Next Level Chef Season 4 Episode 4 Recap: Ciao Down

With 24 aspiring competitors having been narrowed down to 15 in the first three episodes of Fox’s ‘Next Level Chef’ season 4, episode 4 – titled ‘Ciao Down’ – delivers an entirely new dynamic. This is where their journey really begins as they are drafted into a team under the mentorship of either Gordon Ramsey, Nyesha Arrington, or Richard Blais, which also raises expectations. After all, they are competing against the best of the best in the culinary industry for not just a cash prize of $250,000 but also a year-long personal guidance by the three professional chefs.

The Team Selection Boosts Excitement by Making Strategies Clear

The moment the remaining 15 chefs walk in at the beginning of episode 4, they come face-to-face with the three judges, who waste no time reiterating what’s at stake for all of them. They then immediately jump into the drafts, with it having been decided that Richard would get the first pick, followed by Nyesha, and then Gordon with the third as well as the fourth. Professional chef Austin Beckett is the first choice for Team Blais, only for Social Media chef Bobby Hicks to follow for Team Arrington, and finally, home cook Arnav Kamulkar is handpicked for Team Ramsey.

At the end of it all, Team Blais consists of Austin, fellow professional Brandon Rogers, home cooks Maryam Ishtiaq and Megan Keno, and social media influencer Jeff Kim. As for Team Arrington, its members are Bobby, fellow social media influencer Becca Guevara, home cooks Natalia Gutierrez and Cathy Cann, as well as professional chef Iman Kawa. Last but definitely not least, Team Ramsey has Arnav, social media influencers Megan Sheley and Mistie Knight, as well as young professional chefs Ryan Scanlon and Beatrice Heirigs.

This draft makes it evident that while Richard’s plan is to rely on his team members’ skills and experience to succeed, Nyesha is harboring ambition, and Gordon is focusing on potential alone. That’s particularly because the average age of the latter’s team is in the early to mid-20s, especially with Ryan being 22, Arnav being 19, and Beatrice being 18 – the youngest in the show’s history. The judges shock the contenders for a moment by implying they will actually be mentoring a team handpicked by another, but they also quickly shut the joke down.

The Season’s Very First Challenge Turns Out to be More Chaotic Than Expected

The second the three core teams are finalized, the judges reveal their first challenge is to create a next-level dish belonging to the most loved cuisine in the US – Italian – in just 30 minutes. Team Ramsey takes up the top level for this round, whereas Team Arrington takes the industrial kitchen middle level, leaving the low-quality basement to Team Blais, much to their chagrin. Then comes the ingredient drop, and the latter is pleasantly baffled by how the previous two teams managed to miss the Cod, which Jeff gladly takes off the podium for his dish.

However, Megan doesn’t have the same luck – she actually gets stuck with beef liver chunks as her protein, which she has no idea how to prepare, cook, or incorporate into an Italian dish. Therefore, as soon as the clock starts and Richard asks if someone needs help, she raises her hand before smartly taking his advice, calming herself, and making his suggested dish. Not long after, there is trouble in the middle level as Cathy begins to overanalyze her every step and gets overwhelmed to such an extent that Nyesha has to tell her to keep her head on and focus.

At the same time, Bobby is also trying to keep up his team’s morale, all the while working extra hard to ensure his dish stands out by hand-making his pasta, his sauce, and his cheese. The mid-challenge drop of additional cheese and protein thus doesn’t interest him as much as it does some others, and it is then that disarray ensues at the top level. Mistie can not figure out when to begin cooking her spaghetti, and she leaves it so late that she rushes to get everything prepared and plated, even with seconds remaining. Ultimately, she misses the tasting platform altogether.

The Immunity Pins and the Elimination Changes the Entire Game

While the mentor knows precisely who creates what dish in his team, they do not share it with their fellow judges during tasting so as to avoid bias, resulting in some very honest feedback. In this round, they couldn’t help but notice how some creations were just average while others blew their minds, with Megan’s beef liver dish also being complimented for the way the chef made the most of what they had. Yet, in the end, Bobby’s hand-made chicken pesto pasta takes the crown of the best dish, making his entire team safe and taking them to the top level in the next round.

However, the judges then reveal that they will also be handing out immunity pins to the best dish from each team to keep them further motivated, so aside from Bobby, Ryan, and Jeff, they will receive them, too. But alas, Team Blais and Team Ramsey can not hide from elimination, and they have no choice but to select one contestant to put it all on the line for their place in the competition. While Gordon unsurprisingly chooses Mistie owing to her missing the platform, Richard shocks everyone by picking arguably his strongest chef, Austin, as a way to ensure his team’s victory.

The elimination round is definitely intense as the two chefs are given a mere 20 minutes to create their own next-level take on Italian Piccata, meaning lemon and capers are crucial. Neither loses their cool for the entirety of their cook, which comes as a surprise since Mistie did face issues like burning her shallots at one point, so the end is quite satisfactory. No one could be certain of how things would go because both chefs really did do their best, but in the end, Austin’s Veil beats Mistie’s Pork. His flavor profile and skill set were just better, yet she still walks away with a smile and her head held high as she knows this is just the beginning of her career in the culinary industry.