A challenge at the Griffith Observatory kicks off the fierce battle, where the Chefs compare each other to see how everyone has progressed since last competing and then, the first elimination challenge brings them to the beach to cook a seafood meal.
The chefs honor the late, great Pulitzer-Prize winning food critic Jonathan Gold; using Gold's last guide list, the chefs fan out all over Los Angeles to sample the unique food trucks, mom-and-pop cafes, and ethnic cuisine.
Comedic superstars Ali Wong and Randall Park swing by the Top Chef kitchen for a Quickfire Challenge tasking the chefs to make the wackiest fried rice they can; then, the chefs head to the famed Getty Museum to seek inspiration from the art.
Kelly Clarkson drops into the "Top Chef" kitchen for a Quickfire based on her new movie, "Trolls: World Tour," where the chefs are tasked with combining colorful ingredients from six different musical lands to make one delicious dish.
In the Quickfire, the chefs play a game of telephone with their loved ones as they try to reproduce the dish their family member is eating at a nearby restaurant; the chefs create a signature product that they will bottle and sell at a food festival.
Padma gets a real rise out of the chefs when she tasks them to make a Quickfire dish without any all-purpose flour; for the Elimination Challenge, the chefs serve Gustavo Dudamel and members of the LA Philharmonic at award-winning Otium restaurant.
The chefs are challenged to a taco throwdown for Danny Trejo; for the Quickfire, the only sharp tool they can use is a machete; the only way to make it to Restaurant Wars is to survive this week's qualifying challenge.
It's Restaurant Wars and this season Padma takes all the limitations off the table as the chefs can make as much food as they want and shop wherever they choose; two chefs are given 48 hours to pick their teams and crate the restaurants.
The chefs head to the mountains outside of Los Angeles to go to a summer camp where they are challenged to an outdoor grilling Quickfire for Padma and "Top Chef" Kentucky winner Kelsey Barnard Clark.
With only six chefs remaining, the challenges get even more difficult, when pastry super-chef Sherry Yard awaits the all stars for a dreaded dessert Quickfire; chefs endure a blindfolded taste test to pick their ingredients.
Tom makes his final decision from "Last Chance Kitchen" on who should return to the competition; the chefs take off in a Quickfire with Padma and Jonathan Waxman making a two-course business class dish for an airline.
The final five travel to Italy, where the chefs must make an aperitivo for 30 locals from the town of Lucca that pairs perfectly with a Peroni beer; then, they hunt the elusive white truffle which they must use in a dish for a Tuscan food festival.
The chefs are treated to a culinary dream trip to Parma, the legendary home of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and Prosciutto di Parma ham; the chefs must feature the ingredients in two courses and serve their dishes to a table of 16 Michelin stars.
The final three all stars face off in an epic Italian showdown to cook the meal of their lives in an effort to take home the ultimate title and prize.