The First Look at Guy Fieri's Tournament of Champions

As has been the case in countless basketball tourneys, competition battles rarely go as planned, so it's best to expect the unexpected here too.

Every battle will be a race against the clock, which means the chefs will be forced to think on their feet and execute their plan quickly. Chef Eric Greenspan is wasting no time in his prep work.

Though there's not a complete supermarket setup here like there is on Guy's Grocery Games, the Tournament of Champions pantry is stocked with hundreds of ingredients, products and tools to help every contestant make the dish they want.

To impress the esteemed roster of judges who will be tasting their food, chefs must balance creativity and reality as they attempt to push the limits in the kitchen.

Guy asked two of his pals, Justin Warner and Simon Majumdar, to help manage the action in the arena. So as the competition unfolds, Justin and Simon will each shadow one chef and carefully note their ingredient choices and prep processes.

You've surely heard Chef Amanda Freitag say this on Chopped: Well-seasoned food is absolutely key. Here she's working hard on that lesson herself as she adds salt to one component of her dish.