Six of America's best chefs begin their journey to being crowned the Ultimate Thanksgiving Challenge Champion. Host Giada De Laurentiis sets up their first challenge: transforming a low-cost item into an extraordinary Thanksgiving appetizer. The winner gets an advantage in the dinner round, when the chefs must feature an inexpensive turkey item in their turkey dinner. Expert judges Alex Guarnaschelli, Carla Hall and Christian Petroni decide which chef is sent home, and the remaining competitors continue toward the $25,000 grand prize.

Giada De Laurentiis asks the five competing chefs to put a Thanksgiving spin on a classic dish. The winner gets an advantage in the dinner round, when the chefs have to create a Thanksgiving dinner infusing the flavors of a randomly assigned country. Judges Alex Guarnaschelli, Carla Hall and Christian Petroni send one chef home, and the others continue on for a chance at winning the $25,000 prize.

Giada De Laurentiis challenges the four remaining chefs to embrace not just Thanksgiving Day but the whole week by creating their version of Friendsgiving dinner. The chefs are also paired up to compete as a team using an nontraditional Thanksgiving protein. In the dinner round, the chefs compete solo, making a dinner that incorporates a protein, veggie, starch and sweet from Giada's Black Friday table. Judges Alex Guarnaschelli, Carla Hall and Christian Petroni decide which chef heads home while the others move on to the finale.

Giada De Laurentiis challenges the three final chefs to make a dish that represents the person they're most thankful for, and they each have to incorporate a different type of squash. The chef who most impresses judges Alex Guarnaschelli, Carla Hall and Christian Petroni wins a critical advantage for the dinner round, when the chefs have to make the ultimate Thanksgiving feast. The final three chefs battle through hours of cooking until the best walks away with $25,000 and the title of Ultimate Thanksgiving Challenge Champion.