NEXT LEVEL CHEF: L-R: Contestant Jared and Gordon Ramsay in the NEXT LEVEL CHEF Season Five "Auditions - Home Chefs" episode airing Thursday, Feb. 12 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. CR: Lorraine O’Sullivan / FOX. ©2025 FOX Media LLC.

Best-bets for Feb. 12: Olympians and a “6-8 lunch lady”

1) “Next Level Chef,” 8 p.m., Fox. In pro football, Jared Veldeer says, he was “a professional fat guy,” 318 pounds. He was a starting offensive lineman for six teams over a decade. Then he trimmed and became a rarity — “a 6-foot-8 lunch lady” at his kids’ school. Now he’s among eight contestants (including a school cop) competing for five spots, in a fun hour. He’s shown here with Gordon Ramsay, a former soccer pro. Read more…

1) “Next Level Chef,” 8 p.m., Fox. In pro football, Jared Veldeer says, he was “a professional fat guy,” 318 pounds. He was a starting offensive lineman for six teams over a decade. Then he trimmed and became a rarity — “a 6-foot-8 lunch lady” at his kids’ school. Now he’s among eight contestants (including a school cop) competing for five spots, in a fun hour. He’s shown here with Gordon Ramsay, a former soccer pro.

2) “Going Dutch,” 9:32 p.m., Fox. Kristen Johnston, the towering comic force from “3rd Rock,” plays powerhouse Canadian general. Capt. Quinn sees her as an ideal mentor; Col. Quinn (Denis Leary), her dad, lusts at her as a reflection of him. It’s a new episode (and a fairly good one), after a funny “Animal Control” rerun, with Frank’s nemesis (Ken Jeong).

3) Winter Olympics. There’s live coverage all day on the USA Network and noon to 5 p.m. ET on NBC. On NBC, that includes finals in women’s half-pipe snowboarding (1:30 p.m.) and short-track speedskating (2:55). At 3:10, ithe U.S. faces Latvia in hockey. It’s all repackaged on NBC from 8-11 p.m.

4) “Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette,” 9 to midnight ET, FX and Hulu. He was “America’s prince,” known to almost everyone; she was a fashion consultant and publicist, known to a few. In these three episodes (six weekly ones follow), their love sags and soars. They’re likable opposites, but his family ranges from blank to cartoon-ish.

5) ALSO: Two days before Valentine’s Day, it’s time for romantic movies. Try the traditional approach with “Doctor Zhivago” (1965) — long and lush and bittersweet — at 8 p.m. ET on Turner Classic Movies. Or the modern wit and zest of “Anyone But You” (2023), at 9 on Freeform.

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