Seventeen chefs converge in Los Angeles for a shot at culinary stardom; first, the chefs face off in a quick-fire challenge, then they make dishes for a group of food critics and reporters to survive the first elimination round.

The chefs open pop-up restaurants that reflect their respective neighborhoods; guest judge Ludo Lefebvre joins the others for Mexican, Persian, Korean, and vegan cuisine and picks the dish that best reflects Los Angeles' mosaic of cultures.

In Santa Barbara, Calif., the chefs pick up fresh sea urchin to use in their first sudden-death, quick-fire challenge; in the elimination challenge, the chefs serve up surf and turf to a table of celebrated chefs and judges.

In Palm Springs, Calif., world-renowned chef Jose Andres instructs the contestants to use solar powered stoves; then, the chefs must avoid culinary sand traps when they cook on a golf course.

In Palm Springs, model Chrissy Teigen entices the contestants to make their best "date" dishes; the chefs cater a wedding for 25 gay couples in an elimination challenge.

In San Diego, the chefs cook up high-end tacos for Mexican chef Javier Plascencia; at Juniper and Ivy, the contestants serve up mouthwatering dishes to complement their handcrafted microbrews.

The chefs celebrate the 10th anniversary of "Top Chef;" the chefs compete using only 10 ingredients, then, they must create a dish that reflects who they were 10 years ago; Michael Voltaggio, Antonia Lofaso and Mei Lin Hua join the other judges.

The chefs strive to create the most visually appealing "food porn" using only snack food; the chefs cook for a black-tie event called Beefsteak during which the diners eat with their hands; diners include Colin Hanks, Max Silvestri and Matt Selman.

During the Restaurant Wars, the chefs must open their restaurants for both lunch and dinner services, which results in twice the drama.

After preparing a full lunch service, the chefs must clean up and do it all over again for dinner; the judges scrutinize everything, including concept, food, service, and consistency.