Suvechha Sarkar
In the high-pressure world of Fox’s ‘Next Level Chef,’ nothing ever comes easy, and season 5, episode 6, titled ‘Bowl in One’ proves exactly why. The competition thrives on unpredictability, forcing chefs from diverse culinary backgrounds to adapt and innovate their dishes under the watchful eyes of the judges/mentors: Nyesha Arrington, Gordon Ramsay, and Richard Blais. After Elise’s elimination in the previous episode, the judges challenge the remaining contestants to craft a protein bowl with a brutal twist. The ingredient platform is now in motion, giving them even less time to grab the essentials.
A Running Ingredient Platform Turns the Protein Bowl Challenge Into a Frantic Battle
Once the judges welcome the remaining contestants at the beginning of the episode, Gordon promptly expresses the pride of him and his fellow judges, who were impressed by how the chefs broke down the fish. Today, Gordon’s team is in the Top Kitchen, Nyesha’s team is in the Middle Kitchen, and Richard’s team must cook in the dreaded Basement. Gordon then announces that for today’s challenge, the competitors will have 30 minutes to create a next-level protein bowl, with a base, protein, incredible eye-catching toppings, and the sauce that brings it all together. Nyesha and Richard also add that protein bowls often showcase international flavors and creativity that defines casual dining today, and every menu now has this dish. So, every layer must count and make sense because balance is crucial.
Right after, Gordon reveals a twist that the platform will not stop at any floor today. So, the contestants must grab their components on the go. Following the announcement, the teams head to their kitchens, where they are soon joined by their respective mentors. In the Middle Kitchen, Danielle tries to take a station close to the platform, but Emerson also rushes to the same station, noting that he used it in the previous cook-off. After a back-and-forth bickering, Danielle eventually gives up and moves to another location. Finally, the platform begins dropping, starting from the Top Kitchen, and in the rush, Cole unfortunately fails to grab any crucial ingredient. As the platform moves through the Middle Kitchen, Matt grabs a protein, thinking it is a pork chop, but realizes it’s a rib, which worries him.
After the grab in the Basement, the platform begins to move up, but despite her best efforts, Cole once again fails to fetch a protein. As she moves back to the station, tears start streaming down her face because she only has basil, sage, and frozen spinach. As she tries her best not to let the situation affect her, her teammates and Gordon ask her to stay positive since the platform will soon come down again. Moving to Andy’s station, the judge learns that she has grabbed tuna and suggests she rub it with a little egg white before crusting, frying, and slicing it. In the Basement, Richard approaches Tim and notices that he has chicken oysters, promptly pointing out that he needs a nice char on his protein, since it is really hard to overcook.
Costly Mistakes Leave Several Chefs Scrambling to Salvage Their Bowls
As the platform arrives once again, Cole finally manages to grab a pork belly, but she reveals she has no experience cooking it. Since most contestants do not have any bases with them, they next focus on taking the same from the platform. As the second grab concludes, Gordon announces that 5 minutes from their allocated time have already passed. Cole then informs Gordon that she doesn’t know what to do with her pork belly since she was vegan for 8 years. The judge instructs her to marinate the pork before cooking it. Soon after, the platform begins to descend again, and during its return from the Basement, Emerson ends up grabbing kale and tofu in a panic of his search for starch. So, he becomes concerned because he doesn’t have enough ingredients for his dish.
With just 20 minutes remaining on the clock, Richard suggests that Christian ensure his duck skin is crispy. When the judge discovers that the chef is also making a fried poached egg, Richard notes that although he loves it, he shouldn’t go too fancy. The attention shifts to the Middle Kitchen, where Nyesha learns that Matt has made a minimal grab because he doesn’t have any starch. The contestant admits that not having a starch may become a problem, and he prays that everything will eventually work out for the best. Soon after, Emerson reveals that since he didn’t grab a starch, he is making his own egg noodles. Back in the Top Kitchen, Cole tries to hype up her team and expresses her gratitude towards them for encouraging her. Just like Cole, Andy is unsure about her tuna, so she decides to follow Gordon’s instructions.
Gordon soon asks Andy to put her tuna inside the oven for two minutes. With 15 minutes already gone, Emerson finds himself in a predicament when he realizes the noodles are sticking as he runs them through the noodle press. As it starts to stress him out, Nyesha swiftly swoops in to help him. The attention then falls on Jared, who reveals that he often makes bowls for the kids at the school. In the final 4 minutes, Emerson asks Nyesha what he should do with the tofu. The mentor quickly asks him to transform the ingredient by tossing it in a light sauce. After 2 more minutes pass, Andy horrifically realizes she has forgotten the tuna is still cooking. As she slices the protein, she realizes it is overcooked, which worries her because the judges will not like it. Once the time ends, the chefs from each kitchen successfully place their dishes on the platform.
Praise and Critiques Define the Tasting Round Before Cole Claims the Top Dish
The judges begin tasting the dishes from the Middle Kitchen, starting with Matt’s pork ribs. Gordon quickly points out that although the ribs are cooked well, the bowl is missing a starch. Richard also notes that for him, it doesn’t feel like a bowl at all. Next up are Danielle’s frozen fish meatballs, which receive praise from Gordon, but Richard remarks that the dish could have been presented better to showcase all its elements. Upon tasting Connor’s dish, Gordon and Nyesha highly compliment it, but Richard points out that there is too much going on in the bowl. While the judges love Machete’s Asian salmon dish, Gordon observes that the tofu in Emerson’s flank steak bowl doesn’t fit in the preparation. The mentors then move on to the Top Kitchen dishes, starting with Gabrielle’s beef kofta rice bowl, which receives compliments from Nyesha and Gordon.
After tasting Andy’s tuna dish, Nyesha and Richard note that although they love it, the protein is overcooked. While Gordon praises Amber’s octopus and spaghetti bowl, Richard remarks that it feels like a pasta dish. Lastly, all three judges compliment the flavor of Cole’s pork belly creation. The tasting for the Basement Kitchen starts with Jared’s shrimp bowl, followed by Tim’s glazed chicken oyster, and both dishes impress all the judges. Next up is the turn for Darian’s hand-roasted black cod over couscous. After trying the dishes, Nyesha states that this is the ideal dish that she wants. Although Gordon loves the amazing textures, he feels the couscous needs a little lifting, considering its high amount. The last dish of the night is Christian’s seared duck breast bowl with a fried poached egg.
Nyesha quickly remarks that the dish has a lot of finesse, and Richard and Gordon promptly agree. The judges then excuse themselves to carefully decide which will be the top dish of the night. After an intense deliberation, Richard announces that the top dish is Cole’s, which means Gordon’s team is safe from elimination. Gordon then asks Richard and Nyesha to choose one chef from each of their team to be sent into the Elimination Round. Nyesha picks Emerson again because he always rises under pressure, and Richard decides to send Christian because the mentors feel confident he will return. Gordon then reveals that, for this round, the two contestants must make refined plates with a flattened protein as the star ingredient. While Gordon’s team makes their way to the lobby, Richard and Nyesha’s team arrive in the kitchen.
Emerson’s Richly Flavored But Flawed Katsu Results in His Elimination
After reaching the kitchen, Christian notes that he knew he would be in the Elimination Round, and he is grateful that it’s because he is great at what he does. On the other hand, Emerson remarks that he has already taken out chefs from other teams, and this time, Christian is no different. As soon as Gordon arrives, he tells the two chefs they will have 25 minutes to prepare a lovely breaded cutlet entrée. During the ingredient grab, Christian picks chicken while Emerson goes with pork. Once the 25 minutes on the clock begin ticking, Gordon approaches Emerson’s station and learns that he is making a Japanese katsu. As the judge moves on to Christian’s station, the contestant reveals he is preparing a classic, elegant chicken parm. As half the time passes by, Gordon advises Emerson to ensure his sauce is not clumpy.
Soon after, the judge points out to Christian that he has not yet started cooking his pasta. It concerns the chef, since he doesn’t want to serve raw pasta in the Elimination Round. Hence, Christian wastes no time in putting the pasta into the boiling water. Meanwhile, Gordon tastes Emerson’s sauce, remarks that it’s bland, and instructs him to think about the depth of flavor. With just 3.5 minutes remaining, Christian begins to panic because his pasta is still undercooked. As the final few seconds tick by, both contestants finish plating their dishes. The tasting begins as soon as Richard and Nyesha arrive at the kitchen. After trying Christian’s dish, Richard observes that although it’s delicious, the sauce isn’t right. Similarly, Nyesha points out that the pasta in Christian’s dish is slightly undercooked.
Upon tasting Emerson’s creation, Nyesha notes that she would have liked more color and texture on the actual katsu. Following that, Richard remarks that the curry’s texture is too thick for him, though it has incredible flavor. Ultimately, both Nyesha and Richard select Emerson’s dish for elimination. Nyesha tells him that he always came back stronger during the elimination cook-offs. In his exit interview, Emerson admits that it was a great ride, but sometimes it has to end. Right after, everyone notices a butterfly sitting on his shoulder, and he emotionally reveals that he believes it is one of his best friends, who had passed away a few years back, looking after him. Once everyone bids a heartfelt goodbye to Emerson, Gordon announces that in the next challenge, the contestants will be serving a star-studded group, heightening anticipation.
Read More: Next Level Chef Season 5 Episode 5 Recap: Sea Monsters
