Next Level Chef Season 4 Episode 7 Recap: The Menu

As the culinary battleground intensifies on Fox’s ‘Next Level Chef’ season 4, the pressure rises too. In the previous episode, ‘Shoyu My Ramen,’ the kitchen bid farewell to Maryam Ishtiaq. As Episode 7, titled ‘The Menu,’ kicks off, everyone is once again reminded about the high stakes. There is the grand prize of $250,000 and an impressive one-year mentorship under the guidance of the show’s three esteemed mentors: Gordon Ramsay, Nyesha Arrington, and Richard Blais. However, in this round, the chefs need to showcase not just their creativity and cooking skills but also their ability to work as a team.

The Challenge Begins With an Unexpected Twist

As the 11 remaining chefs enter the set, they are greeted with three new team-color aprons laid out before them. They get confused and wonder if anyone is changing teams, only for Gordon to shut down all speculations by announcing the challenge. He explains that this round will be all about teamwork, and the chefs will receive 30 minutes to prepare a five-course tasting menu. The menu must feature a hot fish appetizer, a shellfish course, a poultry dish, a meat entrée, and a stunning dessert. After all, the entire menu will be judged as a whole, and hence, one bad dish could prove fatal for the team. That’s where the additional aprons come in. Since the teams do not have 5 chefs each anymore, Gordon reveals three additional chefs will be joining to help them with this challenge, one for each team. Leaving everyone shocked, he declares the judges themselves will cook alongside their teams.

Gordon states that the three mentors will be preparing the dessert. As the room erupts in excitement, Arnav Kamulkar is psyched to cook next to the chef. Then, Richard quips how it has likely been “a while” since Gordon and Nyesha have made any desserts, especially since their specialization is savory. Each team then moves to their respective kitchens and begins discussing what the theme of their menu should be. As soon as Richard arrives in the basement, he suggests the same, even though some of his team members are hoping to see the ingredients they get first. In the middle kitchen, the excitement is high. When Nyesha enters, she asks her team if they have decided on a theme, and Bobby Hicks informs her that they have settled on Latin flavors, with each chef doing a different course. Meanwhile, in the top kitchen, Beatrice Heirigs informs Gordon that Ryan Scanlon will cook the seafood courses, she will make the poultry dish, and Arnav will be in charge of the beef.

Then comes the platform, leaving the electric energy in the top and middle kitchens as everyone manages to grab the components they desire. As for Richard in the basement, he enters into full action mode. In fact, as the platform rises to go back, he jumps to grab chestnuts, leaving Austin Beckett in awe. 5 minutes later, as it descends again with solely dessert ingredients, Gordon remarks that grabbing them is hard because the competitors usually do not have time to even think. As for Nyesha, she reveals that she is extremely nervous but is trying to play it cool. On the other hand, Richard says that his hands have been waiting for this moment and gets ready to jump again for his team. After the grab is over, Austin tells Richard he can ask for help if needed. To this, the mentor asks if Austin is trying to become his sous chef when, in reality, all he wants is to actually reach his level and earn his fame.

With Every Passing Minute, the Tensions Rise Higher Than Ever

With just 15 minutes left on the clock, Nyesha is in her element and exclaims that she is quite happy to be cooking with her team. All the contestants communicate seamlessly with each other about their course of action and if they need help. However, in an effort to help Natalia Gutierrez, Becca Guevara realizes she possibly didn’t leave enough time to prepare her own dish. As Nyesha asks Bobby what he is cooking, he speaks about creating a taste of the South with a Mexican touch. However, the chef cautions him to make sure that he sticks with their theme and is happy with the dish himself. In the top kitchen, Beatrice tells Ryan Scanlon not to get overwhelmed and ask for help if needed since he is preparing 2 dishes on his own. He asks her to make sure that the salmon on his pan does not get too crispy, and she does. Beatrice gets excited about how well her team works together.

Meanwhile, in the basement, everyone is highly motivated. With just 10 minutes remaining, Richard expresses his respect for the contestants as they work with limited equipment before motivating them further with a phrase his mentor used to say to him about not letting the equipment hinder their skills. The team collaborates as Megan Keno swoops in to test Brandon Rogers’s dish since he is unsatisfied with the taste. She informs him that he needs something light to balance out the flavors. He then utilizes the available ingredients to try and make sure his dish does not taste salty or like the canned mushroom soup he had used. In the middle kitchen, Nyesha notices that Iman Kawa is in her element and reminds her team to organize themselves. With a mere six minutes to go, Becca panics because she was late to start preparing her fish and is now unsure if it is fully cooked. Simultaneously, Nyesha again reminds Bobby to ensure that his dish makes sense with the theme in the end.

The energy is quite different in the basement as Richard expresses that he is having fun making his dessert. However, when he tastes Jeff Kim’s dish, he points out that it is too salty and needs more acidic sweetness for balance. This drives the chef into a panic, but he does not let it get to him. As the final three minutes start ticking, the tension runs higher than ever. Richard is motivating his team, Nyesha is balancing everything at her level, and Gordon is working quickly to finish his dessert while everything flows smoothly for his Gen Z rockstars. Then, in the basement, as everyone starts plating their food, Austin comes in to help Jeff, too, who is still struggling with his sauce. At the last minute, though, everything comes together, and he manages to complete his dish.

The Final Few Seconds Are Crucial as the Chefs Rush to Finish Their Plating

Jeff’s plating is chaotic as the platform reaches the basement, driving Richard into a frenzy too. Nevertheless, just before the platform begins to rise, he manages to place his dish on it. Upon its arrival in the middle and the top kitchen, every contestant puts their creations successfully on the platform. However, it was a close call for Ryan’s second dish, and he had to place it in between two others rather than at its designated spot for it to be considered a part of the menu. It is finally time for the judges to taste and select the best menu of the day. As they begin tasting the dishes, they note that Bobby’s appetizer does not match the theme of his team – it is too Southern and not Latin enough. Similarly, they also point out that Becca’s Snapper is undercooked, and Jeff’s dish provides too much sweetness. Gordon could also tell Brandon had used canned mushroom soup for his sauce.

The judges then deliberate and unanimously agree that Bobby’s creation is far from Nyesha’s team’s idea of a Latin menu. Gordon also points out Becca’s undercooked dish. After careful consideration, they return to the contestants and announce the most awaited result. Gordon delightedly reveals that his team has once again won and secured their spot in the top kitchen for the next challenge. However, Megan does not take this very well and states in a confessional that the youngsters need to be taken down as their wins are going to their heads. The decision then comes down to Richard and Nyesha to choose a contestant from their team for elimination. While Richard chooses Jeff, Nyesha nominates Bobby based on their merit in this challenge alone. However, Gordon points out that he has an immunity pin, and if he chooses to use his pin, he will be out of danger, and Nyesha will have to choose someone else.

Since Bobby is reluctant to throw any of his teammates under the bus, for the first time in Next Level history, someone decides not to use their lifeline. Meanwhile, Becca tears up because she feels she should have been in his place. After this decision, Gordon notes that this can either turn out to be a hero moment or completely turn the game against him. He presides over the elimination round and provides the nominees with their challenge. The chefs have to prepare a dish using wine as an ingredient. On the other hand, Nyesha expresses that factors like Bobby’s decisions are one of the reasons that she really likes him. She confidently tells Richard that he will be losing one of his team members today.

Pressure is Slowly Mounting With the Start of the Elimination Round

As the ingredient grabbing commences, Jeff and Bobby rush to snatch their pick. Bobby sees a beautiful Halibut and reaches for it, but his opponent also has his eyes set on that particular ingredient. Jeff ends up accidentally pushing him in the process, and he falls to the ground, but with the fish in hand. When Gordon asks Bobby why he needed the Halibut so badly, he reveals that he wants to make an En Papillote (in paper). The chef cautions him not to overcook the ingredients. On the other hand, Jeff ends up grabbing lamb chops and decides to barbeque them for a nice sear. With 3 minutes already down, the two chefs are completely focused on their preparation. Gordon slowly moves toward Richard’s team and tells Megan and Austin that if they want to join his team, he can talk to the other two judges.

While Austin notes that Gordon loves to play mind games, Megan smilingly calls him out as a trickster. She further refers to his team members as “little sh*ts” and says that their attitude is getting the better of them. This leaves Gordon and his team (who are sitting in the lobby watching the competition on a screen) completely baffled, but it is mostly good fun. As the countdown reaches the 10-minute mark, Bobby is putting his fish into the oven. During this crucial time, Gordon points out that Jeff’s gas stove was not even on. That’s when the panic sets in as Jeff realizes that if his potatoes are not cooked properly, it might be a problem. With just 5 minutes remaining, his nightmare becomes a reality because the rawness leaves his mashed potato grainy. On the flip side, as Bobby pulls out his fish from the oven, his teammate Natalia desperately wishes for it to be properly cooked. To all their dismay, the fish is still undercooked.

At this point, Bobby is in full panic, but he manages to throw his fish into a broth in the hopes it’ll cook. With 60 seconds remaining on the clock, he mentions how he wished he had a little more time because his plating is also done frantically. After the chefs finish and hug one another, Richard and Nyesha arrive in the kitchen. They taste both of the preparations and announce that they will be sending the Rack of Lamb home since the texture of the potato that was served with the protein was simply not up to the mark. When Richard realizes it is Jeff’s dish, he is devastated and expresses that he enjoyed cooking with him and sincerely hopes to collaborate with him someday. As Jeff leaves, the social media chef states that he is proud because he got this far all by himself and was actually eliminated by a great dish, a skilled chef, and a good friend.