Next Level Chef Season 3 episode 8: Teamwork and a side of beef

While Team Blais rose to the top kitchen, the other teams are ready to send them back down a level. On Next Level Chef Season 3 episode 7, the chefs had to battle more than just the platform. Who would butcher their team’s chances of securing a victory?

Each Next Level Chef challenge pushes these chefs in a new direction. While they have been inspired by beach vibes and have made a curry in a hurry, the chefs never have a moment to rest on their past successes. Every new cook can make an underdog rise and a favorite fall.

For Next Level Chef Season 3 episode 7, the chefs had to rely on one teammate to set them up for success. Although there have been a few challenges where one chef was saved by a teammate’s winning dish, this scenario was different.

The challenge can be summarized in a simple phrase, from butcher block to the plate in 30 minutes. One team member had to butcher a piece of beef. The options were tenderloin, strip, and sirloin. The basement kitchen was dealt a tough blow, literally. That beef needed more time than 30 minutes to shine.

With Team Blais getting the tenderloin, Zach picked up the knife and made quick work of that beef. Although it was this team’s first foray into the top kitchen, they needed to take advantage. Zach definitely did.

From the smoked potatoes to the perfectly cooked piece of beef, Zach proves, again, that he is a chef to beat. He has shown creativity time and again.

Unfortunately, Lauren struggled, again. Her last minute scramble to get the plate on the platform showed that she had issues throughout the cook. As Richard Blais said, it was colorful and bland, a very strange combination that rarely happens. Overall, the dish lacked cohesiveness with the beef and the grainy puree.

In the middle kitchen, Team Ramsay made quick work of the strip. With Chef Chris taking over the butchery, the perfectly portioned steaks set the chefs up for success.

The biggest surprise in the middle kitchen was Gabi. While she might be known as a plant-based chef, her steak dish wowed the judges. The plate had unexpected surprises which added to the fun. It was a beautifully cooked steak that had creativity.

Unfortunately, Jordan struggled, again. He had cookery issues with his steak. Add to that scenario that he basically threw his plate on the platform, it seems like Jordan’s time in the kitchen might be coming to an end. There are only so many times he can be lucky to move into the next round.

The basement kitchen struggled tremendously. Team Arrington has just three chefs left and the basement is never kind. In this cook, two of the three chefs had issues. Mada’s steak was basically blue. Christina’s steak was butchered badly.

Von’s take on a steak parmesan was the best of the bunch. It is an unlikely concept, but so is the Chizza and people love that idea. Maybe chicken fried steak with Italian flavors could be the new food trend.

In the end, it came down to Zach’s filet and smoked potatoes against Gabi’s strip and onion sauce. The creativity in Gabi’s dish earned her and Team Ramsay the win.

Unfortunately, the two bottom chefs facing elimination were Lauren and Mada. Lauren was an obvious choice for Team Blais. It appears that Nyesha Arrington picked Mada because she believed that he would take down Lauren.

The two chefs had to create a shellfish dish. The two proteins were lobster and prawns, which were both elevated options for this two chefs.

The dishes were quite different. Mada had the prawns. Looking at the final dish, it appeared relatively simple. Even though he used the prawn heads to flavor his sauce for the fried rice, the plate was basically caramelized prawns over rice. It could have benefited from color, herbs, or some time of brightness.

Lauren captured the bright, vibrant color on the plate. Her yuzu butter poached lobster over a mango salsa and coconut broth sounded good. Unfortunately, Lauren had problems with the cook on her lobster. It was slightly under. Also, the dish needed a little salt for balance.

Based on cooking the shellfish, Lauren was sent home. It was unfortunate, but her dish was just short of earning the win.

As the competition gets tougher, the divide between the top chefs and the bottom chefs is growing wider. Even though two chefs still have their immunity pins, that protection may not last too much longer.

Which chef will rise to the top and who is in danger of falling? Be sure to watch new episodes of Next Level Chef Season 3 Thursday nights at 8 p.m. on FOX. Episodes can be streamed the next day on Hulu.