Inside the UNILAG kitchen lab

We got the rare clearance to walk through the UNILAG competition kitchen the night before tapings. Six identical stations, each with its own gas ring, knife kit and fire blanket.

The “secret sauce station” at the back caused the most chatter online — but it's not as dramatic as it sounds. It's simply a shared shelf of pantry staples (oils, spices, vinegars) any contestant can pull from, declared upfront to the judges.

Safety-wise: every contestant goes through a 20-minute fire briefing, and a steward sits in eye-line of every burner during the cook.