One hundred amateur cooks arrive in Los Angeles and begin their quest to become real chefs in the Season 2 opener. Each hopeful will prepare a signature dish and present it to the judges: Gordon Ramsay, Graham Elliot Bowles and Joe Bastianich.

More talented home cooks prepare their signature dishes in hopes of moving on to the next round in the second batch of auditions.

The field is narrowed down to 38.

The remaining hopefuls are tested on basic kitchen techniques, from chopping apples to cooking a chicken to perfection.

The wannabe chefs have one hour to prepare a dish using surprise ingredients found in a mystery box. Later, two hopefuls are eliminated.

The Top 16 wannabe chefs cook a five-course meal for hundreds of people in a downtown Los Angeles cafeteria.

The 15 remaining hopefuls in a dessert challenge with limited ingredients.

The Top 14 are divided into two teams and must work together to feed homemade sausage to 101 hungry bikers.

Vegetarian meals are made by the 13 remaining hopefuls. Then, Season 1 winner Whitney Miller shows up and challenges the wannabe chefs to prepare a dish from her cookbook.