Original subtitles

Gordon: Previously on "next level chef"...

Let's go!

Your main challenge for today is devoted to Italy.

The chef who creates the best dish will keep their team safe from elimination cook-off.

And that dish was the spaghetti and clams.

- Congrats, jonathan. - ♪ oh, my god

richard: Gordon and nyesha, you each have to pick one

of your chefs to battle it out in the elimination.

I am not ready to go home.

Richard: One brought more flavor than the other.

It's the pork stir fry by zach.

Zach: It's wake up call I needed.

Richard: Roice, you will not be the next level chef.

Gordon: Tonight, we have chosen the perfect ingredient

for today's challenge-- poultry.

I can't mess up a bird dish.

The other kitchens have already grabbed anything that I could possibly use.

I don't even know what I have.

- You overcook poultry and you are donezo. - Dry as a bone.

I'm worried that I may be going into elimination today.

My biggest concern is that mistake could send me home.

What are you trying to do? Kill me?

( music playing )

line up.

How is everyone feeling today?

All: Good.

All of you, just think back to why we chose you.

We tasted that magic and we fought for that dish.

So remember what team you're cooking for

and why you're wearing those aprons.

All: Yes, chef.

Ready for your next challenge?

All: Yes, chef.

Nyesha, richard, and myself have chosen the perfect ingredient

for today's challenge,

something every single one of you

has worked with before.

Poultry.

- Chicken. - Oh, chicken.

Okay.

That's a bird. I'm a bird.

My twitch username is literally triciaisabirdy.

I can't mess up a bird dish.

There are dozens of different types of fowl

that a next level chef should be able to prepare perfectly.

- Oh, so different types of... - Oh, my god.

Okay, team ramsay,

grab a keycard, head over to the elevator,

and that will determine what floor you're cooking on.

Thank you. You grab it. I don't want to touch it.

- Me? I plead the fifth. - Yeah.

Good luck, team ramsay. Hope you're in the basement.

- No, we're not going to the-- - we're gonna get the dungeon.

Don't say it! I don't want the dungeon.

Dungeon!

I do not want to see the basement.

We're not gonna be in the basement.

- Open sesame. All right. - Let's go. Let's look at it.

- It's all right. - Haven't been wrong yet.

- Okay. - Oh, my god, it is a dungeon.

Oh, wow.

Why? Why?

Is this a washing machine? And is it on?

- Oh, this the oven. - Bottom level is pretty bad.

Anyone know what this is for?

That's for a mashed potato.

What big-ass potatoes are you mashing?

When you cook for hundreds of people,

that's what the ( bleep ) that is.

If there's ever a zombie apocalypse,

I want that potato masher so I could, like,

whack the zombies with it away from me.

Not that I would survive long enough in an apocalypse, to be honest.

What the--

( cheering )

- let's go! - We get second pick.

- Whoo! - Yeah.

Those elevator doors open, and we're on the second floor,

and I am lit.

- Hey, I have these! - Mm-hmm. Me, too.

- Yeah, I love these plates. - Mm-hmm.

I feel very good about the equipment that's in there.

It's not the basement. Everything works.

- No whammy! - No whammy, no whammy, no whammy!

Daddy needs a new pair of shoes.

- This is it. - This is it for us.

- Hey, hey! - This is it.

- I want that one. I want that one. - Hurry here.

( squealing )

I've never had the opportunity to cook on the top level,

and I'm beyond excited.

We still five members of our team,

and I think that at least one of us

is going to have a star dish coming out

of that level of a kitchen.

So excited!

Okay, basement.

Today I'm gonna push you. We got this?

All: Yes, chef.

One thing I'm gonna bring is some flavor, okay?

- There he is! - All right, chefs. All right,

- there he is. - What's up, team blais?

- Thank you. - Richard: We're team trailblaisers.

We're innovative. We're creative.

If my chefs can elevate their dishes

from the middle level,

we will keep team trailblaisers four strong.

- Hi, chef! - Hi, team. How are we feeling?

- Spicy. - My team has gone into the elimination twice,

and I'm still standing here strong with five.

- I wanna keep it that way. - All: Team nyesha!

- Nyesha's on top. - ( groans )

- she hasn't lost anybody yet. - We're not gonna lose anyone today, chef.

- We need to get someone off of chef nyesha's team. - Here we go!

- Here we go, guys. First picks. - We are ready!

First picks, guys. Go!

- Go, go, go, go. - Go, go, go, go.

We're on top. Let's stay on top.

Poultry sounds very simple and benign,

but it could be anything with wings--

odds and ends, organs, really iron-dense, tough meats.

- 20 seconds left. - I need a pepper.

I don't know what to do. I'm panicking.

Oh, what am I gonna cook that's gonna wow?

None of this to me is wow factor.

But then I see an ostrich loin. It's a great protein.

It's different than every other protein up there,

and I'm gonna make this amazing.

- Nyesha: Four, three, two, one. - Is there a fruit?

Let's go, guys. Grab what you need while it's still here.

Come on, guys. Nice.

Good job. Good job. Good job.

Hustle, hustle, hustle. Good job.

- Here we go. - We got this, trailblaisers.

- Go time. All right. - Go, go, go, go!

- ( muttering ) - they are grabbing like no other.

- Thanks. - Grab your protein.

- Hey, leave us some ingredients, please! - Oh, my god.

Courtney: I see these little chicken looking things

and I pick it up.

Okay, I have quail.

I've never cooked quail before. How do I go about this?

Four, three, two, one.

Last grab. Anything else you need?

Anything else you need? You got it?

Careful. All right, back to your stations.

Let's go. Let's get organized.

Here we go, guys. Go! Let's go, let's go, let's go!

Grab something. Come on, tricia.

I got the pigeon.

Grab, grab, grab. Come on.

Oh, my gosh. You almost made me drop my bird.

- 15 seconds gone. - Either someone on my team or the other kitchens

has already grabbed anything that I could possibly use.

Like, this is the worst case scenario right now.

Gordon: Five, four, three, two, one.

Watch out! Quick, quick, quick! Well done!

Well done, well done, well done.

- Tricia, you got a pigeon! - I did.

- How did that pigeon fly down here? - I don't know, chef.

- Girl, this is it! - Thank you, chef.

- I want the best dish of the day. - Yes, chef.

You have the rolls-royce of poultry.

I don't even know what I have.

- Gordon: What did you grab? - It has nothing on it.

- Chicken livers. Chicken livers. - Chicken livers. Okay.

Chicken freaking livers.

Okay.

I've never cooked with chicken livers,

I've never eaten chicken livers,

and they're sitting in a pool of blood. Yuck!

( gagging )

I'm worried. What am I gonna make?

Let's go. Your 45 minutes start now.

Good luck. Let's go, guys.

Richard and nyesha's chefs are probably up there

sitting pretty with all their beautiful poultry choices.

I can't afford to lose another chef right now,

but I've got four amazing chefs remaining,

and I tell you now, I'm pretty confident in their ability

to make their dishes the next level.

Right, kenny, what'd you get?

- Pheasant. - Very little fat in that.

Pheasant overcooks within seconds, so be smart.

Tell me, chicken livers, did you want those?

Nope. Not at all. I said I wanted to push myself,

and doing something I've never done before is definitely gonna do that.

Good. Well, they are definitely gonna push you.

My name is devonnie.

I'm a stay at home mom and a home cook.

Hey.

I want to show other moms

that it's not too late.

Have your baby, and then find your joy and find your peace.

Look at that.

So many reasons why I'm here.

A quarter of million dollars?

Like, I could start my own culinary business.

I could actually realize my dreams.

They wouldn't just live in my head.

Mmm.

I'm in it to win it,

and I will make it to the top.

( baby crying )

all right, motherhood calls.

Tell me about the dish. Where are we going?

I think I'm gonna do some kind of rice dish, so maybe a jambalaya.

I'm gonna have the chicken livers inside mixed in,

but then I'm also gonna fry some for texture and put them on top.

Nice. So we have to incorporate some really good flavor in there.

Ooh, I'm shaking. Shaking like a leaf!

♪ shaking like a salt shaker

so, I'm gonna make an asian-inspired turkey breast.

- Yeah? Okay, great. - I'm also feeling

that we could do an asian spice dusted chicharrón with the skin.

- It's a winning dish if you pull it off, okay? - You think so?

I mean, I wouldn't say it if I didn't think it.

Poultry can be tricky because if you overcook poultry,

it is dry as a bone, and you are donezo.

There's no going back.

Okay.

Sergio, are you familiar with cornish game hen?

- I am not. No, first time. - Oh, first time?

- First time. - This isn't chicken.

What this is is a cornish g--

is a cornish gain-- a "gain."

I don't know what it is. I can't say it.

( bleep ) this thing.

Nyesha: Tell me about your plan.

We're gonna do scalloped sweet potatoes.

We're gonna do a peppered beurre blanc.

- Beautiful. - And a roasted garlic broccolini.

I wanna diversify flavors because that's just always what I do.

I live to do this. I love it.

My name is sergio steele,

I run meal prep company, and I'm 26 years old.

I did not go to culinary school

because I don't believe in school.

Go out there on the field, learn it yourself,

and you can turn that two years into ten years of knowledge.

I'm really happy to be on team nyesha.

She's someone I could learn a lot from,

not just in culinary, but the way she holds herself.

I really respect it.

Going into this competition, I'm the youngest person there,

and I'm gonna be there to take all those older people

and show them what the young guns can do.

Resting's gonna be very important, right?

- Absolutely. - Don't wait to the very end.

At the end of the day,

I just wanna keep it nice and moist,

and, well, cook it beautifully.

What's the plan, angie?

I'm gonna do a savory ostrich tenderloin chicken broth.

- Much experience with ostrich? - Not a lot, but I have had it.

I do understand that it is a very lean meat.

- Very lean meat. Absolutely. - Yes.

My goal is for the judges to have something to talk about.

"whoa! Ostrich."

pushing these dishes to be excellent, yes?

All: Yes, chef.

Nyesha: These guys better be scared down there.

Anybody of have flour? I have flour. Idiot.

Good. Right.

We're 10 minutes in with 35 minutes to go.

There's something exciting about being dumped in the basement.

That level of creativity is tenfold, agreed?

All: Yes, chef.

What the ( bleep ) is at the bottom of this?

Dirty ( bleep ) pan. Great.

- Reuel, tell me, what did you grab? - Protein, I got oysters.

Now tell me what we're gonna do with these oysters.

I'm gonna do almost like a play on korean fried chicken.

A little bit heat, a little bit of spice.

If you ever look at a chicken thigh,

there's this little piece that sticks out

on the top bone that joins on to the back.

That's the oyster.

It's tender, it's juicy,

it's a primo cut.

And the fact that it actually went down to the basement?

I was like, "yeah, they stupid for leaving that on there."

okay, pigeon, an absolute dream.

The most expensive poultry on that platform, and it ends down in the basement.

Let me tell you something. There are pigeons all over the bronx.

I'm not looking to put any of them on my stovetop, okay?

I just picture, like, the pigeons that are flying around in the sky,

and then they're just on the plate with their feathers like...

- How are you gonna cook it? - I'm gonna sear it, just the breast, chef.

- And the rest of the bones, I'm gonna make a jus. - Nice.

I feel like chef ramsay does believe in me.

I think I need to believe in myself a lot more.

After every dish, I've been that kid that's like, "oh, I failed."

and I know how good you are on social media.

- I know that. But I need to see you now. - Yes, chef.

I'm tricia wang, and I'm a social media chef.

I primarily stream on twitch, where I have over 60,000 followers.

I am going to make a japanese breakfast on stream today.

In college, I actually majored in economics and accounting.

I moved to become an investment manager, but it wasn't my passion.

I quit and decided to go to culinary school.

My parents were kind of like, "go have your fun,

but come back and do something productive with your life."

I want to win this competition

to prove to myself, my parents,

chef ramsay, and my followers

that I made the right choice, I am good enough.

- Stand by for surprises. - Oui, chef.

- Just over 25 minutes left, guys. - Heard, chef.

You know what we're missing here with all these poultry dishes?

Beautiful greens.

That platform is coming down.

Oh, my gosh.

I forgot about the special secret ingredient drop.

- I don't have a game plan. - Nyesha: One basket of greens.

What's gonna add the most to your dish?

- I need color. I need color. - Make it make sense.

- Color's important, yes, but what's the flavor? - Move, move, move, move.

As the platform starts dropping, I do look over and I see a beautiful purple kale.

Oh, purple kale! ( bleep )

I get frisée. This definitely sucks.

It doesn't really define "next level chef."

please do not put me in the position to send any of my teammates home.

Right now, it's not looking so good for me.

Yes, chef!

Get what you need for your dish. One basket of greens.

Oh, purple kale. ( bleep )

guys, listen. Everyone's gotta run to the platform.

You gotta grab one basket of greens.

- Good, god! For this? - A whole basket?

You get one variety, but grab the whole basket.

Three, two, one. Last looks.

- Aah! - Oh, good call. Glad you got it.

Greens, all of you.

Grab a basket of greens.

Let's go!

Five, four, three, two, one.

And go!

Reuel: I need color.

And that purple and green kale,

I was like, "yep, thank you."

- what'd you get? - Kale. It seems to be my saving grace so far.

- It needs cooking, that. Yeah? - Yes.

- It needs cooking. - How you feeling?

I saw that purple kale though.

That was calling my name last minute.

I grabbed frisée.

I like to see it as a garnish.

I might do a vinaigrette.

- Make a vinaigrette to toss-- - yes.

- Okay, I just wanna make sure I'm tracking. - Yep, yep.

- It is payoff. - Richard: All right, time's running out.

Mariah, as usual, you got 29 things happening over here.

- That's my personality. - That's great. It's my personality too.

Mariah: Growing up, I was raised by a single mother.

My father was abusive, and so my mother moved us around a lot.

We lived in homeless women's shelters.

♪ please let me find my strength ♪

♪ please let me find my way

when I found the kitchen, it was my safe place.

I guess food rescued me.

It really helped save me and directed the course of my life.

I because a private chef about two years ago,

and right now, I particularly work

for one client in houston, texas.

I want to win "next level chef" because I want to inspire

other women who look like me

and came from places that I came from.

I know what I'm doing in the kitchen,

and I am a force to be reckoned with.

- So you have your tostada. - Uh-huh.

You got the cheese that's gonna go on top.

- And I was gonna fry these, make them crispy. - Yep, done. That's it.

I'm gonna go to mexico with this. All right.

All right, ae, you gotta go. Okay, that's enough broccoli for all of us to eat dinner.

I'm making a peking duck inspired dish.

I know I want the skin to be crispy, but I'm stressed out.

I wanna contribute to my team, you know?

Jonathan saved my ass the other day,

and I wanna save his today.

So you're going as close as you can get

to a peking duck breast.

- Yes, yes. - Okay, so this is great.

You're gonna serve it whole, like, just one breast like that?

- Yes. Thank you, thank you. - This is all about cooking the duck perfectly

- and making a delicious sauce. - Talk to me about your plan.

I got some chicken I'm putting into the sous vide.

Yep. What chicken do you have?

- I got drumsticks. - Why are we sous viding?

I just want it nice and tender.

This one's done.

- So we have treviso. - Yes, chef.

- What's the plan? - I'm gonna add that to my salsa.

I'm gonna keep it fresh today.

Once I put it all together,

I thought to myself, "wow, this is bomb."

if I open a restaurant after this,

I'm putting this on the menu. Like, this is fire.

Some amazing aromas coming out of this kitchen, guys.

We not playing no games today.

Keep it going, guys.

That's enough time with that pasta. Cut it with a knife, honestly.

- It'll be so much cleaner. - Heard, chef.

Okay, stop what you're doing. Check your pigeon.

- Yes, chef. - Pinch the breasts.

Tricia: I have a lot of components to finish.

I still need to sauté the hearts.

I still need to get my vegetables on.

I want our food looking like the top flight kitchen, yes?

- All: Yes, chef. - I really want to do well,

which is hard when there's so many different things and, like, two stoves,

and chef ramsay being like, "what are you doing?"

and I'm like, "I don't know anymore, chef."

- yes, chef. - Bang, bang, bang.

Remember that synchronization of organization? Remember?

Yes, chef. Yes, chef.

Courtney: How's everybody doing?

Great. How about you, courtney?

- I'm doing fine. - Excellent.

Just waiting till we get a few seconds closer

to hit my spinach.

On the mid-round drop, I grabbed spinach.

I'm just gonna sauté it quickly, and I'm gonna rest my quail

on top of it so that it has a little height.

Should I add just a little bit of sour cream to my slaw?

Great idea, 'cause usually you'd add mayonnaise, right?

Correct. I usually would.

Okay, this dish is coming together.

- You're on fire right now. - And my cilantro.

Now keep going with everything you're thinking about.

Courtney was the last draft pick,

but she's got lots of potential.

Her percentage of improvement is incredible.

I think that the quail dish could be the dish

that saves trailblaisers today, for sure.

God, I am so anxious! I cannot.

Don't! Stop. You got this.

You know how to cook, girl. Cook.

How you feeling, chef? Coming together?

Feeling good. I'm landing an airplane right now, flying on in.

- Make sure the color is flavor, yes? - Yes, chef.

- I wanna eat with my eyes first. - Yes, chef.

Two minutes left, guys. Let's start plating.

- Start plating. - Oh, yeah, that's sexy right there.

- Less than two minutes. - ( bleep )

let's go, jonathan. We're plating now, right?

- Yes, we're plating. - Okay, you gotta go.

Tacos, they're tougher to plate.

- People think that's easy. - Yes, chef.

I love your mise en place, mariah.

45 seconds to go. Kenny, you gotta move your ass.

The platform is moving.

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

- ( overlapping chatter ) - let's go.

Ten, nine, eight, seven,

- six, five... - I'm here. I'm here.

You're not! Get over there!

- Right here, right here. - Two, one, and go!

- Go, go! Jeez! - Let's go!

- Kenny: It's on there. I was wiping it, chef. - Dude!

Man, what are you trying to do, kill me?

15 seconds. You only got 15 seconds.

- I got-- I need to put my sauce. - 15 seconds though!

Let's go, courtney. Let's go, jonathan.

You're the furthest away from the platform.

Come on, you guys! Come on, courtney, put it on the platform!

- Four... - Come on.

- ...Three, two, one. - Put it on.

There it is. Last looks. Last looks! Last looks!

- Get it up there, baby. Whoo! - ( bleep )

I forgot the feta. Damn it!

Let's go, guys. Platform's here.

Platform's here, guys.

- Oh, ( bleep ). We are top level. - Good job.

Good job, good job. Let's go, let's go.

Ten, nine, eight, seven,

- six, five, four... - Sergio! Sergio!

- Three, two... - ( overlapping chatter )

- sergio! - Right here, right here, right here, right here.

Good teamwork. Good teamwork right there.

- Whew! - Yes!

They look like top level dishes right there.

- Next level dishes. - Team nyesha dishes.

All: Yes, yes.

- One, two, three. - All: Team nyesha!

Look at me.

The finesse is on each and every one of your plates.

Beautifully done.

- What's wrong? - Proud of myself, chef.

You should be proud of yourselves.

You should be! Come on!

Devonnie: We're all proud of you.

Tricia: This dish is very me.

It has an asian influence

with some creativity on there,

a little bit of boldness, a little bit of nervousness.

- One of these dishes is gonna save this team. - Gordon: Man!

- Come on. Good girl. - ( bleep )

I think I forgot the feta.

- You forgot the what? - Feta.

- Huh? - The feta.

- Oh, yeah, that'll-- - ( bleep )

I needed that feta for that extra little bit of salt on my tostada.

That is such a huge mistake because it could send me home.

Oh, gosh.

Oh, my god.

If anything, I'm just upset with myself

in not doing what I know I should be doing,

which is double check to make sure I had everything on the plate.

My biggest concern is that that feta cost me $250,000.

- Yeah. - What an incredible 45 minutes.

All of you, well done.

This is a very tough challenge, poultry.

And on top of that, the infusion of the greens from the mid-round drop

to pair with it was not easy.

- Shall we dig in? - Let's do it.

Let's start with the top floor, the top flight kitchen.

- We have an ostrich tenderloin. - Ostrich.

This looks like something I'd eat in the neighborhood bistro.

It's got a homey sort of feel to it.

I love it.

I'd run a mile away from ostrich.

I'd run faster than a ( bleep ) ostrich to get away from that,

so whoever picked that already tells me

the bold tenacity of what they're about.

( bleep )

devonnie: I don't even know how to cook that.

What temp do you aim for? Is that a medium rare?

Whoever cooked this is probably someone you gotta watch out for too.

Here we have a jamaican-inspired chicken wing...

- Wow. - And we have a treviso salsa.

I mean, that has to be the most elevated chicken wing in the country tonight, right?

Absolutely.

Amazing brininess and sweetness

coming off the bacon in the salsa as well.

Uh, treviso, do something more with those, the ones you laid down.

Hit it in the pan for 30 seconds and sort of get a little bit

of that bitterness out there.

Next up, we have a drumstick.

This person has sous vide'd the drumsticks.

I mean, for me, I'd worry less about using the circulator

and more about using salt.

It's sort of a cajun-inspired biscuits and gravy.

It looks very rustic, very homely.

Ooh-la-la. Wow.

- That's it, right? - Yes, baby.

We all know you want an extra thousand likes

on any social media platform, you put an egg on it.

Gordon: Yeah.

- Oh, no. - ( bleep )

- is that burnt? - Damn.

I'm struggling with burning things.

That's not something I've experienced since I was 12 years old,

and it's really throwing me off my game.

Here we have the cornish game hen.

- And frisée. - Wow.

The actual poultry is a little bit tough,

and the frisée salad, it's, like, an afterthought.

Nyesha: My team is better than this.

There's just not a lot of love

that I see coming off of these dishes here today.

All I can hope for is the other teams had a hard time themselves.

- Richard, middle floor? Wow. - A ground turkey tostada.

Gordon: Tostada. What a smart move.

Richard: That's one of the best-looking tostadas I've ever seen, for sure.

- Something like a quesa fresca. - A little saline.

It just needs that acidity.

Richard: Mariah's a star.

She's like a scientist who cooks delicious food,

but feta makes things "betta,"

and that one mistake might've cost us.

The next chef here, this is a bourbon

and honey-glazed spatchcock quail.

- Wow. - And then this red cabbage slaw.

Wow.

Yeah, quail's delicious.

Bourbon glaze, absolutely spot on.

It elevates the quail.

Smart move with the greens underneath.

- Really smart. - Good job.

This is a turkey breast

and a turkey skin chicharrón.

Visually, that's slightly dry.

Wow. Yeah, it's a shame. It's as dry as a bone.

Perfect for the desert. What a shame.

Jonathan: It really sucks to hear that.

Because after, you know, kind of doing well

in the first two challenges,

and having top dish last time,

I'm worried that I may be going into elimination today.

All right, this next dish is a version

of the classic peking duck breast.

Whoever cooked this dish is one to watch.

They've nailed the cook on that duck.

- Skin nice and crispy. - Yeah.

This right here is next level.

It's crazy because I started off so insecure about it,

and I really hope my dish

saves us from going to elimination today.

So, go, ae!

- Right, shall we descend down to the basement? - Yes.

Brace yourselves. This was a message from heaven.

Chicken oysters. I'm amazed they came down to the basement.

I mean, listen, who doesn't love chicken nuggets and sweet and sour sauce?

- That is not a chicken nugget. - But this is-- this is like--

- don't you embarrass my team. - This is an elevated--

that is not a ( bleep ) nugget.

My man said "chicken nuggets." mad disrespectful.

Say what you want, gordon.

The riff off of chicken nuggets

and sweet and sour sauce makes this work.

- For me, it's tasty. - It's fricking good dish, that's what it is.

Next, pheasant.

Yeah, I mean, pheasant would've been my last pick.

It could be just really, really tough to work with

- and tough to eat, quite honestly. - Nyesha: Very difficult.

This is definitely next level cooking,

but the sauce, it's having a little bit of trouble

getting into the pasta itself and becoming cohesive.

Right, this next dish, a chicken liver jambalaya.

- Wow. - That's the money shot.

- Money shot. - Wow, I mean, I love

how you get the chicken liver flavor

that's running through this rice dish.

Maybe a little bit more spice, but I'm happy with this dish.

It's the kind of food I grew up with.

I just wish my mum was here to taste it.

Ahh, I'm so proud of myself because I cook with love.

That's my secret weapon.

And our final protein,

I'm amazed this pigeon flew down to the basement.

It's a welcome surprise.

Richard: This would've been my favorite pick.

I would've went for the pigeon right off the bat.

- Nyesha: Gorgeous. - Yeah.

- Mmm. - Spot on.

For me, I would cook the carrot just a touch more.

Other than that, really beautiful.

There's a lot of components going on in this dish.

Sometimes when you over-articulate a dish, you trip up,

but I think this is this person's best performance.

Give us a few minutes, please. This is gonna be a tough one.

Nyesha, richard, please.

My team is cooking brilliantly,

and they're making my job really easy

because I've got four outstanding dishes

that equally sit at the very, very top.

I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place,

but I think the most cohesive dish

that had the most effort across the board, um,

has to be that pigeon.

- Let's be honest. The carrots were a little undercooked. - Only--

the gochujang's a little overpowering perhaps.

- A little bit. - Do you think so?

It's a great story. Is it the tastiest dish?

- Go on. - I think it's the duck.

I've tasted all of these dishes too.

I think team blais has the best dish in the house.

I think the duck was a close second for me.

The duck, I love how clean the presentation was.

- It's beautiful. - The duck is an amazing dish, but I just feel the pigeon,

it's just edging it in terms of the detail.

Also the gumption to pick pigeon.

Not an easy protein to cook.

I can't lose another chef. I can't be down to three people.

Okay, sounds like we decided, yeah?

- Okay. - We good?

- All right, you guys. - Oh, my heart is beating so fast.

Nyesha: There's no doubt in my mind that richard and gordon are torn.

This decision is coming down to me,

but one dish is absolutely standing out

to be the most delicious-looking dish tonight.

Chefs, there are two dishes here

that stood out amongst all that we're looking at today.

The squab dish and the duck breast.

Thank you.

The person that's won safety for their team

was the chef that cooked...

- The squab. - Hold your head up. Hold your head up.

We told you, baby.

Gordon: Tricia, we were stuck tonight.

So many good dishes all around, but this is on another level.

- Thank you, chef. - Congratulations.

Finally, I'm number one.

I'm gonna start believing in myself more.

Instead of saying things like, "I wanna be top ten,"

"I don't want to go home first,"

I'm gonna say, "I wanna win." I wanna win this competition.

So, nyesha, you now have to select

one individual from your team

to go alongside richard's individual

in the elimination challenge.

I'm fine with richard and nyesha's chefs

knocking each other's out.

That just makes my team stronger.

Richard?

You know, there's a couple of choices for me, team blais,

but I'm gonna send one of you that has been rising

each time we cook and is getting better and better.

So I'm sending this chef into elimination

because I believe they can win the elimination.

Not the weakest performing dish?

Richard: No, not the weakest performing dish.

I'm sending the chef that I think can win

the elimination for team blais.

There's no doubt this could be a risky choice,

but I'm sending this chef in because I know they can win.

We had four chefs to start,

and we're gonna finish with four chefs today.

I'm sending in...

- Richard? - I'm sending in...

Courtney.

You've been getting better and better each and every cook.

- Thank you. - You've been thinking quick,

you've been moving quick, and your flavors are there.

Don't doubt yourself.

Courtney: I'm speechless. I'm shocked.

I think it's amazing that he has that confidence in me,

but in reality, anybody from my team could have been here.

Nyesha, you now have to select one individual from your team

to go alongside courtney.

Yes, well, um...

My team didn't perform that great today,

but I know who I want to put up for elimination.

I need this chef to prove

that they can handle pressure.

The chef that I'm choosing to cook tonight

is going to be sergio.

I know you're better than this.

Prove to me why you're here, sergio.

- I know you can do it. - I will, chef.

I am disappointed. I'm not here to overcook proteins, and I did that.

But ready to put in the work.

Not ready to go home yet.

Come on. You got it.

Courtney, sergio, say goodbye to your teams.

Everybody else, head to elevator. I'll see you on the top floor.

- You ain't going nowhere. Don't worry. - Good luck, courtney.

I'm just gonna have to bring it, period.

So listen carefully.

You'll each get one beautiful supreme chicken breast.

And you know what? I'm gonna include one more ingredient on there

to really elevate those dishes and take them to the next level.

Only happens once a year.

The perigord truffle.

Chicken and truffle is the perfect dish.

I have seen some of the richest people in the world

talk about how amazing truffles are.

But I've never worked with truffles before,

so I'm definitely going to need to figure it out very quickly.

Do yourselves proud, do your mentors even prouder, and stay in the competition.

- Yes, chef. - Richard and nyesha will join us

after you finish cooking.

They will taste blindly, then decide whose dish is best.

Okay, both of you, head to the elevator.

I'll see you in the top kitchen shortly. Good luck.

- Let's go. - You got this, courtney.

Sergio is a professional chef, but I'm not down.

I know I can cook. May the best chef win.

- Hey, let's go, sergio. - There we are!

Sergio: Everything is on the line.

Pressure cooking around the stress

is what I've always done.

It's how I became a chef at the age of 18.

Numerous french, italian, fine dining establishments,

and we're talking truffle?

I know it like the back of my hand.

Team steele!

Which way is victory? That way.

This is what I was born to do.

This is, like, where I really shine.

- Let's go. - I'm gonna put some

michelin star ( bleep ) on that plate.

Right, how are we feeling?

- Courtney, sergio, we good? - We are good, chef.

- Yes. Yes, chef. - One super talented home cook

versus one very talented professional cook.

- Yes, chef. - Right, when that platform drops, we got 30 minutes.

Chicken with truffle.

Both of you, please, on your stations.

- Let's do this, sergio. - Y'all got this.

Let's go, courtney! You got this.

Gordon: The platform will come down shortly. We're about to go.

As that comes down, your 30 minutes start now.

Go, guys! We're live! Let's go.

There we go. Chicken breast.

Good. Think about it.

Asparagus over here, beautiful trumpet mushrooms.

Plenty time. You can come back here as many times as you like, okay?

- So, focus. - Yes, chef.

- Let's go. - Asparagus, and there's some corn if you want.

Corn. Good.

Tell me about the dish. What are you doing?

So I'm gonna do a mushroom truffle cream sauce.

Nice. Love that idea.

- And pan sear this, put it in the oven. - Good.

- Crispy skin. Skin side down. - Uh-huh.

- Lots of baste in there, okay? - Yeah. I cook a lot of chicken.

I'm not afraid of cooking chicken.

But truffles, I don't know what it tastes like.

I don't know how much I'm supposed to be using.

- What do I do next? - And truffle, are you going to chop the truffle?

- Grate the truffle in there? Where are you going? - Um...

- Yeah, it'll be grated. - Good. Right, sergio.

- Yes, chef? - Tell me, how we feeling? Where are we going?

Definitely gonna get some leeks in there.

We're gonna do some sort of potato purée.

We're gonna do a nice little french style chicken.

You putting the truffle in the mash?

- Yes. Yes, chef. - Or the truffle with the leeks?

A little bit inside of it, and then outside as well for garnish.

Good. Sounds delicious. Sage, be super careful.

- Powerful herb. - Very potent. Very potent.

Very, very, very powerful.

With chicken, sage, if you're gonna use it,

- then be sparing. - Absolutely.

- Really sparingly, yes? - Yes, chef.

Good luck. 25 minutes to go.

There you go. Straight in there.

- Top shelf. - Rotate that corn.

- Top shelf, right? - Your dish, courtney. Your dish.

Sergio, this is a cheat meal.

This is gonna be all butter and cream.

Cheat meal, all butter.

Sergio, did you poke your chicken?

- Is your chicken to temp? - Chicken's good.

Test the temperature just in case though.

You never-- just in case.

When you're competing for 30 minutes head-to-head, it's difficult.

It's stressful.

Should I cut protein or no?

No, dude, that's a beautiful breast right there, man.

Watch that flame in front of you. Be careful, be careful.

It can burn me.

You have to have thick skin to just not get drowned

in voices coming from every direction.

He is so calm.

12 minutes to go, guys. Yes? Just over.

- Just over 12 minutes to go. - Get some truffle! Truffle!

- Potatoes. - Truffle.

- You're good. - That's good. That's good.

- Salt? - She already got salt. She already got salt.

- You got salt? - ( overlapping chatter )

I've definitely cooked within a particular timeframe.

- Okay, now asparagus. - Just throw that bitch in there.

- ( sighs ) - but not with a whole bunch of people

saying stuff to me either.

- A little squeeze of lemon. - Toss it around.

Add some more butter if you need to.

- No rosemary. Just put it in there. - Salt, toss.

Please, guys. All of you, quiet.

Courtney: I need some help, but this is not helpful.

- It's really intense. - Look at me. Look at me.

- Look at me. - Yes, sir.

They're not cooking.

Back up one foot, please, all of you.

Shut it down now and focus.

Oh, my god. I can't-- I can't breathe.

You're looking confused. Hey, I know this is tough,

but I've seen what you've done so far in this competition.

You are more than capable of doing this, okay?

Big, deep breath, shut it down now, and focus.

- You okay? I'm here for you, okay? - Yeah.

Personally, I feel it's too close to call right now,

but courtney needs to take ownership of her dish

if she's gonna have any shot of remaining in the competition.

- You got this. - You got this.

Just breathe. Inhale, exhale. You got this.

Once I was able to just take a few breaths...

- Salt. I see the lemon. - Lemon.

Talk to myself a minute,

say, "you got this."

good.

"it's your race to win or lose."

- gordon: Six minutes to go. - Oh, man.

So back in the pan, get them nice and dry again.

- That'll create the perfect match. - Yep.

Using the ricer? How are you using them?

- I'm gonna purée it in there. - Be careful.

One thing I know about working with potatoes

is they can release too much starch.

And putting them a blender is a very risky game to play.

Use that truffle now. Use that truffle.

- All right, yeah. - Lock it in now. Focus on that, yes?

- Final two minutes. - All right, serge.

- Let's go. - Get that-- oh, yeah!

- Oh, yeah! - Don't forget your oil, serge.

- Courtney! Gorgeous. Courtney, gorgeous. - Oh, yeah!

20 seconds to go! Come on, guys!

That's it, that's it. That's it, that's it.

- Yeah, sergio. You've got this. - Ten, nine, eight,

seven, six, five,

four, three, two, one.

- Stop! Well done.

You, ma'am.

Our judges are here. I don't want them to hear anything.

Remember, you can't relay who cooked what dish.

- Nyesha, richard. - Chef.

This one was intense.

The first dish, it's a sautéed fingerling,

sautéed asparagus, and a mushroom truffle cream sauce.

And this dish, this is done with a super fine truffle mashed purée

done with some chive oil

finished with a little touch of crispy sage on top.

Let's start off with this one.

I'm excited to taste what this dish is throwing down.

Two great chefs were cooking tonight.

One of us is going home.

I'm just praying. I mean, I'm literally just praying.

Mushrooms are lacking a little bit of seasoning,

but the sauce is extremely velvety.

The chicken is cooked spot on, but I want more truffle.

There's so much perfume in a truffle,

want a little bit more of that flavor.

- So, the next one. - Next one. The chicken looks absolutely gorgeous.

Interesting choice to use sage.

It sometimes can be a little bit strong.

I think my dish definitely has the potential to be a winner.

Richard: Don't like visually on this plate

how it looks like all the pan juices from the chicken

ended up on the plate.

If I mess up a chicken breast, then send me home.

The texture on the purée...

A little gummy.

It sort of interferes with a little bit

of that truffle flavor.

- The cook on the chicken. - Phenomenal.

Okay, amazing feedback.

Two extraordinary dishes.

Nyesha, I'm gonna start with you.

The dish that is less appealing for me...

...Is the chicken with potato purée.

Sergio, if this is your dish,

and you put those two ingredients,

sage and truffles together,

this is going to truly upset me.

Richard, I've tasted both dishes.

If it goes to a tie, I'll split that tie,

but your least favorite dish?

Tough decision.

And I have to say, nyesha,

you are spot on

most of the time, but I disagree with you.

My least favorite dish, the chicken with asparagus.

The chicken and asparagus dish,

to me, it just does not have enough truffle.

When you use truffle, you want to taste truffle.

I hope it's sergio's dish.

Gordon, I guess it's up to you.

This is tough. I'm sorry.

The least favorite dish for me...

I can't watch this.

...Was the chicken and the sage.

Sergio.

Young man, I'm gonna explain something really important to you.

Never ever, ever put mashed potato in an electric mixer.

It turned it gummy.

But the big issue for me was the sage.

And the minute you put that on there,

I warned you the pungent strength is way overpowering,

and the hero tonight was the chicken and the truffle.

Unfortunately, you put sage in front of the truffle.

Therefore, it's time to go home.

Thank you for the opportunity, chefs.

I do appreciate it. It's been a pleasure.

- Good luck to you. - It has been a pleasure. Thank you.

I was proud of the dish. I was 100% proud of the dish.

I don't think the sage was overpowering.

I think you're getting a whole 'nother bite of a different flavor profile.

- Gordon: Good night, sergio. - Good night.

But that's not the end of chef sergio steele.

It's coming down to details, and that's how small a detail

got somebody sent home this evening.

But I would like to say bloody well done to courtney.

Thank you.

I impress me. I'm proud of me.

From being picked last, I have grown tremendously.

Courtney, I didn't put you up here today because you had the worst dish on our team.

I knew that you would learn even more from this experience.

I appreciate it.

I was able to show myself that you deserve to be here.

We're always trying every step of the way

and at every level to inspire you.

But what I'm seeing is you need something more

- than just words to inspire you. - Oh, gosh.

- What? - So before our next challenge,

all of us will be heading somewhere

very special to me.

- Good night. - Good night.

- Good night, chef. - Thank you so much.

- Wait, what? - Why would you do that?

- Good night, chef. - Can't wait for you to find out.

- Well done, courtney. - ( cheering )

gordon: Next time on "next level chef"...

This is the first field trip of the competition.

We want you to create a burger worthy of the next level.

- Burgers should be easy. - Do not underestimate this challenge.

- I was just praying. - Let's go!

I don't want lose anybody I've mentored. Don't do this to me.

Nyesha: I am more sure than ever that I have the next level chef.

The idea is to cook in the basement, not set it on fire, yes?

We already in hell, baby.

If a chef doesn't perform, that's it. Game over.

That is the most unappetizing burger.

( spits ) it's disgusting.