Fox’s “Next Level Chef” is ready for, well, its next level. The Gordon Ramsay-fronted cooking competition has been renewed for a second season. Rob Wade, Fox Entertainment’s president, alternative entertainment and specials, announced the pickup on Wednesday.
Fox Alternative Entertainment and Studio Ramsay are behind “Next Level Chef,” which takes place on a three-story stage with different kinds of kitchens on each floor. The top floor features high-end appliances and ingredients, while the basement contains just the basics and no frills. Chefs compete on different floors depending on their performance. Ramsay, Nyesha Arrington and Richard Blais serve as mentors.
News comes in advance of Wednesday’s Season 1 finale, which airs at 9 p.m. on Fox. In the finale, the final three contestants are asked to create three dishes in 90 minutes — on all three levels: An appetizer in the basement, a seafood dish in the middle kitchen and a meat-focused dish in the top-level kitchen. The winning chef receives $250,000 grand prize and a year-long mentorship with Ramsay, Arrington and Blais.
“Next Level Chef” was the first Ramsay show to debut on Fox since the superstar chef formed a new joint venture, Studio Ramsay Global, with Fox Entertainment last August.
“We’re always thrilled when a new series resonates with audiences, but in this case, we’re doubly so, because this one was the first to come out of our new venture with Gordon and Studio Ramsay Global,” said Wade in a statement. “We’d like to thank our partners at Studio Ramsay Global, and, of course, Gordon, our talented chefs and our amazing crew, for an epic Season 1. And we know Season 2 will continue to be ‘next level’ television.”
Ramsay, Lisa Edwards and Matt Cahoon are executive producers on “Next Level Chef,” which Fox said is the top-rated new entertainment show on broadcast, and the No. 3 most-streamed Fox unscripted debut ever (with 3.3 million viewers on Hulu and FoxNow).
“With audiences as excited about the new show as we are, we can’t wait to introduce another group of incredibly talented chefs in Season 2,” Ramsay said.
