Next Level Chef

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. Amongst 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.

The auditions continue with the next group to show off their culinary skills, the Home Cooks. Eight home cooks use their innovative skills to turn pantry staples and lingering leftovers into delicious dishes that will take them through to the draft.

It’s the final round of auditions, where eight professional chefs must rely on their expertise in a race against time. With just 20 minutes on the clock on each level, the professional chefs must impress the judges in order to advance to the next stage.

The 15 chefs who qualified for the draft are matched with their mentors and are given their first team challenge; each chef must create an incredible Italian dish.

It’s time for the chefs to bring the heat as they battle it out to make the best barbeque feast. In the elimination round, two chefs go head-to-head and make an elevated dish using cauliflower as they fight for their spot to remain in the competition.

The chefs make the beloved on-the-go Japanese dish, ramen, in a fast-paced environment. To embody the culture of eating ramen in a hurry, the mentors challenge the chefs to make the most impressive ramen dish while reaching from a fast moving platform that continues moving up and down each level throughout the entire challenge.

This week, the chefs will work together to create a cohesive five course meal, with the help of a few surprise sous-chefs. To succeed in this challenge, the chefs must count on one another’s culinary and communication skills.

Temperatures rise.

For the first time in the competition, the chefs are no longer working on teams and must survive the next cooking challenge all on their own. The remaining chefs start the heated Next Level in-season tournament at the top level using the best ingredients. Based on their performance, the chefs are either safe and advance in the competition or keep cooking on levels below them with the risk of elimination.

As the culinary battle continues, the chefs make bold moves, including strategic utilization of the advantageous time token. This week, the chefs experiment with Spanish cuisine, starting with tapas and a mid-round platform drop resulting in a classic pairing. In the elimination round, three chefs carry on their Spanish preparations, serving up vibrant plates of paella.

With only six chefs remaining, there’s a heightened sense of intensity in the kitchen. This week’s challenge entails cooking protein with the bone in, which is no small feat in the essence of time. Later, two chefs fight to the finish in the elimination round, where they are presented with a formation of fish to choose from. The chefs will push themselves to the limit in order to progress to the semi-finals.

The five remaining chefs are tasked with putting a twist on a classic: recreating Gordon Ramsay's signature beef Wellington without beef; two chefs are safe from elimination, while the remaining three chefs battle it out one last time.

The final three chefs have made it to the final round of the competition and have proven that they have what it takes to claim the title of Next Level Chef champion. But first, they must create an outstanding three-course meal in just 90 minutes. With the guidance of a mentor at every level of the Next Level Chef kitchen, the chefs must deliver nothing less of excellence in their final test.