It's Christmas at Bobby Flay's house, and he's invited his Food Network friends to crash at his place and partake in some holiday festivities. Sunny Anderson, Anne Burrell, Scott Conant, Alex Guarnaschelli, the newest Food Network Star Eddie Jackson, Katie Lee and Geoffrey Zakarian are waking up bright and early to cook their favorite Christmas dishes with Bobby. Bobby's got a Prime Rib Roast for the main attraction, while the rest of gang pulls together the ultimate pot luck, including Parmigiano and Guanciale Risotto with Brussels Sprouts, Dover Sole Meuniere, Sweet Potato and Turnip Gratin, Stuffed Poblano Peppers, Coquitos, Black Forest Trifle and Sweet Potato Rum Pie. It wouldn't be Christmas without gifts, so they finish the day with Secret Santa!
Five fantastic cookie makers enter the workshop, but instead of a winter wonderland, they find host Eddie Jackson lounging in a beach chair under a palm tree. The bakers are challenged to create cookies perfect for a Christmas in the tropics, and judges Ree Drummond, Dan Langan and Aarti Sequeira decide who's got it made in the shade and whose holiday is ending early. Then, it's all aboard for the display challenge as the cookie makers must make an entire train -- from the caboose to the cargo car -- out of cookies! Plus they have to load their locomotives with cookies that use fun flavors like peanut butter, hazelnut spread or marshmallows. It's full steam ahead as these cookie engineers race for the $10,000 prize.
The four remaining chefs return to the summer house, and Eddie Jackson sets up the theme: summer vacation! For the first challenge, the chefs have 30 minutes to take one tropical fruit and serve it two ways, but no two chefs can use the same fruit. Judges Damaris Phillips and Jamika Pessoa are joined by Genius Kitchen's Courtney Rada to pick which chef used their tropical fruit the best. The winning chef gains access to the special ingredient cooler in the second heat, where they'll have 60 minutes to prepare an entire summer dinner with a popular travel destination theme. One chef's summer vacation ends, and the last three chefs move on to the finale and a chance to win $25,000.
Santa and Mrs. Claus are enjoying a yuletide seaside vacation, where the mermaids make merry, and the sharks stuff their stockings with care. Hosts Ree Drummond and Eddie Jackson invite four seaworthy cookie makers to reveal how sea creatures celebrate the season. The cookie maker who flounders will wash out of the workshop, while one cookie maker will reel in an advantage for the next challenge. Then, it's more festive fun in the sun as the cookie makers build 3D Christmas sandcastles, complete with crushed cookie sand. To give their cookies a taste of the tropics, they'll have to use papaya, mangoes, coconuts or guava. The cookie maker who crafts the jolliest Christmas sandcastle will swell with pride as they win $10,000 and the Golden Ornament.
Eddie Jackson welcomes six spectacular chefs to the summer house for the ultimate all-American showdown. First up, the chefs have 30 minutes to whip up their best backyard burger and each chef must randomly choose a cooler with an ingredient to use in their dish. Judges Damaris Phillips and Jamika Pessoa are joined by the Grill Dads, Mark Anderson and Ryan Fey, to choose the best backyard burger, and the winner receives a key advantage in the next round. In round two, the chefs make another quintessential American summer food -- hot dogs! They have 60 minutes to create one fully loaded hot dog and one fully unexpected hot dog. In the end, the judges will send one chef home for the summer, while the rest continue on in pursuit of the $25,000 grand prize.
After a night of delivering presents, Santa arrives back at the North Pole with a big appetite. Hosts Ree Drummond and Eddie Jackson ask four talented cookie makers to whip up "imposter" cookies that look just like dishes fit for the most magnificent North Pole Christmas dinner. The cookier who delivers the most disappointing dish will be left on the chopping block, while the master cookie chef will gain an advantage for the next round. Then, it's time for dessert as the cookie makers tackle the sweetest new social media trend -- Christmas cookie pies! To make these cookie pies truly decadent and delicious, they'll incorporate chocolate chips. When the last lavishly decorated slice of pie is served, one cookie maker will walk away with $10,000 and the Golden Ornament.
Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! No, it's hosts Ree Drummond and Eddie Jackson welcoming four superpowered cookie makers into the workshop! They'll have to create cookies featuring Christmassy caped crusaders worthy of protecting the North Pole from dastardly villains. The cookie maker with the weakest creations will have to leave the Fortress of Cookie-tude, while the North Pole's newest cookie champion will win a supersized advantage for the next round. Then, the streets of the North Pole rumble as the cookie makers create outlandish vehicles for their superheroes and villains to steer. They'll use superfoods like açaí puree, pomegranate juice, turmeric or matcha as secret weapons in their cookies. One cookie maker will learn the ultimate comic book lesson -- with great cookie power comes great responsibility ... along with $10,000 and the Golden Ornament, of course!
Hosts Ree Drummond and Eddie Jackson welcome back eight former Christmas Cookie Challenge champions into the workshop to prove who is the best of the best. This time, the cookie makers are facing challenges so merrily massive, they'll be put into teams of two. First, the bakers must weave magic as they create Christmas cookie quilts. One team will have the rug pulled out from underneath them as they're eliminated, while the best quilting team gains an advantage for the next round. Then, the three remaining teams construct gigantic stadiums worthy of the finest North Pole games that also incorporate ingredients perfect for watching a snow bowl: eggnog, hot chocolate, apple cider or mulled wine. The team with the most spectacular stadium will score $10,000 and the right to lift the Best of the Best trophy.
Ho-Ho-Hike! When the weather turns icy, the magical folks who live at the North Pole love gathering together to play winter sports. Hosts Ree Drummond and Eddie Jackson ask four competitive cookie makers to tackle making two winter sports cookies. One cookie maker will suffer the agony of defeat, while another will advance with an advantage for the next round. After a big game, the merry residents of the North Pole gather in the town's gazebo to socialize, so the cookie makers craft their own towering 10-foot tall Christmas gazebos complete with classic pitched roofs. Their cookies will have to incorporate comforting drinks perfect for sipping at social occasions, like peppermint mocha, pumpkin spice, chai or apple cider. The cookie maker who creates the gazebo most worthy of the North Pole's town square will paint the town red with $10,000 and the Golden Ornament.
When Christmas rolls around, it's time to enjoy Warner Brothers' classic Christmas movie "Elf." Hosts Ree Drummond and Eddie Jackson challenge four of the finest cookie makers around to get inspired by "the seven levels of the candy cane forest" and "the sea of swirly-twirly gumdrops" to create cookies that show the parts of Buddy's journey not featured in the movie. When it's over, one "cotton-headed ninny muggin" will be sent home for the holidays, while the one who decorates the most fantastical journey will win an advantage for the next round. Then, the three remaining cookie makers cobble together 3D pop-up cookie book displays showing their favorite scene from "Elf." Their magical displays will have to incorporate ingredients from Buddy the Elf's favorite meal: maple syrup, chocolate syrup, candy-coated chocolates, chocolate breakfast pastries or cooked spaghetti. One talented son of a nutcracker will win $10,000 and the coveted Golden Ornament.