Host Alton Brown and the Chairman welcome the remaining five chefs to Las Vegas on the CityCenter promenade and present them with a test of inspiration. World-champion pastry chef Jean-Phlippe Maury meets the contestants in a pastry kitchen with his dessert showpiece collection and reveals chocolate as their secret ingredient. The contenders must then create a wedding-worthy chocolate dessert. For the Chairman's Challenge, the chefs prepare a buffet inspired by the modern Las Vegas surroundings in just three hours, with the threat of a double elimination adding to the pressure.
Red Hots Coney Island diner in Highland Park, Mich., has been in Richard's family for 94 years, and while the chili recipe is still the same, changes to the neighborhood and economy have the business facing disaster. The floors are crumbling, the kitchen is a disaster and a void in desserts on the menu has customers taking their business elsewhere. With only 36 hours to revive Red Hots, renovation expert Ty Pennington and Chef Amanda Freitag attempt to bring this diner back to its retro roots.
Taking a break from their studies to crush it in the Chopped Kitchen, four college students compete for culinary superiority. In the first round, the young amateur cooks must work with a dorm-life starchy staple and a bag of frozen veggies. The college kids then look for creative ways to make use of a savory microwaveable snack in the entree round. And with both sweet and salty surprises in the dessert basket, the final two cooks seek to make balanced desserts to complete their meals.