Original subtitles

- Previously on "next level chef"...

- You'll be cooking with game meats.

But only one can keep their team safe.

That dish was the wild duck.

- Yes!

- Let's go, shay. Let's go.

Get the dishes up, guys. Platform's here.

- How did this happen?

- The dish that I am eliminating tonight...

- Is the one with the pistachio crust.

- Cassie. - Ah, [bleep].

[applause]

- Nathan, tell them what they're cooking.

- Moonshine. It's explosive.

Stand back. Stand back!

- Listen up. It is time

For mid-round mayhem.

- I don't know what to do with these.

- You just bought your ticket right into elimination.

[theme music]

[bell dings]

♪ ♪

[timer ringing]

[dramatic music]

♪ ♪

- Let's go.

Welcome back, everybody. You go.

Come on. - Let's go.

Okay, I need to tell you something.

We've been saying it since day one.

You're only as good as your last dish.

And no matter what level you're cooking on,

A next-level chef should always be striving for excellence.

And right now, I think all of you

Need some inspiration.

- What the hell is going on right now?

Is this a joke?

What's happening?

- ♪ there once was a ship that put to sea ♪

♪ the name of the ship was the billy o' tea ♪

♪ the winds blew up, her bow dipped down ♪

♪ oh blow, my billy boys, blow ♪

- Then I see nathan evans. He coming around,

Singing the weather song.

I'm like, "oh, I know this song."

I start dancing.

- ♪ soon may the wellerman come ♪

♪ to bring us sugar and tea and rum ♪

- That song is, like, a tiktok sensation.

I start jamming. I start singing along.

- Nathan, tell them what they're cooking.

- Amazing!

[applause]

- When I hear that the challenge is gonna be

An alcohol-based dish, I kind of panic a little bit,

Being 19 and, obviously, I don't drink alcohol.

So I don't really know what I'm gonna do.

- Tini, you went crazy 'cause you recognized

This man, right? - Yeah.

[laughter]

I like the accent.

I just like his accent.

I have a boyfriend.

- Tell me. You a good cook?

- If it goes in the microwave...

- Oh, come on.

Come on! - I'm amazing.

- Give it up. Nathan evans, everyone.

Well played.

Great job.

Good luck with everything. - Thanks.

- Great job.

See?

Another scottish sensation.

Okay. Listen carefully.

When that platform comes down, you must grab a protein,

And you must grab an alcohol and incorporate it

Across your dish.

Understood?

All: Yes, chef.

- All right, team blais.

Mehreen's winning dish last time

Has secured us a place in the top-level kitchen.

Go up there and smash this challenge.

I'll see you up there soon.

- Yes, chef. - Yes, chef.

- I love cooking with booze.

I wanna be the best dish on the team.

Let's bring it on.

All right. Welcome back.

- Let's do it. - Welcome back.

- Team ramsay.

We lost cassie from our team last week,

So we are in the basement again.

Let's get ourselves out of that.

- Yes, chef. - Absolutely, chef.

- Please head to the elevators.

I'll meet you down there shortly.

Good luck. Come on.

- We'll see you, chef. - Let's go.

Come on. - Go.

- I want to get out of this basement so badly.

We are down to four.

We cannot lose anybody else.

- I need you all to taste whatever the freak I grab.

- No problem. I got you.

- What's up, baby? - All right, let's go!

- Love this place. - This is it.

- All right, team, thanks to shay,

We are heading to that middle-level kitchen.

Please.

- Go there.

- Let's go, guys.

Let's do this today.

- Yes, chef. - Yes, chef.

- Here we go.

- Hey, baby. - Let's go, guys.

Let's go. - Okay, baby.

- There we go.

You want right here, close to the platform?

I'm not joking. - No.

Do you mind? - No, go ahead.

- Hey, thank you.

- Last time, I didn't get my plate on the platform.

- Other--other side. - Come on, baby.

- I can't--[sighs]

- Come on, baby.

- I really wanna prove to myself

That I can do this,

That I won't let the time get the best of me again.

- Location is crucial for me today, okay?

- Yes, yes.

- Good luck, girl. - Thank you, yes.

- Let's go. Yes.

- Yes.

- Let's go, guys. Come on. Let's go.

- We're coming. We're coming.

- Okay. How are you feeling?

- A little nervous, chef. - Good.

Nervous about what? Tell me so I can help you.

- I don't have a lot of experience

With alcohol, so...

I don't know what I'm gonna do for the platform drop.

With alcohols, I don't know

Any of the flavors,

Like which ones are sweet,

Which ones are strong,

Which ones are high-quality,

And so I'm kind of flying into this one blind.

- I definitely wanna see some flambés today.

The flambé part is really important

To burn off the alcohol.

- Yes, chef. - But we have to be careful.

That is super important, yeah?

- Yes, chef. - You're probably used to what?

Moonshine? [laughter]

- Facts.

- I'm a bourbon guy all day long.

- What would you do with bourbon?

- Drink it. - Yes. [bleep].

- 45 minutes. - Heard.

- Make every minute count, right?

- Yes, chef.

- Theme of the day: Alcohol.

- Chef arrington comes out. I can see it in her eyes.

She's like, "don't [bleep] this up."

- All right. Let's go.

- Hello, chef. - All right, team blais.

Let's line up. Are we feeling good?

- Yes. - It is so advantageous

To be on the top floor today. - Yeah, absolutely.

- Please don't let any of those amazing spirits

And any of that alcohol

And any of those amazing proteins drop.

- Growing up muslim, I've never tasted alcohol

Or cooked with alcohol.

So I'm looking forward to cooking with it

For the first time and actually seeing

What happens to my food chemically.

- Let's go. Line up.

- Line up, please.

- All right.

[hydraulics whirring] - platform is on the way.

When it's green, it's go.

Go.

I see a ribeye. There's a filet up there.

- I'm going with ribeye.

I run to the platform, and I start grabbing.

I got ribeye steak.

I want red wine.

- Lots of great proteins up there.

- I see vodka. I see tequila.

There has to be red wine.

- ...Eye, there's a filet. - Damn it.

- Uh, okay, bourbon. That can work.

- I want the bourbon. I want the bourbon.

- Out of the corner of my eye, I see port wine.

- Three seconds.

- So I grab the port wine,

And I'm holding a bottle of port wine

And a ribeye steak.

- You can still grab it.

If you can get it, it's ours.

- Okay.

- I wanted short rib and a red wine,

And I didn't get either.

Worst grab of the competition.

- Here it comes.

Go.

Grab, grab.

- I tend to be a little more reserved

During the grab...

- Fresh, beautiful herbs there.

- Because I'm not a pusher and a shover.

- Get an alcohol and grab a protein.

- However, today, I fought for what I want.

I went for the hanger steak. I grabbed whiskey.

I love a whiskey glaze on a steak.

- Don't over grab.

- That's a good grab today, baby.

Let's go! - Good job.

- Let's go, guys!

Let's go, let's go, let's go. Grab, grab, grab.

- I'm sprinting over, and I see--

Ahh.

- Think about it, protein, alcohol.

- A filet mignon in the basement.

- Think about it. Go grab ingredients.

- Where's the alcohol? - Moonshine?

- Moonshine.

Jesus christ.

- I've kind of heard about moonshine.

I've heard that it's just really, really strong.

I just kind of looked and saw the first alcohol there was,

And so I just kind of grabbed it.

- Five, four, three, two, one.

Grab. Grab, grab, grab, grab.

Yes. Well done.

- I'm so excited about my grab.

I mean, sea scallops to the bottom of the basement?

And I have no idea what they're doing up there.

Thank you, top level. - Let's go.

Yes. Let's go.

What did you grab? - Swordfish.

- Good. Beautiful.

That takes two minutes to cook. - Yep.

- Alcohol, what did you get?

- Dry sherry. - Dry sherry.

Ooh. Okay, why?

- Last one left.

Chef ramsay agreeing that pairing

Dry sherry wine and swordfish

Is going to be quite a challenge

Does not make me feel comforted.

That sherry was on the bottom for a reason.

I know it doesn't go well with swordfish.

- No.

I mean, maybe a sherry butter sauce.

Um, that's a tough one.

- Yes, it is.

- Good luck.

Right, young man. What did you grab?

- Uh, instant potatoes,

Lamb rump, moonshine.

- Moonshine. Why would you grab that?

You can fuel a vehicle with moonshine.

- This is useful.

Get it really nice and pink.

We'll take it out and deglaze

The pan with moonshine.

That's the base of your lamb sauce.

- Yes, chef.

I'm gonna try and make a gnocchi

Out of these instant potatoes. - Nice.

- The gnocchi from instant mashed potatoes

Is inspired by my dad.

He has taught me, throughout life,

That you take these simple ingredients

That you can find at pretty much any grocery store

And make them into something elevated and gourmet.

- Moonshine, tough one there.

Right, tucker? - Yes, chef.

- What did you-- oh my goodness.

Stop it.

The filet?

Man, come on, the filet.

How did that end up down here?

- I don't know, chef.

The filet mignon is like the lamborghini of proteins.

I don't know how she fell to that basement,

But clearly, it was meant to be mine.

- Alcohol, what did you get?

- Rum. - Wow.

I mean, this is next level.

- I will do my best, chef. - Okay?

It sounds like all those ingredients

Should have stayed at the top, okay?

I'm amazed.

We had a filet mignon, a rump of lamb,

Hand-dived scallops, swordfish.

I never, ever, ever imagined those ingredients would drop.

And I promise you now, I am not losing another cook tonight,

Let me tell you.

- All right, team.

Let's go.

How are we doing? What are you making?

- Not too bad. I'm gonna do

A pan-seared salmon, skin and everything,

And I'm going to do a nice, spicy sweet potato puree.

We're going to do a white wine kind of riff on beurre blanc,

And then we're gonna do the chilies

And the sweet potato puree.

- Okay, just don't let time run out on you.

- I won't. Don't worry.

I'm gonna keep it simple. - Yeah, good, good.

All right, tini, what's up?

- So I got bourbon

So I wanna do, like, a barbecue-ish

Kind of bacon jam.

And I got blackberries too.

I wanna make a sauce with that.

- You got an idea. You got an idea.

You're feeling clear here.

All right, mehreen, how are we doing over here?

- Hi, chef.

I'm getting a pasta dough ready.

I think I'm going to fry the chicken

Into a chicken tender

And make a green vodka sauce to go with that

As well some sort of sauce.

I definitely could have looked

For a better protein,

But I was very set on making a kickass vodka sauce.

- Just make sure that these aren't, like, chicken tenders

On top of pasta. - Absolutely.

- I think you really wanna work this in, okay?

- Absolutely, chef.

- I'm here to taste for you if you need it.

- Thank you so much, chef. - All right, you got it.

Absolutely tough grab.

Chris has got white wine and salmon.

Okay, that's going to work, but chris has got 93 ideas.

Mehreen took chicken tenders on the top level with vodka.

Chicken tenders?

We're hanging out in a parking lot in cincinnati.

Not a top-level pick.

I'm worried for her, and that's rare.

- Potatoes, matt.

Potatoes. - What's the matter?

- I didn't get potatoes, and the star of the dish

Was gonna be these creamy, delicious, beautiful potatoes.

- [bleep] damn it.

That's it. I'm like,

"how are you gonna get back from this?"

- Okay, matt.

- Yes, chef. - How are we feeling?

You seemed disappointed a couple seconds ago.

- Yeah, yeah. - Why?

What's up? - Tough grab, chef.

- Tough grab. - Yeah.

I know steak, and it's gonna be

The most beautiful piece of meat

They put in their mouth. I missed potato.

I wanted a mashed.

I had a beautiful concept for that.

So stupid.

It was a 30-second grab,

And I have nothing in my hand,

Very little veg to work with, a bottle of port wine,

And a ribeye steak.

I'm, like, mentally preparing myself

To be in the elimination.

- Make the carrots beautiful. - Yup.

- Steak, carrots, bordelaise sauce.

- Thanks. - Let's go.

Matt is freaking out.

He doesn't have a starch.

You don't need a starch in every dish.

This isn't 1978.

Listen, I wanna bury nyesha and gordon underneath.

Someone's got moonshine down there.

Let's keep them down there.

- Let's go, guys. [rapid clapping]

Tell me about your dish. What's the game plan?

- I'm thinking, like, a brandy glaze

On the cornish game hen. - Yum!

You did a great job on that guinea fowl last time.

- Thank you, chef. - Keep it up.

- Thank you, chef. - What'd we grab, omi?

- I've got us a nice, beautiful bass

And some really beautiful vegetables

That I intend on roasting in the marsala.

- Wow. Amazing.

- I wanna make it. - Sounds delicious.

- Shay, what'd you grab? - Yes, chef.

I got halibut, some sake.

- Beautiful.

Honestly, I'm seeing a next level from shay.

He's hustling. He's focused.

The time that I have to worry about with shay

Is in those last moments and him putting

Those dishes on the platform.

Shay has one speed, and that's key west time.

He needs to move his ass today.

What'd you grab, nuri?

- I grabbed some beautiful spanish prawns.

I'm going to make a nice, beautiful pasta.

- Tequila's not super strong.

A lot of that flavor is gonna go really well.

It's very smart of you.

- I'm confident today, chef. This is my best grab yet.

- Love to see it. - Yes, chef.

- April, what's your game plan?

- I have a hanger steak.

I'm gonna make a whiskey marinade.

We like whiskey on our steak in alabama.

I grew up in the south, and that's where

I have lived my whole life.

The whiskey and the hanger steak--

It reminds me of home.

It's something that I know what to do with.

- Right. Young man, what did you get?

- Oh, that's good.

Nice mirin with some scallops.

I'm going to do a little bit of this.

- Right. So you got a rice wine.

That is very, very strong. - It's very sweet.

And I'm gonna finish off with a nice shave

Of the orange over the top.

- Good, you make a nice butter sauce,

Warm that nicely. - Yes, chef.

- Ex-navy man, right?

- Yes, chef. You had to be very disciplined,

And that's what brings to this kitchen today.

- Having a son in the royal marines--

- Yes. - That is our elite force

Of the navy--trust me... - Thank you, by the way.

- I understand the word "disciplined."

- Yes. - Bring that to your cooking.

- Yes, chef.

- You taste, and I'll taste.

Hey, delicious.

I promise you now, no one will know

That was made from instant mash.

It's a great idea. Don't overcomplicate it.

- At times, I can be kind of scatterbrained,

Like I'm going too fast for my own good.

- Look at me. I do solemnly swear...

- I solemnly swear I will not overcomplicate things.

- Love that. - Say it with intent, baby.

- Watch those results.

Let's go.

I've got a kid in here who's never drank before.

Can he cook with moonshine?

I doubt it, but what he has done

Is made these amazing gnocchi from instant mash,

Powdered mash.

And the gnocchi are exceptional.

So sky's the limit.

- 30 minutes left.

Everyone feeling good, team blais?

All: Yes, chef. - Okay.

We're gonna stay up here?

- Yes, chef.

- Please, please, I would like to buy it

Instead of renting it.

Listen up.

It is time for mid-round mayhem.

- Ask and you shall receive.

- What we need is a little starch

To soak up all that alcohol.

Let's go. - Get the [bleep] out of here.

The only thing starch means to me in my brain

Is freaking potatoes.

Mid-round drop, let's go.

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

- Plantains. Plantains.

- Oh [bleep].

Okay.

What do you do with plantains?

- Guys, do you know what sailors use for starch?

Plantains.

- [cheering]

- Grab your plantains.

- [speaking spanish]

It felt so good to just be able to grab plantains.

I'm from puerto rico, and I felt like I was home.

- Three, two, one! Grab your--

[dramatic music]

- Oh, yeah. - Plantains.

Let's go, guys. Go get 'em.

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

- Let's go!

- Plantains, sherry wine, and swordfish.

Jesus knows those flavors are not going to go together.

- Moonshine. It's explosive.

Stand back. I don't want that hair ruined.

- Yes, chef. - Off you go.

Go. Stand back, stand back.

- Yeah, baby. - Stand back!

[chefs cheering] - I said stand back.

Let it burn off. Let it burn off.

Leave it. Leave--don't blow on it!

Don't give fire oxygen.

- I see a little flame coming up over my pan.

Fire in the hole.

My dish towel is in the flame.

- Put the fire into the sink, into the sink, don't bang it.

- Oh, god. - Water on it.

Go, quick!

- Water on it. - Water on it?

- Yeah, I'm not calling the fireman

For a [bleep] cloth.

- The fire's out. - Thank you.

- [singing in spanish]

- I know you're happy about plantains.

- Never have I ever been so happy.

- Hey, never have I ever.

What are you planning to make with your plantains?

- Tostones...

- Oh my gosh. - Al ajillo.

- Wow. - I have my garlic!

- Let's go. - [speaking spanish]

- Vámonos.

Shay, I gotta say,

I love that you're close to this platform

Right now. You're like...

- I chose my location wisely, chef.

- Smart man, smart man.

April, what's the plan for the plantains?

- Chef, I am--

I cannot think of anything to do with dried plantains.

- You better think of it quickly.

- I don't know what to do with these.

I do not know what to do with these.

- How are you feeling today?

- I'm trying to be controlled.

- You are in the control of your destiny, okay?

- Yes, chef. - You're the maestra, right?

You're the artist at work. - Yes, chef.

- You have to own that, okay? - Yes, chef.

- Do not put the safety of your team

In jeopardy today, okay?

- Yes, chef. - Let's go.

- I am sure that chef arrington wished

That she would have grabbed a whole plantain as well

So that she could have whacked me over the head with it.

- The one person I'm worried about in this kitchen

Right now is April.

She's like a deer in headlights,

Like she has no idea what she's doing.

And I need her to cook her southern roots.

She's the best when she does that.

- You're not puréeing that, are you?

- No, I'm gonna purée these guys.

- You're going to-- why did you dice these

And then you're gonna purée them?

- Just so it went quicker.

- Well, it's such a beautiful dice, though.

- Yeah, yeah, yeah. - You see what I'm saying?

So what are you gonna do with the plantains?

- So here's what we're gonna do.

I'm gonna have these guys go in the fryer,

Have them roasted like they traditionally are,

And I'm going to toss, like,

A spicy or blackening seasoning on them.

- Love it, love it.

Let's go, team blais.

- Seven minutes to go.

- I wanna get this fish in. Can I get in in?

- Look at me. I told you how long to cook

- Four minutes. - Right.

- I'm just nervous.

- Well, hey, do you wanna go home?

- No, I wanna stay.

- Then don't put that swordfish in.

Richard, nyesha, open up, and it's dry.

Got one foot out the door. - I'll wait.

- And get some composure now. - Yes, chef.

- Right now.

- After the red snapper fiasco,

I was not ever going to put that fish on

Until chef ramsay said go.

- That piece of fish took how long to cook?

- Three minutes.

- Slow down a touch and listen, okay?

- Yes, chef. - Okay?

- I cannot serve another dry fish.

I need this to stay really juicy and delicious,

Especially after the last time that I cooked it.

- Come on, April.

- Chef, my favorite steak has a sweet crispy

Onion on the top of it.

And I think this would make a good topping

To add some texture. - Okay.

Start thinking about bringing these dishes together.

- Five minutes left, only five minutes.

- Five, heard.

- Show them why we're in the top level today.

We're struggling a little bit, but we can do this.

We need to keep gordon ramsay in the basement.

- Four minutes to go. - Yes, chef.

- Let's go, guys. - It's time.

I can finally put the fish in the pan.

I drop it in, and I know that the oil isn't hot enough.

It's not sizzling the way that we should hear it sizzling.

- Get it out. It's not hot enough.

- It's not hot enough? - I can hear it.

Get it out. It's not hot enough.

You're gonna boil the swordfish, for god's sake.

- This is why I didn't wanna wait

Until the last four minutes of the challenge:

Because of things like this

That always happen in the kitchen.

Like, now there is no room for error.

- Two minutes remain.

It's time to start plating.

Make your plates beautiful.

Think about it when you're plating,

How it's gonna eat.

- I know that this dish is immaculate.

Salmon's seasoned well, skin's great on it.

I've cooked it perfectly.

It looks fantastic.

And the white wine beurre blanc

Is absolutely on point.

I'm hoping that I can get top dish on this one,

Seriously.

- Expectations are high because we're on the top floor today.

We wanna stay here.

You're heading to elimination if you miss the platform.

- Here we go. - Yes, chef.

- Platform's here, guys. Come on, let's go.

Let's go.

15. Let's go.

Good, man. Go, go, go, go, go.

Go, go, go.

Quick. Let's go.

Well done.

- Platform's here. 15 seconds.

- I'm not missing the platform for anybody.

- Ten, nine, eight.

- I got it there, okay?

- Three, two, one. - Bring it in.

- Good job, guys. - Good job.

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

[suspenseful music]

- Coming over.

- Five, four, three, two, one.

- Okay.

- Oh, [bleep].

I watch the platform ascend, and I look back.

My beurre blanc sauce is staring at me,

Like, "hey! Over here!

You forgot me."

- What's up? - I forgot the beurre blanc.

- You just bought and punched your ticket

Right into elimination.

[bleep]

- Is that all it took,

Was bringing nathan evans in to inspire you?

- Yes. - Yes?

Honestly, the dishes are great. I'm blown away.

Should we dive deep into the basement?

First of all, I'm amazed that filet mignon, a swordfish,

Hand-dived scallops, and a rump of lamb

Made it to the basement.

Right. This is the rump of lamb.

So this was made with moonshine.

Please, dig in.

- I love the complexity in this dish

Coming from the beautiful, soft, pillowy gnocchi.

That's fantastic.

And the crunchiness that's coming from the plantains.

- He did a beautiful job...

- Clearly. - Involving

That sort of lamb jus with the moonshine.

- You tasted the moonshine? - I did. Yeah, man.

It kicked my ass.

Here's the game changer.

The gnocchi was made out of instant mashed potato.

- Wow. I mean, pretty ingenious move.

I mean, like, it gives me inspiration.

Lamb was cooked wonderfully as well.

- I came here to be inspired by them.

And for them to be saying that I've inspired them

With a dish, I was like, "don't cry again.

Don't cry."

- This is beautiful baby scallops

And then finished with this hot sauce sriracha butter.

- I cannot believe this came from the basement.

Look at the plating alone. I love this.

- This is a big, flavorful dish for such a tiny ingredient.

- This is a swordfish done that was

Beautifully seasoned and marinated

And a dry sherry butter sauce.

This went in the pan with three minutes to go.

- Absolutely phenomenal.

- This is a great example

Of mid-rare, beautiful swordfish.

- I could not imagine anyone in their right mind ever

Putting those ingredients together,

But surprisingly, they like it.

Okay, I'll take it. I did it.

[laughs]

- This is a filet mignon

With a beautiful caramelized rum,

A little tostada going on.

- Steak is cooked great.

- This is an amazing way to elevate plantain

And showcase it.

- Should we move to the middle? - Please.

So here we have hanger steak

With a scotch whisky

And a plantain crumble with a rustic potato purée.

- Sadly, the hanger steak is overcooked

Because it's very, very tough.

It feels a little bit sort of lazy,

Just crumbling the plantain on the top.

You're not using that whisky to its full potential.

- Yeah, it's not a cohesive dish.

- I mean, the dish didn't really come together.

- I do not wanna see plantains again, at all.

I do not wanna go back to elimination.

- Next up, we have a bass.

This is cooked with marsala wine...

- Wow. - And tostones.

- Wow.

The bass is cooked beautifully, whoever cooked that.

- Where's the sauce?

I don't taste the marsala at all in this dish.

- Next up, we have cornish game hen.

The chef grabbed brandy for their alcohol.

It's finished with a roasted potato

And also a plantain mash.

- Delicious.

This individual is plating like an angel.

This is plating that we're used to seeing in the finale.

- Chef ramsay's saying I plate like an angel.

Like, I am just, like, ecstatic.

I'm so excited.

- So next up, we have spanish prawns

Cooked with tequila.

- Beautiful. Really smart choice.

- I really love how the flavor of the prawns

Comes through in this dish, fully.

- Lastly, we have a halibut.

This is cooked with sake.

- I love that little japanese flavor.

Purée is delicious, but too much crème fraiche in there.

- It looks like a meal kit, right?

Like, we're expecting presentations

That go to the next level.

- No matter what the judges say,

I got a dish on the plate.

- Okay, so welcome to the top floor.

And here, we have

A handmade chicken tagliatelle alla vodka.

- A handmade pasta? - Handmade pasta.

- Wow. - I'm gonna throw out

To the confidence of choosing a freaking chicken tender.

And I expected that to land down in the basement.

Sauce is delicious, but the magic

Is in what you've done with that pasta,

Because it is beautiful, really beautiful.

- I'm feeling really proud of myself

That I stepped out of my comfort zone.

This is literally an ingredient

I've never used before.

I need to celebrate this asap.

- Okay. Here we have a smoked pork chop

With a bourbon glaze, onion soubise,

And a bacon jam and blackberries.

- It's really sort of dancing across my palate.

And the freshness that comes across with these blackberries

Is absolutely phenomenal.

- The combination is beautiful. Really good job.

- All right, moving over here, we have

Our pan-roasted ribeye with port wine sauce.

- Plantain's little bit dull, if I'm honest.

- Love to have seen a little bit less

Black pepper on the carrots. I just--

My palate's a little bit burned out from that.

- This looks a little bit too rustic and out of balance

With some of the flavors.

Lastly here, we have pan-roasted salmon

With a white wine beurre blanc,

Some sweet potato purée, and some chanterelles.

- Even though everything else on that plate is perfect,

This is an alcohol round,

And the ingredient that I forgot

Was the one with alcohol.

- That salmon is nailed.

Do excuse me. You said beurre blanc.

I'm not tasting the beurre blanc.

They forgot it? - Yeah.

Sadly, the chef missed the beurre blanc.

- Oh, man. - Yeah.

Classic white wine beurre blanc.

Look at that. It's actually

Really, really nice. Yeah. - Wow. Wow.

- I wanna taste it, too. - Wow.

Honestly, the best thing for me was

That white wine beurre blanc.

- I want gordon ramsay to come up to me right now

With two pieces of white bread, slam them in my ears,

And call me an idiot sandwich

Or a doughnut, whichever bread

Or pastry product he decides.

- Please, nyesha, richard.

- I think I'm gonna go into the furnace.

- I'm ready to go, too. - Wow.

Some great dishes, let me tell you.

Lamb rump, powdered mash.

- That's what this is all about,

Making the best out of any situation,

And taking powdered mashed potatoes,

Turning it into gnocchi,

And then combining that with moonshine?

That's something nyesha arrington would do, right?

That's something gordon ramsay would do.

- In a competition? All day long.

- In a competition.

Let's talk about the cornish hen.

How'd she get it so crispy? - She's creating.

It's fun to watch her cook. - Prettiest plate.

She has her own specific style of plating.

- She does.

- Chicken tenders.

How do they pick that and turn that into something beautiful?

- It really was just about noodles and sauce.

- Dishes that didn't quite hit that mark.

The hanger steak was slightly overcooked.

- Absolutely. - Could be mid rare.

- The ribeye wasn't great.

The carrots were super spicy. - Very.

- The salmon was cooked beautifully.

- It was. - Really beautifully.

- And the presentation was beautiful,

Maybe this chef's best-looking dish.

- It looked like the cover of a magazine.

- If that beurre blanc hit the plate,

That, for me, is one of the outstanding dishes.

- It's such a smart grab. Slam dunk.

- Shall we?

There was one great dish that saved their team

And gets them into the top-level kitchen

Next time round.

And that dish was...

[suspenseful music]

♪ ♪

Preston's.

[cheering]

- We're staying a four-pack, baby.

You did it. You did it.

You came out of your shell.

- Put your right hand up to god and promise me

You're 19 years of age.

- I am 19 years old.

- Powdered mashed potatoes.

- I'm definitely on cloud nine right now, being 19

And winning the alcohol challenge.

Like, that's crazy right now.

- We are on the top floor, team ramsay.

- I told you today.

I told you, we're going to the top.

- Head back to lounge, have a beer.

No, preston, don't have a beer.

Congrats. Well done, guys.

- Thank you. - Thank you, chef.

- Well done. Great job.

- Preston, you dirty, dirty dog.

- There you go.

[upbeat music]

- Let's go, team.

- For the top, baby, all the way to the top.

- Amazing dishes, guys.

- Now, rich and nyesha, you have to select

One individual from your teams to go head to head

In a dreaded elimination.

Nyesha, I'm going to start with you.

- So today, I'm going to choose...

[dramatic music]

The hanger steak.

It's all about the ingredient grab

And transforming them onto a plate.

There's a little bit of a disconnect there.

And I think everyone who's gone up to that kitchen

And cooked in it has come out a stronger chef.

- Yes, chef.

- You got this, April.

- Richard, who is going up against April

In the elimination, please?

- If I hear chef blais say my name,

I'm not gonna be happy.

- For me, it's going to be the dish...

- For me, it's gonna be the dish...

[dramatic music]

That failed the assignment today

And didn't get the alcohol on the plate.

Chris, I'm putting you in the elimination.

- Yes, chef. - Chris, here's the thing.

It's probably your best dish here

If you'd got that sauce on there.

You've been there before.

You've come out of it before, just like April.

Only one of you are gonna come out of it again today.

You ready?

- Oh, I am absolutely ready for this.

- You're gonna keep us four strong?

- I'm gonna keep us four very strong.

- Okay, chris, April.

You've both got one more shot

To save yourselves in this competition,

And it's all going to come down to your take

On fish and chips.

Fish and chips can be elevated to the next level.

In fact, the majority of fine-dining restaurants now

Are doing their take on fish and chips.

- This challenge is so far in my wheelhouse,

I should be under the car itself,

Servicing it like a mechanic.

- Chris is an assassin.

He is gonna go in there for blood.

- Wish them good luck, and head into that elevator.

Let's go.

- But I feel confident.

I'm definitely gonna give chris a run for his money.

- Good job, team blais. - Love you.

- Chris, join forces with April in the middle, sir.

Thank you.

[suspenseful music]

♪ ♪

Both of you are very talented chefs.

You have 30 minutes to perfect a stunning fish and chips

To keep yourselves in the competition.

The very best of luck.

I'll see you upstairs shortly.

Off you go.

- Go get 'em, April. - Let's go, chris.

Let's go, chris.

- Your version of a fish and chips.

- Texture, flavor, sauce, extra flavor sauce.

- Focus.

Execute. Action. - Crispy chip.

Nice, crispy batter, chris. You got this.

Texture and flavor.

- Yeah.

[cheers and applause]

- I am feeling so confident that I can take April down.

And the very screwed-up part about it is,

I am excited to do that.

- I'm planning on going with a wet batter

'cause that's a winner, but I'm not gonna be scared

To season the [bleep] of it.

- I love that confidence, girl.

- I have seen

Professional chefs with incredible skill.

And I have seen them crumble.

So we will let the chips fall where they may, literally.

[applause]

- Okay.

We good? Right.

How are you feeling? - Fantastic.

I shouldn't be this confident for an elimination.

We're putting another body count

Up on chris' tally board

For people that he has sent

Away from elimination.

I wanna show people that I am not to be [bleep] with.

- I grew up with fish and chips,

So I'm expecting something magical,

But put your twist on it.

Team, wish them all the very best, yes?

- Guys, you got this.

- If my children were here,

They would remind me of every struggle

That we've been through.

And when they done that, this would seem like nothing.

- Off you go! Let's go.

- Let's go, April. - Let's go, April.

- All right. Chris, you got this.

- There you go.

Batter, fries, garnish, sauce, yes?

- Yes, chef. - Let's go, guys.

- Come on, April. Get that batter started.

- Let's go.

- All right.

Let's go to work. Let's go to work.

- April, there's a can of beer.

- A can? Oh, yes.

- There you go. There you go.

- Tell me about the fish and chips.

Where are we going?

- I'm going to do a shoestring...

- Fry? - Haystack fry.

- Love that, love that.

- April's got this. April's got this.

Fish and chips is directly up her wheelhouse.

- I have my game face on.

I have a plan, and I'm executing the plan to a t.

- Hustle! Hustle!

You can run! - Come on.

- Right, young man, how are you feeling?

- Fantastic, chef. Welcome to the circus.

We're going to go with a curried fish and chips.

- Smart. - It's gonna get a basil mayo.

We're gonna do a spicy gribiche.

We're going to do a giardiniera to go with it,

And I'm going to do pomme gaufrettes.

- You got time to do a great sauce gribiche?

- Yes. - Hey, love that,

But just focus on the fish and chips,

Please. - Yes, chef.

- Good.

- Beautiful, beautiful. - Yep, now fold them in.

- There you go. - Yeah, there you go.

Now, that's going to be a fluffy batter.

- Whipped egg whites will give it more structure.

- Just to make it nice and fluffy.

- That is a gangster move right there.

- That is a gangster move.

- Behind, hot. Behind, hot.

- Chris seems to be in a complete panic.

- Behind, behind.

- I think he's scared.

[suspenseful music]

- [exhales heavily]

- He is moving at a pace, though, man.

- Everyone's looking at me like I'm an absolute psycho.

I get it.

I gotta be honest with you.

I feel like I'm going through freaking hell and back,

But as long as I make it on the other side in one piece,

I could be the next level chef.

[suspenseful music]

- Ten minutes to go.

Chris, sometimes you move too quickly.

- I really do. - We need to do well.

Just slow the cadence down,

And focus on the standard, okay?

You got this, yes? - Yes, chef.

- Okay.

- I sure as hell am going to take chef ramsay's advice

And just dial back the quickness.

Quickness is definitely what intimidates other people,

But I don't need to intimidate them.

I need to be efficient, and I need to be on point.

- Nine minutes to go. - Come on, baby.

Hustle, hustle. - Watch out, guys.

Watch your backs, please. - Excuse me.

- Crispy fish and chips, yes, delicious fries,

And a wonderful batter.

- Let's go, April. Let's go, baby.

- Come on, April. [cheering]

- You good? You good? - Yes, I'm good.

How's my fish over there? - They're good.

- It's looking beautiful. - Coming to the top.

- You floating.

You floating, so that means you're almost done.

You're pretty good. - Thank you.

- Yeah. [applause]

- Hell yeah, chris.

- He looks like...

- Like a mad scientist? - Yeah.

[laughter] - what is this?

- 3 1/2 minutes to go. - It's heard.

- Come on, guys.

- Yes! - Behind! Behind!

Chris is going in there,

Swinging his way out of the furnace.

You guys saw the way I performed

The last time around.

That will happen again.

Behind, behind. - Yes.

[cheering]

- There we go.

- [laughs]

- All right. What the [bleep] is that sauce?

- Wait. So you said he's making what

With those eggs?

- Honestly, I thought it was sauce gribiche.

- He's making, like, an eggy tartar sauce.

- Yes.

- That was a good idea.

- Very good idea.

- Start plating, baby. - Come on.

- Start plating. Let's go.

- Choose your cutest fish.

- Let's go, guys. - Make it look cute.

- Perfect. - One minute to go, guys.

One minute. Let's go.

- Come on, baby.

- Basket for the fries.

- Basket! Basket!

- There you go. [cheering]

- Oh, yeah, baby.

All: Ten, nine, eight, seven,

Six, five, four, three, two, one.

- And stop! - Well done.

- Good job, girl.

- Honestly, I expected more out of him, really.

Chris, you could have done better.

[dramatic music]

♪ ♪

- Wow. Nyesha, richard.

Two great modern takes on fish and chips.

Here, we have a beauty-battered fish with potato chips.

This one is done

With a basil aioli sauce gribiche

And then a little pickle.

Dig in, please, guys.

And taste those sauces.

- It looks like maybe the fish wasn't dipped in flour first

Because you can see some of the flesh exposed,

But I love the sauce and the fact

That gribiche and tartar sauce are related.

I like this a lot.

- Gribiche is just one of my favorite sauces,

And I absolutely love the brightness

And the acidity that comes from the pickled condiment here.

- So the second one, this is with curly fried potatoes,

The beautiful batter seasoned with lots of spice,

Grilled lemon, and a hot take on a tartar sauce.

Please both dig in. Thank you.

- The fish is cooked so well.

I love the caramelized lemon.

It gives it a really unique taste there.

And curly fries, I haven't seen it with fish and chips.

Batter's a little soft,

But it's a take on fish and chips.

- It looks crispy, but when I break into the fish,

It's immediately soggy.

- Okay. Richard, nyesha,

Two phenomenal takes on fish and chips.

I need to know now which dish you're sending home.

- For me, it's...

Fish and chips and curly fries.

I enjoyed the batter less on this fish and chips.

- Richard, tough choice.

Which one are you sending home?

- I feel like one dish did a better job with the chips,

And one did a little bit of a better job with the fish.

The sauce work was excellent on both.

- Please.

- The dish that I'm eliminating...

Is the fish with the...

Curly fries.

- That dish belongs to April.

Oh, dear.

- Oh, man.

- It's been a pleasure to mentor you.

You started cooking out of the trunk of your car

Into a full-fledged catering business.

- Yes.

- April, I just have to say, I'm extremely proud of you,

And you should be proud of yourself

At how far you came into this competition.

- Thank you, chef.

- For me, personally,

You're going out on a high.

- Thank you so much.

This has been way more than I ever expected.

And I have learned so, so, so much.

You three are incredible, but they're

What I was really here for, I found out, so...

- Everybody's crying.

- That's our southern belle right there.

You know what I mean? - Yeah.

- This is an incredible bunch.

I feel exhilarated

Because I just went up against

One badass professional chef...

- Love you. Keep it up.

- But I gave him a run for his money,

So I will take that.

[applause]

- Congratulations. Well done.

- Thank you, chef.

- Not only surviving elimination,

But taking your team up

Into the middle sector.

Well done. Good job.

- Thank you, chef.

We're two for two, and I'm just gonna keep

Getting more wins under this belt,

I promise you.

It was awesome.

- We are traveling at 1,000 miles an hour.

Do not take your foot off the gas.

Is that clear?

All: Yes, chef.

- Please.

Good night. - Nice.

- Chris, well done. - Thank you, chef.

[applause]

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

- Go, go, go, go.

Today, you'll all be creating a next-level fish dish.

- Let's go, baby. Let's go.

- On to the finish. Let's go.

- Let's bury those top floors, guys.

- Yes, chef.

- Blais, what did you get?

- Cod. - You're [bleep].

- What?

- Turn your heat down.

Let's go. This is not a game.

- All your pancetta is on the floor over here.

- What the--ah, my pancetta!