Next Level Chef Season 4 Premiere Recap: Social media chef auditions begin as contestants compete for a $250,000 prize

The Next Level Chef Season 4 premiere episode was released exclusively on FOX on February 13, 2025. In this cooking competition series, three categories of chefs showcase their ability to make creative dishes within a limited time frame. Through the mentorship of judges Gordon Ramsay, Richard Blais, and Nyesha Arrington, social media chefs, home chefs, and pro chefs compete for the final grand prize of $250,000.

In the newly released premiere episode, eight social media chefs used their creativity and time management skills to prove their talent during the auditions. Their main task was to cook on the basement, middle, and top levels. Additionally, the basement level had poor-quality utensils while the top level had the best kitchen supplies. Towards the end of the episode, five chefs made it to the next round as three of them had been eliminated from the competition show, Next Level Chef.

The episode description mentions that eight social media chefs would be competing to impress the judges and head to the next round. The Next Level Chef season 4 synopsis states the format of the show, and it mentions:

"Talented contestants from different parts of the country compete with each other and display their culinary skills in front of a panel of esteemed judges to claim the prestigious title."

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What happened on Next Level Chef Season 4 episode 1?

The Next Level Chef season 4 premiere episode started off with eight social media chefs showcasing their cooking skills in front of the judges. For the auditions, the eight social media chefs included Becca, Bobby, Ilyena, Jake, Jeff, Keith, Meg, and Mistie.

The main challenge for the cast members was to use their skills and work their way up to the top level. At the first level, the basement, the social media chefs had to use limited and poor-quality kitchen supplies. Gordon, who is also a mentor this season, told the chefs to be more creative while using the leftovers to make the “perfect midnight meal.”

The top dishes that impressed the judges consisted of Jeff's fish nachos, Bobby's turkey neck fritters with a poached egg, and Becca's ham pie. Ilena’s salmon arancini, on the other hand, was something the judges unanimously disliked. The middle level of Next Level Chef had good kitchen utensils and resources for the chefs to make an “eye-catching viral dish” within 20 minutes.

As a result, Meg's haddock with curry coconut sauce and Bobby's chicken tender schnitzel were praised, but Jake’s Mediterranean rice was labeled as the worst dish. Then, it was time for the chefs to head to the final challenge at the top level to prove their capabilities by getting elected by judges who are ready to form their own teams.

Mentored by the Next Level Chef judge Nyesha, the competitive nature of each chef was visible through the screen. The top and worst dishes were labeled as Becca's hoisin-glazed scallop and Keith's New York strip served with mashed potatoes and roasted asparagus, respectively.

Contestants who have cleared the audition process include Bobby, Becca, Meg, Jeff, and Mistie; meanwhile, the eliminated chefs on the Next Level Chef season 4 premiere episode consist of Ilena, Jake, and Keith.

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New episodes of the Next Level Chef season 4 air every week on Thursdays at 8 p.m. on Fox.