If you can’t stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen! From the twisted minds at Magical Elves (the team behind Bravo’s highly-lauded Top Chef ) comes Yes, Chef! Hosted by Emmy Award-winning chefs José Andrés and Martha Stewart, NBC’s tasty new cooking competition turns on the heat by putting chefs through a culinary and personal gauntlet for their chance to win the $250,000 grand prize.
However, Yes, Chef! is not your average cookery competition because its contestants won’t be judged just on the basis of their cuisine. The 12 competitors have all been nominated by someone close to them—be it their bosses, co-workers, friends and even family—who believe they all have to work on issues involving ego, temper, and stubbornness to become the chefs they’ve destined to be. Andrés and Stewart will guide them through various challenges designed to test their skills in the kitchen as well as present behavioral hurdles they need to overcome to achieve culinary greatness.
This exclusive trailer begins with Andrés and Stewart breaking the news to the chefs that they have been brought to the kitchen under false pretenses. “You all can cook,” begins Andrés. “But that’s not why you’re here,” adds Stewart gleefully. As the chefs’ jaws drop, a screen shows testimonials from various people in their lives. “Chef Jake needs to control his anger,” says one man. “Chef T has a short fuse,” says another man. After the chefs hear from their peers, Stewart sagely tells them: “You’re more driven by drama than the dish.” A montage of chefs losing their tempers flashes behind them proving Stewart right!
While the chefs are understandably emotional, Andrés offers them a silver lining. “This is a chance to transform yourselves,” he says earnestly. Stewart adds that they want to teach the chefs to “face your problems head on.” That is easier said than done. More footage from the series shows the chefs yelling at each other, slamming down food and generally behaving badly. “Wow, we look like the Hunger Games,” exclaims Andrés at one point.
As more dramatic images play out on screen—one contestant even locks himself in a refrigerated room to scream—Stewart reminds the competitors what’s at stake: $250K. “For a quarter of a million, it’ll take a lot more than good food to win,” proclaims Stewarts knowingly as more scenes of chefs crying, breaking down and getting frustrated follow.
The trailer ends with a cheeky moment between Andrés and Stewart. “I hate sending people home,” says Stewart to Andrés before an elimination. “Do you?” asks Andrés. With a smile, Stewart responds cheekily: “No.” As they both laugh heartily, it’s clear that Andrés and Stewart are a match made in reality competition heaven!
Yes, Chef! premieres Monday, 4/28 at 10PM ET/PT on NBC.
