A former WLWT-TV (Channel 5) sports reporter and current Sports Illustrated Bengals reporter took a break from the sidelines to “dabble in cooking” alongside famed chef Gordon Ramsay.
Elise Jesse announced via Instagram on Thursday that she competed on season 5 of “Next Level Chef,” which is set to premiere Jan. 29. Jesse, a graduate of Oak Hills High School and Mount St. Joseph University, worked for WLWT from 2013 to 2020 before joining Sports Illustrated to cover the Bengals.
“I had the honor & opportunity of a lifetime to compete on season 5 of (Gordon Ramsay’s) Next Level Chef,” Jesse said in a Dec. 18 Instagram post. “This journey reminded me that growth lives just outside of our comfort zones, and sometimes the bravest thing you can do is simply say yes.”
Jesse, who also has an Instagram account dedicated to her sports reporting, uses her Elise Jesse’s Cookin’ (@ejscookin) page to highlight her cooking and recipes for her more than 61,000 followers.
When does ‘Next Level Chef’ season 5 premiere?
Season 5 of “Next Level Chef” debuts Jan. 29, 2026.
How to watch ‘Next Level Chef’ season 5
New episodes air on Fox. You can also watch past episodes on the Fox website.
Stream ‘Next Level Chef’ on Fubo
Fans can stream “Next Level Chef” episodes on Hulu, Tubi, Spectrum On Demand and other streaming services.
How does ‘Next Level Chef’ work?
Making it through the casting process is just the first test on “Next Level Chef.”
The cooking competition sees chefs working in a three-tiered kitchen, creating dishes to impress Ramsay and fellow professional chefs Nyesha Arrington and Richard Blais.
Ingredients for the challenges descend through each level of the kitchen on a platform, starting at the top before ending at the bottom floor. The teams at each level have 30 seconds to choose ingredients (the selection at the bottom is not as robust as at the top).
From there, the teams cook dishes with the aim of avoiding elimination by impressing Ramsay, Arrington and Blais.
How much does the ‘Next Level Chef’ winner make?
The winner of season 5 will take home $250,000 and the title of “Next Level Chef.”
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Former WLWT reporter to compete on Gordon Ramsay’s ‘Next Level Chef’
Reporting by Kaycee Sloan, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
