The chefs are asked to make a special-occasion meal, starting with appetizers that include a rare prized crustacean. In the entree basket, the competitors encounter more exquisite ingredients from land and sea -- as well as a sweet curveball. And the final two chefs open the dessert basket to find a playful take on the theme that proves to be quite difficult.
The chefs set out to wow the judges with brunch meals that wake their palates. A classic brunch combination-turned ice cream flavor makes for a challenging first basket. A unique take on eggs keeps the brunch theme front-and-center in the entree round. The two chefs remaining in the dessert round then get to find out what goes into boozy cereal.
The four chefs in this special competition are tasked with making the perfect midnight meal. In the first round, fried foods and a trendy cocktail are creatively reimagined in appetizers. Prized mushrooms and a much-craved street food are part of the basket challenge in the second round. And the finalists hope breakfast flavors wake up the judges' palates in the last round.
Fatigue starts to set in as the chefs face hours seven and eight in this intense culinary journey. Hosts Michael Symon and Esther Choi put forth three challenges in one where the chefs must turn one bag of ingredients into three distinct, delicious meals. This never-before-seen social experiment will be over for whoever fails to impress guest judge Scott Conant.
Big Daddy brings along his son Justin to cook a delish Italian dinner. They give traditional meatballs a makeover with their tasty Cheese-Stuffed Bacon Meatballs. On the side, Big Daddy and Justin assemble a fresh green salad with Deep-Friend Eggplant Croutons. Crunchy, flavorful Gotta-Have-It Garlic Bread completes this fabulous meal.
For a simple yet sophisticated date night meal, Big Daddy prepares his spicy and moist Blackened Tilapia. He also cooks two perfect accompaniments to the fish: Grilled Corn & Chipotle Pepper Salad and a Plantain Mash with Crispy Bacon. For dessert, Big Daddy dishes up a delectable Sweet and Tangy Frozen Yogurt Sundae.
This meal will transport your taste buds to faraway places, even if you are just having a picnic in the park. Claire starts things off with a fresh cucumber salad topped off with a creamy Greek yogurt dressing. She then makes delicious lamb sandwiches with crumbled feta cheese and finishes things off with a toasted Israeli couscous made with only 5 tasty ingredients.
Ina says that no one ever remembers what they ate for the main course but they always remember dessert. Ina shares her ideas and recipes for the perfect way to end a meal -- sweet and savory, this really is a case of saving the best for last. Recipes include Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries, Lime Meringue Tart and Peach and Blueberry Crumbles.
Noah Cappe heads to the annual Rio Rancho Pork & Brew festival in New Mexico, where he samples a trio of meaty meals before ending the day devouring adorable Baby Cakes. Then it's up north to the Ionia Free Fair in Michigan, where the state's largest free fair leaves Noah with a lot of dough to spend enjoying The Tator Grenade and Churro S'mores.
What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas -- except when it comes to the food, which is too good not to share! Noah Cappe investigates the Great American Foodie Fest in Nevada and gets lucky with some monster meat meals like the Katsu Curry Sandwich. At the Kittitas County Fair in Washington, Noah goes local with the Beefalo Burger and Hucklepeach Donuts.