The chefs will be taking part in the first dinner service ever on “Next Level Chef” 2026 tonight. The mentors — Chef Gordon Ramsay, Nyesha Arrington, and Richard Blais — are transforming the Great Room into a beautiful restaurant on “Next Level Chef” season 5. The teams will be tasked with creating a course for this dinner service, but find out who gets eliminated on “Next Level Chef” tonight with us during our “Next Level Chef” 2026 live recap below.
Dinner Service on ‘Next Level Chef’
We had a bowl in one last week on “Next Level Chef” 2026, as Gordon, Nyesha, and Richard challenged these chefs to create protein bowls with a platform that never stopped. Another cook-off challenge sent one more chef home in an emotional goodbye.
For tonight, the chefs will be working with their teams to create a course for a packed Great Room of diners and VIP guests (three Michelin-starred chefs). They have 40 minutes to create their course, so no time to mess around again tonight, as the fight to be named the winner of “Next Level Chef” season 5 continues tonight, so follow along with our Live Recap below!
WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD: THIS LIVE RECAP WILL BE UPDATED THROUGHOUT THE EPISODE, SO DO NOT KEEP READING IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO READ SPOILERS.
March 12 Live Recap – Week 7
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Week 7 Begins
The chefs arrive in the Great Room, and there are tables set up. The judges tease them that they have been working hard, so they will be cooking for them! Instead, that’s not the case. They will be hosting a dinner service for guests for the first time on the show.
For this challenge, they will be working as a team. They will have to make one course. Team Arrington is creating the appetizer. Team Blais is creating a fish course. Then Team Ramsay will be creating a meat entree. Each floor will have its own platform of ingredients come to their floor. They will have 40 minutes to create their 22 dishes.
The mentors will be a part of the teams today. Because of that, they will have some VIP guests to judge them. They have seven Michelin stars between them, but the judges are Alex Atala, Andrew Wong, and Clare Smyth.
Time to Cook
The mentors and chefs head to their floors. They discuss their plan of attack on this challenge. They all seem to have a plan, but then Team Ramsay seems to be off. No idea who is cooking their protein.
Team Arrington is up first, and they are loving the platform. However, they have some issues coming up with a dish to create. They finally get it together, and they get started on it. Machete got scallops, so he is excited to make it.
Danielle comes up with the idea of making a pea puree for the scallops to sit on. She loves the idea, but then doesn’t make it! She says she thinks she said no to that idea. Um, girl, it WAS your idea! They seemed to have decided to nix the puree since time is running out.
The Middle Kitchen gets started as the platform comes for Team Blais. They are cooking their dish, and it seems to be going smoothly so far. Darian is in charge of making the protein for their dish, so the pressure is on.
Back in the Basement, Machete is saving scallops for the judges’ plates to give them the best food. The chefs are being very particular with the judges’ dishes. However, they start packing up the plates and don’t seem to remember where the judges’ plates are! They are running behind, as Machete is rushing to get in the elevator. He jumps over the stairs, but gets in.
Dinner Service Begins
Team Arrington arrives in the Great Room, and it’s time to serve their dishes. They hand them out to everyone and explain what they are to the judges. For the tasting, the judges say it looks great. Perfectly cooked scallops. They said they had no miso. They wanted more flavor in the oil. Alex said they played it safe. Andrew said it all seems nice, but nothing really punches to make you remember the dish.
Now to the Top Level, as the platform arrives for Team Ramsay. They got filet, so they are excited about that. They get started, and Cole puts Chef Ramsay on the mushroom sauce! For Team Blais, Tim was in charge of the potatoes, a big part of the dish. He said he had it under control, but then he overcooked them. Christian is trying to fix it, as he isn’t serving the judges overcooked potatoes.
Team Ramsay seems to be blending well and working well together. Back to Team Blais, they are plating their dishes. They are trying to hide the potatoes. The time is running out, and I am stressed for them. They get it done and head to the Great Room.
Stressing Me Out
The pressure these chefs are going through is stressing me out. The judges get their dishes from Team Blais and time for their critiques. Clare said the sauce has a nice acidity to it. Andrew wanted more seasoning. It’s clever cooking and good use of ingredients. Alex said the potatoes are overcooked. They wanted more bold flavors.
Now down to just Team Ramsay. They are finishing up their dishes and plating them. The elevator arrives, so they are rushing to get everything in the elevator. They get to the Great Room and time to serve the guests.
Clare said it looks pretty. Alex said elegant presentation. Clare was impressed with the sauce. Andrew wanted more of the sauce. Alex said the filet is slightly overcooked. Wanted a softer puree for the potatoes. They said all three plates of food are nicely executed.
Results on ‘Next Level Chef’
The guest judges meet with the mentors to discuss these dishes. They did enjoy them all, as they said it was difficult to pick which dish was the least favorite.
The team that cooked the winning dish tonight was Team Blais, as they are all safe and heading to the Top Level next week. The team that cooked the least successful dish tonight is Team Arrington, which means Team Ramsay is all safe tonight.
Elimination Cook-Off Challenge
Since Team Arrington lost, they will all be heading to the Elimination Cook-Off Challenge. For this challenge, they will have 25 minutes to make a recreated scallop dish. The platform comes down, so they start grabbing their ingredients. The clock now starts for cooking.
The time is running out, and these chefs are trying to plate. They are feeling the pressure, but we will get to the tasting after the commercial. Time for the tasting:
- Connor: Ayesha said beautiful presentation. Right cook on the scallops. It’s delicious.
- Machete: Scallops are cooked beautifully. Rice could use another 30 seconds. Rissot is tight, but balanced nicely.
- Danielle – The scallop is cooked beautifully. The garnish is clumsy. Wanted crispier potatoes.
- Matt – They want more bacon and fewer potatoes. The scallop is underdone, but flavor was incredible.
Gordon and Ayesha make their decisions, and Gordon votes to eliminate Danielle’s dish, and Ayesha votes to eliminate Matt’s dish. That means Richard has to cast the deciding vote, so he decides to eliminate Matt!
FOXWhat do you think of the results on “Next Level Chef” season 5 tonight?
