Gordon Ramsay: 'It's hard competing with Bake Off and MasterChef'
The TV chef is hosting ITV1's upcoming cooking competition Next Level Chef, in which contestants take on a three-story kitchen for a £100,000 prize.
Gordon Ramsay is returning to our screens with brand new cooking competition Next Level Chef, however he's admitted that it'll be tough standing out in a TV genre dominated by The Great British Bake Off and other reality shows.
The new series, which is a UK spin-off to NBC's original version, will see 12 aspiring chefs enter a three-story kitchen where they have just seconds to grab ingredients from which to make an outstanding dish.
Speaking to RadioTimes.com and other press, the presenter said that the contestants – who are professionals, home cooks and social media chefs – are giving up their careers to go on the show, which is yet to be established as a big player on the TV landscape.
"I'm not gonna lie, breaking in a new exciting foodie competition show – it's hard with such legendary Great British Bake Offs, MasterChef and the long-running success of that," he said.
"I think everything I've learnt in nearly two decades, mistakes as well, has gone into this competition. And also, you've got to see the contestants' faces. Everyone gets to cook their dream dishes but not everyone gets the dream ingredients so it's how good they're pivoting, getting comfortable being uncomfortable.
"It's 45 minutes or 60 minutes and it is full on. But the creativity, second, third time hitting that platform when they don't know what they're grabbing – that's the genius moment for me."
Ramsay, who has previously hosted Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares, Hell's Kitchen and US MasterChef, is joined on the ITV show by Great British Menu's Paul Ainsworth and Top Chef's Nyesha Arrington, who are fellow judges on the show.
The contestant who wins ITV1's Next Level Chef will receive a £100,000 prize as well as a year-long mentorship from Ramsay, Ainsworth and Arrington, who'll help them make their culinary dreams a reality.
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Next Level Chef airs on Wednesday 11th January at 9pm on ITV1. If you’re looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide or Streaming Guide, or visit our dedicated Entertainment hub.
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