Twenty-one contestants compete for fifteen spots in real-world challenges administered by the judges.

The fifteen chefs who remain after last week's qualifying challenge must think on their feet and at a high elevation when a twist complicates their challenge.

The chefs choose international dumpling recipes for the Quickfire, and then team up with either Tom or Emeril in a Thanksgiving challenge.

First the chefs must demonstrate their knife skills, and then they board a time machine, metaphorically at least, so they can design menus from the 1950s.