Source: FOX / Getty
Television watchers loved what FOX is cooking with its newest Gordon Ramsay-led cooking competition, Next Level Chef, but Wednesday night’s (Mar.2) season one finale left a bad taste in the mouths of some of its Black viewers.
Chef Gordon Ramsay’s empire of cooking competition shows continues to grow with his newest baby, Next Level Chef. The innovative show at the start featured 15 aspiring chefs who either gained notoriety for throwing down in the kitchen via social media, working in restaurants, or just by word of mouth. Unlike his other cooking competition shows, Ramsay gets some help when it comes to judging the dishes prepared by the contestants and is joined by Chef Richard Blaise and Chef Nyesha Arington.
Source: FOX / Getty
Ramsay, Arington, and Blaise choose from the crop of chefs for their teams at the beginning of the season. Each team works together while creating meals from the ingredients they are given during weekly challenges. Ultimately, only of them will earn the title of Next Level Chef, plus winning $250,000 and 1-year of mentorship from all three culinary experts. What separates this cooking competition show the rest is that it features not one but three separate kitchens that will test how well the contestants can cook. The kitchen on the top floor is state of the art, the middle kitchen is basic, and the basement kitchen features dated cooking utensils but honestly produces the best dishes on more than one occasion.
Anyway, 15 dwindled to three, with two Black contestants, Houston chef Mariah Scott, Reuel Vincent, a Trinidadian-born cook who now resides in Brooklyn, NY, and Pyet, a Native American aspiring culinary artist. Mariah and Reuel were the strongest contestants throughout the season, each having one or two moments that had them facing elimination at some point but always coming out on top. Pyet, her name wasn’t ringing bells, but she did enough to survive to the final round.
When the flames from the stoves were turned off, and the steam from the prepared plates settled, in the end, the three chefs all agreed that Pyet’s final dishes were the best, earning her the title of the first-ever Next Level Chef.
While there is plenty to celebrate, many viewers were salty (including our very own Beanz) that Mariah or Reuel didn’t win the competition after carrying the show for the entire season.
Beanz wasn’t alone, either with one Twitter user writing, “Y’all ain’t said Pyet name all this damn time now she the winner 🙄😒 man fuck outta here! I’m pissed #nextlevelchef.”
We get it, we too we’re also rooting for everyone Black on the show, and it seemed like we were going to get our wish, only to be denied that greatness.
Welp, there is always season 2.
You can peep more reactions in the gallery below.
Photo: FOX / Getty
