All language subtitles for Next.Level.Chef.S03E05.720p.WEB.h264-BAE

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

- Today, we are going
to draft our teams!

[cheering]

My first pick is chris.

The best burger was cooked
by von.

Both: Yes!
- [laughs]

- Chris, matt, you have
one final opportunity

To save yourselves.
- [bleep].

- The dish I'm eliminating
tonight is the cod.

- Matt.
- Chris,

Stay out of the elimination.

[cheers and applause]

- Now it's time
to spice things up.

Curry.
[cheering]

- I want the heat.
I want the whole [bleep] fire.

- You don't wanna be in
that elimination cook tonight,

Right?

- Right now, I'm worried.

That pressure is
really getting to me.

- Lauren, it's moving.
Go! Go!

- Come on, lauren, lauren!
Come on!

Come on, come on.
- Get it. Go!

[dramatic musical sting]

[knives shinging]

[dramatic rock music]

[elevator dings]

♪ ♪

[timer ringing]

♪ ♪

[intense music]

- Welcome back. We good?

- Yeah!
- Let's go, chef!

[cheers and applause]

- Right.
Feeling good?

All: Yes, chef!
- Feeling determined?

All: Yes, chef!

- Feeling like you'd want
to receive a check

For $250,000
in your bank accounts?

All: Yes, chef!
- Hell yeah!

- Team ramsay, we lost our spot
in that top level kitchen

And now we're cooking
in the middle.

Chris, you found yourself
in the elimination.

- Yes, chef.
- That should never happen.

You were my first pick
in my draft.

So what went wrong?

- Overthinking, chef.

Overconfident.

I need to bring it back to 101.

I feel like
I disappointed chef ramsay.

He expects me to be
on top of my [bleep].

I'm the only pro chef
in my team,

So that pressure is
really getting to me.

- It goes for all of you,
step it up.

Stay out of elimination.

- [exhales] okay,
team blais, listen,

We had, unfortunately,
our first casualty last time.

So it means that we're back
in the basement.

It's time to do better today.

All: Yes, chef.

- On a brighter note,
team arrington...

- Ho-ho.
- Dream team, thanks to von,

We're cooking in
that top level kitchen today.

- We're staying there.
Let's go.

- Von, would you like
to move teams?

- Oh, come on, no.
- [laughs]

- It's not too late.

- It's not too late for me,
but it's too late for you.

All: Ooh!
- Come on. This guy.

I'd like to make that top level
team arrington headquarters.

- Yes, chef!
- Let's go.

- Right now, it's time
to spice things up a level

Because for today's challenge,

You'll be preparing a dish
that I absolutely adore--

Curry.

[cheers and laughter]

A great curry is a thing
of beauty, right?

All: Yes, chef.

- Rich, aromatic,
bursting with flavor, yes?

All: Yes, chef.

- There are amazing curries
from around the world

From japan to jamaica.

- Wherever a curry is from,

It has to absolutely
pack a punch.

- Curry isn't really one
of my strong suits.

I'm a bit nervous.

Like, if you're not producing
the best possible dish

That you can,
your time could be up.

- I just wanna remind you all,
an authentic curry takes hours.

30 minutes is minimal time
to cook.

So we're asking for a lot.

It is a curry in a hurry.

[laughter]

The best dish of the day
will not only keep

Their entire team safe,
it will also move them up

Into the top level
across that next challenge.

All: Yes, chef.

- Right, you guys ready?

All: Yes, chef.

- Team arrington,
we're heading to the top.

I'll see you there.
[cheering]

- Von, don't get too comfy
up there.

- Oh, no, it's--
I already got a bed up there.

- The only way is down, my man.
[von laughs]

- Let's do it, guys.

[hydraulics whirring]

♪ ♪

- Whoo!
- Open sesame!

[cheers and applause]

Let's go!

- Let's go.

- Guys, they got spice grinders
up here.

This is like martha stewart's
freaking kitchen up here.

Baby, I'm home, I'm home,
I'm home, I'm home.

- I like the middle kitchen,
honestly.

It's too bougie for me up here.

- No, you're good.

[elevator dings]

[cheering]

- Let's go!
- Whoo!

Ooh, you know, I like this.

It's a bit of a step down
from the top kitchen,

But I love making curry

And I'm so glad we're not
in that basement.

- We are not coming back
to this friggin' basement...

- Hell no, we're not.
- Ever again.

- Whoo!
- Let's go, guys.

- Yo, let's go.
- We got this.

We know where we're at.
- Let's go. Yes.

Two challenges
in the basement.

I want to get the frick out
of this kitchen.

Look at that, huh?

I love curry.

I used to live in the caribbean
for a while,

So I'm about
to make curry sexy.

I'm about to make curry
very sexy.

[laughs]

Let's rock and roll, baby.

Let's rock and roll.

- Grab those proteins.

Send all [bleep]
to the basement.

- [laughs]

- Don't get curry on
that sweater.

- Yes, all right. All right.
[cheering]

Let's go.
- Let's go.

- All right, team blais,
make sure you grab a protein.

Whatever your style of cuisine
is, it just needs to be you.

That's the type of curry
that we're gonna make, right?

All: Yes, chef.

- Team, let's go, let's go.
[cheering]

Right. Come on.
- Let's go! Let's go.

- How you feeling?
- Feeling much better, chef.

- Let's go, chef.

- Now we may have dropped down
a level but learn.

- Yes, chef.

- Think of the mistakes
you've made,

Times that by ten,

That's the same amount
of mistakes I've made.

I've just never made
that same mistake twice.

Okay, line up, guys.
Good luck.

[cheers and applause]

- That's what
I'm talking about.

That's what I'm talking about.
- Let's go!

I've had a unique life,

And I've had to battle over
obstacles to get here today.

I was in
the egyptian revolution.

No food or water for a week
and almost lost my life.

But as they say, "what doesn't
kill you makes you stronger."

And I'm here right now,
and I feel unstoppable.

- Please line up.
[cheering]

- Let's go!

- I'm running fast.
I'm running fast.

I'm running fast, baby.
Both: Let's go.

- Last time, I walked
in super confident,

And it didn't work in my favor.

But today is a new day.

I make curry all the time.

I've got my hair up.
I'm in sport mode.

I'm feeling good.

- All right, guys,

When that light changes green,
you go, yes?

- Pedal to the metal, baby.

This our kitchen.

[dramatic music]

- Go!
[timer ticking]

- Oh, yeah.
Coconut milk.

- Coconut milk.

- Even though this grab
is frantic...

Yeah, I got the shrimp--

I was just reaching
over the top of everybody

And grabbing
exactly what I want.

- Grab smart proteins,
curry paste.

- There's ginger over here,
guys.

Being on the top level,

There's so many choices,
and I'm so indecisive.

I don't know what I want,
but outta the corner of my eye,

I see a cod,
and I'm thinking,

"all right,
we're making cod curry."

- Anybody see curry powder?

- They got green curry
right here.

- Where's green curry?
Where's green curry?

- Come on, guys.
- Grab it.

- Grab, grab, grab!

- Oh, that curry powder
on the top, [bleep].

- Stand by. Here we go.

Three, two, one!

Let's go! Let's go! Let's go!
Let's go! Grab!

Oh, my, look, look at that.
There's gold there, guys.

[bleep] yeah.

Oh, my gosh, how did
a lobster tail make it

To the second floor?

- Look at that,
there's scallops.

- I got scallops right here.

- 20 seconds, guys.
Gotta grab, come on.

- Oh.
- Oh, my god. Oh, my god.

- Go squid, squid.
I gotta go squid.

Squid, man, that's not really
what I was going for.

I was hoping to grab
a red meat.

Hopefully, I can do this.

Fingers are crossed.
Fingers are crossed.

- Five seconds.
- Oh, I need--

- Grab, grab, grab.

Don't send anything down
to the basement, guys.

Little eggplants.
- Ginger, ginger.

- Grab, grab, grab,
grab, grab, grab! Okay!

Both: Whoo!
- Richard, it's all yours.

- All right, team blais,

When the light is green,
it's go time.

Go! Let's go, team blais.

There it is.

- The platform's
looking super sparse.

I mean, I see, like,
a quarter of a carrot,

Like, a piece of celery.

- Proteins up top.
- Ooh, ooh.

First protein I see
is ground lamb,

Which I'm actually
very excited about.

I see garlic, I see an onion,
I'm feeling good.

- Ten seconds. Ten seconds.

- The last thing
I grab is this glass jar

Of desiccated coconut.

And then as the platform
starts rising...

[glass shatters]
[bleep].

[tense music]

I can't believe I did that.

I don't know if I can do this
with four-ish ingredients.

- Okay, team,
your 30 minutes starts now.

Let's go.
- Blais, you good?

- No, I'm not good.

Can you send
some ingredients down?

- Richard, look.

- Send it. Send it.

- The sweater.
[laughter]

- Risks are not just
for the kitchen.

They are for wardrobes
sometimes as well.

#lobstersweater.

All right, nicole.

- I'm worried that I don't have
a lot of vegetables,

But I'm gonna go
for, like, a brown curry,

Almost like
a japanese-inspired curry

With a lot of turmeric, cumin.
- Okay, okay.

- I'm gonna make a garam masala
to go on the top as well.

- You got some galangal,
which is like ginger.

[music distorts]
- what's it called again?

- Galangal,
which is like ginger.

- "guh-lang-go," okay.

- Treat it the same way.

I mean, I've grated a lot
of ginger and galangal,

But this grater--
- not good.

- No, not good at all.
- It's okay.

We can make it work.

- You are right
about not having

Tons of vegetables, right?
- Mm-hmm.

- Like, save some of the onion
and some of the garlic

So that it can be part
of the vegetable component.

- Yes, chef.

- All right, zach,
what do we got going on?

- I'm gonna go
straight caribbean style.

I have some beautiful goat,
very familiar with that.

- Is this where the hairstyle
was inspired,

In the caribbean?
- Absolutely.

- I love it.
- Absolutely, chef.

- What are the worries
with goat?

- Goat, you know, it can be
a little bit gamey,

So I want to do
a modern plating style

To really stand out
on who I am as a chef.

- I trust you a lot, so
we're not talking about flavor,

But you're good?
- Heard, chef, yes.

- Ooh, we got
that tamarind paste.

My top pick and you grabbed
all the ingredients, love it.

We're working our way
to the top.

Lauren. All right?
- Okay.

- You got a wok going.

- Yes, I have my wok.
I'm toasting my seeds.

- Okay.
- Don't know if I should throw

This pork in, like, cut it up
and throw it in

And cook it in with the curry
or if I should sear it off.

I've never really made a curry.

I don't really eat curry.

So I don't know what to do with
this piece of meat.

- And then vegetable-wise?

- Um, the celery.
- Just celery and garlic?

- Unfortunately.
- It's the basement.

Sometimes you just
don't get ingredients.

- You just gotta get
what you gotta get.

- Sometimes you're left
with celery

And you have to make lemonade
out of it.

- Exactly.
- Literally. Okay?

All right. Let's go.
- [laughs] thank you, chef.

- Five minutes down.
Five minutes down.

[timer ticking]

- Stay ready, guys, so you
don't gotta get ready, right?

- Yes, chef!

- Ari, talk to me.

- I did not get any ingredients

That I thought I was gonna get.

- How are we preparing
the fish?

- I'm gonna crisp it up,
skin side up.

- But you can think about,
you know, it's a curry,

True curry, right?
- Sure. Sure, chef. You're r--

- Bits of potato,
little elements

That are exciting for me
to get in there with the spoon.

- Thank you, chef.
- Okay?

I'm a little worried about ari.

It's all about the grabbing.

Did she grab enough
ingredients? I don't know.

- [sighs]
I'm so pissed right now.

I'm so [bleep] pissed
right now.

There's $250,000
and a mentorship on the line,

And I've got about
four ingredients.

So I'm feeling the pressure.

[suspenseful music]

[bleep].

[tense music]

- I wish I had grabbed
more ingredients.

If I did not see any type
of garam masala, no--

- You got a bunch of herbs.
You got spices.

- But all I can do is pivot
and get going.

♪ ♪

- How we feeling, chef?
- Feeling okay.

So I'm going
with a thai red curry.

I have some toasted spices
here.

This is very raw right now.

My plan is I want to pan sear
that red snapper

And get a really beautiful,
crispy skin on it.

- Let's go.
- [laughs]

- Don't forget, guys,
where are we gonna stay?

- The top, chef.
- Yes, sir!

- 20 minutes to go.

We wanna get back up
to the top floor.

- Yes, we do, chef.

- Chris.
- Yeah?

- You're a pro chef
from southern california,

So this should be
in your wheelhouse.

- Yes, chef.

I've really never had
a turkey curry before anywhere,

So right now I'm worried.

But I'm gonna make this work.

I can actually add
in the cream, the butter,

Reduce it, and it could
actually come out creamy.

I mean, I'm chef ramsay's
number one pick.

I need to bring it
every time I cook.

- And really work those spices.
- Yes, chef.

- Izahya, how you feeling?
- I'm feeling good, chef.

- What'd you grab?
- I got some squid,

Lemon, some peppers.

I'm gonna try to make
the thai green curry

With that and with the squid.

- Get this paste working.
Get it moving, okay?

- Never really worked
with squid before.

I am a little bit worried.

It's a risk,
but no risk, no reward.

Big risk, high reward.

So that's what we're doing.

- 19 minutes to go, guys.

- Curry in a hurry, baby.

- Curry in a hurry!
- Aah!

- Big push.
All: Yes, chef.

- Mada, what do you have?

- I'm gonna marinate
the shrimp.

I'ma use the shells
and the heads...

- Beautiful.
- Just get that flavor.

- Absolutely.
- It's a worldly curry.

- Love it.
- I'm a worldly person, so--

Thank you, chef.

Fusion style has
a special place

In my heart because
of my upbringing.

Being originally from egypt,
grew up in new zealand,

Traveled the world,
food was always

That safe haven
where I could sit down

And enjoy a meal with somebody
of a different culture.

- What do you have here?
What are you smelling?

- It's a mint sauce, but when
you taste it, it's beautiful.

I'm taking a little bit
of a risk here

With the mint with the shrimp.

But I want to win so bad.

Like, it's in my nature
to just be the best.

- The thing about mint,
it doesn't love heat.

Right?
So be careful about that.

- Thank you, chef.
- Stay ready, guys.

- Stay ready. Let's go.

- Here we go.

Time for the mid-round drop.
- Oh, I need this.

The platform's coming down.

I am praying that there's
an aromatic, coconut milk,

Cilantro, something to save me,

Put some green back into
this dish.

- The only way that you can
really enjoy curry,

I'd say,
is with a beautiful flatbread.

- But no, I see flour.

We're making bread.

- Grab what you need
to make a homemade flatbread.

- This is stressful as hell.

You have all
these other things going on,

And now I have to start making
a flatbread in 15 minutes.

- Grab, grab, grab.

♪ ♪

- Wait.
[groans]

- Team ramsay, a great curry
needs a nice bread.

[clapping]
grab a flour.

- Spelt? What's spelt?
Any good, spelt?

- There's yogurt. Yogurt.

I grabbed the yogurt, perfect.

Naan bread, let's do it.

Let's go, guys.
Let's go, let's go. Let's work.

- Everyone,
it's the mid-round drop.

Grab everything that you need
to make a flatbread.

Grab a bag of flour.

Grab whatever else you want.

- I get whole-wheat flour.

Oh, yes!

I want to make a johnnycake.

It's like a fried dough
in the caribbean.

So that's gonna be
my inspiration on this one.

- Uh!
- Okay, no worries.

Back to your station.

- Halfway, guys.
15 minutes to go.

- Mm, okay.

[dramatic music]

- [bleep]. Tastes good.

- Let me help you.

- Right now I am making
the dough for...

- Good. For one little naan?
- A naan.

Yeah.
- A naan? Good.

- I started cooking,
like, two years ago

And, man, I've grown so much
from there.

For gordon ramsay
to be my mentor,

This is everything
for me, everything.

- And then don't forget
that squid at the end, yes?

- Yes, chef, I'm adding that
at the last minute.

- Let's go.
Curry in a hurry.

- Yeah, let's go.

- How we feeling, chef?
- Feeling okay, chef.

I'm gonna make a yogurt kind
of flatbread.

Um, we'll see how
that turns out.

- So smart to grab yogurt.

- I'm greek, chef.

We use yogurt with everything.
- It's so smart.

- So I have my yogurt.
I have some flour.

And at this point,
I'm not even measuring.

I'm just throwing stuff
into a bowl

Until I get
the right consistency.

I still haven't even
started cooking my fish yet.

- You have a pan going
for the fish?

- Uh, not yet. [laughs]
- let's go.

Don't forget, guys,
we have grills in here.

We have griddles.

Leave yourself time
on the back end, okay?

This is the time
to push yourself, right?

All: Yes, chef!

- How are you preparing
your fish?

- I'm putting a little bit
of turmeric,

Some spices to give it
that curry flavor.

- I see that.

Make sure that the flavors
are balanced, right?

And I want you
to keep tasting, right?

Turmeric can be kind of strong.

- Thank you, chef.

- 12 minutes left,
only 12 minutes!

Angela, how we doing?

You got your dredge working
for the soft shell crabs?

- Yup, it's already
right there.

- Okay, awesome.
You got this.

I love the composure
that you have.

- Yeah, I'm trying
to keep it together here.

Don't sweat.

- All right, nicole.
- Yeah. I feel good.

I'm a baker, so...

- Oh, there we go. Fantastic.
- This bread is gonna--

- Then how are we gonna--
we're gonna sear our lamb?

How are we gonna do that?
- Yeah.

I'm gonna get that mince
in there.

I'm gonna season it up
and it's gonna go right in.

- Just make sure that there's
enough, you know, bulk to it,

Okay?
- Yep.

- Best dish right here.
Let's do this.

- Let's get out
of the basement, okay?

All: Yes, chef!
- Heard!

- But we got to push.

- Guys, ten minutes to go,
okay?

Think about your proteins.

They should be near cooked
by now, right?

- Come on.

- Think about how
this is coming together.

Be smart with your time.
- Coming through.

So when the clock is ticking,
everyone is just in go mode.

I just know I need to get
that fish in the pan

Because I have not left enough
time for that fish to cook.

That's such an amateur mistake.

- You don't want to be in
that elimination cook tonight,

Right?
- No. Hell no.

- Nine minutes left.

Think about your proteins.

They should be near cooked
by now, right?

Keep going. Big push.

- All right, zach,
you're frying the goat.

You got lots
of vegetables over there.

- Yeah, lots of vegetables--
- you grabbed all of them.

- I'm making a sauce.

I'm gonna do
a fried johnnycake, chef,

With some goat cheese.

A little bit
of a caribbean inspiration.

- Zach, you got 1,000 things
going on, but I like it.

Keep going.

Yep, whisk, whisk,
whisk, whisk, whisk.

- Oh, that's better,
way better.

- Whoo, yes, that is
smelling so nice.

- What type of spoon is that?
- Giant wooden spoon?

- Yeah.
I'm, like, in a "harry potter,"

Going to play
some quidditch with it.

- [laughing]
it's ridiculous.

This is what we get to work
with in the basement, chef.

- Yeah, baby!

- Whoo!
- How's your protein?

- I'm feeling good
about the pork loin.

Yeah, I'm excited
about the pork loin.

- Okay, I think that's okay.
Just watch the other side.

Make sure that the temperature
is gonna be fine on it.

- It has great flavor,
so this'll be a winning dish.

- Just make sure it cooks.

And did you season that?
- I did.

- Did you taste the tomato?
- I did. It's tasting good.

- Okay, great. Listen.

My biggest concern over here
with you is just making sure

Those onions get cooked,
okay, nicole?

Make sure
the onions get cooked.

- Okay.
- Get a top on that.

Get a top on that.

We are deep in it

Here in the basement,
trying to get out of it.

Nicole threw in a bunch
of raw onions

Into her curry
right at the end,

So I'm worried that she's gonna
have this delicious curry

But with raw onions in it,
which isn't gonna be great.

I'm worried about lauren
and this pork chop.

And then zach's got
1,000 things going on,

And I don't know
if he can pull it together.

We're in a lot
of trouble down here.

It's a mess, to be honest.

[tense music]

- Six minutes now, yes?
- Yes, chef.

Right, get your pan on there
ready for those scallops.

- Yes, sir. Could you taste
that for me, chef?

- Of course.

- Yep.
- Mm-hmm.

- Good--yeah.
- Flavor?

- Get it reduced down now.
Think, think, think.

- Chef, I added
that chili spice.

- Nice, are you putting
this together, though?

Are you adding this together?
- Yes, chef.

- Don't forget, you only
want one portion, okay?

Start thinking about the plate.
- Yes, chef.

- Start thinking about
where we're going.

Five minutes to go, guys.

Gabi, is that lobster on?

- It is being cooked,
yes, chef.

- Gently on the cook, yes?
Both: Yes, chef!

- Think about that squid.
Don't overcook that.

- I will not.

My only concern with squid--

Overcook it, it's rubber.

Undercook it,
it's, like, inedible.

This isn't normally really
in my wheelhouse, but--

- Okay, remember,
the curry's the hero, okay?

Don't start worrying.
- Yes, chef.

[suspenseful music]

- You should be tasting.
- Yes, chef.

- You should be happy
with your sauces, right?

Nothing's too salty,
overpowering.

- Oh, that's beautiful,
beautiful.

- Nice little pop of sweetness
in your sauces.

Everything is balanced.

Taste, taste, taste.

I might have gotten
a little carried away

With the turmeric.

Oh, it's so stressful.

I just want to do my best,

Especially after
the last round.

- Mine's raw.

- [bleep].

Worrying about the past

Is not going to help me
in this round.

- I don't want anyone taking
it easy on this top level.

- Yes, chef.

- Right?
- Yes, chef.

- Are we slicing the steak?
Where are we going?

- Yes, chef.
I'm gonna put a little bit

Of sauce on the bottom.

- Sauce on the bottom,
sliced steak over top?

- Yes, chef.
- Go, chef.

You don't got a lot of time.
- Yes, chef.

- How's your protein?

It's cooked, right?
- Yes, sir.

- If it's not cooked,
don't plate it.

Love the crab flavor
that's in there.

Just make sure it doesn't taste
like flour, okay?

- Yes, chef.
- Go, angela.

Two minutes to go.
It's time to plate.

Is the bread cooking
at this point?

- Ooh, I need that, uh--
that's what I need.

Whew, oh, my gosh, they did
turn out pretty damn good.

- 90 seconds to go, yes?
All: Yes, chef.

- Come on, y'all, chef ramsay,
team ramsay, let's get it!

- Nice. Well done.

- Little presentation, chef.

- Beautifully done.
Now finesse it now, yes?

- Yes, chef.
- Good.

- No missed platforms.
We gotta get out

Of the basement, team blais.
- Yes, sir.

- We have to get out of here.

Both: We are.
- Okay.

- Here we go,
platform's on the move, guys!

I don't know
if I'm gonna have enough time

To finish this red snapper.

- Only 60 seconds, okay,
and that platform will be here.

Cutting it close.
Cutting it close.

How does it taste?
Are the onions cooked?

- They look good, yeah.

So as the platform
is descending,

I'm getting ready
and I'm slicing this pork

And I look at it...

[bleep].

And it's under.
[sucks teeth]

And so I scramble.

I have gotta get this in a pan

And I've gotta bring it up
to temperature

Before that platform
starts going up.

- Platform's here, guys.
The platform is here.

You gotta go right now.
You gotta go.

- Come on, zach, come on.
- Zach, you gotta go.

Lauren, you gotta go.

Lauren, you gotta go!
- Yes, chef. Yes, chef.

- Come on, lauren!
- Oh, my god.

- Lauren, you gotta go!
It's gonna be on the move.

- Come on, lauren.
- Lauren, you gotta go!

- It's going up!
- Go, go!

- Lauren, it's moving! Go, go!
- Come on!

[intense music]

Get it!

- Let's go, lauren!
[claps]

- Lauren, you gotta go!
It's gonna be on the move.

Go, go!
- It's going up!

- Lauren, lauren, come on,
come on, come on!

- Go, go!
- Come on, lauren.

- Get it! Yes!
All: Yes!

- That's what
I'm talking about!

- Is she a gymnast?

It's the most remarkable thing
I've seen on "next level chef."

- Whoo!

- Guys, the platform is here.

Well done, gabi.
Nine, eight, seven...

Wendy, move.

Six,
move, move, move, jordan...

Three, two,
go, go, go, go, go, go.

Well done! Yes.
- Good job, team!

- Aah!

- Come on, guys,
platform's here.

Platform is here.

Christina, it's not waiting
for you, girl.

Get those plates up, let's go.
[clapping]

Let's go, christina!

Look alive.

- [exhales] I gotta breathe.

I feel like I want to pass out.

I feel like I want to throw up.

My fish, like, the bottom
was a little under.

It's not up to standard,
and it does not feel good.

[suspenseful music]

♪ ♪

- Wow, look at this.

Oh, beautiful.

Let's start
on the middle floor.

Richard, you'll be happy
with this--your sweater.

This is a lobster curry.
- Oh.

- Caribbean take on it.
- Mm.

♪ ♪

- The curry, it tastes a little
bit too much like a gravy,

But the lobster is
cooked perfectly.

- Mm, this is a scallop
with a curry sauce.

- Beautiful,
really on-point cooked scallop

And a just
absolutely lovely sauce.

- Really good job.

Next is the lamb loin.

This is
a asian-inspired curry.

- That's tasty.

It tastes like a braise.

- Great job.

- This is the turkey
with butternut squash.

- Visually,
there's a lot going on.

I would say this is more salad
than it is curry to me.

- My palate's sort of searching
just for a touch of salt.

Right? Allowing those spices
to really bloom.

- I like this.
It's very hearty, very rustic.

Final one.

I was amazed
this individual grabbed these.

These are squid marinated.
A lot of peppers in there.

- Grabbing that naan bread
and dipping that

In that sauce with the calamari
is the perfect bite.

The creativity is
ten out of ten.

- Yeah, the spice level

And the salt level is right
on the edge,

But that's a good thing.
- I love this dish.

My nose is running faster than
[bleep] usain bolt right now.

[laughter]

The actual flavor
of the curry sauce,

That thing needs to be put
in a jar.

Great job.

- I know I said curry isn't
in my wheelhouse,

But, hey, after today,

Call me the curry man.

[laughs]

Let's go. Let's go.

- Moving down to the basement,

This is a crab green curry
with pickled eggplants

And bok choy
and a whole-wheat flatbread.

- Crab's cooked beautifully.

Right amount of heat in it,
but it just tastes floury.

- All right,
this is a goat tenderloin

With a caribbean-style curry
and a johnnycake.

- Goat's cooked beautifully.

Sauce is just on the verge
of being

A little bit too sweet,
personally.

- For me, this is
a bit underseasoned

And it feels
a bit compartmentalized, right?

Everything's sort of separate
on the plate.

- Okay, and then we come up
to a ground lamb tomato-based

Curry with onions,
tomato, and yogurt.

- This thing's delicious.

It's almost like
it's been cooked for hours.

It's tough to get ground lamb
tasting delicious,

But there's no toughness.

I like this.

- This is a testament
to what you can do

With only three
or four ingredients.

- I was trying to not cry when
they were talking about my dish

Because I couldn't believe
how much they loved it.

- Okay, lastly, a pan-seared
curry-spiced pork chop

With a red curry

And some pickled celery
and some frybread.

- So visually, the dish looks
a little bit messy, right?

- This chef struggled getting
to the platform on time.

- Damn, what a shame.

It's undercooked.
- Yeah.

- It's on the verging of raw.

[lauren sighs]

- Right now, I am feeling guilt

For letting down my team,
and I am scared.

- Shall we move to the top
floor, nyesha, with you?

- So first up, we have
a strip steak prepared

With a green curry sauce
and a grilled naan bread.

- The strip is beautiful.
It's on point.

- And I love the authenticity
in the curry.

- Next up, a turmeric curry.
This chef used cod.

- The actual cod is cooked
beautifully, but it's just lost

Because it's so heavily
seasoned with turmeric.

- For me, I think the turmeric
is a little overpowering.

There's really nowhere
for my palate to go.

It's sort of one-note.

Next up, we have a red snapper
with a red curry sauce.

- Yeah, I mean, it looks like
a restaurant dish.

- Curries aren't supposed
to look glamorous

But it does look on point.

Sadly, the snapper
is undercooked.

And see, it just needs
another two minutes.

Damn, what a shame.

- The one thing you don't wanna
mess up is your hero protein.

Luckily, I have
this immunity pin.

But having this pin doesn't
take away any of that anxiety

When it comes down to judgment.

- Next up, we have a pork belly
with the asian curry

With a beautiful
grilled naan bread.

♪ ♪

- It took me a while to chew
through the pork belly here.

It's chewy and sweet.
- Yeah, it's very sweet.

- Next up, we have
a worldly curry.

This chef took inspiration from
different parts of the world

By using a mint chutney
and folding it in

With the shrimp.

- Well, I'm not too sure
which part of the world

This curry is from...

But I would like to go there.

It's delicious.

It's a really good curry.

- It means so much to me
because I try to bring

Different flavors and different
cultures into my dish.

I pour my heart and soul
into these dishes.

- This dish takes my palate
on a journey.

- It's almost like
the united nations of curry.

Right, based on that tasting,
we got a lot to talk about.

♪ ♪

- How y'all feeling?

- I'm praying to god because
they said yours tasted amazing.

I hope you get top dish.

- I can't breathe.

Waiting for that judgment,
I'm thinking...

[sighs]

"I didn't want
to let my daughter down."

I am gonna, like,
pass out right now.

- Well, this is gonna be
a tough conversation

For you, richard,
but let's talk about

The weakest performance issues
of the day.

The raw pig,
what happened there?

- Pork was undercooked.

- It wasn't just undercooked.
It was raw.

- The bread,
the bread was fantastic.

- I thought the bread
was seasoned nicely.

Like, I appreciate
that they actually seasoned it.

- Guys, the pork was raw.
What does it matter?

The snapper, the puree was just
refined and finessed and it was

Just a fine dining curry.
- Velvety. Absolutely.

- Sadly let down
with the snapper undercooked.

A great shame.

The turmeric cod?

- The turmeric,
it was pretty overpowering.

Your palate gets blown out.

- It tasted turmeric-heavy.

- You have an opportunity
to get top dish.

- Come on, let's go.

- But can I get into, like,
to me what was

The most surprising dish?
- Sure.

- That shrimp curry.
- I know!

The mint chutney folding
that in at the end.

- That was good.
- Smart.

- The squid, it was tender.

- It's so easy to overcook it.
- Oh, it's delicious.

I really enjoyed that squid.

- You grabbed the hardest
protein in the squid.

Both: Yeah.
- The lamb spiced curry,

It was melting in my mouth.
- Like an onion.

- Yeah.
- You know, tough protein,

Only five ingredients,
and they made it happen.

- Excellent. Shall we?

- Yes.
- Yeah.

- We good?

Only one dish today
will keep their team safe

And head straight into
that top flight kitchen

Next time round.

And that dish belongs to...

♪ ♪

Izahya.
[cheering]

- What did I tell you?
- I'm proud of you.

- What?
- Oh, my god.

[triumphant music]

- [laughs]

I'm so excited right now.

We got the best dish,
man, best dish.

- You are safe.
Head back to the lounge.

- Get back to the top.
[laughter]

- So bummed right now
that I didn't get top dish.

But you know what?

My kids know that in life,

There are winners and losers,

And you have to know how
to do both.

I'm gonna come back better
and stronger in the next time.

- Now, nyesha, richard,

Each of you must nominate
a member of your team

To head into the elimination.

Richard, who are you sending
into the elimination?

- I'm sending the chef up who

Just didn't have a great day
of it--

Lauren.

I know you can win
the elimination.

- I'm gonna make you proud.
- Okay.

- I'm not happy that I'm going

Into elimination
for this today.

But normally, I'm cooking
at 41,000 feet with turbulence

And people yelling at me.

So I think I'm gonna be right
at home here.

- Nyesha.

- The person
that will be heading

Into the elimination cook
tonight...

[suspenseful music]

It's gonna be ari.

- [exhales]

I feel good,
but not that good.

So it's still, like,
a super reality check.

- Ari, the turmeric
really overpowered your fish.

I know you can come back out
of that elimination.

- Absolutely. Thank you, chef.

- For this elimination battle,

You'll both be making
a modern next level take

On another indian classic,
the incredible butter chicken.

- Yes.

- It's a beautifully cooked
chicken

In a tomato gravy.

- Butter chicken,
I have never cooked it.

I have never eaten it.

But I've gotta beat
a professional chef,

So I have to figure it out.

- All of you, make your way up
to the top floor.

I'll see you momentarily.

- Let's go, ari.
- Let's go.

- You got this.
- You got this, lauren.

Technique.
You got this, lauren.

- Thank you, chef.

- Technique and flavor.

- Stay in that middle kitchen,
let's go.

- Yes, chef. Heard.

[impressive music]

[cheering and chanting]
- oh, my god!

- Ari! Ari!
- Whoo!

- Come on, lauren.
You got this, girl.

- I think I can prove myself in
this challenge.

I'm a professional chef.

I let my team down and I wanna
come back and fight.

- Whoo!
- Yeah.

- Okay, right, ladies,
how we feeling?

- Good, chef.
- Confident, chef.

- Good. 25 minutes
for an amazing butter chicken.

Both: Yes, chef.
- Let's go.

- If I see lauren get
in my way, I'm pushing.

This is elimination round.
This is not a game.

- And go! Let's go!
- Come on, lauren!

- Come on, lauren!
- Come on, ari!

- Come on, lauren.
Both: Oh!

- She took off for that grab.

- I grab chicken thighs.

I love chicken thighs.
They're so moist.

And I'm thinking,
"oh, my god, gold."

- Ginger, garlic, onions.

Tomato puree.
- She's got it right there.

- Get some nuts.
Get some almonds.

- Nuts, nuts.
- Ginger. Grab that ginger.

Grab that ginger. Grab that--
- little ginger down low.

- Let's go.

- You have a good base
right there, yeah?

- Yes.
- You grabbed the thighs.

- Chicken thighs.
- Smart.

So you're gonna marinate
the chicken first, yes?

What you gonna marinate it in?

- In yogurt, tomato paste.
- Mm-hmm.

- Okay, yes, with the yogurt.
That's the way to do it.

- All right, let's start.

Start that marinade.
- Yes, chef.

- Lauren, ever made
a butter chicken before?

- I have never and I've never
even tried this dish before.

[tense music]

- It's not complicated,
but it's all in the flavor

Of that butter chicken.

Don't leave it too long
before you start marinating

That chicken, please, yes?
- Yes, chef.

- The marinade, this is
the part you take more time on.

- Beautiful, beautiful.

Get that marinade
and get that going.

- That's it, let it sit there.
Right.

Start with your tomatoes.
Now get your sauce on.

- Let's go. Let's go.
Get that marinade going.

You need some more red
in there, ari.

- Do you have tomato paste?

- I don't see tomato paste.

Do you see it?
- She needs tomatoes for--

- Where?

- Start getting that chicken
in marinade, please.

- Right in the front.
Both: Tomatoes.

- Come on, you don't have
that much time.

Get your chicken
in the marinade.

- Your left, left, left, left.
- Left, ari. Left.

- Get your chicken
in the marinade!

- Five minutes gone, guys.

[dramatic music]

- Ari, lauren, taste, taste,
taste, please, yes?

- I'm gonna get my chicken
in the pan right now.

- Yep.
- Oh, she's going in already.

- Oh, here we go.
- You got time, dude.

Let that marinate.
Let that marinate.

- I'm gonna put the chicken
in first, then brown it

A little bit,
then I'm gonna add the sauce.

- There you go.
She got a plan. She got a plan.

- I got a plan, baby.
- Yeah, love it.

- Make sure it's hot.
- Love it.

Chef lauren, is there any ghee
on the platform?

- Yes, I have ghee.
Good call.

- Ghee, see? That's it.
- Ghee.

- There you go.
- That's good.

- Every indian dish starts
with ghee.

- Right, how you doing?

- Doing good, chef.
- Good.

Chicken is in the marinade,
which is good.

- Yes.
- Start on your tomato gravy.

- Got it.

- Ari, come on, come on.
- Come on, ari.

We gotta get that chicken
on too.

- You got garlic in there?

- Oh, no.
- They look stressed.

Look at--her team
looks stressed.

- Come on, ari.
Start getting your pan heated.

- Halfway, ladies.
Halfway point, yes?

- Feel the hot spots, ari.
- Hot spots over here.

- Stay on that side.
Stay on that side.

- Is she grill--
- she's grilling it!

- Ooh!
- Oh!

- Go, I'll tell you
when to flip it, go!

Work on the--go.
- Yeah.

- This is stressful.
- I don't know why

She put her chicken
this far behind her.

Traditionally,
it's cooked in the sauce.

Okay, so she's making
so much hard work for herself

By being over there,
the chicken is over here.

Both: Ari!

- Flip this chicken and finish
it in the sauce.

- Finish it in the sauce?
- Finish it in the sauce.

- So that it's close to you.
- Go check your chicken thighs.

- Ready?
- Char on it--both sides.

Both: Just flip it.
- And bring it back.

- Flip it, bring it back.
- Oh, god. Chill. Ch--oh!

[all groan]

- No.

- She didn't grill
the other side.

- Chop it up and finish it.
Slice it, let's go.

♪ ♪

- Oh, my god, that's so raw.
- Oh!

- I hope she diced it.

- No, it's in strips!

- Ari, get that in!
- You got this, ari!

Both: Get it in!

[all groaning]

- Ari.

- What are you doing?
- Oh.

♪ ♪

- What's the time, chef?

- Six minutes to go.

- Six minutes, baby,
you got this.

- Now you're taking me
to india, let's go.

- Come on, ari.

- Make sure your flavors
are there.

It doesn't need to look pretty.
It's curry.

- I have some hope
because I'm thinking,

"I make curry all the time."

I know the flavor,
and I have the best chef

In the world helping me
right now.

There's no way I can lose.

- Now those flavors are
developing, aren't they?

- Yes.
- Developing really well.

- Get that cinnamon piece.

- You can probably just throw
a stick in your sauce.

- I'm gonna throw it in with
the chicken right now actually.

- I like the cinnamon stick.
- With the cinnamon.

- Does it need salt?
It need anything?

- ♪ whoo-hoo-hoo ♪

This is very hot.

- Spicy?
- More lime.

- Lauren, add it to one pan.
- One pan.

- Add it all. Dump it in there.

- All in there, yep.
- Heard.

- Four minutes.

- Okay, sauce looks good.

- How's that flavor now?

- How you feeling, lauren--
- I think it's perfect, chef.

- It tastes really good.
- Come on, girl.

- Push those flavors out,
both of you, yes?

Both: Yes, chef.

- It tastes great to me,

But does it taste
like butter chicken?

I have no idea.

- Okay, ladies,
last two minutes.

Start plating, let's go.
- Come on, ari! You got this!

- Don't rush.
You got two minutes!

- Yes!
- Bring it home, baby!

- That looks amazing.
You did great.

- Come on, ari, make sure
it's green, come on.

Do you need it?
- Do you think you need--

- All right, all right,
put the almonds--

- Buttery sauce.
- Get it.

- Come on.
Bring it home, ari.

- Oh, bro.

- Ten, nine, eight, seven,
six, five, four...

All: Three, two, one.

- Well done.
[cheering]

Really well done.
- Whoo!

[suspenseful music]

[applause]

- Okay, richard and nyesha,

That was a seriously
high-pressured cook,

Two beautiful butter chickens.

Let's start
with the thigh butter chicken.

Please dig in.

♪ ♪

- It's seasoned really well.
I can taste the spices.

When I sliced into the chicken,
I got a lot of skin.

There's a sort of
thin film of fat

That's, like,
hugging my palate.

- Yeah, I mean, the spices
are a little powdery,

Like maybe they didn't get
quite blended into the sauce.

It's missing a little bit
of salt for me,

But I am nitpicking here.

Tastes good.

- The next one was made
with a breast.

Please dig in.

♪ ♪

- Really, the challenge
is the balance

Between the acidity
of the tomato,

The spices,
and the creaminess of it.

Then you're telling me
it's a breast,

It's eating like a thigh.

It's super, super tender.

It might not be as creamy as
a traditional butter chicken,

But yeah, that's tasty.

- You know, for me, this is
about layers of flavor.

There's a beautiful brightness,
and there's a lovely tang

That really shines through.

I love the sliced almonds,

A beautiful contrast to
that delicious sauce.

- Interesting.
Both of you, thank you.

Okay, now for the decision
that we dislike making.

Two incredible butter chickens.

Nyesha, which one are
you sending home, please?

- The butter chicken
that I will be sending home

Will be the butter chicken...

Made with a thigh.

- Thank you.

Richard, which butter chicken
are you sending home?

- Wow, not easy.

Little bit of difference
with one aspect of the dish.

To me, the dish
that I'm eliminating is the...

♪ ♪

Butter chicken...

With a chicken thigh.

- Damn.
That dish was cooked by ari.

[somber music]

Oh, dear.

[all groan]
- ari.

- Ari.
- That's okay.

- I just wanna give her a hug,
you know?

- Ari, it was
an interesting point

That nyesha made
about the skin.

I understand why you grilled it

'cause you wanted flavor
in there.

But in my estimation,
you're going out on a high.

- Yeah. Thank you, chef.
- Seriously, well done.

- You should be so proud
of yourself.

- Thank you, chef. I am.

[cheers and applause]

I did not play it safe at all
in any of the challenges.

I had the hot dogs.

I took the ostrich meat.

And I'm so proud of myself
for doing that

And having the courage to come

In front of the best chefs
in the world

And, you know,
put myself to the test.

And I fought to the end,
and that's all I could ask for.

- Ah, lauren, well done.
- Thank you, chef.

- A home chef taking down
a seasoned pro.

Think about that.

- Home chef just, like,
kicked butt against a pro chef?

This challenge has given me
the confidence to know

That I am gonna be the one

That takes us up
to that top floor next.

- Right, I want all of you
to get some rest

Because the next time
we see you,

It is not going to be a day
at the beach.

Good night.
- Ho-ho!

- Cocktails?
- Cocktails, my arse.

- Yeah!
[laughter]

- "cocktails."

♪ ♪

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

- Top kitchen, baby, we back!

- Today, you'll have 30 minutes
to create a fish dish

From a tropical island cuisine.

- Whoo!

- Turn the heat up.

- I gotta do what I gotta do
to stay in this competition.

- Half of it's excellent.

Half of it's this weird
regurgitated baby food.

- This is crazy.

It's the hunger games
right here.

- Izahya, you gotta go, my man.
Gotta go!

Gotta go, go, go!
- Oh!

- I think the competition
is, like, really

Kind of getting to me.

♪ ♪