Next Level Chef Season 4 Episode 1 Recap: Social Media Chef Auditions

Putting an end to the unbearable wait of nearly a year, Fox’s ‘Next Level Chef’ has returned with 24 culinary experts who indulge themselves in competition and challenges with the ultimate showdown. The winner will walk away with a jaw-dropping cash prize of $250,000 and a one-year mentorship from the three celebrity chefs and judges – Gordon Ramsay, Nyesha Arrington, and Richard Blais. Episode 1 of season 4 kicked off with a brief view of these talented social media chefs, home-cooking masters, and professionals, who have to compete against each other in multi-level kitchen setups. For the first round of auditions, the judges picked the 8 social media chefs to test first. They wanted to know who they wanted in their team down the line. With the pressure sky-high and their dream on the line, it was only a matter of time before they saw who survived.

With Time Ticking, the First Round in the Basement Kitchen Was a Whirlwind

The competition started with Gordon Ramsay taking charge and providing the social media chefs with their first high-pressure challenge: carve out a mouthwatering midnight meal using only leftovers within just 20 minutes. They were provided with a bare-bones basement kitchen with minimal resources and subpar cooking gear, making creativity the key from the beginning. As the clock began ticking, the chefs transformed leftover pie, sausage meat, salmon scraps, and many more. From the beginning, Jeff Kim was quite confident since he had a series of his own that revolved around this concept and ended up creating Late Night Nachos with Frozen Tilapia.

Richard and Nyesha, who were watching everything unfold on a screen, noted that Ilena Tovia was unable to look at her grabbed ingredients and see the dish that was right before her eyes – Salmon Fried Rice. The pressure slowly got to her when her initial plans of preparing an Arancini Ball took a turn for the worse. At one point, she even shed some tears when she realized that the components needed to make a much-needed sauce for her dish were missing. Simultaneously, Keith Garrett struggled with the execution of his originally planned Chicken Omelet since it kept sticking to the pan. While the contestants were battling, the judges not in the kitchen also discussed their strategy for the competition. Richard suggested they should team up against Gordon since he did not want him to win his third title.

When the 20 minutes were over, all the judges quickly jumped into their roles and tasted some delicious dishes like Asian Glazed Wings, Ground Sausage Ragu, Crispy Catfish Ramen, and more. However, not everyone could win over them. They were not satisfied with how Keith’s scrambled eggs and chicken were all over the place. According to them, it “didn’t work out.” Similarly, they also felt that the sauce Ilena missed out on was quite needed for her dish. The first three competitors who succeeded in moving on to the next level were Jeff, Bobby Hicks, and Becca Guevara, who were soon followed by Meg Sheley, Jake Goldberg, and Mistie Knight. Finally, the time to select between Keith and Ilena arrived, and a heartbroken Ilena ended up bidding goodbye to the kitchen. Nevertheless, she kept her head high and emphasized this was just another bump on the road in her passion for cooking, and she would never stop enjoying it.

The Middle Kitchen Was a Blend of High Hopes, Incredible Skills, and Uncertainty

As the remaining 7 participants reached the middle kitchen, Richard tasked them with their next 20-minute challenge. It was to create a dish that usually falls under their expertise – to make something so visually stunning that it was worthy of going viral on social media. Unlike the basement, they had a full industrial setup here, which provided them with everything they would need. As the challenge began, Meg admitted she had no idea what to make and raked her mind to find inspiration. Meanwhile, Bobby initially faced a significant setback when 75% of his protein fell through the platform in the basement. He was left with just a single chicken breast, but he was quickly able to figure out his next plan of action. However, the chaos did not stop there. When Richard asked former child actor Jake if he wanted to switch plates for his presentation at the last minute, he expressed his hesitation, only to realize a few seconds later that his choice might cost him.

Referring to this, Richard stated that if any mentor asks if Jake needs something, he should always listen to it. On the other hand, Mistie had left cooking her steak almost to the last possible moment. This left even Gordon and Nyesha concerned – they worried the protein might still be raw when time ended. Ultimately, it was a tough choice when the judges tasted the carefully cooked dishes. Some that stood out were Jeff’s Bacon-wrapped Shrimp on Fried Rice Noodles and Bobby’s Chicken Tender Schnitzel. Gordon even remarked that it was hard to believe that Bobby was not a professional chef. Ultimately, Jake and Mistie ended up being the bottom two. To much dismay, Jake ended up going home owing to his undercooked eggplant and lack of flavor in his dish. Despite this, he did not lose his spirit and expressed that it was not his first no and would not be his last.

Top Kitchen Proved to be the Toughest Test For Culinary Skills

In the top kitchen, Nyesha made the challenge quite clear as the in-charge of the round. The judges wanted the contestants to create a next-level dish to showcase their best skills and prove why they wanted them on their team. However, the contest took an unexpected turn when Keith felt a sharp pull in his leg while grabbing his ingredients. Nyesha was concerned and later asked if he needed a paramedic and advised him to be smart, but Keith refused to give up, no matter how much his legs hurt. On the other hand, Gordon and Richard became worried in the watch room as they started questioning Mistie’s ingredient pairings. As time ticked away, they started cheering for Bobby to finish plating his dish since only the last few seconds were left. Two dishes that stood out most during this test were Becca’s Hoisin Glazed Scallops with Mushrooms and Bobby’s Seared Ribeye with Braised Fennel and Spinach.

When it finally came time for the decision, Gordon revealed his doubt on whether Jeff had done enough to stay on the game with his Airline Chicken Breast preparation. However, Nyesha defended him and stated that she felt he could be coached into being a better cook. Yet, Keith’s New York Strip with mashed potatoes and Mistie’s Swordfish dish left them all unsure due to their poor execution. Ultimately, in the end, only Becca, Bobby, Meg, Jeff, and Mistie advanced to the draft, meaning Keith’s journey came to an end. However, he did not lose his spirits and stated during the exit interview that if he could come this far, anything would be possible. As soon as the first audition of the show ended, the audience put their eyes forward, waiting to watch how everything pans out for the home chefs in the second episode.