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Season 1 – Next Gen Chef

Play trailer Poster for Season 1 – Next Gen Chef Sep 2025 Special Interest Reality Game Show Play Trailer Watchlist
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Tomatometer 4 Reviews Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
Twenty-one rising chefs vie to be crowned a generational talent and win $500,000 in a competition set at the Culinary Institute of America.
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Next Gen Chef — Season 1

Critics Reviews

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Craig Mathieson The Age (Australia) Sep 25
3/5
Fans of this genre will eat well. Go to Full Review Marty Brown Common Sense Media Sep 30
4/5
Cooking competitions have been trying to replicate the success of "Top Chef" since its debut in 2006; this show may be the most successful to do it. Go to Full Review Andy Dehnart Reality Blurred Sep 23
B+
When it escapes the gravitational pull of the culinary reality TV landscape Top Chef established and then abandoned, Next Gen Chef is a show that could actually set the pace for the next generation of food competition Go to Full Review Joel Keller Decider Sep 18
Next Gen Chef isn’t reinventing the cooking competition, but it does a solid job because its contestants are so well-accomplished and the setting at the Culinary Institute is so unique. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Matthew O @RT18578995 Nov 12 I enjoyed this cooking competition because it seemed to really show 1) how difficult cooking is, 2) how much better chefs are then laypeople and yet how much better some chefs are than others 3) the process involved in making a great dish or a meal. Yes the product placement commercials throughout were silly but I still really liked it See more Charles C @RT02663840 Oct 16 One of the worst big budget chef competition shows ever made. See more L. F @RT68678650 Oct 10 It's a pretty good cooking competition, however, some elements let it down for me. 1) The show starts with lots of contestants, with people being eliminated quickly, which made it hard to familiarise/get to know chefs at the beginning. 2) It was clearly a very pressured environment, as many contestants got emotional during filming, which was tough to watch. 3) Some of the product placement and "casual conversation" about brands was absolutely laughable! See more H H @HHHHHH739 Sep 19 I'm enjoying Next Gen Chef. It is focused on actual cooking instead of contrived obstacles and gimmicks. The contestants are smart and intense without being obnoxious. The hosts and judges are good too. Direct and honest without being mean. Some welcome familiar faces. Getting input from the culinary instructors is a good twist. The setting and filmography are really good too. Overall enjoyable show if you like cooking competitions. See more Read all reviews
Next Gen Chef — Season 1

My Rating

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Cast & Crew

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Olivia Culpo

Host

Philip Byron

Executive Producer

Maverick Carter

Executive Producer

Dan Cutforth

Executive Producer

Jamal Henderson

Executive Producer

Episodes

Episode 1 Aired Sep 17, 2025 The Entrance Exam Upon arriving at the CIA, the chefs are split into teams and must create a menu inspired by culinary icons Anthony Bourdain, Julia Child and Paul Bocuse. Details Episode 2 Aired Sep 17, 2025 Global Food Test To demonstrate their mastery of global cuisine, the chefs must craft family-style dishes specific to Asia, the Americas and the Mediterranean. Details Episode 3 Aired Sep 17, 2025 Core Creativity They can dole out flavors, but can they take feedback?; the chefs devise savory dishes using apples; the judges introduce a game-changing twist. Details Episode 4 Aired Sep 17, 2025 Grading The Brigade The chefs navigate curveball after curveball during the dinner service of nightmares as they run an elevated gastropub as a brigade for the first time. Details Episode 5 Aired Sep 17, 2025 Fast Casual Exam In a two-part challenge, the chefs create fast casual dining menus; but only two winning concepts will launch and go head-to-head in the CIA cafeteria. Details Episode 6 Aired Sep 17, 2025 Baking the Grade The heat is on as the chefs race to bake 36 portions of a treat using a culinary byproduct in just five hours; Christina Tosi joins as a guest judge. Details Episode 7 Aired Sep 17, 2025 Souffle Showdown In the semifinals, the chefs must make a fine dining entrée and flex or fake their soufflé skills for guest judges Daniel Boulud and Kwame Onwuachi. Details Episode 8 Aired Sep 24, 2025 Graduation Day For their last exam, the chefs must make a themed four-course meal for 70 VIP diners, including chef Thomas Keller and CIA president Tim Ryan. Details
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Next Gen Chef — Season 1

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Season Info

Executive Producer
Philip Byron, Maverick Carter, Dan Cutforth, Jamal Henderson
Network
Netflix
Rating
TV-Y7
Genre
Special Interest, Reality, Game Show
Original Language
English
Release Date
Sep 17, 2025
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