‘Next Level Chef’ recap: Season 4 kicks off with 8 social media chefs fighting for a spot in the competition
It’s a brand-new season of Next Level Chef and 24 culinary masterminds from across America have been selected to put their cooking skills to the ultimate test in hopes of taking home the grand prize of $250,000. Among the competitors are groups of eight chefs of different categories — Pro, Social Media, and Home. The competition kicks off with eight savvy social media chefs who use their trendiness and creativity to craft restaurant quality dishes in hopes of surviving the audition round in the all-new “Social Media Chef Auditions” season premiere episode of Next Level Chef airing Feb. 13 (8 p.m. ET/PT) on Fox.
In an epic three-story kitchen, the only way to move to the top is to cook your way up. Each week professional chefs, home chefs, and social media chefs have seconds to grab, minutes to cook, and moments to deliver their dishes to mentors Gordon Ramsay, Richard Blais, and Nyesha Arrington. Who will rise to the challenge? Gordon promises the toughest, most competitive and most grueling season of Next Level Chef yet. With an amazing one-year mentorship and $250,000 on the line, only one contestant can climb their way to the top.
The Auditions
The Social Media Chefs
| Name | Age | Hometown |
| Becca | 27 | Denver. |
| Bobby | 38 | Coconut Creek, Fla. |
| Ilena | 53 | Guilford, Conn. |
| Jake | 27 | Westchester, N.Y. |
| Jeff | 25 | Fountain Valley, Calif. |
| Keith | 35 | Watts, Calif. |
| Meg | 33 | Minneapolis |
| Mistie | 41 | Las Vegas |
The Basement
In this episode, eight social media chefs will begin their journey cooking in the basement level. Each round, one will be eliminated until only five remain. Those final five will move on to the draft, where Gordon, Nyesha, and Richard will select their teams for the season. The bottom level of this three-tier kitchen is less than ideal, with the poorest-quality cooking supplies and utensils. Gordon coaches the eight competitors in this round. He challenges the social media chefs to “get creative with leftovers” and create a “perfect midnight meal.” They have just 20 minutes. After the platform descends with various ingredients to choose from, the chefs have just 30 seconds to grab what they need for a delicious dish.
Top Dishes: Jeff (crispy fish nachos), Bobby (turkey neck fritters with a poached egg), and Becca (deconstructed ham pie)
Worst Dish: Ilena’s salmon arancini
The Middle Level
In this round, the social media chefs have 20 minutes to create an “eye-catching viral dish” with Richard coaching them through it. The middle level consists of a beautiful kitchen that has all of the typical supplies a great chef would have in their home. During the hectic grab for ingredients, Bobby dropped about 75 percent of his down the chute and he was left with almost nothing but a chicken tender.
Top Dishes: Meg (haddock with curry coconut sauce) and Bobby (chicken tender schnitzel)
Worst Dish: Jake’s Mediterranean ground lamb rice with eggplant
(Jake on Next Level Chef/Photo: Lorraine O’Sullivan / FOX)
The Top Level
For their final challenge, the social media chefs must prove they belong in the competition by creating a Next Level dish. This round will be coached by Nyesha. Things become so intense at the platform, Keith pulls a muscle grabbing for ingredients. He declines a medic and decides to cook through the pain.
Top Dish: Becca (hoisin-glazed scallop with mushrooms and roasted asparagus)
Worst Dish: Keith (New York strip with mashed potatoes and roasted asparagus)
(Keith on Next Level Chef/Photo: Lorraine O’Sullivan / FOX)
The Big Winners
Bobby cooked a top dish in each level of the kitchen despite dropping the majority of his ingredients in Round 2. Gordon commented that the Florida chef “shined in the basement, big time.” Other contestants to advance to the Season 4 draft are Becca, Meg, Jeff, and Mistie.
(Bobby on Next Level Chef/Photo: Lorraine O’Sullivan / FOX)
The Big Losers
Three social media chefs failed to make the cut in this week’s episode. Ilena was eliminated in the first round despite hosting a social media cooking series about cooking with leftovers. Jake, a former child star who played Adam Sandler‘s son in Grown Ups, didn’t rise to the occassion on the Middle Level. Keith, a food truck operator from California, was the final chef eliminated.
Next Week
Eight home cooks head to the elevator and begin their fight for a spot in the Next Level Chef draft. Three will be eliminated and five will move on to compete for the $250,000 prize.
Next Level Chef airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. on Fox.