Top Chef
2006–
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Seasons
Season 1
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E1
Who Deserves to Be Here
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E2
Food of Love
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E3
Nasty Delights
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E4
Food on the Fly
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E5
Blind Confusion
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E6
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
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E7
Restaurant Wars
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E8
Wedding Bell Blues
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E9
Napa's Finest
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E10
Reunion
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E11
Finale
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E12
Episode #1.12
Season 2
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E1
Into the Fire
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E2
Eastern Promise
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E3
Food for the People
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E4
Less Is More
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E5
Social Service
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E6
Thanksgiving
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E7
The Raw and the Cooked
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E8
Holiday Spirit
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E9
Seven
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E10
Unhappy Customers
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E11
Sense and Sensuality
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E12
Finale: Part 1
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E13
Finale: Part 2
Season 3
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E1
4-Star All Stars
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E2
First Impressions
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E3
Sunny Delights
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E4
Family Favorites
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E5
Cooking by Numbers
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E6
Latin Lunch
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E7
Watch What Happens
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E8
Freezer Burn
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E9
Guilty Pleasures
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E10
Restaurant Wars
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E11
Second Helping
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E12
Chef Overboard
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E13
Snacks on a Plane
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E14
Manhattan Project
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E15
Finale: Part 1
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E16
Finale: Part 2
- E17 Reunion
Season 4
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E1
Anything You Can Cook I Can Cook Better
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E2
Zoo Food
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E3
Block Party
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E4
Film Food
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E5
The Elements
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E6
Tailgating
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E7
Improv
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E8
Common Threads
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E9
Wedding Wars
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E10
Serve and Protect
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E11
Restaurant Wars
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E12
High Steaks
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E13
Puerto Rico
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E14
Finale: Part II
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E15
Reunion
Season 5
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E1
Melting Pot
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E2
Show Your Craft
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E3
Foo Fighters
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E4
Today Show
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E5
Gail's Bridal Shower
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E6
12 Days of Christmas
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E7
Focus Group
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E8
Down on the Farm
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E9
Restaurant Wars
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E10
Super Bowl Chef Showdown
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E11
Le Bernardin
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E12
The Last Supper
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E13
Finale Part 1
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E14
Finale Part 2
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E15
Watch What Happens Reunion
Season 6
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E1
Sin City Vice
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E2
Bachelor/ette Party
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E3
Thunderbirds
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E4
Vivre Las Vegas
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E5
Camping
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E6
Penn & Teller
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E7
Dinner Party
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E8
Pigs & Pinot
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E9
Restaurant Wars
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E10
Meat Natalie
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E11
Strip Around the World
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E12
Culinary Olympics
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E13
Season Finale: Part 1
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E14
Season Finale: Part 2
Season 7
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E1
House of Chef-Presentatives
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E2
Outside the Lunch Box
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E3
Capitol Grill
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E4
Room Service
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E5
Farm Policy
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E6
Cold War
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E7
Palm Power Lunch
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E8
Foreign Affairs
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E9
Restaurant Wars
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E10
Covert Cuisine
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E11
Making Concessions
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E12
Gastro-nauts
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E13
Finale Part 1
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E14
Finale Part 2
- E15 Reunion Special The cast and chefs gather together with, you guessed it, Andy Cohen to review the season and maybe dish a little nonsense with the host.
Season 8
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E1
History Never Repeats
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E2
Night at the Museum
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E3
New York's Finest
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E4
Advantage Chef
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E5
Dim Some Lose Some
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E6
We're Gonna Need a Bigger Boat
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E7
Restaurant Wars: One Night Only
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E8
An Offer They Can't Refuse
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E9
Feeding Fallon
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E10
Lock Down
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E11
For the Gulf
- E12 Give Me Your Huddled Masses The chefs need to make something out of nothing; the contestants head to Ellis Island, where they must make a dish based on their heritage.
- E13 Fit for a King The chefs set sail for the Bahamas, and each participates in a culinary duel against the person who was crowned the winner during their first stint on the show. Later, they create meals for Bahamian royalty, but it's a royal pain with limited cooking equipment.
- E14 Island Fever The contestants cater a yacht club's anniversary party, but only after they have gone conch fishing.
- E15 Last Supper
- E16 Finale The remaining two chefs have no time to digest what just happened as their final challenge is immediately announced. The 2 finalists choose their sous-chefs... blindfolded!
- E17 Reunion Special
Season 9
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E1
Everything's Bigger in Texas
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E2
The Heat is On
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E3
Quinceanera
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E4
Red Hot Chili Cook Off
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E5
Don't Be Tardy for the Dinner Party
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E6
Higher Steaks
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E7
Game On
- E8 Tribute Dinner The chefs must adapt quickly when their cooking mashes up with social networking and they begin receiving dish notes via Twitter. Later, they will each be able to pay homage to an influential teacher when they are asked to create dishes in the teachers' honor.
- E9 BBQ Pit Wars The chefs combine learning with cooking tonight when they use Nathan Myhrvold's Modernist Cuisine to influence their Quickfire dishes. Next, they team up for a barbecue cook-off where the diners determine the winning team.
- E10 Restaurant Wars The still-standing chefs sharpen their knives for the time-honored fan-favorite "Restaurant Wars" test. The all-encompassing culinary challenge tasks them to create an eatery, from its signage and logos to its menus and meals. The chefs prepare their dishes as quick as they can but the servers are having problems understanding where they need to go.
- E11 Fit For an Evil Queen The Quickfire is on the move, except it's the ingredients that are moving—by train. Next, the chefs must access the darkness inside of them when they are asked to create "evil" on a plate.
- E12 Block Party The chefs race against time to finish prep work for a meal. Later, they serve up cuisine at a food-drive block party. Guest judge: Cat Cora.
- E13 Bike, Borrow & Steal In this week’s Quickfire, Pee-wee Herman stops by and the chefs are tasked to create his favorite breakfast dish – pancakes! But this isn’t any old pancake. The Chefs are challenged to be as creative as possible when making their batter, toppings and presentation. In "Pee-wee’s Big Adventure,” Pee-wee learned a lot about searching the streets and asking for help. For the elimination challenge, the chefs are set loose in downtown San Antonio with a bike and $100, where they must find their ingredients and create a dish for Pee-wee’s dinner party. Pee-wee Herman joins Gail Simmons, head judge Tom Colicchio, and host Padma Lakshmi at judges’ table.
- E14 Mentors In this week’s Quickfire, the chefs must use their sense of touch, smell and taste to navigate through the pantry to gather ingredients for a dish while blindfolded. In a twist, the winning chef from Top Chef: Last Chance Kitchen will re-enter the competition and join the remaining four chefs in the elimination challenge, where the chefs must create a delicious dish that will impress their mentors. Host Padma Lakshmi, along with Hugh Acheson, Gail Simmons and head judge Tom Colicchio will determine which final four chefs will advance to the finale.
- E15 Culinary Games The final 4 chefs arrive in Whistler, British Columbia, for a Top Chef twist on the Olympic games. From cooking on the world’s fastest gondola to a biathlon that requires marksman like precision to get the best ingredients, the chefs will need to have the concentration of a true culinary Olympian to advance to the next round in Vancouver.
- E16 Fire and Ice Asian Masters lend a hand in a tag-team-style Quickfire. The final 3 chefs must create a dish and cocktail that fuses the concept of fire and ice into one cohesive dish, a culinary testament of their journey from blazing Texas heat to blistering Vancouver cold.
- E17 Finale For the final challenge, each chef will take over a restaurant in Vancouver where they will have the chance to design a four-course meal for the judges and unbeknownst to them, friends and family.
- E18 Reunion
Season 10
- E1 The Ultimate Chef Test Twenty-one contestants compete for fifteen spots in real-world challenges administered by the judges.
- E2 A Shock at the Space Needle 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.
- E3 Tom vs. Emeril: Turkeypocalypse The chefs choose international dumpling recipes for the Quickfire, and then team up with either Tom or Emeril in a Thanksgiving challenge.
- E4 50's Food Flashback 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.
- E5 Pike Place Pickle
- E6 Even the Famous Come Home
- E7 Foiled Again
- E8 Jalapeño Business
- E9 Past Suppers
- E10 Battle Before the War
- E11 Restaurant Wars
- E12 Wolfgang Clucks
- E13 Chefs at Sea
- E14 Kings of Alaska
- E15 Glacial Gourmand
- E16 Finale (1)
- E17 Finale (2)
Season 11
- E0 Padma's Picks - Food Truck War
- E1 Soiree In The Swamp
- E2 Rebuilding New Orleans
- E3 Commander's Palace An elimination quickfire challenge; replicating legacy dishes in the elimination challenge.
- E4 Captain Vietnam The chefs get a crash course in Vietnamese culture.
- E5 Lea Michele's Halloween Bash Tools and ingredients are wrapped in aluminum foil; the chefs cater a Halloween party for singer/actress Lea Michele, and the food must be spooky and vegetarian.
- E6 Campfires, Cream Cheese and Countryside The creole tomato; the contestants try to impress up-scale chefs.
- E7 Jazz Hands A food version of musical chairs; the chefs cater a jazzy event.
- E8 Piggin' Out The contestants make their own hot sauce; the chefs butcher and cook a 300-pound pig.
- E9 Restaurant Wars The contestants create pop-up restaurants to impress the judges.
- E10 Like Mama Made The chefs must make dishes that remind them of home; Actor Anthony Mackie joins the judges.
- E11 Giving It the College Try Questlove judges various types of poultry drumsticks; the chefs head to LSU's campus to serve incoming students.
- E12 Mississippi Mud Bugs The contestants create their own versions of etouffe; seafood dishes.
- E13 Oui Si a Challenge Chef Jacques Pepin tests the contestants; the contestants create French and Spanish dishes.
- E14 Po' Boy Smackdown Po' boys in the Quickfire; the contestants put their own culinary visions on a plate.
- E15 Leaving New Orleans The chefs battle for a new car in the Quickfire; the chefs must show how New Orleans has impacted their food.
- E16 Maui Wowie Top Chef returns to Hawaii for the final rounds. Tonight, the remaining chefs must deal with Spam in the Quickfire.
- E17 Finale The two remaining chefs open pop-up restaurants for the final challenge.
Season 12
- E0 First Look
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E1
Sudden Death
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E2
Boston's Bravest And Finest
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E3
The Curse Of The Bambino
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E4
12 Chefs Walk Into a Bar
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E5
It's War!
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E6
The First Thanksgiving
- E7 Restaurant Wars The chefs are split into two teams and challenged to open their own pop-up restaurants, which includes creating menus, coming up with the decor and training the wait staff; acclaimed restaurateur Barbara Lynch serves as guest judge.
- E8 Clean Up in Aisle 2! The chefs must cook chowder for chef Jasper White; eliminated chefs return; for the Elimination Challenge, the kitchen opens its doors for the first time ever for a tasting party with "Top Chef" super fans.
- E9 Big Sausage The chefs are challenged to concoct a tasty sausage dish for NFL player Rob Gronkowski; the chefs create dishes inspired by famous New England authors, such as Stephen King, Edgar Allen Poe and Emily Dickinson.
- E10 For Julia & Jacques The chefs flash back to their college days when they must prepare a ramen noodle dish judged by Andy Cohen and his college roommate, Dave Ansel; chef Jacques Pepin challenges the chefs to create a dish inspired by Julia Child's cooking techniques.
- E11 Sous Your Daddy! The chefs are thrown for a loop when their family members join them to serve as their sous chefs in an Elimination Challenge, putting their tickets to the finals on the line.
- E12 The Final Battle of Bean Town In honor of their last quick-fire challenge in "Beantown," the chefs must prepare an innovative bean dish; the chefs compete for a spot in the finals by creating dishes that exemplify the future of cooking.
- E13 Getting Prickly in Mexico In the first of the three-part finale, the three finalists head to San Miguel de Allende in Mexico where they are greeted by head judge Tom Colicchio who invites them to watch the final cook-off of Last Chance Kitchen and learn which eliminated chef will rejoin the competition. Award-winning Mexican chef Enrique Olvera introduces the Quickfire Challenge where the chefs must create a dish highlighting the Mexican ingredient xoconostle, a special type of prickly pear. San Miguel de Allende is a mecca for artists all over the world, and the chefs' creativity is put to the test when they are challenged to create a unique dish inspired by a local artist’s work for the Elimination Challenge. Cooking at the famed Instituto Allende, the chefs will have four hours to prepare dishes for an event while their artists complete a new work of art that will be on display. The chef that doesn't translate the artist’s vision will have to say "adiós" to the title of Top Chef.
- E14 Holy Escamoly! The chefs have to make two dishes with chocolate with one being sweet and the other savory.
- E15 Mano a Mano
Season 13
- E1 Stop the Presses Top chefs arrive in Los Angeles in the opener of Season 13, which will feature the foodies competing in six cities across California. Here, they try to wow food critics and reporters under the Hollywood sign.
- E2 Pop Up Pandemonium The foodies must open distinct pop-up restaurants in various Los Angeles neighborhoods. Appearing: chef and pop-up impresario Ludo Lefebvre.
- E3 Spines and Vines The chefs visit Santa Barbara, where they pick up fresh sea urchin for use in a challenge. Later, a surf-and-turf war erupts.
- E4 It's a Dry Heat Palm Springs, Cal., is the destination for culinary competition. Here, the chefs use solar-powered stoves in the desert, then prepare dishes on a famed golf course. Appearing: John Besh and Mary Sue Milliken.
- E5 Big Gay Wedding Top dishes for dates are served up by the chefs in Palm Springs, Cal. Later, they cater a wedding for 25 gay couples. Appearing: model Chrissy Teigen and foodie Art Smith.
- E6 Banannaise The chefs head to San Diego and cook up high-end fish tacos. Then, they prepare dishes to complement handcrafted microbrews. Appearing: chef Javier Plascenia.
- E7 Back in the Day The chefs return to Los Angeles to celebrate the series' 10th anniversary. A restrictive challenge limits them to 10 ingredients, then they walk down memory lane by creating a dish that represents who they were 10 years ago. Appearing: Michael Voltaggio; Antonia Lofaso; Mei Lin Hua; and Nancy Silverton.
- E8 Where's the Beef? The chefs participate in a plating challenge by preparing visually appealing dishes using only snack food. Then, they cook for diners at a black-tie, finger-food event called Beefsteak. Appearing: Colin Hanks; Max Silvestri; Matt Selman; Jacques La Merde; and Neal Fraser.
- E9 Restaurant Wars, Part 1 The iconic "Restaurant Wars" challenge ensues, with the chefs opening eateries for both lunch and dinner services.
- E10 Restaurant Wars, Part 2 The "Restaurant Wars" challenge progresses with the chefs serving up dinner, during which everything from concept and food to service and consistency will be appraised.
- E11 Hammer Time
- E12 Wok This Way A showdown includes woks when the chefs visit San Francisco's Chinatown. Later, they must
- E13 Back Where It All Started San Francisco is the setting when the competing foodies cook for chef Traci Des Jardins. Later, they try to wow master chef Hubert Keller, the judges and San Francisco culinary elite with cuisine inspired by the restaurant Fleur de Lys.
- E14 Magic Hour The chefs land in Las Vegas and participate in a high-stakes challenge of cards and cuisine. Later, they must conjure culinary magic for illusionist David Copperfield.
- E15 Finale The top chef is crowned in the Season 13 finale. Before that, the final two culinarians must prepare the meal of their lives for their mentors and fallen colleagues. Appearing: Emeril Lagasse; Dominique Crenn; Jonathan Benno; Hubert Keller; Charlie Palmer; and Jean-Georges Vongerichten.
Season 14
- E1 Something Old, Something New
- E2 Southern Hospitality The chefs join the judges for a traditional shrimp boil; the newcomers face off against the returning chefs to put a spin on a low-country family meal; after dining with chefs Carrie Morey and BJ Dennis, each team creates a family-style feast.
- E3 Choke Holds and Clammy Hands The chefs divide into teams to compete in a "mise en place" race. The foodies must also create a seven-course progressive meal featuring the humble radish in front of "Top Chef" superfans. The guest judges are Chris Cosentino and Richard Blais.
- E4 The Feast of Seven Trash Fishes The chefs must create dishes using an odd mix of ingredients and tools found inside gift boxes. Later, they prepare a traditional Italian-American seafood-filled dinner, but they're forced to use a notoriously undesirable fish species. Appearing: editor Nilou Motamed and foodie Mike Lata.
- E5 Smoke 'em If You Got 'em
- E6 A Southern Legend U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy enlists the chefs to create vegetarian versions of traditional comfort foods. Then, the chefs must prepare dishes that pay tribute to Edna Lewis, the matriarch of Southern cuisine. Appearing: Alexander Smalls; Art Smith; Hugh Acheson; Nathalie Dupree; and Mashama Bailey.
- E7 Booty Ingredients and the element of the chefs' zodiac sign must correspond. Later, the food fighters divide into teams to throw a pirate-themed bash, during which they must race through Charleston in a treasure hunt to collect their ingredients. Appearing: Michael Cimarusti and Graham Elliot.
- E8 Restaurant Wars The iconic Restaurant Wars challenge features the chefs dividing into teams to design a restaurant and create a cohesive menu, but the heat is on when egos collide and tempers flare. Appearing: chef Daniel Humm and restaurateur Will Guidara.
- E9 For the Kids A blindfolded taste experiment tests the chefs. Later, the chefs draw inspiration from their own childhood memories to create meals for a charity gala for the MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children's Hospital. Appearing: Michael Voltaggio and Graham Elliot.
- E10 Shrimp Boats and Hat Ladies The chefs are asked to prepare a decadent brunch for the famed Charleston Hat Ladies. However, it won't be a traditional southern brunch as they must create whimsical breakfast and lunch hybrid dishes inventive enough to impress the judges.
- E11 Adios Charleston, Hello James Beard The final four chefs cook impromptu dishes while simultaneously instructing mystery partners on how to create the same dish; when the judges compare dishes, the chefs are shocked to discover their secret partners are their visiting family members.
- E12 Cooking Away in Margaritaville In Guadalajara, Mexico, the three remaining chefs face off against the winner of "Last Chance Kitchen'. The chefs must create a dish using goat, then they are tasked to pair their own cocktail with a dish that incorporates the notes of a margarita.
- E13 Trial By Fire 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. Culinary legend Jeremiah Tower gives the chefs a lesson on traditional Mayan cooking, before challenging them to create a dish using only ancient Maya ingredients and tools. The chefs will cook in an ancient cenote, or sinkhole, for a table of judges including local chefs Roberto Solis, Guillermo Beristain and Carlo Cardenas. The two chefs with the best dishes will move on to compete in the finale.
- E14 Comida Final The final two chefs face-off to serve the best meal of their lives and earn the coveted title of Top Chef. The finalists will cook an epic four-course progressive meal with the help of three sous chefs, comprised of two eliminated chefs and one from their restaurants back home. The pressure is on as only one chef can win. The chefs must impress a dining room filled with their families, returning judges Graham Elliot and Gail Simmons, and distinguished chefs Joachim Splichal, Jonathan Waxman, Martha Ortiz, Jonathan Sawyer, Daniel Boulud and FOOD & WINE's Nilou Motamed.
Season 15
- E1 It'll Take More than Pot Luck A diverse group of chefs enter the Top Chef kitchen in Denver and are immediately put to work, tasked with making a pot luck dish to introduce themselves to the judges and their fellow competitors. Then the cheftestants prepare their modern take on a meat and potatoes dish for a blow-out block party in Larimer Square with 200 diners and Denver's biggest culinary names, including Hosea Rosenberg, Troy Guard, Frank Bonanno and Gregory Gourdet. The chefs learn the importance of the phrase 'first impressions are everything.'
- E2 Smile and Say Mise In one of Top Chef's signature Quickfires, the chefs battle against each other in a fierce Mise En Place relay. Then, acclaimed local Chef Alex Seidel invites the group to his farm to learn about his take on farm-to-table cuisine. There, they are tasked with creating a progressive meal incorporating a mystery ingredient from the farm into each dish. In this first team challenge, the sparks fly as the chefs get to know each other.
- E3 Keep on Truckin In a Sudden Death Quickfire based on the iconic Denver omelet, the intensity in the kitchen is egg-ceptional as one chef completely cracks under the pressure in one of the most gut wrenching eliminations in Top Chef history as judged by Padma, Tom and Chef Lachlan Patterson. Then, the cheftestants tap into their college palates as they make dishes in food trucks for students in Boulder. Internet sensation, Logan Paul helps wrangle the diners and Chef Hosea Rosenberg joins the judges for indulgent, hangover inspired food.
- E4 Little Tools, Big Challenge
- E5 This Is Not Glamping
- E6 Now That's a Lot of Schnitzel
- E7 Olympic Dreams
- E8 Restaurant Wars
- E9 Bronco Brouhaha Cooking for Michelin-starred chef David Kinch adds pressure to an already stressful Sudden Death Quickfire based on edible flowers. The chefs host the ultimate tailgate party at Sports Authority Field at Mile High, the home of the Denver Broncos.
- E10 Red Rum and Then Some The chefs put their scariest nightmares on a plate in dessert form during a Quickfire set at the iconic Stanley Hotel, the site that inspired Stephen King's "The Shining." The chefs offer a dish to John Hickenlooper, the governor of Colorado.
- E11 Cooking High In breathtaking Telluride, the Chefs embark on the first leg of the finals. As they walk down the quaint Main Street they are quickly reunited with the winner of Last Chance Kitchen, and the new group of five face Padma, Tom, and Chef Wylie Dufresne. For the Quickfire challenge, they are tasked to make a dish incorporating the old saloon slinging medicinal beverage, sarsaparilla. Then the chefs cook at Alpino Vino, a fine dining restaurant at the highest elevation in North America, where they prepare a dish that must include a baking element. And no chef knows the difficulty of cooking in high altitude locations like Michelin-star recipient Chef Paul Liebrandt who has cooked in the Swiss Alps.
- E12 Nut Allergy The Voltaggio brothers reunite on the show for the first time since competing against each other. Their first task is judging the Rocky Mountain Oyster Quickfire. Then, they reunite the chefs with surprise visitors from home in an emotionally charged Elimination Challenge, where one chef will pack their knives before the next leg of the finals in Aspen.
- E13 A Little Place Called Aspen Before the chefs can prepare the catch of the day, they must first actually catch it; the only thing standing between the chefs and the Grand Finale are 200 plates for the chefs and food connoisseurs attending the Food & Wine Classic.
- E14 Finale The final two chefs cook the meal of their lives in an effort to take home the ultimate title and prize; the chefs need to impress not only the judges but also culinary superstars Nancy Silverton, Jonathan Waxman and Curtis Duffy.
Season 16
- E1 The Fastest 2 Minutes in Cooking In Kentucky, 15 chefs are off to the races at Churchill Downs for the the ride of their lives; the chefs must make a dish that will appeal to a crowd of 200 at a Kentucky Derby party; Churchill Downs' own chef David Danielson serves as guest judge.
- E2 Bourbon, Barrels and Burgoo A pregnant Gail Simmons asks the chefs to feed her cravings; the chefs head to Makers Mark, the oldest U.S. distillery, to put their spins on a meal full of Kentucky classics, including burgoo, Benedictine, mutton, hoe cakes, and dumplings.
- E3 Naughty and Nice Richard Blais and Brooke Williamson present a Quickfire challenge; chef Eric Ripert sits down with the chefs to enjoy a traditional French Christmas dinner; Padma tells the chefs they're missing the final part of the tradition of Le Revillon de Noel.
- E4 Surprise...It's Restaurant Wars The Restaurant Wars challenge comes early this year; first, the chefs duke it out in an amuse bouche-based Quickfire; with 12 chefs remaining, three restaurants battle for victory; Tom makes an announcement that leaves the chefs breathless.
- E5 Restaurant Wars Part 2 The Restaurant Wars causes drama and mayhem; Tom announces a double elimination piling on even more pressure; chefs Karen Akunowicz and Nina Compton join the restaurant crawl along with Nilou Motamed and guest judge Caroline Styne.
- E6 Roaring Munchies The chefs walk in on an epic battle of Last Chance Kitchen and are drafted into the fight; once Tom declares a winner, the chefs begin a challenge making dishes based on Prohibition Era cocktails; chef Ken Oringer joins for a Roaring Twenties party.
- E7 Carne! Actress Lena Waithe challenges the chefs to make a trademark Kentucky dish known as the Hot Brown; chef Nancy Silverton and butcher Dario Cecchini break down a whole cow for the chefs to utilize along with locally-sourced ingredients.
- E8 Whatever Floats Your Boat For an elimination challenge, the chefs are split into teams and tasked with throwing houseboat parties on Lake Cumberland; chef Emeril Lagasse joins Padma, Tom and Nilou, along with Capts. Sandy and Lee from "Below Deck" for houseboat hysteria.
- E9 Music City Usa The chefs take a road trip to Nashville and cook on the stage of the Grand Ole Opry for country music artist Hunter Hayes. Then, they have to dig deep to create a dish inspired by a vibrant music memory. Next, the chefs work on a plate for a full table of Nashville food and some music personalities, including Caleb Followill, model Lily Aldridge, and Chef Jonathan Waxman.
- E10 Hoop Dreams "Top Chef" alum Ed Lee drops by for a Quickfire that's part trivia, part culinary creativity; Coach John Calipari and the Kentucky Wildcats host a concession-stand cook-off in Rupp Arena; Food & Wine Editor-in-Chief Hunter Lewis joins the judges.
- E11 The Greatest The chefs take a turn at fried chicken; chef Art Smith judges a secret herbs-and-spices blind taste test ahead of the Quickfire fry-off; after the finger-licking goodness, the chefs turn their attention to boxer Muhammad Ali, aka the Louisville Lip.
- E12 Kentucky Farewell Tom ambushes sleeping chefs and challenges them to make a dish using ingredients harvested from their gardens; for the last elimination challenge, the chefs bid on luxury ingredients at a thoroughbred horse auction house.
- E13 Holy Macau! The final five chefs travel to the Chinese territory of Macau; Graham Elliot, who has a restaurant in Macau, introduces the chefs to a market full of fascinating ingredients and challenges; the chefs throw a party celebrating the Chinese New Year.
- E14 The Tao of Macau The final four chefs must cook with the smelly durian fruit; the chefs get a tutorial on the traditional cuisine of Macau; for the elimination challenge, the chefs are tasked with blending their own heritage with Chinese flavors.
- E15 Finale It's the final showdown; the three remaining chefs must create the best four-course meal of their lives; Tom reveals in a twist that only two chefs will get the chance to serve their full menu; only one chef will emerge victorious.
Season 17
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E1
It's Like They Never Left!
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E2
The Jonathan Gold Standard
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E3
Strokes of Genius
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E4
You're So Fresh!
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E5
Bring Your Loved One to Work
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E6
Get Your Phil
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E7
Pitch Perfect
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E8
Restaurant Wars
-
E9
Cabin Fever
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E10
Colossal Coliseum Kaiseki
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E11
Michael's Santa Monica
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E12
Lucca
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E13
Parma
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E14
Finito!
Season 18
-
E1
First Impressions
- E2 Trouble Brewing The Chefs are in for a rude awakening when they enter the kitchen to find Padma and seven hungry all-star chefs – Amar Santana, Melissa King, Kwame Onwuachi, Dale Talde, Gregory Gourdet, Carrie Baird and Richard Blais. In this Quickfire the chefs will have just 30 minutes to serve eight plates of breakfast. And if that didn’t get them buzzing, for their Elimination Challenge, they’ll have to create dishes based on two popular Portland brews – Beer or Coffee. Tom shows up with a twist, leaving the chefs to rethink their dishes hours before service. Amar Santana and Dale Talde join Padma, Tom and Gail at judges’ table.
- E3 Pan African Portland The pressure is laid on the chefs in the Quickfire Challenge as they are tasked to make a layered dessert. Carrie Baird joins Padma to pick the winner, who will get their dish turned into a Talenti gelato to be sold nationwide. Gregory Gourdet and Kwame Onwuachi take the chefs on a tour of restaurants in Portland that feature food from the African diaspora. For the Elimination Challenge, the chefs must make dishes inspired by their tour for the judging and dining panel, as well as the restaurant’s owners.
- E4 Thrown for a Loop For the Quickfire Challenge, the chefs must create a dish featuring Campbell’s Soup for Padma and guest judge Dale Talde. Then, the cheftestants get thrown for a loop when they find out they won’t be shopping for their Elimination Challenge, because they’ll be picking their fruit right off of the trees in the heart of Oregon’s Fruit Loop and making a savory fruit dish without any vegetables. Melissa King and Carrie Baird join Padma, Tom and Gail at judges’ table
- E5 Meet You at the Drive-In Amar Santana joins Padma for this week’s Quickfire Challenge honoring Mother’s Day and one of Portland’s nicknames “City of Roses.” The chefs are tasked to create a dish featuring roses or rose products inspired by the mother figure in their lives. Then, the chefs will go head-to-head at the first-ever Top Chef Drive-In where each team must create dishes based on popular movie genres. Not only will they have to impress the judges’ table with Richard Blais, but they will also need to win over the diners who will help decide who wins each round.
- E6 Stumptown U.S.A. The chefs are transported into a magical kitchen forest with their prep tables gone and replaced by stumps for this week’s Quickfire Challenge where they must make a dish featuring Tom’s favorite ingredient – mushrooms. Then in the Elimination Challenge, the cheftestants will be paired up to create a surf & turf dish featuring local fish and game for members of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla. But first they’ll get to learn and taste some of the initial foods of the area. With a double elimination on the line, Dale Talde joins the judges’ table.
- E7 Feeding the Frontlines The winner of the first part of Last Chance Kitchen rejoins the competition just in time for their “second chance” Quickfire Challenge where the Chefs are tasked with redoing a past failed dish for guest judge Melissa King. Then in an emotional Elimination Challenge Chef José Andrés calls in to recruit the chefs to join World Central Kitchen, his nonprofit organization that provides meals for victims of natural disasters, tasking the chefs with delivering over 500 meals to frontline workers at 3 local hospitals in Portland. Kwame Onwuachi will serve as the All-Star guest judge this week.
- E8 Restaurant Wars With the top eight chefs remaining, it’s time for the perennial favorite - Restaurant Wars. This year, the chefs will serve a seven course tasting menu to the judges and All-Star panel. Gregory Gourdet and Kristen Kish join the judges’ table.
- E9 Portland-ia For this week’s Quickfire Challenge, Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein from the hit comedy series “Portlandia” task the chefs with creating a dish using hipster ingredients using only old vintage appliances and equipment. For their Elimination Challenge, the chefs must develop and create a recipe fit for the home cook, and are surprised when unexpected guests show up to test their recipes. All-Star alumni and cookbook authors Dale Talde and Richard Blais join the judges’ table to help decide which chef must pack their knives.
- E10 Tournament of Tofu Ed Lee enters the kitchen and tells the chefs they will be competing tournament style; the chefs duke it out at the Portland Japanese Gardens, where they must create dishes featuring various textures of tofu.
- E11 Blind Ambitions This week’s Quickfire Challenge takes inspiration from "Top Chef" France’s infamous Black Box challenge. In teams of two, the chefs each take a turn entering the box where they blindly taste a dish created by guest judge Gabriel Rucker and then must try to recreate it. During a night off, the chefs are surprised by guest judges Kristen Kish and Brooke Williamson arrive with care packages from their families. However, in true “Top Chef” fashion, there’s a twist and they must use the ingredients from their care packages to make their dish for the Elimination Challenge.
- E12 The Cheesier the Better As the final four chefs near the end of their journey in Portland, Padma is joined by Vitaly Paley and Gregory Gourdet to introduce an old school Quickfire Challenge paying homage to the Oregon Trail. For the Elimination Challenge, legendary chef and special guest Massimo Bottura tasks the chefs to pull inspiration from his famous parmigiano reggiano dish and create delectable dishes utilizing cheddar five different ways. To gain inspiration, the chefs embark on a tour of the Tillamook Creamery. Dale Talde and Ed Lee serve as this week’s guest judges and help determine which three chefs move forward.
- E13 Shellfishly Delicious The remaining chefs get an early wake-up call from Padma to go meet guest judge Brooke Williamson and dig for clams for their Quickfire Challenge. In the Elimination Challenge, the chefs honor the area where James Beard spent his summers, creating both a hot dish and a cold dish with one of his favorite ingredients, Dungeness Crab. Kwame Onwuachi and Nina Compton serve as guest judges this week to help determine which chefs will move on to the finale.
- E14 The Next Top Chef Is... After 13 grueling weeks of competition, the chefs must create the best four-course meal of their lives for their final challenge at Willamette Valley Vineyards. They’ll serve it to an esteemed table including Padma, Tom and Gail, this season’s All-Star dining panel, and a few additional noteworthy guests including Tiffany Derry, Peter Cho and Naomi Pomeroy. Former winners Melissa King and Richard Blais join the judges one last time to deliberate and crown the next Top Chef.
Season 19
- E1 Primal Instincts Fifteen of the country’s best chefs arrive in Houston, Texas, ready to fight for the title of “Top Chef.” The opening Quickfire proves to be the toughest first challenge to date when the chefs must team up to create a cohesive dish that showcases each of their styles, but cannot speak to each other during the cook. The stakes only get higher for the Elimination Challenge as the chefs must perfectly cook primal cuts of beef for a table of distinguished Houston chefs including, Robert Del Grande of The Annie Café as well as Top Chef alums Dawn Burrell and Kristen Kish.
- E2 Friday Night Bites The chefs are challenged in the Quickfire to put their own spin on the Tex-Mex classic queso, judged by local legend Chef Irma Galvan. For the Elimination Challenge, the competition heads to the field of a high school football stadium. Working in two teams of seven coached by all-star alumni Sam Talbot and Dawn Burrell, they’ll create seven carb-loaded dishes that will be served in a head-to-head battle. The team that scores a touchdown first wins. Tom, Padma and Gail will be joined by award winning Chef Chris Shepherd and Top Chef Charleston winner Brooke Williamson at the judges' table.
- E3 Noodles and Rice and Everything Nice For their first individual challenge of the season, the chefs are surprised in the kitchen by “Top Chef” Miami winner Hung Huynh and challenged to make an Asian-inspired dish. Nothing, however, on “Top Chef” is that simple. Along with Hung, the judges and renowned chef Kiran Verma, they’ll be serving 100 guests at “Top Chef’s” first Asian Night Market.
- E4 Doppelgangers The chefs are joined by local chef Chris Williams in the Quickfire Challenge; He tasks the chefs to put their own twist on a biscuit dish in honor of his great grandmother, Lucille B. Smith.
- E5 Don't Mess With BBQ The chefs meet Brooke Williamson at Houston's J-Bar-M, where she tasks them with putting their own spin on a brisket dish for some of the best BBQ pitmasters in Houston and their guest judge, pitmaster Greg Gatlin.
- E6 Texas Trailblaze-hers The chefs must create salty-sweet desserts that will inspire a new flavor of Talenti gelato; in the Elimination Challenge, the chefs must draw inspiration from the lives of some of Texas's most influential women.
- E7 Swallow the Competition The chefs expand their horizons in a master class on Nigerian flavors guided by local chef Ope Amosu and all-star Kwame Onwuachi, and need to make a stew that pairs perfectly with traditional Nigerian swallows.
- E8 Restaurant Wars The chefs are put to the ultimate test; they have to build restaurants from the ground up; Top Chef's signature challenge levels up yet again, requiring the chefs to satisfy their VIP counter and a dining room full of guests.
- E9 Freedmen's Town The chefs are tasked with creating a monochromatic plant-based dish for their Quickfire Challenge; for the Elimination Challenge, the chefs are tasked with creating dishes that speak to their souls for a block party fundraiser.
- E10 Dinner in Zero Gravity The competition reaches new heights as the chefs voyage to the Houston Space Center; they'll have to create a stellar new menu item that they would crave if they were on a multi-year mission to Mars.
- E11 Family Vacation The chefs head to the Gulf of Mexico in Galveston, Texas; chef Shota Nakajima is here to present them with their next Quickfire Challenge, using the freshest gulf shellfish to create a seafood tower with one hot and one cold dish.
- E12 We're on a boat After saying goodbye to their loved ones and another fellow competitor, the chefs receive an ominous gift from Tom, who tells them to get up early and meet him at the docks. They'll have to find their sea legs quickly because for their Elimination Challenge each chef must create two fresh fish dishes to hook their guest judges Stephanie Izard and Daniel Boulud. The catch? They'll be fishing for all of their protein themselves.
- E13 Cactus Makes Perfect For their last Quickfire Challenge, the chefs make the trip to El Charro in Tuscon, Arizona, the oldest family-run Mexican restaurant in the country, where chef Carlotta Flores challenges them to create a dish featuring her carne seca.
- E14 The Final Plate Aspiring chefs compete for their shot at culinary stardom.
Season 20
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E1
London Calling
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E2
Rice, Rice Baby
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E3
Cheeky Pints and Pub Bites
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E4
Spurred Lines
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E5
Holiday Vacation
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E6
Top Chef Is No Picnic
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E7
Hands Off
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E8
Street Food Fight
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E9
Restaurant Wars
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E10
Thali Time
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E11
Battle of the Wellingtons
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E12
Goodbye, London!
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E13
Champions in Paris
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E14
Fin
Season 21
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E1
Chef's Test
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E2
Living the High Life
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E3
Take it Cheesy
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E4
The Wright Way
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E5
Supper Club
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E6
Chaos Cuisine
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E7
Sausage Race
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E8
Restaurant Wars
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E9
The Good Land
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E10
Door County Fish Boil
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E11
Lay It All on the Table
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E12
Goodbye Wisconsin
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E13
Set Sail
- E14 Cruising to a Win The three remaining chefs must create the best four-course progressive meal of their careers; the chefs will present their dishes to a lineup of culinary greats.
Season 22
- E1 Across Canada, We Go! Several aspiring chefs compete for the coveted title of "Top Chef" while they creatively whip up a storm to escape elimination.
- E2 Brunch à la Boulud Actor Sarah Levy joins Kristen and Gail for the Quickfire Challenge, tasking the chefs to put their spin on Canada's famous poutine; for the Elimination Challenge, Daniel Boulud joins the judges' table as the chefs team up to create a brunch.
- E3 Best Served Cold The chefs must make their own version of a Jamaican patty as a Quickfire Challenge and create dishes best served cold or risk elimination.
- E4 Top Chef Trivia Actor Michael Cera joins Kristen in the kitchen for the Quickfire Challenge, where the chefs' trivia skills are put to the test; for the Elimination Challenge, the chefs must put their own spin on some of Canada's most iconic confections.
- E5 Line Cook for a Day The chefs are taken by surprise when a Last Chance Kitchen chef joins the competition; the chefs' collaboration skills are put to the ultimate test as this time is a double elimination.
- E6 Pickle Me This Top Chef Masters alum Susur Lee and Jet Bent-Let join Kristen for the Quickfire Challenge, where the chefs must create a dish using a limited amount of ingredients; for the Elimination Challenge, the chefs must create dishes that highlight pickles.
- E7 You Wanna Pizza Me? For this week's Quickfire Challenge, the chefs must create a dish with an ingredient using only the toughest stains as their clues.
- E8 Restaurant Wars There is no Quickfire as the chefs take on the famed Restaurant Wars elimination challenge; the chefs are tasked to create two restaurants; Kristen, Tom and Gail are joined by Top Chef alum Nina Compton and Top Chef Canada judge Janet Zuccarini.
- E9 Cooking on the Edge Kristen is joined by Tom, Gail and chef and professor Ilona Daniel as the chefs are tasked with flexing their culinary mussels; the chefs face their fears in this stunt-driven Elimination Challenge.
- E10 From Dep Till Dawn Comedian Punkie Johnson tests the chefs' creativity when they're asked to create a dish using only items found in a Canadian convenience store; the chefs pay homage to the four seasons using only produce from Montreal's rooftop gardens.
- E11 Calgary, Yahoo! The six remaining chefs set off to Calgary where they are greeted by the judges; making pancakes for 50 diners; the chefs are tasked with creating dishes that feature beef and local berries, hoping to impress a table of culinary tastemakers.
- E12 Foraged in Fire Guest judges Brenda Holder and Tracy Little teach the remaining five chefs how to forage the ingredients in the Canmore Forest; to secure their spot in Italy, the chefs will have to impress the judges by utilizing their foraged items.
- E13 Viva Milano! For the chefs' last quickfire challenge of the season, they're tasked with creating a classic Milanese dish and a feared dish, risotto; the chefs compete in a three-part, head-to-head culinary battle while receiving some help from Olympic athletes.
- E14 Finito For their last elimination challenge, the final three chefs must create the best progressive four-course meal of their lives; with the help of their sous chefs, the finalists must pull out all the stops to impress an esteemed table of diners.
Season 23
- E1 Carolina Roots Host Kristen Kish, head judge Tom Colicchio and perennial judge Gail Simmons venture south to the Carolinas! Season 23 is centered in the emerging and eclectic culinary hub of Charlotte, N.C., with several episodes in Greenville, S.C.
- E2 Puckerbutt For this week’s Quickfire Challenge, the chefs are tasked with creating a savory dish inspired by a sweet treat. Then the chefs head to PuckerButt Farms for a pepper tasting with Ed Currie, the inventor of the world’s hottest pepper. For the Elimination Challenge, the chefs are split into two teams and must create a progressively hotter menu. “Top Chef” season 12 winner Mei Lin joins Kristen, Tom and Gail at the judges’ table.
- E3 True Colors Legendary Chef Emeril Lagasse joins Kristen in the kitchen for this week’s Quickfire Challenge where the chefs are tasked with giving livermush a makeover. For the Elimination Challenge, the chefs must honor North Carolina’s rich textile history by incorporating natural food-dyed elements into their dishes. Flour Shop founder Amirah Kassem joins Emeril, Kristen, Tom and Gail at the judges’ table.
- E4 Pick a Side In a Quickfire Challenge honoring the Wright Brothers’ first flight in North Carolina, the chefs must team up to create a trio of dishes that take off alongside a curated wine flight. Then, in the Elimination Challenge, the chefs must turn classic Southern sides into standout main course dishes. The judges are joined by last season’s winner Tristen Epps-Long and acclaimed James Beard-nominated chef Greg Collier.
- E5 Cut and Dry This week the chefs are visited by North Carolina’s own Fortune Feimster as she challenges them to improv their Quickfire dishes and serve them to kids in honor of Comic Relief. Then the chefs are tasked with creating dishes featuring dehydration. They’ll serve their dishes to Kristen, Tom and Gail along with guest judges Joe & Katy Kindred as well as “Top Chef” alum Savannah Miller at the U.S. National Whitewater Center.
- E6 Going Whole Hog There’s no Quickfire Challenge this week as the chefs take on a Carolina classic: whole-hog barbecue. Splitting into teams of two, they gear up for a head-to-head battle showcasing five key cuts of the hog. Before their Elimination Challenge begins, they venture to Charlotte and Lexington to experience Carolina BBQ at its source. Then it’s an all-night cook where the heat is on as they’ll not only need to impress the judges, but also “Top Chef” alum and Pitmaster Michelle Wallace and a group of local pitmasters from across the state.
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