The Next Level Chef Close Call Fans Can't Stop Rewatching

"Next Level Chef" has become well-known for producing countless nail-biting moments that put fans on the edge of their seats — and contestants in hot water. One scene from the Season 2 episode "Rice Guys Finish Last" features a gripping moment in which contestant Cassie Yeung, in a massive stroke of luck, retrieves a loose fish from the platform. Videos recapping the encounter have been shared all over social media sites like TikTok and YouTube, with fans scrambling to recapture the adrenaline rush of the incredible moment.

For those not in the know, the series follows professional chefs Gordon Ramsay, Richard Blais, and Nyesha Arrington as they recruit a team of up-and-coming chefs to work in kitchens stacked on top of one another. Yeung, who was placed on the middle level, started at a partial disadvantage, as she didn't have the expensive pots, pans, and other high-quality cooking tools provided to those on the top.

The challenge in this particular "Next Level Chef" episode tasked each contestant with crafting a Chinese-inspired dish, prompting many chefs to reach for ingredients such as garlic, oyster sauce, green onions, and bamboo shoots from the descending platform. Unfortunately, in the rush to grab as many items as possible before running out of time, multiple chefs, including Yeung, failed to procure any protein for their dishes.

Despite the odds being seemingly stacked against her, the fan-favorite TikTok influencer turned chef received a second chance in the episode. Thanks to an eagle-eyed fellow chef sharing the mid-level kitchen, Yeung spotted a whole sea bream that had fallen from the platform and landed perfectly on the floor, just on the edge of the open gap to the lower level. After obtaining Gordan Ramsay's permission to take the fish as her protein, Yeung managed to construct a dish that wowed the judges, saving her from certain elimination.

With the addition of the sea bream, Yeung dubbed her final product the "Lucky Fish" dish, which utilized hand-made noodles and left the judges in disbelief. Packed with flavor, Yeung's dish wound up being one of the best from Ramsay's entire team, bringing her well-deserved praise from the other chefs.

Meanwhile, a chef from the bottom floor, who also failed to find a protein during the high-intensity scramble, resolved to make a simple vegetable fried rice recipe with an eggplant base. While the dish went over well with the judges, it lacked the protein-packed flavor of Yeung's "Lucky Fish."