Next Level Chef episode 3: Just a little pasta among friends

After the first contestant was sent home last week, Next Level Chef episode 3 takes on an Italian dinner. While this food theme is quite broad, it will be interesting to see which of the contestants take a rustic turn or elevate some humble ingredients. As one team says that’s amore, one more contestant will be dismissed from the FOX culinary competition.

According to FOX, Next Level Chef episode 3, “Infinite Pastablities” features the following:

"Gordon Ramsay, Nyesha Arrington and Richard Blais challenge their teams to create a delicious Italian dinner! Each team is randomly assigned to a kitchen where they will need to prove that they can create magic in any environment, even when the odds are stacked against them. The best dish will keep one entire team safe from elimination, but one contestant will be sent home with their dreams up in flames in the all-new “Infinite Pastabilities” episode of NEXT LEVEL CHEF airing Wednesday, Jan. 12 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX."

While this episode description doesn’t necessarily give any clues about the ingredients or twists, the idea of an Italian dinner is quite broad. Although it seems unlikely that the contestants will be making pasta from scratch, the dishes might be quite varied.

From rustic to elevated, the contestants can go in many directions. It will be interesting to see the approaches. The dishes that are focused should have an edge.

Since the culinary competition is still early, it is quite hard to pick a few contestants who might have an advantage. But, the dishes that balance creativity and pristine execution have had an edge.

At the early stages of the culinary competition, the biggest mistakes get the harsh commentary. Even in the beginning, poorly executed food is never acceptable. Raw ingredients will get the judges’ wrath.

Although Gordon Ramsay’s team won the first challenge, it is not a guarantee that he will win again. Still, the strongest dish earns a team victory. At some point, everyone will have to stop riding the success of others.

It will be interesting to see if there is a pattern of the winning team. Given that the first episode saw the top level kitchen earning the win, will the streak continue? It might not be about the kitchen, but the ingredients do matter. Having that first pick might be the advantage that everyone wants.

Ready to watch Next Level Chef episode 3? Be sure to watch Wednesday, January 12 at 9 p.m. EST.