Twelve Chefs begin the journey of a lifetime in London, England. On the Course, the chefs are immersed in the local food culture as they race in a pub crawl to win the Exceptional Ingredient. The tension rises quickly for one team as they unsuccessfully try and navigate the confusing streets of London. For the Takeover, the teams are sent to Gastropubs where they serve up authentic dishes to the British diners.
The 11 remaining chefs are off to Lyon where the Course will take them through the Beaujolais countryside. For the Takeover, the teams run bistros and serve traditional Lyonnais dishes, but one chef outsmarts their fellow competitors by getting a traditional recipe from a local. Will the clever move pay off or will the chef go down in flames?
On the Course in Spain, the chefs' knife skills are tested when they work alongside local fishermen on the docks of Barcelona. As they settle into their journey, the competition starts to get fierce and the banter is not so friendly. Acclaimed chef Jose Andres joins the locals dining in one of the world’s best restaurants as the teams serve up Mediterranean cuisine.
The chefs are off to Marrakech where the Course takes them on a perilous trip through the Medina. For the Takeover, the teams prepare a local favorite, tagine. The heat rises in the kitchen as one team claims they were sabotaged when ingredients go missing in the kitchen.
In Florence, the Course starts with a scavenger hunt where the chefs get firsthand experience on the traditions of the local cuisine. With their new knowledge, they head to beautiful villas in the rolling hills of Tuscany to create Tuscan cuisine for the Takeover. One chef causes a disaster in the middle of the night and must confess to his fellow chefs.
The chefs shift gears and head north to Bologna where they tackle the local favorite, tortellini. Tempers flare between two chefs over past grievances and one of the contestants is intent on taking a teammate down.
Exotic Thai markets and muddy rice paddies overwhelm one contestant, throwing her off course. The chefs hit the Thai streets to convince skeptical locals that their food is authentic.
The adventure continues as the contestants are forced to face “The Demon chef” and his gastronomically innovative cuisine. A teammate’s lack of passion brings one contestant to a breaking point.
The chefs head south to take on the holy grail of South American cuisine: the Empanada. One chef nearly goes down in flames in the knockout battle to see who makes it to the final round while another’s plan to send a competitor packing backfires.
The final three chefs embark on the most important journey yet, the quest for ultimate victory. The contestants face their toughest critics yet, as the judges are a veritable who’s who of Los Angeles’ culinary community. It takes a trek from Southern to Northern hemispheres to determine who will win the final challenge.