Next Level Chef, Fox's hit reality cooking competition, had an explosive Season 3 ending with controversy.
Led by Gordon Ramsey, Nyesha Arrington, and Richard Blais, Next Level Chef separates competing chefs into three teams with kitchens on top of each other, each kitchen filled with equipment of varying quality.
A winner is eventually picked through a series of intense challenges and cooking assignments. The victor earns $250,000 and a one-year mentorship under all three celebrity chefs.
[ Next Level Chef 2024 Cast, Contestants & Hosts In Season 3 (Photos) ]
Next Level Chef's Season 3 Results
Next Level Chef Season 3 ended on May 9, closing out with social media chef Gabi Chappel winning the competition.
The 29-year-old Chappel is from Brooklyn, New York, and she is a popular social media personality thanks largely to her Instagram page, which boasts over 63,000 followers.
She came out victorious over home chef Christina Miros, who finished as one of two runner-ups in the Season 3 finale.
This episode gave the final three competitors 90 minutes to use all three levels of the kitchen, making appetizers, a seafood course, and an ultimate main course.
Chappel made a ground pork appetizer while Miros went for Asian flavors. Chappel finished work on her appetizer with 67 minutes remaining on her time while Miros went into the second kitchen with 64 minutes left.
As the judges tasted the appetizers immediately, Miros earned excellent reviews on her food while Chappel's was criticized for looking slightly "basic" and feeling somewhat "murky."
Miros took lobster for her seafood dish while Chappel went for seabream. The final round left Chappel with 37 minutes on her clock while Christina had 34, and both of them earned solid reviews on their second-round dish.
With a two-minute advantage, Chappel took a New York strip as her final ingredient before Miros took a venison wrap, both of them finishing off in the knick of time.
Miros earned massive praise from the judges for her final dish. Richard Blais called her rack of venison one of the best-looking plates he had ever seen while Nyesha Arrington was at a loss for words and praised Miros' confidence.
Meanwhile, Blais complimented Chappel on her New York strip, highlighting the taste of the sauce and how well the steak was cooled. Gordon Ramsey also said she elevated the dish, making for a tough final decision before Chappel took home the prize.
Following the competition, Miros shared a post about her experience on Instagram.
She looks to take the weekend to “unwind from this majorly emotional experience,” as rewatching the show makes her relive her high and low moments.
She also teased that she has “a lot to say” as she spends time with her family:
"And that’s that! I have seen a lot of your messages and support and I will be responding in time. I have been taking today to relax and unwind from this majorly emotional experience. We have been done with the show for some time now but reliving all these moments takes a lot out of you and it’s as if you are experiencing it all over again in real time. I promise I have a lot to say and so much joy and gratitude are at the forefront but for today, I will be on my couch snuggled up with my incredible little family."
Chappel responded to that post with gratitude for having competed against her and becoming friends with her.
She praised Miros for her abilities as a chef, calling her “such an incredible chef” and looking forward to seeing where she goes in the future:
"I feel so incredibly grateful to have had the opportunity to not only compete with you, but get to know you as a person and friend, laugh with you, dance to ABBA with you, cry with you…you are such an incredible chef and I cannot wait to see where this experience takes you you are a light in every way and I know the world sees that too"
The Next Level Chef Season 3 Controversy
Following the Next Level Chef Season 3 finale, its results are causing controversy amongst the fan base on X (formerly Twitter) as many feel that Miros deserved to win instead of Chappel.
The consensus is that Miros performed better and with more consistency all season and that she also cooked better food in the finale itself even though she lost.
Additionally, viewers were convinced Miros was going to win based on what the judges were saying about her dish compared to Chappel before the results were announced.
@veejoyy thought Miros would win the competition based on the commentary offered about the dishes, leaving her in shock:
"yikes. based on what they were saying about the dishes.. Christina should've won 'Next Level Chef'"
@Michael_Toms bluntly said Chappel had "the worst entrée & frickin meatballs," although he would not have liked Miros winning either since he felt "Chef Ramsay cooked half her dish for her:"
"Baffling finale 'Next Level Chef.' The worst entrée & frickin meatballs wins it for Gabi? Thought Christina was going to win which would have been erroneous since Chef Ramsay cooked half her dish for her. Zach clearly the best but got judged way harsher as the only pro chef left"
@SirAntawn put it simply by saying, "I definitely thought Christina should have won."
@_pinkofcourse also felt Miros had the win in her pocket, noting, "The way they spoke about the dishes I thought Christina had it."
A Look at Past Next Level Chef Controversy
Even with only three seasons on the air, Next Level Chef cannot seem to avoid controversy. Fans have been up in arms for various reasons all three years.
In 2023's Season 2, social media chef Jade Greenhalgh won the competition, leading many fans to believe that Callum Deboys should have won instead.
Before that, Season 1 concluded with Pyet Despain winning the inaugural contest in favor of Mariah Scott and Reuel Vincent. A big portion of the fan base thought the latter two competitors were more worthy of winning the title after they performed consistently well throughout the season.
It's tough to tell if comments like those from fans will influence the future of Next Level Chef.
Cooking competitions (and competition shows of all sorts) are never completely predictable, and there are always twists, turns, and plenty of drama built up on screen.
All viewers can do is wait until Season 4 brings the next round of competitors.
All three seasons of Next Level Chef are now streaming on Hulu and Tubi.
Read more about other reality shows on The Direct:
Full Cast of MasterChef Junior 2024 - Contestants, Judges & Hosts In Season 9 (Photos)
Who Won Tournament of Champions Season 5? New Winner Details Revealed
