In Santa Fe, N.M., Tyler Florence challenges the five teams to use peppers to create the ultimate spicy Sante Fe meal. The hot challenge comes with a hot $1,000 prize. Then, the teams must put their planning skills to the test, as they only have one hour to shop for the entire weekend. Selling head-to-head at the farmers' market, some teams discover their best laid plans are their worst enemies.
The four remaining teams pan for gold to earn their seed money, and some teams gain a clear head start on shopping and selling. Meanwhile, extreme cold and winds continue to challenge everyone. Tyler Florence issues a challenge to the teams to use a quintessential Alaskan ingredient -- crab -- to create a special dish for their menu, and the team that sells the most will win an extra $500 in their till.
With just a few miles before they reach the small art community of Santa Fe, N.M., the six remaining teams make frantic calls to local tastemakers to rally support for their weekend of sales. After meeting Tyler in Santa Fe Square, they receive a stipend and the action begins. The teams are interrupted as Tyler calls with their Truck Stop challenge: the teams must each add a special dish to their menu that includes local red or green chiles. Over the weekend, secret judge Eric DiStefano (Coyote Café) samples each of the dishes, and the winning truck receives immunity from the weekend’s elimination.
The seven remaining teams roll into Salt Lake City, and Tyler immediately explains the Truck Stop challenge: the teams must create an original sausage dish with the ingredients on the farmer's table, but the sausage is missing. The trucks head to world renowned Creminelli Fine Meats and create three customized links of sausage in hopes to impress guest judge chef Ryan Lowder and add $200 towards their final tally. The Speed Bump adds another game-changing twist as Tyler calls the teams and tells them to move the trucks to a new location, no matter how many patrons are on line.
The final two teams arrive in Miami to a breathtaking view of this iconic city and receive their final challenge — each team must make $15,000 dollars and then race to the finish line in South Beach, and the winner gets the $100,000 grand prize. Of course, the finale is filled with twists and turns that no team can anticipate and the first Speed Bump creates chaos as Tyler has both trucks towed away in the middle of the night. Then, the teams are rocked with a second Speed Bump - their current locations are shut down and they must head to the Cuban enclave of Little Havana. On day three, the finalists meet Tyler at the Miami River for the long awaited Truck Stop challenge: the teams will create a delicious seafood dish for local chef Michael Schwartz, but they must head out on fishing boats in the Atlantic Ocean to catch the fish on their own. As the trucks close in on the grand prize, it's time for the final Speed Bump - the teams must shut down and become a dessert truck for two hours on the final day.
Tyler and "Good Morning America" anchor Robin Roberts meet the six remaining trucks at a ranch outside of Denver. The stakes of the Truck Stop challenge are high as the winning truck scores a story on the Denver affiliate morning show that's sure to give them a serious marketing advantage. The teams have 50 minutes to harvest morel mushrooms and create an original dish to impress Truck Stop challenge judge, chef Frank Bonnano. Next, NFL Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway throws the teams a Speed Bump: each team must choose only one teammate to run the entire truck on his or her own.
Although eight teams arrive to compete, it's the Los Angeles heat that leads the race -- and not in a good way. Special guest and all-star season winner Lime Truck challenges the teams to an eye-opening, head-to-head selling competition. As if that weren't tough enough, all the teams struggle with finding good spots with enough crowds to sell in the City of Angels. Tensions come to a boiling point when one team's home field advantage adds fuel to the already smoldering rivalries.