Sam Talbot

Eight new chefs face off against eight returning chefs in Charleston, S.C.; the new chefs enter the kitchen first to cook as many dishes as possible in one hour using a whole chicken; the veterans square off to re-imagine shrimp and grits.

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.

Padma and guest judge Chris Cosentino divide the chefs into teams to compete in a mise en place race; the teams must go head-to-head and create a seven-course progressive meal in which each dish features the same ingredient: the radish.

The chefs must make healthy, vegetarian versions of traditional comfort foods and are only allowed to grab one item from the pantry at a time; the chefs must create dishes that pay homage to the matriarch of Southern cuisine.

The chefs face a mountain of baking ingredients pointing to a biscuit challenge; barbecue master Rodney Scott tasks the chefs to prepare a whole hog and three side dishes for 150 barbecue lovers, including country music star Darius Rucker.

The chefs take up a challenge to cook dishes using ingredients corresponding to their zodiac signs; for a pirate-themed party, the chefs must race through the streets to collect their ingredients on a treasure hunt.