Nyesha Arrington and Richard Blais Reveal Exciting New Challenges in &x27;Next Level Chef&x27; Season 5 Paulette CohnThu, January 29, 2026 at 11:35 PM UTC 0 As Season 5 of Next Level Chefpremieres tonight, Gordon Ramsay has two wins to his credit, while Nyesha Arrington has one. And finally, in Season 4, Richard Blais emerged victorious, but Gordon has declared he is determined to reclaim the crown this season, so what do Nyesha and Richard plan to do to make sure that doesn't happen? "Every season, I try to think about, aside from the new challenges, the different formats in the episodes, eac...
Nyesha Arrington and Richard Blais Reveal Exciting New Challenges in 'Next Level Chef' Season 5
Paulette CohnThu, January 29, 2026 at 11:35 PM UTC
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As Season 5 of Next Level Chefpremieres tonight, Gordon Ramsay has two wins to his credit, while Nyesha Arrington has one. And finally, in Season 4, Richard Blais emerged victorious, but Gordon has declared he is determined to reclaim the crown this season, so what do Nyesha and Richard plan to do to make sure that doesn't happen?
"Every season, I try to think about, aside from the new challenges, the different formats in the episodes, each cast has a different energy about themselves," Nyesha tells Parade in an exclusive interview. "This cast, they are very much coming very ready. They've had four seasons to study. They're stoked. They understand the show. A lot of them have done personal time trials. For me, I'm looking for chefs who will balance out each other, because they do affect how they work together in a team and how they advance in the competition as individuals, as well as a team. So, I'm looking at for that well-roundedness as I choose my team."
Richard agrees that balance plays an important part in success on Next Level Chef.
"It's always a balance of can you get the right people that can take it home and can you draft people that can grow within the competition?" he tells Parade. "Because it's very rare that you can spot a winner just on day one. But one of my favorite things about the show is how many people just get better and better each and every episode. And if you can find a couple of those people on your team, that's a good way to win for sure."
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What makes the competition even more interesting is that even as Gordon, Nyesha and Richard serve as mentors to their teams, they also are the judges who critique each dish and decide who the winners and the losers are each week. But they swear that when it comes to judging, they support the best dish even if it's from a different team.
"We have a code, the three of us: It's all about the food," Richard says. "Of course, we want our teams to do well. But when we're in that back room, it's truly just about the food. And we would never fight for a team member just because. We're having heated discussions, but it's based on salt, pepper, acidity, and how the thing was cooked. Everyone needs to know that, too. It's not us politicking for our team. No, it's about the food."
Nyesha ArringtonPhoto credit: Tommy Garcia / FOX (Photo credit: Tommy Garcia / FOX)
"I'll echo that 100 percent," Nyesha adds. "And it's really fun, I think, to be able to get into the kitchen when you've been coaching your team, and then you have an opportunity to get in the kitchen with one of the other mentors' teams. It's not about sabotaging or not allowing them to be their best, because ultimately, they're there for the experience. And they want to learn from all three of us. So, any feedback, we can help them along the way; they're like an open book, and we want to see these individuals win. Ultimately, we're there to find the Next Level Chef."
Nyesha and Richard also went into more detail about the differences between the different levels of contestants – professional chefs, social media chefs, and home cooks, as well as the biggest mistake they make, the importance of getting enough ingredients from the platform drop, and more.
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Not every winner of Next Level Chef has been a professional chef. Just because you're a professional chef doesn't mean that you're the best.Nyesha Arrington: Absolutely. What it comes down to is what ingredients you grab at the end of the day, right? You can grab ingredients that don't make sense, then it doesn't matter what your background is. You're not going to ultimately be victorious in that challenge. You really have to be intentional about that grab, no matter what your background is.Richard Blais: For me, the quick breakdown is that each genre comes in with something that they should be really good at. So, pro chefs are fast. But sometimes they try to do too much, right? But they can move around the kitchen, and they know ingredients.The home cook knows how to make a couple of dishes that everyone loves, whether they're cooking for their family or their church, or their community or whatever it is. So, they know, 'Hey, I got these five dishes, and everyone loves them.' And that really helps in competition.And then the social media chefs, they know how to articulate, they know how to present food, and they understand a little bit more of the lights and the drama of everything that surrounds them. So, it's really who can do those things the best.
Nyesha, you mentioned how important the grab is. Is that the biggest mistake the contestants make? Is it not getting the grab organized? Or is it maybe time management, or maybe they don't taste and so they don't have the seasoning right?Nyesha: Girl, you should try out for Next Level Chef because you said all of the important things to winning. And as we've seen, not always does the crown title of Next Level Chef take their career to the next step, but you do have to have those fundamentals nailed, right? If you want to conceptualize a dish that is going to freaking hit the palates of Richard, Gordon, and me, you have to grab the ingredients for the task at hand.Sometimes when you're stuck in the basement, you have what's left and you really have to just make something work. But I think the exciting element of this show is seeing people make something out of nothing. We've seen in the past, people grab one, two, three things, and they make something that you're just like, "How did they come up with that?" But I think that's really where you have to know your pantry, using the dairy that we have in the fridge, using the spices, using the beautiful stocks, working with the equipment per the level, and not just sort of square peg round hole your idea; you really have to use the level that you're cooking on to your advantage.Richard: In general, I think the No. 1 rule is that you have to grab enough things. All of us as mentors can tell you what to do with a jar of pig ears and a leek that you don't know what to do with. That's what our job is as mentors. But if you don't grab anything, we are not magicians, or at least I'm not. So, I think grabbing enough ingredients is so important.
You mentioned they've had four seasons to watch. But does that really help when it's the pressure of time and the platform drop? Are the people on Season 5 actually doing better than on Season 1 because they've had a chance to watch, or is the pressure of the competition still the same?Nyesha: That's an interesting question, because not only do you make this comparison between seasons, but you make it between episodes. Because someone who might have had an incredible run, right, they're killing it episode after episode, the very next episode, they might be the bottom dish. So, it's really per the task at hand. Just because they've done their homework, they're coming in ready doesn't always equal a win.Richard: Yes and no. It always helps to study and to watch things and to learn and strategize. But then there is a part that's just wild and organic, and you can't really prepare for a 10-second, 10-yard dash and Gordon Ramsay over your shoulder. But I do think it helps a little bit.
It looks like auditions are business as usual. But are there going to be some surprises or twists this season to keep them on their toes?Nyesha: We always bring that. I think that's really one of the elements that keeps the viewership up. It's very exciting. We like to challenge our competitors as well as ourselves as creatives, as mentors, as judges, to keep these chefs [thinking]. Because at the minute that they think they have it all figured out, you'll see at the end of each episode, Gordon sort of drops these little cues on what the next episode will bring. The challenges are bigger and better than ever.Richard: Yes, there's a number of twists coming your way. But one of the things I really love is how invested Gordon Ramsay and our producers and Nyesha and I are in the process of creating the show and making sure that it's truly becoming more and more next level each and every episode, each and every season. So, you're going to see things this season that we haven't done before, and you're going to love it.
Related:Next Level Chef Season 4 Winner Reveals Their Lofty Goals With the $250,000 Prize Money (Exclusive)
So, you two do have input into ideas for the challenges.Nyesha: Yeah, absolutely.Richard: Yeah, I think all great teams take suggestions from everywhere. I always say even in my professional kitchen, a good idea is a good idea. And it takes a team, right? Always. I think it's one of the things that really separates our show is how invested the talent is, so to speak, in what we're doing. It's not just another Tuesday for us.
Like, we love this. I just heard Nyesha say this, and I echo what she always said. This is our dream. This is our dream, too. So, we are heavily invested in it.
Richard BlaisPhoto credit: Tommy Garcia / FOX (Photo credit: Tommy Garcia / FOX)
When you started, you had an idea of how to mentor these people. But now we're into Season 5; has your mentoring style changed from what the contestants have taught you along the way?Nyesha: For me, yes. I go in blank slate. I look at these chefs as individuals, and I adapt as much as I believe they are to get the message across. For me, ultimately, I look at myself and my role as a conduit in between their experience, lived experience, and that Next Level Chef title, and I'm just helping them get there. Hopefully, navigating pitfalls, picking them up when they fall down, because in any sort of hero's journey on the pursuit of that excellence, there are pitfalls, there are days that are tough. And I think that's what makes it just that much sweeter, you know, those wins when they see that triumphant look on their face. And that is a reward in itself, truly.Richard: I think for me, I've probably become a little bit firmer as the seasons go on with my teams, just because I want them to succeed. And it's not just about having a good time. I want them to get to the next day, and sometimes that requires a little bit more firmness. I would say that's been the major change for me.
Next Level Chef Season 5 premieres tonight at 8 p.m. ET/PT on FOX. Streams next day on Hulu.
Next, 16 Things You Didn't Know About Hell's Kitchen's Gordon Ramsay
This story was originally published by Parade on Jan 29, 2026, where it first appeared in the TV section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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Published: January 29, 2026 at 10:01PM on Source: OPERA MAG
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