There will be a new judge on “Next Level Chef” 2026 tonight. The mentors — Chef Gordon Ramsay, Nyesha Arrington, and Richard Blais — will be in place, but we will also have a Mini Gordon in attendance for tonight’s challenge on “Next Level Chef” season 5. It’s all about kids’ food, so Gordon is bringing his son to help with this challenge. Find out who gets eliminated on “Next Level Chef” tonight with us during our “Next Level Chef” 2026 live recap below.
Mini Gordon on ‘Next Level Chef’
It was dinner service last week on “Next Level Chef” 2026, as Gordon, Nyesha, and Richard transformed the Great Room into a restaurant for the first time. The chefs worked in teams to create a course for 22 diners. Team Arrington cooked the least successful dish, which meant they all headed to the Elimination Cook-Off. In the end, it was Matt who was eliminated from the competition.
For tonight, there will be a Mini Gordon in the kitchen, as Chef Ramsay’s son will be there to help with this challenge. Tonight’s challenge has the chefs reimagining classic kids’ dishes, elevating them into culinary masterpieces. 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 19 Live Recap – Week 8
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Mini Gordon Is Here
The chefs arrive, and they are shocked by the Mini Gordon in place! It’s too cute, as Gordon’s son, Oscar, is there. Too cute and nice to see a softer side of Gordon.
For tonight’s challenge, the chefs will have 30 minutes to reimagine and elevate a classic kids’ dish. It’ll be fun to see what they come up with. Team Blais heads to the Top Kitchen tonight, with Team Ramsay in the Middle Kitchen and Team Arrington in the Basement.
Time to Cook
The chefs are on their floors, and the platform comes down. Tim is making a pizza and thought he had grabbed dough, but it was pasta. He will have to make it from scratch here. Connor is shocked that chicken thighs were still on the platform for the Basement. Machete seems to be upset with his platform pull. He got haddock, chorizo, grape jelly, doughnuts, and cheese, so yeah, he should be worried.
Nyesha said kids don’t like greens, so she told him to make a story out of it. He’s going to try to make a Monte Cristo fish sandwich. Cole got some bourbon, so she needs to get that reduced and not get the kids drunk out here!
Tim is struggling to get his pizza dough done, but then they drop a twist: the platform is moving, and the chefs will have to make a kid-friendly side of potatoes. Most of the chefs are excited about the potatoes and adding fries to their dishes, but Amber is stressed. She has no idea what to do with the potatoes, but then not have the time either.
Finishing Touches
Team Arrington is feeling confident in the Basement, as they want to get out of there! For Team Ramsay, Gabrielle wants to use the waffle iron for her sandwich. He said she should have started earlier, as it needs to be hot.
The time is running down, and the chefs are struggling. Jared’s meatballs aren’t cooking in the oven, so he needs to throw them in the deep fryer. The waffle iron isn’t working for Gabrielle, so she has to pivot with one minute left. The time runs out, the dishes are finished, and on the platform. Gabrielle struggled, but she got it on and it didn’t look pretty.
Tasting & Results on ‘Next Level Chef’
The plates all made it, and the judges are in place. Time to taste these dishes:
- Team Blais – For Christian, they loved it was Filipino inspired. Great texture on the burger. For Jared, the sauce is beautifully done. The outside of the meatball is too hard. For Darian, the mac and cheese is delicious. The depth of flavor is exceptional. For Tim, the steak is beautifully cooked. The dough is on the verge of being undercooked.
- Team Ramsay – For Gabrielle, fries have great texture. Fun kids idea, but the presentation is not great. For Andy, an amazing idea and it’s elevated. For Amber, the pork is cooked beautifully. The potato is greasy and covered in fat. Not seeing the iconic kids’ dish here. For Cole, this is a tremendous chicken wing. This is elevated, really beautiful.
- Team Arrington – For Machete, it looks very appetizing. Smart elevation and it’s really good. For Danielle, there is some magic happening in the basement. Amazed you got that done in half hour. For Connor, this chicken is delicious. It’s really good. Oscar comes out to taste it, and he enjoys it!
Results – The judges discuss all of the dishes, and the winning dish belongs to Connor. That means Team Arrington is safe this week, and they’ll be in the Top Level next week. Now, Gordon and Richard will each need to choose someone to go into the Elimination Cook-Off. Gordon picks Amber, and Richard picks Tim.
Elimination Cook-Off Challenge
For this challenge, the chefs will now use those ingredients that kids don’t like to eat, like broccoli or fish. They will need to transform those ingredients into a dish the kids won’t be able to resist. They have 25 minutes to cook their dishes.
The platform comes down, and it has the same protein, which is squab! Amber is struggling to cook the squab and get it done in time. The time runs out and the plates are finished, so time for tasting:
- Amber – Mid-rare bird, which is how you want to cook it. Everything together is a little lacking, wanted more effort on the sauce.
- Tim – The coating on the fried squab is delicious. It doesn’t taste like squab, it tastes like a fried chicken.
Results – Both Richard and Gordon vote to eliminate Tim’s dish, which means he has been eliminated tonight on “Next Level Chef” 2026.
What do you think of the results tonight?
