Richard Blais Teases Next Level Chef Season 3 Audition Phase and Offers Strategy Tips

Now that Gordon Ramsay has chosen his Las Vegas chef on Hell’s Kitchen, Ramsay, Nyesha Arrington, and Richard Blais are making ready to launch Next Level Chef’s third season, and they have some surprises in retailer.

During the primary two seasons, viewers had been catapulted proper into the competitors with out a lot understanding of the contestants or how the groups had been picked.

With Next Level Chef Season 3, there will likely be three elimination episodes, one for residence cooks, one for social media cooks, and one for skilled cooks. As you may think about, the mentors study quite a bit from that stage, and now we’ll, too.

We spoke with mentor and chef Richard Blais in regards to the new season to get a really feel for the way issues will unfold with the brand new format.

We additionally wished to meet up with him about his newest cookbook, Plant Forward, and his journey to well being and wellness by means of vegetarian choices. Our full dialog follows.

Thank you very a lot for chatting with me at present. I respect it.

Awesome, thanks.

Since the final time we talked, you’ve got revealed a brand new e book.

Yes. Yeah. Plant Forward got here out proper after Halloween.

How did that come about?

I modified my life-style dramatically quite a few years in the past, and my spouse was an enormous a part of it, so we thought we’d inform that story of me losing a few pounds how we did it, and the kind of meals that we cook dinner at residence. So we determined we’d co-author and pen a e book collectively.

So that is actually the true Richard and what do you take pleasure in?

Yes.

Wow, that is a pleasant journey.

Yes. It tells the story of my weight reduction and well being and wellness journey for positive.

Do you continue to indulge in several issues as properly, or do you simply just about focus primarily on wholesome choices?

No, I do indulge. Plant Forward is generally about greens, however I do have a steakhouse. I do love , greasy cheeseburger.

And no, I eat all the things together with the California burrito that I simply had moments earlier than I signed on at present. But it’s about getting those that first step in find out how to eat extra greens.

I’ve to ask: did you occur to observe You Are What You Eat: A Twin Experience that is on Netflix proper now?

I do not suppose I’ve seen that, no.

(*3*)

It’s very vegetable-heavy, and it is exhibiting the distinction the plant-based weight loss program could make with two people who find themselves genetically related at any time when they do totally various things. You may take pleasure in it.

Oh, improbable. I’ll test it out for positive.

It’s no secret how a lot I like Next Level Chef, and I’m actually intrigued in regards to the choice so as to add the audition course of. How did that come about?

Again, I do not know precisely why it happened, however I’m glad that it did as a result of I feel there are such a lot of individuals we have had; properly, I really can most likely let you know why.

We’ve had hundreds and hundreds of individuals apply to be on the present, and identical to any kind of casting second, there’s quite a lot of good individuals and solely a sure variety of spots.

So, kind of opening up and taking the viewer into the audition course of which may occur behind the scenes, however having it play out on all three ranges has labored out splendidly.

I imply, it should be thrilling proper from the get-go, and you are going to see extra superb personalities and talent ranges. So I feel it is an awesome addition.

As a viewer of any present that does that kind of course of, I like these early episodes the place you get to see individuals compete to be on the present.

Will the auditions even be on the three ranges, and how does that impression the audition course of?

Yes, the auditions will likely be on every degree.

Without spoiling an excessive amount of into the present, the cooks will get an opportunity to compete, mainly work their manner as much as the highest and see if they’ll make all of it the way in which to the highest and then hopefully enter the draft in order that Gordon, Nyesha and myself can decide them to be on our groups.

And you’ve got been a basement magician. Is that someplace that you simply need to form of proceed honing your specific expertise on this present?

Yeah. We have nicknamed it the Blais-ment, so I’ve no drawback being down there. It’s kind of a working little joke.

I feel at a sure level within the present, you are down there due to how your crew performs, so it is not a spot that I need to be too ceaselessly, however I do love being down there for quite a few causes.

One, the lighting is absolutely good within the basement. People do not respect the lighting of the basement.

But the explanation I actually like it down there’s for me as somebody who’s an over-thinker, and I feel most likely quite a lot of our contestants are; you simply do not need to suppose as a lot.

You get what you get, and you do not get upset, and you simply need to kind of push on and keep on.

And fairly actually, most of our cooks, all of our cooks, have most likely had extra expertise cooking in a basement-like scenario than they’ve possibly on the prime degree with Michelin Star gear, et cetera.

How does being a mentor change now that you simply get to choose your crew versus being assigned a crew?

This is a good a part of the audition course of as a result of we’re attending to see them cook dinner, not simply possibly getting some information about them or realizing about them from their social media web page.

We’re going to get to see how they react throughout duress and stress and what their character is like. Even although it should be very fast, I feel it is a good way for us to kind of draft the groups that we actually need as a result of we get to see these individuals firsthand.

Can you tease something that you simply discovered alongside that audition course of this primary outing?

I feel you in a short time get to see how fast on the ft individuals are. Right? How can they suppose actually, actually shortly? Again, since you’re not simply seeing the usual, “Here’s my audition tape. I took seven takes to make this lasagna for you.”

You get to see them on the sector and within the precise moments that they are about to be in the event that they’re fortunate sufficient to get into the draft. So I feel it is actually useful for us as mentors to see them cook dinner within the auditions.

And how does it change the dynamics between the three mentors?

Well, I feel there’s slightly bit extra technique as a result of now all of us see what’s occurring. Even the chef who’s not on the ground, is watching from the lounge. So possibly there’s slightly bit like, “Oh, you shouldn’t pick that person, Gordon. You definitely don’t want them because I want them.”

I feel typically you are negotiating, as we head into the draft, what you may need to do. Would you need to commerce somebody? Did you see one thing particular from somebody? So yeah, I feel it undoubtedly makes it extra strategic.

Well, the soccer metaphor is sweet. Since you are getting an unimaginable berth to premiere the primary season proper after an enormous playoff sport, what does it really feel wish to proceed to have that form of religion within the present?

I imply, it is a blessing, and we’re simply so fortunate that now we have all of that assist.

And such as you stated, to premiere after the Super Bowl final yr and the NFC championship sport this yr, it exhibits that there are lots of people that consider in us and for good purpose.

It’s a extremely nice present. I like it. It is my life and my profession, and I’m so happy with the work we do. So I’m glad that there are lots of people behind us that assist us.

And my final query for you is, let’s simply discuss gameplay for a minute. You’re no stranger to being part of this course of, clearly. You had your personal course of on Top Chef. If you had been taking part on this audition course of, what would your tactic be?

I imply, the tactic early on is all the time to do one thing that you recognize as a lot as you may as a result of, clearly, there’s the platform. And, I do not need to say play it secure as a result of that is by no means sensible, however do what you recognize and do not threat an excessive amount of early on.

Whether it is the audition or early in any competitors, I’ll proceed with the soccer metaphors: it is okay to punt each infrequently for subject place, realizing that you’ll get the ball again.

The secret is to get the ball again to maintain going within the competitors. It’s a marathon, not a dash. So, I feel it helps everybody to have a marathoner’s mentality.

Next Level Chef premieres proper after the playoff sport on FOX on Sunday, January 28, and in its seasonal time slot on Thursday, February 2 at 8/7 on FOX.