"Shay really threw the game": Why are fans slamming Next Level Chef contestant Shay Spence in Episode 5?

Popular reality competition series Next Level Chef Season 2 aired a brand new episode on Thursday, March 9, 2023, at 8 pm ET on Fox.

It documented the remaining contestants battling it out in teams as well as against each other to create incredible dishes. They hoped to impress the judges, save their team from elimination, and also secure their safety in the competition.

On this week's episode of Next Level Chef, Shay Spence from chef Nyesha Arrington's team cooked his best dish using game meat. However, he couldn't get his timing right and forgot to put his plate up on the platform, putting him at risk of elimination. Fans slammed the contestant for his mistake. One tweeted:

The hit Fox series has been extremely popular amongst the audience. The contestants competed in three teams, each led by legendary chefs in the form of mentors - chef Gordon Ramsay, chef Nyesha Arrington, and chef Richard Blais.

The winner of the series will earn a grand cash prize of $250,000 and a one-year mentorship by the three judges. It will be interesting to see which chef makes it all the way to the end.

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It's Game Meat challenge on this week's Next Level Chef

Tonight's episode of Next Level Chef saw the mentors welcoming the contestants split into three teams for a brand new challenge. The season saw the chefs work with many ingredients and cuisines, while also facing several roadblocks. This week, however, they were given one of the most difficult themes to work on and perfect in the competition.

The official synopsis of the episode, titled Game Time, reads:

"Game such as wild boar and elk must be cooked with care and attention."

Episode 5 of Next Level Chef had the remaining contestants working with game meat. "Game" includes meat that is hunted and then eaten, including boar and elk, among several others. They can also include birds and animals that have been hunted a long time ago and since then have been domesticated.

After last week's elimination, chef Pilar's win brought chef Nyesha's team cooking to the top floor. Richard's team cooked in the middle and for the first time in the competition, Gordon's team cooked from the basement. The contestants began to grab as many ingredients as they could with their game meat from the elevation. The middle floor even dropped a few ingredients to help the basement chefs.

The Next Level Chef contestants decided on many dishes, including alligator nuggets. While some cooks got through the challenge smoothly, others faced a lot of trouble. April burnt her dish in the pan which almost caused a fire. Nervousness of the theme got the best of her as she soon cut her finger. Cassie burnt her potato mash and was seemingly out of place in the cook.

The mid-day mayhem brought the elevator in with some fruits for the chef to compliment their game food with. The cooks soon completed their dishes and the platform arrived on time. The mentors gave their teams a countdown and aksed them to put their plates on the platform before the elevator rushes to the next floor. However, Shay was a tad bit late as he couldn't put his plate up.

The Next Level Chef contestant blamed his timing and feared elimination.

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Fans react to Shay's mistake on Next Level Chef

Fans took to social media to slam Shay for his mistake. They were disappointed with the contestant for missing out on putting the plate when he learned of the format and also realized his safety in the competition was at stake. Check out what they had to say:

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Season 2 of Next Level Chef is getting interesting with each passing episode. As the installment progresses, the contestants will face more difficult challenges that will push them to their limits and test their culinary abilities. Viewers will have to stay tuned to find out what's more in store for them.

Don't forget to tune in to a brand new episode of Next Level Chef next Thursday, March 16, 2023, at 8 pm ET on Fox.