Contestants on Next Level Chef, ITV’s new cooking competition series, will not only face Gordon Ramsay but a 50ft-tall three-story kitchen!
Gordon will judge alongside two other chefs at the top of their game – Paul Ainsworth and Nyesha Arrington.
Gordon calls the show a combination of “Hell’s Kitchen and MasterChef” but promises “it’s the first of its kind”.
From professional chefs and Paralympians to social media stars, the Next Level Chef contestants have done it all.
Meet them here…
Next Level Chef contestants: Layla Powell
Layla Powell, 41, is from London.
She is an Events Caterer and her cooking is influenced by her Caribbean and North African roots.
You can find Layla on Instagram @laylaypowell.
Next Level Chef contestants: Tony Maloy
Tony Maloy is 40 and from Theddingworth, Leicestershire.
He works as a chef on a superyacht.
Tony also founded his own restaurant called The Galley, where he is the Head Chef.
Ian ‘Gold’ Golding
Ian, 50, is from Kings Langley, Hertfordshire.
Next Level Chef has chefs from all different levels competing, and Ian is one of the home cooks hoping to impress Gordon Ramsay and the other judges!
Next Level Chef contestants: Temi Abdullahi
Temi Abdullahi is a 27 year old from London who made his name as a chef on social media.
Temi has over 30,000 followers who love his foodie content on Instagram.
If you want to follow Temi on Instagram, you can find him @temityskitchen.
Ronan Lee
Ronan is a 25 year old chef from London.
He is another one of the show’s home chefs.
He makes a lot of food content on his Instagram!
You can follow his account @ronanleefoodie.
Jade Greenhalgh
Jade Greenhalgh is a 34 year old chef from Ormskirk, Lancashire.
She is a food blogger and mum who also hopes to impress the judges.
If you want to follow Jade on Instagram, you can find her @JG.KITCHEN.
Next Level Chef contestants: Kelly Hunter
Kelly Hunter, 45, is from Dunmow in Essex.
She is an ex-professional chef who has focused more of being a home cook in recent years.
It’ll be interesting watching Kelly get back in a professional kitchen again on the ITV competition!
Selwyn Channon
Selwyn Channon, 63, is from Lympsham, Somerset.
He is a retired army master chef.
We’re sure Selwyn will have the stamina for this contest!
Gurpreet Bains joins the Next Level Chef contestant line-up
Gurpreet Bains is 25 years old and lives in Gravesend, Kent.
She is a Demi chef de Partie and graduated from the prestigious culinary school Le Cordon Bleu.
You can find Gurpreet on Instagram @gurpreetbains97.
Toby Caswell-Jones
Toby Caswell-Jones is a 22 year old chef from Liverpool.
He works in a restaurant as a sous chef.
You can follow Toby on Instagram @chef.tcj.
Tia Khurana joins the Next Level Chef contestants line-up
Tia Khurana, 50, is from Birmingham.
She is a home cook and blogger, who is often sharing her flavourful recipes.
If you want to see Tia’s recipes, follow her on Instagram @tiasbengalikitchen.
Read more: Lord Sugar slams Gordon Ramsay as he accuses him of ‘ripping off’ The Apprentice
Callum Deboys
Callum Deboys is 26 and from Prestwick in Scotland.
If you recognise Callum, that’s because he is a Paralympian!
He was involved in a serious motorcycle road traffic accident which resulted in an above-knee amputation of his left leg.
Callum competed in the Beijing 2022 Paralympics and formed part of ParalympicsGB’s first ever cross-country open relay team.
Callum was a chef before his accident, and is heading back to the kitchen on Next Level Chef.
Next Level Chef begins on Wednesday January 11 at 9pm on ITV1.
What do you think of these contestants? Leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and let us know what you think.