Jamie Lynch

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 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 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.

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 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.

Die erste Herausforderung führt die Köche an den Strand, wo sie ein Gericht mit Meeresfrüchten zubereiten müssen. Allerdings ist ihre einzige Wärmequelle das Feuer.