still gonna
accept me for me,

I hope.

- They were both
under-par dishes, right?

- Yes.

[suspenseful music]

- We have come to a decision.

But before we reveal
that decision,

I want to remind you
what's riding on this.

♪ ♪

- I smell the mentorship.

Give me the shirt.

- As you can see,

There are only five
chef jackets on that platform,

And there's six of you.

The first person moving
into the draft

For a shot
at one of our teams...

♪ ♪

Is...

Christina.
- [cheering]

Thank you, thank you!
[chuckles]

This is my dream
since I was a little girl.

And now I'm here,
and I'm doing it.

And I'm freakin'
killing it so far.

- Great job.
- I'm just getting started.

- Keep going, girl.

The next person that will
be moving into the draft...

♪ ♪

Is lauren.

- Oh, my god.
[chuckles]

Thank you so much, chefs.
- Thank you.

- Thank you.
- Great job.

The third person
who has earned...

Their spot
on one of our teams...

♪ ♪

Is mada.

- Yes, let's go.

Thank you so much, chef.

Let's go!
Your boy's made it.

I know my kids
are watching right now.

They're like, go, daddy!
Let's go!

- The fourth person

That has made their way
into the draft...

Is alexandra.

- [squeals]
- whoo!

- Thank you, chef.

I'm used to being calm.
I'm not calm right now.

[laughter]

Holy [bleep].

It was getting close.

- That leaves two.

Joe and wendy...

We have one last spot
available.

It was actually a very tough
decision for the three of us.

♪ ♪

The final person moving
into the draft is...

♪ ♪

Wendy.
- Oh.

- Congrats, girl.
[applause]

Joe, how you feeling, bud?

- Frankly, [bleep].

But that's the first time
I cooked fish successfully.

- Amazing.
You should be so proud.

And we wish you the best.
Please head to the elevator.

- Thank you, guys.
- Thanks, joe.

- Bye, joe.

- Some people win,
some people lose.

Today I lost.

I'm proud that I got up there.
I just really wanted to win.

- So standing
in front of us now,

We have the five most talented
home cooks anywhere in america.

Well done.
Come on. Come on!

[all cheering]

Today's been refreshing.

These home chefs
have really stepped up.

And without a doubt, they
can compete against the pros

And the social-media chefs.

I've spotted
three talented home chefs

That I would love on my team.

- For home chefs,

There's definitely
going to be a learning curve.

But I have a pretty good idea
at my top two.

- Excited?
All: Yes, chef!

- I am super pumped up
about this draft.

I have to win. There's a lot
of pressure on me.

- Get your jackets.

Good night.
[all cheer]

- This is just the best feeling
ever in my life.

I feel like this is
finally my moment.

[laughs]

- Good job.
- Thank you.

Ooh, look at your boy!
Let's go!

- I know this is
just the auditions,

But it feels like
I just won the olympics.

- Wow. They're certainly
beyond home cooks.

- Absolutely.

[all cheering]

- Next time
on "next level chef"...

- Go! Let's go!

Pro chefs, time to see
what you're made of.

- Let's take it, baby,
straight to the top.

- Go!
Grab ingredients!

- Babe, I'm not letting go.
I'm not gonna let go of it.

- It is game on.

- I've been waiting
for this my whole life.

Oh, [bleep]!

- That knife is sharp, though.

Medic?
- Oh, my god.

♪ ♪

- Oh, my--
- oh, hell, no!

- We got no [bleep] lights!

- The pressure is really on.
This is all or nothing.

♪ ♪