Top Chef

Eight new chefs and eight returning chefs battle it out in Charleston, SC.

The remaining 15 chefs join Tom, Padma and guest judge, Frank Lee, for a traditional shrimp boil.

Padma and guest judge, Chris Cosentino divide the chefs into teams to compete in the Top Chef mise en place race.

Padma and Nilou Motamed ring in the holiday season by having the chefs create dishes using a bizarre collection of ingredients and tools inside gift boxes.

The cheftestants are baffled to enter the kitchen to find it completely dark and empty. Their anxiety grows as the clock begins and the pantry doors open to reveal baking ingredients.

US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, challenges the remaining chefs to make healthy vegetarian versions of traditional comfort foods. To make sure they get some physical activity in, they are only allowed to grab ingredients and tools from the pantry one at a time.

For their Quickfire Challenge, Padma and Chef Michael Cimarusti challenge the chefs to cook dishes using ingredients corresponding to the element of their zodiac sign.

It’s the challenge the chefs have been waiting for all season - Restaurant Wars. The remaining chefs divide into two teams to design a restaurant.

Top Chef season six winner Michael Voltaggio puts the remaining chef’s palates to the test with a blindfolded taste experiment.

The competitors start their day boarding a boat with Tom Colicchio, who gives them a lesson in shrimpin’. Padma is waiting with a Sudden Death Quickfire where the chefs must create a dish that showcases their freshly caught shrimp.

The final four chefs cook impromptu dishes while simultaneously instructing mystery partners how to create the exact same dish. When the judges compare dishes, the chefs are shocked to discover their secret partners are their visiting family members.

The finals begin in Guadalajara, Mexico as the three remaining chefs face off against the winner of Last Chance Kitchen at the new Chivas soccer Stadium.

The three remaining chefs head to the Yucatan Peninsula where Chef Roberto Muñoz Zurita challenges them to make a dish showcasing the flavor, complexity and heat of the legendary local habanero using ingredients from the local market.

The final two chefs face-off to serve the best meal of their lives and earn the title of Top Chef.