Season 3

Top Chef Masters is back with a brand new host, new judge and a new format -- so why not start the competition off with something familiar, the most notorious of all Top Chef challenges, Restaurant Wars? These master chefs have opened their share of award-winning restaurants, but nothing could have prepared them for the pressure that’s on now. With their egos on the line, the knives come out right out of the gate.

The masters are in for a treat this week when two high-profile celebrities visit the top chef kitchen. Pop Star and trained chef, Kelis, drops by to judge a very meaty quickfire challenge and then Mad Men actress, Christina Hendricks and her husband, actor Geoffry Arend, enlist the help of the cheftestants in a special '60s-themed Elimination Challenge.

Crickets, nightcrawlers and beetles, oh my! These master chefs are used to cooking with the finest ingredients, but in this week's Quickfire they’re forced to make a delicious dish out of some horrifying creatures. The Elimination Challenge however, makes it all worthwhile when the chefs compete to sell their dishes for $100 a plate at a charity fundraiser. For every plate they sell, the money they receive goes directly to their charity of choice and these chefs are in to win it.

Eating healthy is a challenge that people face every day. For this week’s Elimination Challenge, the cheftestants must prove nutritious food can still taste good. The remaining masters will be broken up into three teams of three to prepare breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the cast of The Biggest Loser, but that’s not all, all three meals, when added up, cannot exceed the daily allotment of 1500 calories a day.

Master chefs know how to work under pressure, but how well can they do fast food? This week’s Elimination Challenge puts the cheftestants to the test in a traditional Southern California eatery, the drive-through. The cheftestants will have to operate a fast food drive-through, from the grill to serving up their best meals and all in less than two minutes.

The tables are turned in this week’s Quickfire when the cheftestants become the judges and have to critique their fellow chefs. Then in the Elimination Challenge, the remaining contestants are in for a double dose of surprises. Pop Rock group Maroon 5 drops by and challenges the chefs to create a feast fit for a rock star, but it's not that easy. Once again the tables are turned and the chefs are taken out of kitchen and brought to a surprise location to prepare their meals.

In this week’s Quickfire Challenge the chefs must use each of their five senses to identify mystery ingredients -- however they can only use one of their senses at time. In the Elimination Challenge, the masters help a man propose to his unsuspecting girlfriend on her favorite show, Top Chef Masters. In a six-course meal, the chefs must create dishes that reflect different stages of the couple’s relationship, but could one bad dish ruin the whole plan?

The ace culinarians delve into science and technology by utilizing modern-day kitchen gadgetry to whip up breakfast. Later, they tap into old-school chemistry at a science fair to render culinary creations.

A celebration of returning soldiers.