After a week off, we are back with a new episode of “Next Level Chef” 2026 tonight. The mentors — Chef Gordon Ramsay, Nyesha Arrington, and Richard Blais — will be in place, but we will see something new during tonight’s challenge on “Next Level Chef” season 5. For the first time, the platform is going to become a pub, complete with beer taps! From kids’ food last time to beer pong tonight, but who gets eliminated on “Next Level Chef” tonight? Find out with us during our “Next Level Chef” 2026 live recap below.
Beer Pong on ‘Next Level Chef’
Last time on “Next Level Chef” 2026, we had a new judge in the building: Mini Gordon. Yes, Gordon’s son was in attendance to help out with the challenge. The chefs were tasked with reimagining classic kids’ dishes. They had to elevate these dishes into culinary masterpieces. Team Arrington was focused on getting themselves out of the Basement, and it worked. Connor had the best dish of the night, which meant Team Arrington was safe and would be cooking out of the Top Level Kitchen tonight.
In the Elimination Cook-Off, it was Tim from Team Blais and Amber from Team Ramsay having to cook a dish using ingredients kids don’t like to eat, including a protein of squab! The mentors voted, and Tim was eliminated from the show.
For tonight, the beer will be flowing. The chefs will have to pair proteins with perfectly poured beer to create delicious dishes. Along the way, the chefs will be playing some beer pong in order to win more ingredients. 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.
April 2 Live Recap – Week 9
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Week 9 Begins
The Top 10 chefs are in the Great Room. They are getting closer to winning that $250,000. They’ll be heading to the pub tonight, as they’ll be cooking with beer. The beer will be on tap, and they’ll have to get the perfect pour. The challenge is to create a dish using beer and pair it with the perfectly poured beer. They have 30 minutes to create their dish.
The teams head to their floors to get this challenge started. The platform will come down, and they will be grabbing their beer and protein. The beers will be on tap! The chefs have their mugs to get their beer as the platform comes down.
Danielle grabs duck and a cherry beer to pair with it. By the time the platform gets to the basement, there are no good proteins left. Jared has to take squid, which he has never cooked with before, and Christian has to take corned beef. All the chefs have their ingredients, and the cooking has begun on “Next Level Chef” season 5.
Cooking With Beer
The chefs are making their dishes. Jared is really struggling with the squid. He decides to do some beer-battered squid. Amber is cooking venison, which she has also never cooked before. She is struggling also. For Machete, he is making a French onion stout using his stout, which sounds kind of amazing.
Beer pong time! The platform comes down again, and it has big red solo cups. The chefs will have to shoot the ping pong balls into the cups and get the ingredient inside. The chefs definitely struggle with the beer pong, as they are missing and some are not getting anything.
Danielle is struggling with things. She has too much going on, and Nyesha is giving her instructions. That seems to be setting her off even more. Some tension, but they work it out.
Time is running down, and the chefs are trying to put the final touches on their dishes. Amber is letting her venison set, and it won’t be cut until the judges cut it, so she is nervous. Christian, in the Basement, wants to use a blowtorch to add some color to his potatoes. No torch in the Basement, so he grabs the electric burner to make it work!
The platform arrives, and time for the chefs to place their dishes. Everyone gets it on, so time for the judges to taste these dishes on “Next Level Chef” 2026!
Tasting & Results
The judges arrive and time to taste these dishes:
- Top Level (Team Arrington) – For Machete, the soup tastes extraordinarily. They loved using the stout for a French onion-inspired dish. For Danielle, the duck is cooked perfectly. Perfect combination. Works well with the cherry, but is missing a garnish. For Connor, they said delicious with a capital D. Great cook on the chicken.
- Middle Level (Team Ramsay) – For Amber, the venison is cooked really well. However, the dish is not cohesive. For Gabrielle, they wanted more sweetness. She used beer twice. They loved the onion rings and spice. For Cole, they said super clever way to use the beer. The sweetness of the corn offsets the bitterness. For Andy, this is super fascinating to look at. Richard said he would never do this dish, but she nailed it. Nyesha said it’s a restaurant-worthy dish.
- Basement Level (Team Blais) – For Jared, difficult not to overcook the squid, but he did well. Loves salty notes from the chorizo. For Christian, corned beef is not an easy grab, but this is delicious. The texture coming off the pastry is amazing. For Darian, Gordon said it’s delicious. The breading is too thick, and it’s bloody spicy.
Results: The judges discuss all of the dishes to pick a winning dish. The best dish for tonight was cooked by Connor (his second win in a row). That means Team Arrington is safe again and will cook on the Top Level again next week.
Elimination Cook-Off
Now Gordon and Richard each have to choose one chef to face off in the Elimination Cook-Off. Gordon picks Amber, and Richard picks Darian. For this challenge, they will go from beer to the bubbly. They have 25 minutes to create a champagne dish.
The platform comes down, and the chefs grab what they need. Now the 25 minutes have started, and the pressure is on. The time is flying by as these chefs are working on their dishes. The time runs out, and their plates are all set. Time for the judges to taste these dishes:
- Amber – Gordon said perfect amount of sauce. Needs a touch more champagne. The potatoes are undercooked. Richard said overall its a tasty dish. A lot of flavors are getting in the way of each other.
- Darian – Gordon said the fish is cooked beautifully. The caviar added salt to salt. Richard said the fish is cooked so hard, so he wants to see the vegetables cooked less.
Results: They said both dishes are good. For Richard, he votes to eliminate Amber’s dish. Gordon votes to eliminate Amber’s dish also, so Amber has been eliminated tonight on “Next Level Chef” 2026!
FOXWhat did you think of tonight’s episode?
