Next Level Chef's Biggest Cooking Challenge Is The Kitchen Itself
Gordon Ramsay's latest television show "Next Level Chef" challenges 15 contestants to take their cooking skills to the literal next level. Participants will compete in a set composed of three stacked kitchens, each one more advanced and enhanced than the one beneath it, for a prize of $250,000 (via Parade).
The kitchen on the top level has every item of cooking equipment a chef could ever want in a gorgeous space. The middle level kitchen is stocked, but is nothing fancy. The bottom level kitchen, or the basement, is less than desirable with old, sometimes unworkable burners, sinks, and ovens.
What's more: a platform containing the ingredients for each challenge moves like an elevator through each level, allowing those at the top to pick off the best ingredients, such as morel mushrooms, while those at the bottom must work with whatever's left, which might include canned chicken (via Fox on YouTube).
Next Level Chefs have to get innovative with their cooking approaches
The contestants on "Next Level Chef" don't know which level they'll be working on coming into a challenge, but they won't be alone. Each level has a chef mentor, including Nyesha Arrington, Richard Blais, and Gordon Ramsay himself (via Fox on YouTube).
Each of the competitors on the show comes from a different cooking background. Some are professional chefs, others are social media influencers, while still others are food truck owners. In the end, the show's goal is to reveal who can withstand the potential pressure of minimal equipment and undesirable ingredients and still concoct the most impressive dishes.
"Good food comes out of the basement, and more importantly, it gets you seriously creative when you have to think fast on your feet," Ramsay said, who also reported that the winner not only gets to cash in on the serious prize money, but will also be awarded a 12-month mentorship with him, Arrington, and Blais (via Parade). "Next Level Chef" airs on Wednesdays at 9/8c on Fox.