Next Level Chef Season 5 Episode 4 Recap: The Draft; Taco Party

The ambitions of professional, social media, and home chefs are tested across three drastically different kitchen environments in Fox’s ‘Next Level Chef.’ At the helm of this intense culinary battleground are three renowned judges/mentors: Nyesha Arrington, Richard Blais, and Gordon Ramsay. Season 5 episode 4, titled ‘The Draft; Taco Party,’ raises the tension as the judges carefully hand-pick contestants for their personal team. These teams then dive straight into the first challenge of the season: creating tacos. As confidence clashes with pressure, missteps threaten promising journeys, while some succeed in getting redemption.

The Judges Draft Their Teams Before Kicking Off With the Taco Challenge

The competition begins with the judges welcoming the selected contestants from each category of chefs following the auditions. Gordon then announces that it is finally time for the mentors to draft their teams. While Richard is excited to keep his team on top, just like last season, Nyesha reveals that she has been taking notes on the competitors in her notebook. Wasting no time, Nyesha makes her first pick, which is none other than Danielle. Gordon then announces that he is not looking for a front-runner but rather someone he can mentor to get stronger, and hence, he chooses Gabrielle. Since Richard was the champion of the previous season, he gets to select two contestants, Christian and Tim. While Gordon picks Andy, Cole, Amber, and Mareya, Nyesha further chooses Connor, Emerson, Machete, and Matt.

Lastly, Richard picks the rest of his team, consisting of Darian, Jared, and Elise. Although Elise becomes the last person to get selected, she doesn’t let it dampen her spirits. With the teams formed, Gordon announces the first challenge of the season, in which the chefs will bring the essence of the south of the border through a taco party. Each contestant will receive 30 minutes to create three identical tacos. The person who creates the best tacos today can keep their entire team safe from elimination and move their team to the Top Level in the next round. However, the two losing teams will each send a chef into the dreaded elimination cookoff. Since Richard’s team was the champion of the previous season, they start in the Top Kitchen today.

While Gordon’s team heads to the Middle Kitchen, Nyesha’s team will start competing from the Basement Kitchen. Each judge starts by hyping up their team, and Richard reminds his team that, although it is a taco challenge, it’s not limited to traditional Mexican flavors, so the contestants can try making a taco from New Orleans or a Chinese one. The ingredient grab begins at the Top Kitchen, then moves to the Middle Kitchen, and lastly to the Basement. Since only the leftover proteins reach the Basement Kitchen, Matt ends up receiving the beef tongue. He notes that the protein is not a good choice and begins to wonder how to elevate it. As the 30 minutes on the clock begin ticking, the contestants rush to their stations to start their preparations.

While Some Chefs Embrace Bold Flavors, Others Falter Due to Dough Mishaps

Nyesha first arrives at Matt’s station, where he opens up that he’s been dreaming about beef tongue but didn’t originally want to get it. However, he assures the judge that he is prepared to work on it, although it is not easy. While Machete is using Coca-Cola to elevate the cod for his tacos, Connor is preparing it with goat as the protein. When Nyesha arrives at Emerson’s station, he discloses that he is making tripe tacos. In his confessional, he continues that in Filipino culture, tripe is often eaten with many dishes, but getting the right texture and seasoning is essential. With 5 minutes already gone, the attention shifts to the Middle Kitchen, where Gordon learns about the dishes each competitor there is preparing.

Around that time, Andy divulges that she was born and raised in Cameroon, West Africa, and her dish is inspired by that heritage. Meanwhile, in the Top Kitchen, Elise is marinating her flank steak in buttermilk because she often does so for her children, who struggle to chew through a lot of meat. Richard quickly notes that the chef is marinating the protein almost like a tandoori chicken. The mentor also advises her to start cooking the meat and start working on the flavor. As 5 more minutes pass, Richard advises Christian to make sure his tacos are not too spicy, given the ingredients he is using. Right after, the contestants receive a mid-round ingredient drop, where there are a bunch of masa doughs for the tacos, which means each chef must make their tortilla by hand.

As the platform moves from the Top Kitchen to the Basement, the chefs waste no time picking their spot. Once 15 minutes of their total time tick away, the focus shifts to Elise, who is struggling with her dough. She becomes increasingly frustrated because she was also the last pick in the draft, and her concern grows as more time passes. At the 10-minute mark, Gordon instructs his team to get their pan ready for their tortillas. In the meantime, Mareya struggles with her corn tortilla since they break easily, and she has succeeded in making only one of them perfectly. Back in the Basement, Emerson gives Nyesha a taste of the tripe that he has cooked. The judge is left visibly impressed as she remarks that it is delicious.

A Last-Second Chaos Strikes the Basement, Leaving Emerson’s Plate Broken

In the Top Kitchen, Gordon becomes aware that Cole is actually cooking a taco empanada. According to the competitor, she wants to stand out on her very first challenge by opting out of making a traditional taco. With just two minutes left on the clock, each chef rushes to plate their dishes. However, Mareya notes that her tortillas are too big, which is making the plating of the dish horrible. She continues that she doesn’t have enough time to redo them, but fortunately, Gordon helps her out as much as he can. As the last 30 seconds pass by, the platform finally reaches the Basement. Unfortunately, while everyone manages to put their plates on the platform, Emerson fails to do so. As he runs to place his plate, it falls and breaks on the ground, leaving everyone devastated.

Emerson admits that it is his fault because he had an incredible dish that could’ve helped his team reach the Top Kitchen. Nyesha promptly remarks that he has learned his lesson and he must always listen to her directions from now on. In the Middle Kitchen, Andy puts her dish on the platform just as it starts rising, leaving the plate tilted. She then says she hopes the tacos are placed neatly in the holder and don’t budge. Thankfully, all the contestants from the Top Kitchen successfully put their plates on the platform without any major incidents. It is now time for the judges to taste the dishes prepared by the competitors. As the mentors decide to start with the Basement Kitchen dishes, Gordon and Richard realize there are only four of them. Nyesha quickly informs him that Emerson’s plate had fallen off the platform.

When Gordon asks Emerson, the latter explains that he stretched as far as he could to put the plate, but sadly, he is not as tall as Jared. The tasting commences with Matt’s beef tongue taco, which receives great praise from both Gordon and Richard. As the judges move on to Machete’s cod tacos, they highly compliment the idea of coating it in Coca-Cola and its deliciousness. Lastly, the mentors also praise the taste of Connor’s goat taco and Danielle’s scallop taco for the flavor balance. As the judges move on to the Middle Kitchen, they start with Andy’s dish, before which Gordon reveals that she is quite upset for nearly missing the platform. Upon tasting it, Richard remarks that although he wants to try the taco again, he would’ve also loved to see the ribeye chopped up on it.

The Dish Tasting Sends Emerson and Mareya Into an Elimination Battle

Next up is Gabrielle, who has prepared a spiced snapper taco. As soon as Gordon tastes it, he notes that the fish is cooked beautifully, but Nyesha points out that the fish is bigger than the tortilla it’s in and is underseasoned. Next up is Cole’s mahi-mahi deep-fried taco, which earns compliments from Nyesha for its texture. Although Richard remarks that the presentation is lacking and he would’ve loved a bit more sauce, he finds the tortilla smart overall. While looking at Mareya’s chicken shawarma taco, Gordon observes that it is messy, while Nyesha finds it challenging to eat. Gordon further notes that it could use a bit more time on the execution. Lastly, the judges find Amber’s prawn taco to be a classic and beautiful pairing.

The tasting of the Top Kitchen dishes begins with Elise’s flank steak taco, but unfortunately, Gordon finds the protein doesn’t have proper sear and seasoning. He also adds that the tortillas are thick and that he had to cradle his to keep them from falling apart. Although Tim’s tri-tip tacos and Darian’s lobster taco receive immense praise from the mentors, Gordon points out that Darian’s dish is quite spicy. Next up is Christian’s gochujang pork taco, and all three of the judges agree that, despite being spicy, it is pretty delicious. Lastly, it’s the turn for the brisket taco prepared by Jared, which also receives a compliment from Richard. As the mentors excuse themselves to discuss the dishes, they all admit that Emerson’s mishap is an unfortunate circumstance.

After much contemplation, Gordon announces that the winning taco of the day, which has earned safety for their team and the rights to cook in the Top Kitchen, is cooked by Christian. Once Richard’s team takes their place in the lounge, the judge asks Gordon and Nyesha to choose one member each from their team to head for the elimination cookoff. While Nyesha picks Emerson to give her fellow mentors an opportunity to taste his magic, Gordon picks Mareya. Emerson and Mareya then make their way to the kitchen along with their teams. Richards is the judge overseeing the round, and he announces that for this challenge, both chefs will get 30 minutes to create one of Mexico’s most beloved dishes, Mole. However, it concerns Emerson greatly, since he has never cooked the dish, and he decides to lean on his team.

Amid the Rising Pressure, Mareya’s Missteps Sadly Lead to Her Elimination

While Emerson is nervous, Mareya reveals that she is laser-focused on going all in on this round. Richard then reveals that both competitors must gather their ingredients from the platform, but to make it harder this season, the platform will not be staying. Hence, when the 30 seconds for the component grab begin, the chefs waste no time in using it fully. As the 30 minutes on the clock finally begin ticking, Richard informs them that traditionally, any mole starts with toasting some chilies. After learning about the mole Emerson is preparing, the judge notes that since he has dates, he has the sweetness to balance out the dish. Upon observing Mareya, Richard becomes impressed with her preparation process. With just 20 minutes remaining, Richard instructs them to put their mixture into the blender for the mole base.

When Richard asks Emerson if he is okay with putting the chilli seeds in the blender, the latter notes that he wants the dish to be spicy. It makes his team ask the competitor to listen to the mentor. Emerson reveals that, as his team screams at him, he begins to panic because he doesn’t want to be the one to get eliminated first. As more than 5 minutes pass by, Mareya reveals that her game plan is to focus on flavor. Although Emerson is feeling the pressure increasing, he knows he has his team behind him. He continues that he is not willing to give up because he owes it to his wife and kids. In the final few seconds, Mareya has to replate her dish because the first one turned out quite messy. Ultimately, Gordon and Nyesha first taste Emerson’s chicken leg mole.

Although Gordon notes that it needs more seasoning, he and Nyesha find the depth of flavor to be stunning. It is now the turn for Mareya’s pork loin mole, which Gordon finds quite spicy. He remarks that the mole needs to be cooked more, while the pork is overcooked. After much deliberation, both Gordon and Nyesha select Mareya’s dish for elimination. When Gordon learns who the dish belongs to, he becomes completely devastated. He states that within such a short time, Mareya has showcased her talent, and she has surely made him and her family proud. As she bids everyone goodbye, the chef notes that she has cooked her heart out today, with no regrets. She continues that it is an experience she will never forget. Gordon then asks the other contestants to get some rest because the next time, none of them can afford a breakdown in their communication.