Fifteen of the country’s best chefs arrive in Houston, Texas, ready to fight for the title of “Top Chef.” The opening Quickfire proves to be the toughest first challenge to date when the chefs must team up to create a cohesive dish that showcases each of their styles, but cannot speak to each other during the cook. The stakes only get higher for the Elimination Challenge as the chefs must perfectly cook primal cuts of beef for a table of distinguished Houston chefs including, Robert Del Grande of The Annie Café as well as Top Chef alums Dawn Burrell and Kristen Kish.

The chefs are challenged in the Quickfire to put their own spin on the Tex-Mex classic queso, judged by local legend Chef Irma Galvan. For the Elimination Challenge, the competition heads to the field of a high school football stadium. Working in two teams of seven coached by all-star alumni Sam Talbot and Dawn Burrell, they’ll create seven carb-loaded dishes that will be served in a head-to-head battle. The team that scores a touchdown first wins. Tom, Padma and Gail will be joined by award winning Chef Chris Shepherd and Top Chef Charleston winner Brooke Williamson at the judges' table.

For their first individual challenge of the season, the chefs are surprised in the kitchen by “Top Chef” Miami winner Hung Huynh and challenged to make an Asian-inspired dish. Nothing, however, on “Top Chef” is that simple. Along with Hung, the judges and renowned chef Kiran Verma, they’ll be serving 100 guests at “Top Chef’s” first Asian Night Market.

The chefs are joined by local chef Chris Williams in the Quickfire Challenge; He tasks the chefs to put their own twist on a biscuit dish in honor of his great grandmother, Lucille B. Smith.

The chefs meet Brooke Williamson at Houston's J-Bar-M, where she tasks them with putting their own spin on a brisket dish for some of the best BBQ pitmasters in Houston and their guest judge, pitmaster Greg Gatlin.

The chefs must create salty-sweet desserts that will inspire a new flavor of Talenti gelato; in the Elimination Challenge, the chefs must draw inspiration from the lives of some of Texas's most influential women.

The chefs expand their horizons in a master class on Nigerian flavors guided by local chef Ope Amosu and all-star Kwame Onwuachi, and need to make a stew that pairs perfectly with traditional Nigerian swallows.

The chefs are put to the ultimate test; they have to build restaurants from the ground up; Top Chef's signature challenge levels up yet again, requiring the chefs to satisfy their VIP counter and a dining room full of guests.

The chefs are tasked with creating a monochromatic plant-based dish for their Quickfire Challenge; for the Elimination Challenge, the chefs are tasked with creating dishes that speak to their souls for a block party fundraiser.

The competition reaches new heights as the chefs voyage to the Houston Space Center; they'll have to create a stellar new menu item that they would crave if they were on a multi-year mission to Mars.

The chefs head to the Gulf of Mexico in Galveston, Texas; chef Shota Nakajima is here to present them with their next Quickfire Challenge, using the freshest gulf shellfish to create a seafood tower with one hot and one cold dish.

After saying goodbye to their loved ones and another fellow competitor, the chefs receive an ominous gift from Tom, who tells them to get up early and meet him at the docks. They'll have to find their sea legs quickly because for their Elimination Challenge each chef must create two fresh fish dishes to hook their guest judges Stephanie Izard and Daniel Boulud. The catch? They'll be fishing for all of their protein themselves.

For their last Quickfire Challenge, the chefs make the trip to El Charro in Tuscon, Arizona, the oldest family-run Mexican restaurant in the country, where chef Carlotta Flores challenges them to create a dish featuring her carne seca.

Aspiring chefs compete for their shot at culinary stardom.

To celebrate the 20th season, "Top Chef" returns for an international showdown in London; sixteen competitors, including previous winners and finalists, face off in the fiercest showdown the culinary series has seen.

In the Quickfire, the chefs are challenged to make an amuse-bouche with unexpected ingredients that must fit on a Ritz cracker; the competition heats up as the chefs head to Alexandra Palace, where they must create rice dishes for 100 guests.

In lieu of a Quickfire, Tom and Gail surprise the chefs with an old-fashioned pub crawl around central London; in teams of two, the chefs are tasked with re-creating and elevating a classic pub dish; two chefs will pack their knives.

The chefs are tasked with creating a beloved English classic: the biscuit; the chefs head to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for a football-themed team challenge; the teams that succeed are safe while the rest are relegated and must compete again.

In this week’s extra-sweet Quickfire, the chefs are tasked with creating a celebratory dish featuring honey and mead in order to win over Padma and guest judge Adam Handling. Then, the chefs escape the city and head to the Kent countryside. The cheftestants create a festive family meal featuring their favorite holiday dishes for judges Padma, Tom and Gail, along with Top Chef Mexico judge Martha Ortiz.

The chefs take a trip to Highclere Castle for the Elimination Challenge, where they must work together to create and serve an elevated picnic basket.

The chefs learn Gaggan Anand is the guest judge; they must create a dish inspired by an emoji and are tasked with creating a plate with a message that's visually stunning and can be eaten without utensils.

Guest judge Judy Joo surprises the chefs by challenging them to create delicious street food-inspired dishes; the chefs must get inspiration from the new "Fast X" movie for the largest and fastest mise en place race.

It’s Restaurant Wars, and this season, the perennial favorite is back with a twist! The chefs split into two teams of four and are tasked with creating a restaurant concept and tasting menu. To add to the pressure, they must debut their restaurants at three Michelin-starred Core by Clare Smyth, and the judges will have a full view of the kitchen. Unbeknown to the chefs, Jimi Famurewa, the Chief Restaurant Critic for the Evening Standard, is seated in the dining room and later joins Padma, Tom and Gail at the judges’ table.

There’s nothing like preserved fish in the morning, which is exactly what the chefs have to cook with for this week's Quickfire Challenge. The chefs enjoy a night off as famed chef Asma Khan treats the cheftestants and Padma to an Indian thali dinner. For the Elimination Challenge, they must use six different flavor profiles to create their own Thali platter to impress a panel of chefs from India and judges Padma, Tom and Gail.

Coming into the final stretch before the finale. It’s full steam ahead as the remaining six chefs are tasked with creating a steamed dish for their Quickfire Challenge. In one of the hardest Elimination Challenges yet, the chefs are put in teams of two and must create not one, not two, but three different Wellingtons to serve 20 diners, along with Padma, Tom and Gail. The two chefs from the losing team will pack their knives.

As the journey in London comes to a wrap, the final four chefs welcome back the winner of Last Chance Kitchen. For this week’s Quickfire, the chefs are joined by guest judge Sam Bompas, who challenges them to create a dish featuring jellies and molds. For their final Elimination Challenge in England, they’re tasked with creating trompe-l’œil dishes, where the plates must literally fool the eye and taste like something completely different than what they look like. Who will make it to the finals in Paris, and who will bid adieu?

The final four land in Paris, the culinary capital of the world and home of the 2024 Olympics. In the Quickfire, they compete in the infamous Wall Challenge. Unbeknownst to them, their partners are no strangers to competition and are U.S. Olympic and Paralympic athletes. The chefs must work with their mystery partners to create identical plates in hopes of impressing Michelin-starred guest judge Greg Marchand. For their final Elimination Challenge, they must create a Michelin-worthy dish using one of France’s most humble ingredients: the Champignon de Paris. To help determine who will make it to the finale is a star-studded table of diners.

The finalists are on top of the world as they’ve made it to the finale in Paris. The final three will have the opportunity to cook the meal of their lives for Padma, Tom and Gail, along with a table of culinary luminaries. The guests include Marcus Samuelsson, May Chow, Daniela Soto-Innes, Clare Smyth, Simon Rogan, Ángel León, Food & Wine magazine’s Hunter Lewis, Michelin Guide’s International Director Gwendal Poullennec and “Top Chef France” Judge Hélène Darroze. The chefs lay it all on the table in their final challenge, but only one will take home the ultimate title of “Top Chef” World All-Star.