Suvechha Sarkar
Very few cooking competitions push chefs to their absolute limits and compel them to give their best quite like Fox’s ‘Next Level Chef.’ Built on a unique three-tier kitchen concept, the show challenges contestants to adapt and innovate while working with unpredictable ingredients. The mentors/judges who are guiding their journey are Nyesha Arrington, Richard Blais, and Gordon Ramsay. Following the unexpected elimination of Amber in the last episode, the energy seems palpable in season 5, episode 10, titled ‘Cowboy Cooking.’ Each competitor now faces the challenge of cooking traditional ranch-style dishes with their personal elevation.
Unfamiliar Proteins Test the Contestants in a Time-Crunched Ranch Cook-Off
The episode kicks off with the arrival of the competitors, and Gordon wastes no time in announcing that moving forward, the team game will come to an end. Today’s challenge is the chefs’ last cook-off as a team, and they must elevate rustic ranch-style dishes within 30 minutes to stay in the competition. From the next challenge onwards, each chef has to fight for themselves. With two back-to-back wins, Nyesha’s team is set to cook in the Top Kitchen. While Richard’s team is in the Middle Kitchen, Gordon’s team is in the Basement Kitchen. As soon as the chefs and their mentors/judges arrive in their kitchen, each contestant gets ready for the ingredient grab. After the platform moves from the Top Kitchen to the Middle Kitchen, Darian realizes that he hasn’t grabbed any starch.
In the Basement, Gabrielle successfully grabs feta cheese in the very last moment as the platform begins to rise once again. As soon as the 30 minutes begin ticking, Gordon approaches Gabrielle, and she reveals that she has cooked trout multiple times because she used to spend a lot of time in Montana. She continues that in Montana, she often went fishing and caught only trout. The judge quickly advises Gabrielle that since the protein will not take long to cook, she should now focus on the rest of her dish. Moving on to Cole’s station, Gordon asks her to put her cornbread dough in the oven since she plans to make cornbread muffins. Unlike her teammates, Andy begins struggling to develop a vision for her preparation because she has never cooked a wild turkey.
Looking at Andy’s dilemma, Gordon quickly suggests that she can use the pressure cooker to make a stew with her protein. In the Top Kitchen, Machete tells Nyesha he is cooking a venison steak, something he has been cooking since he was a kid. As the judge moves on to Danielle’s station, the chef asks her mentor for some advice on the elk. Without missing a beat, Nyesha explains that Danielle’s protein is very lean and light in flavor, indicating the elk needs to be cooked to medium rare. For today, Connor is making a caramelized and crispy protein in the cast iron, alongside cornbread. With just 20 minutes left on the clock, the focus shifts to Christian in the Middle Kitchen. After Richard learns about the chef’s ingredient grab, the mentor points out that Christian’s selection of components is not a great choice. The contestant also admits that this is one of his worst grabs.
Mounting Time Pressure Leads the Chefs to Make Risky Decisions and Last-Minute Pivots
When Richard arrives at Darian’s station, the judge discovers that Darian has failed to grab a starch. The competitor reveals that he is now making some spätzle as a substitute for his starch. Shortly after, Nyesha announces the mid-round platform drop of butter and informs the contestants that they must make a compound butter topping. After the mid-round ingredient grab ends, the chefs focus completely on their dishes again. As the final 10 minutes on the clock tick away, Richard notes that Darian is struggling to make his spätzle because the batter is running out too quickly. When the mentor finally sees them on the sheet tray, he quickly points out that the spätzle doesn’t look right.
So, Darian decides to make a second batch of the spätzle. However, he begins to worry if the second batch will be perfect because he doesn’t have time for a third. Richard also instructs Darian that this is where the chef’s composure will help him in the competition. As the mentor shifts his attention to Jared, he urges the contestant to bring his steak out of his pan. However, when Jared refuses to remove the protein from the pan, the judge asks him to be careful. Similarly, when Nyesha asks Machete to take his venison out of the oven, he refuses. Once Machete realizes he has only 4 minutes left and hasn’t yet made his buttery topping, he becomes stressed.
In the meantime, Andy becomes concerned, hoping her wild turkey is perfectly cooked. Similarly, as the seconds tick by, Cole grows increasingly worried because her cornbread is not yet fully cooked. Hence, Cole turns up the oven, hoping the cornbread will be ready by the time the platform arrives. In the last 90 seconds, Machete continues to struggle with preparing all the components of the dishes. Back in the Basement, Cole horrifically discovers that her cornbread is undercooked at the center. Gordon promptly steps in to assist Cole and asks her to serve nice crumbles of the properly prepared part of the cornbread, making it a good pivoting decision. Fortunately, each contestant manages to place their dishes on the platform within time.
The Tasting Round Sends Jared and Machete to the Elimination Cook-off
The tasting of the dishes for the day’s challenge finally commences with Cole’s fried catfish, which impresses both Richard and Nyesha. While Richard mentions that he would have liked the cabbage as coleslaw, the remark quickly earns him skepticism from Gordon and Nyesha. Next up is Andy’s wild turkey dish, and upon tasting it, Nyesha points out that the bottom of the dish is quite rich for such a light protein. Similarly, Richard also notes that the dish is quite overpowering with the cream sauce and slightly overcooked turkey. When the judges taste Gabrielle’s pan-seared rainbow trout, the chef earns immense praise from all the mentors for the dish’s presentation and flavor. Moving on, the judges first taste Jared’s pan-seared buffalo steak from the Middle Kitchen.
While Gordon points out that Jared’s protein is overcooked, Nyesha remarks that she is struggling to understand the concept of the crushed potato. She wonders whether it is mashed or crushed potato because it is slightly gluey, but Richard thinks Jared has nailed the story behind his dish. Next up is Darian’s pan-roasted squab, which Gordon finds perfectly cooked but notes it is not a ranch dish. Nyesha remarks that Darian made a smart decision by creating a starch and adds that it feels like he has two concepts on one plate. Upon tasting Christian’s pan-seared duck, the judges are left impressed with his creativity. The tasting of the Top Kitchen dishes begins with Machete’s country-fried venison. Gordon quickly observes that although he loves the gravy, the venison steak is really dried up.
The following dish is Danielle’s seared elk, which Gordon finds beautifully cooked. Lastly, it’s the turn of Connor’s ribeye that receives multiple compliments from all the judges. The mentors then excuse themselves to carefully discuss the dishes they have just tasted. After much deliberation, Richard finally announces that the best dish of the challenge is cooked by Gabrielle, which consequently marks her team safe from elimination. After Gordon’s team heads to the lounge, Richard and Nyesha select Jared and Machete for the Elimination cook-off. Gordon announces that for this elimination challenge, both chefs must create a dish with the crown jewel of the northwest- the king salmon. Machete and Jared arrive at Top Kitchen for the Elimination Round alongside their teams.
Machete’s Bold Risks and Choices Seal His Fate in the Elimination Round
Although Machete has the professional edge, Jared feels determined to fight his way out of this. After Gordon enters the kitchen, he asks both contestants to focus on their dishes because even the tiniest details can change their course. The judge also announces that they will receive just 25 minutes to complete their preparation. During the platform drop, Machete grabs crab meat, honey, and potatoes, along with the salmon, while Jared picks up the basmati rice. As the clock begins ticking, both chefs focus on their preparations. Gordon first approaches Machete and asks him to ensure the mashed potatoes are prepared exceptionally. With 5 minutes already gone, Jared reveals that he is making a dish that his daughter loves. Upon noticing the rice, Gordon asks Jared to focus on the ingredients that take the longest to cook.
As 10 minutes pass by, Machete notes that he loves the cook on the salmon. However, Gordon promptly points out that there is a big difference between caramelization and burning. Gordon also asks him to be smart with the glaze on his salmon. Although Machete’s team members urge him to take the protein out of the pan, he does so in his own time and remarks that it isn’t burnt at all. Almost halfway through the time, Jared notes that using a pressure cooker is risky because the bottom of the rice can burn, but he needs to trust the process and will not know if it’s perfectly cooked until the plating. Fortunately, when Jared opens the pressure cooker, he finds his rice beautifully prepared. As the last few seconds tick by, Jared and Machete finish plating their dishes. The tasting begins once Nyesha and Richard arrive in the kitchen.
Upon tasting Machete’s glazed salmon, Nyesha notes it is slightly overcharred. Similarly, Richard remarks that he hoped that either the salmon or the asparagus wasn’t as charred as the other. As soon as Richard tastes Jared’s pan-seared salmon, he observes that, although the dish is basic, everything on the plate is well-executed. Nyesha points out that she would’ve loved to see a little more refinement in the dish despite the fact that all the flavors work well together. Ultimately, both Richard and Nyesha pick the glazed salmon for elimination and are devastated to find that it was cooked by Machete. In his exit interview, Machete expresses that he has achieved his dreams. He feels like a winner in his book and is crying happy tears because he did it. After his farewell, Gordon announces that the eight remaining chefs must now fight for themselves and prepare for what’s ahead, as the upcoming challenges will be even tougher.
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