Next Level Chef leaned into the World Cup spotlight Thursday night, sending five remaining chefs into an all-new episode called “The Ultimate Goal” and ending with Darian Bryan on top. The championship-themed hour, built around the FIFA World Cup coming to FOX, asked the competitors to make a world-class fusion dish in 30 minutes using flavors from two different World Cup countries.
The episode also brought in a surprise guest with real soccer history: USA Soccer legend Alexi Lalas. The setup was simple and brutal. After last week’s results, Connor Caine and Cole Lawson were sent to the top-level kitchen with Richard Blais, Andy Allo and Darian Bryan cooked in the middle with Nyesha Arrington, and Gabrielle Coniglio was left in the basement with Gordon Ramsay. Five chefs entered the round, but only one could walk away with the win and the Time Token for the following week.
Caine, 30, from Manhattan Beach, California, said before the grab that his best dishes come from intentional moves, and that the Time Token could help him make one more of them. He was not the one who cashed in. Bryan, 34, from Buffalo, New York, a professional chef on Team Blais, won the main challenge with a fusion dish built around Argentina and Germany. The victory handed him the Time Token for next week, a small edge in a competition where every second matters.
The episode then shifted into the elimination cookoff, where Allo and Lawson were sent head-to-head to make a Greek entrée in 25 minutes. Allo, 37, from Malibu, California, a social media chef on Team Gordon, did not survive the round. She cooked her final dish in the Next Level Kitchen before being eliminated from the competition. Lawson, 31, from Los Angeles, California, a professional chef on Team Gordon, stayed alive to cook another day.
Allo’s exit carried more weight than a typical elimination. She said the experience was a dream come true and that she never imagined she would be there. She also said she grew up in West Africa and described her path to America as proof of what is possible. In her farewell, she thanked the judges for nurturing the “seed” of food and cooking that had been growing in her heart, saying she was excited to keep it going and share her heart and food.
That emotional note fit an episode built on competition and spectacle, but the structure of the night still mattered more than the sentiment. The top, middle and basement kitchen format put the pressure on immediately, and the World Cup theme gave the challenge a clear twist without softening the stakes. With $250,000 still on the line, Bryan’s win changes the board going into next week, while Allo’s elimination narrows the field and raises the heat on the remaining chefs.
Next Level Chef airs Thursday nights at 8 p.m. ET/PT on FOX, with next day streaming available on Hulu.
