24 in 24: Last Chef Standing - Episode Guide

Co-hosts Michael Symon and Esther Choi welcome 24 elite chefs from all over the country into the arena where they will spend the next 24 hours cooking -- if they make it that far! The first three-hour shift is designed to test one of the most important qualities a true master must possess: speed. Speed judge Jet Tila will taste and score every dish, separating the leaders of the pack from the chefs on the brink of elimination. Right out of the gate, the chefs are served up a shocking twist that sets the tone for the rest of the competition, letting them know that no one will be safe from elimination until the end.

During hours three through six, the chefs must adapt to constant twists and turns. Michael Symon and Esther Choi have two chefs face elimination immediately, and the competitors navigate curveballs from Stephanie Izard in order to make it to hour seven. Then, fatigue sets in as the chefs face hours seven and eight in this intense culinary journey. Michael and Esther put forth three challenges in one where the chefs must turn one bag of ingredients into three distinct meals for judge Scott Conant.

Michael Symon and Esther Choi present their toughest task yet -- teamwork. Working with chefs they just met mere hours ago, the competitors have to strategize, collaborate and execute under the critical eyes of guest judges Michael and Bryan Voltaggio. Then, exhaustion becomes palpable as chefs enter hour 13 of their 24-hour competition. Michael and Esther challenge them with the unenviable task of turning microwave meals into works of art before judge Eric Adjepong decides who must clock out.

By the end of shift four, the remaining chefs will have been cooking for 12 consecutive hours. To make it to hour 13, Michael Symon and Esther Choi present their toughest task yet -- teamwork. Working with chefs they just met mere hours ago, the competitors have to strategize, collaborate and execute under the critical eyes of guest judges Michael and Bryan Voltaggio.

Exhaustion becomes palpable as the chefs enter hour 13 of their 24-hour competition. Hosts Michael Symon and Esther Choi challenge them with the unenviable task of turning microwave meals into works of art, and that's the easy part! Guest judge Eric Adjepong will decide which of these chefs must clock out.

Michael Symon and Esther Choi begin the most devious shift of all as the chefs earn points during each challenge. They'll be tested in cooking, strategy and much more as judge Maneet Chauhan decides their fate just two shifts shy of a massive pay day. Then, Michael and Esther start hour 18 by testing the bruised, battered and exhausted chefs on their simplicity, one of the most difficult techniques to master. Judge Brooke Williamson decides which four chefs will receive a spot in the finale.

As hosts Michael Symon and Esther Choir introduce hour 18 of non-stop cooking, the chefs are bruised, battered and at their breaking point. Simplicity is one of the most difficult techniques to master for any chef, and when they're this exhausted, it borders on impossible. Guest judge Brooke Williamson decides which four chefs will receive a spot in the finale, a mere four challenges and three hours away.

The four remaining chefs have survived 20 challenges and beat out 20 other chefs to arrive at this moment. In the final hours, hosts Michael Symon and Esther Choi revisit an old challenge where the chefs must cook the best dishes of their lives. Whoever can stave off the final daggers of exhaustion and impress a superstar panel of judges will walk away with a $50,000 prize and an unforgettable trip to Hawaii.

In the supersized season premiere, hosts Michael Symon and Esther Choi welcome 24 of the country's most talented and fearless chefs to compete in the most intense competition of all time – 24 challenges in 24 nonstop hours. In the first shift, the chefs must endure three challenges testing speed. Those that impress expert judge Antonia Lofaso survive, and whoever does not is forced to clock out. When Michael and Esther introduce the all-important golden knife, the chefs learn this epic day of cooking will be full of twists and turns, but only those that can adjust on the fly have a chance to be the last chef standing. Over the next 24 hours, the competition tackles different shifts that test aspects of being a chef: after the premiere's speed challenge, themes include simplicity, resourcefulness, artistry, adaptability, teamwork, risk taking and elevation. 

Co-hosts Michael Symon and Esther Choi begin the second shift with two chefs in a head-to-head elimination battle that tests simplicity. After judge Graham Elliot decides which chef will clock out, the remaining chefs take on a tricky taste test. 

Then, after seven straight hours of cooking, the chefs are asked to be resourceful with both time and ingredients as they create a three-course meal worthy of a black-tie event in only 60 minutes for judge Jet Tila.

Co-hosts Michael Symon and Esther Choi assign the fatigued chefs famous works of art to use for inspiration as they cook for judge Fariyal Abdullahi. 

Then, the unrelenting twists and turns continue into hour 13 as the chefs must turn ingredients for a lumberjack breakfast into an entirely different meal for judge Brooke Williamson.

Frustration and fatigue mounts in hour 16 as co-hosts Michael Symon and Esther Choi ask the eight remaining chefs to work in teams to make a soup and sandwich all while handling three culinary curveballs for judges Carlos Anthony and Brian Malarkey. 

Then, in shift number seven, after the competitors have been up for 19 hours, they'll have to take some risks while making a finale-worthy fish dish for judge Andrew Zimmern to earn a spot in the final shift and have a chance at winning $75,000.

There are five chefs and four challenges remaining in this epic competition of skill and stamina. In the final shift featuring elevation, co-hosts Michael Symon and Esther Choi give the five weary finalists a challenge that will be familiar to them. This sets the course for the final three challenges, which will require making an elevated breakfast, lunch and dinner for judges Antonia Lofaso, Graham Elliot and Jet Tila. But as these chefs have come to learn, these last challenges will not be quite what they expected.

After more than 20 nonstop hours, co-hosts Michael Symon and Esther Choi ask the elite and exhausted chefs to dig deep and create an elevated lunch and an elevated dinner as their final two challenges. Judges Antonia Lofaso, Graham Elliot and Jet Tila decide which chef will walk away with $75,000 and the title of Last Chef Standing.