The Next Iron Chef - Episode Guide

In the season premiere of season 1, the chefs arrive at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y. where they are greeted by the Chairman and host Alton Brown (Iron Chef America), who gives them their first two tests: Speed and Artistry.

Host Alton Brown gives the chefs their next two tests: Simplicity and Innovation: the chefs must produce one flavor-packed bite that reveals everything about their culinary style and personality. Then, special guest Wiley Dufresne arrives at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y. to inspire the chefs to blend science, art and food. 

Host Alton Brown gives the chefs their next test: Resourcefulness. Starting at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, the chefs secretly select ingredients for one another out of a harvest of wild ingredients. They are taken outdoors to a location with meager supplies and cooking equipment, where they must create a delicious meal on the fly. 

The remaining four chefs learn that they will be traveling overseas with international air carrier Lufthansa to Germany for this week's challenge: Create Under Pressure. At Munich airport, the chefs are taken to Lufthansa's catering facilities where their next challenge is to create the ultimate first class meal for passengers. 

The remaining three chefs continue the overseas portion of the competition as they fly to Paris for the next challenge: Lead and Inspire. The chef's must become the ultimate Americans in Paris as they create a meal for a party being thrown by the US Ambassador to France. 

The remaining two chefs walk into the hallowed halls of Kitchen Stadium to complete their final test: Attain Greatness. With the Chairman looking on and host Alton Brown commentating from the side, the two finalists compete in a head-to-head final showdown by commencing in an official Iron Chef America battle.

In the season premiere of The Next Iron Chef, ten chefs arrive in Los Angeles to compete in a series of globally-inspired cooking challenges that will test their abilities to master culinary styles from around the world. The chefs are greeted by host Alton Brown (Iron Chef America, Good Eats), who gives them their first two tests: Memory and Fearlessness. For Memory, the chefs are asked to use an ingredient that has played a significant role in their lives to create a dish that expresses their culinary style and heritage. Next, the chefs are assigned exotic ingredients from around the world that test their iron wills and stomachs. They must showcase their fearless nature through their approach in using these ingredients as the centerpiece of two dishes. The first chef is then eliminated.

Host Alton Brown gives the nine remaining chefs their next two challenges: Simplicity and Interpretation. In the first challenge, the chefs are asked to use a variety of one-pot cooking devices from around the world to make a family-style dish. The chefs judge one another and reveal who cooked both the most successful and the least successful creations using the ethnic cooking vessels. Next, the chefs are asked to reinvent classic "international" dishes to see who can create an Iron Chef-worthy interpretation of some of the best-known dishes in the world. The next chef is eliminated.

Host Alton Brown explains that Innovation is one of the most important traits of an Iron Chef and both challenges in this episode must embody that trait. First, the chefs disperse to four of the best Asian eateries in Los Angeles where they quickly taste and then attempt to recreate the house specialty from each restaurant. The chefs are armed only with their discerning palates to figure out how the dish is made. Next, the chefs are tasked with innovating and creating a new dish that is a hybrid of Asian flavors and American culinary sensibilities. The next chef is eliminated.

An Iron Chef must adapt to a secret ingredient that is revealed just moments before cooking. For their next test, host Alton Brown asks the remaining seven chefs endure a tough test of Adaptability. The chefs have 90 minutes to prepare a savory and sweet duo of Mexican-inspired dishes and a creative beverage that successfully utilizes a secret ingredient flown in from Mexico on American Airlines. At the iconic Grand Central Market, the chefs shop for additional indigenous ingredients to effectively capture the heart and soul of Mexican cooking. They are judged on how well they adapt the secret ingredient to their culinary creations. One chef is eliminated.

The six remaining competitors meet acclaimed Indian chef, Suvir Saran, and begin their next test: Pressure. First, the chefs have 30 minutes to capture the essence and balance of Indian fare in just one bite. Then, the chefs attend a Bollywood-style gala to gain a true understanding of the traditional foods and culture of India. With this knowledge, they then have two hours to prepare a five-course Indian feast judged for the authenticity, flavor, drama, and theatrical presentation of the food. Two chefs are eliminated, and the remaining chefs learn they will head to the airport and travel on American Airlines to one of the great culinary hotspots in the world – Tokyo, Japan.

The four remaining chefs board an American Airlines flight and travel to Tokyo, Japan. The chefs begin a culinary adventure into the world of umami (a Japanese term for 'delicious' that is used to describe the fifth taste). First the chefs arrive at a traditional Japanese yakitori grill restaurant where they are asked to use Kikkoman soy sauce to infuse umami into their dishes and enhance the flavor profiles of a variety of ingredients. Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto arrives as a surprise judge for this test. Then the chefs travel through Tokyo to the most renowned culinary academy in the city where they meet Dr. Yukio Hattori, the original Iron Chef Japanese culinary commentator. Dr. Hattori opens the doors to his academy where the chefs are challenged to use different cooking styles in a test that highlights the five tastes: sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami. The next chef is eliminated.

The final three chefs undergo a test of Integrity, and how they can honor both personal integrity and integrity of ingredients. At the most famous fish market in the world, Tokyo's Tsukiji fish market, the chefs race to gather ingredients to prepare their version of the most revered and traditional Japanese meal known as kaiseki. This kaiseki meal is filtered through each chef's unique culinary personality. This traditional Japanese cooking style consists of an elaborately choreographed tasting menu with extreme attention focused on the beauty of each plate and the seasonality of the ingredients. One chef is eliminated, and the last two standing prepare for the final battle in Kitchen Stadium.

The remaining two chefs walk into the hallowed halls of Kitchen Stadium to complete their final test: Imagination. With the Chairman looking on and host Alton Brown (Iron Chef America) commentating from the side, the two finalists compete in a head-to-head battle. Using everything they have learned, they must take the secret ingredient and create a five course meal that reflects the melting pot that is the American culinary experience. One of the chefs will then be selected as the winner and become the new Iron Chef!

The theme this season is "American Cuisine" as 10 esteemed Chefs arrive in Los Angeles ready to prove to the Chairman they have what it takes to become The Next Iron Chef. The Chairman's charge for this episode is ingenuity and for the Secret Ingredient Challenge, the secret ingredient is bread.  The chefs must make a sandwich that represents their personality in 30 minutes. Ingenuity is vital in the Chairman's Challenge, because the threat of elimination looms as the chefs find themselves on a beach cooking with the one ingredient they said they would want if stranded on a desert island. 

After seeing their first fellow chef sent home, the competition among the remaining 9 chefs escalates. In this episode, the Chairman's charge is INNOVATION and for the Secret Ingredient Challenge, the chefs arrive at a coffee shop where they learn the secret ingredient is COFFEE AND DONUTS. The chefs must create two dishes featuring coffee and donuts in 30 mins. The cooking is fast and furious as the chefs struggle to innovate these American breakfast favorites. The Chairman's Challenge, builds upon the coffee shop theme by demanding that the chefs INNOVATE classic diner foods like meatloaf, hamburgers and corned beef hash to Iron Chef level in 60 minutes.

In this episode, the remaining 8 chefs grapple with the Chairman's charge of RESOURCEFULNESS.  For the Secret Ingredient Challenge, the secret ingredient is all kinds of pickles.  The chefs have 30 minutes to be resourceful in turning pickles into a snack for a field trip. The reason the chefs made portable pickle snacks is that they are going on a fishing field trip.   Back in the kitchen with their catch, the Chairman's Challenge is to cook two fish dishes in 60 minutes using the fish they so resourcefully caught.  They can also use the bait from the boat – fresh sardines. 

In this episode, the remaining 7 chefs undertake the Chairman's charge of TRANSFORMATION.  In the Secret Ingredient challenge, the secret ingredients are American condiments and sauces like ketchup, ranch dressing and mayonnaise.  The chefs have 30 minutes to transform these condiments into a dish of their choosing. The Chairman ups the ante by sending the chefs to the San Diego County Fair where they must gather ingredients from the concession stands in a mad dash and transform fair food (1 fried item, 1 grilled item, 1 item on a stick) into Iron Chef level dishes in 60 minutes.  Their cook station: the world's largest grill "The Outlaw Grill" weighing 27 tons and covering nearly 100 feet of turf this massive piece of equipment can cook 1,000 sausages at once.  At one point during this difficult battle, the grill becomes a FIERY INFERNO that torches all the food on it. 

And now there are 6 chefs remaining.  In this "all-American" episode, the Chairman's charge is RESPECT.  Today's secret ingredient challenge is to show respect for the potato (the peeling of which was formerly military punishment) by creating a potato dish in 45 minutes. In the Chairman's Challenge, the chefs are asked to show respect for America by cooking 4 dishes that represent the 4 main regions on the map of the US – north, south, east and west.  

Host Alton Brown and the Chairman welcome the remaining five chefs to Las Vegas on the CityCenter promenade and present them with a test of inspiration. World-champion pastry chef Jean-Phlippe Maury meets the contestants in a pastry kitchen with his dessert showpiece collection and reveals chocolate as their secret ingredient. The contenders must then create a wedding-worthy chocolate dessert. For the Chairman's Challenge, the chefs prepare a buffet inspired by the modern Las Vegas surroundings in just three hours, with the threat of a double elimination adding to the pressure.

Stress levels skyrocket as the remaining chefs face the test of seduction. In the Secret Ingredient Challenge, the competitors find themselves at the bar inside Jean-Georges Steakhouse at the Aria Hotel, where they have 30 minutes to create a cocktail and snack using liquor that seduces the judges' taste buds, including guest judge and renowned mixologist Charlotte Voisey. Next, the chefs meet host Alton Brown in a posh Sky Villa on Aria Hotel's 59th floor for the Chairman's Challenge. They have only 90 minutes to create an elaborate three-dish meal using luxurious ingredients gathered from restaurants in the hotel. Two chefs leave in an intense double elimination, and the last two standing prepare for the final battle in Kitchen Stadium.

After a season packed with grueling challenges, only two chefs remain to battle it out for the ultimate culinary title of Iron Chef. The challengers head to New York for a Thanksgiving-themed showdown in legendary Kitchen Stadium, where they face a true Iron Chef challenge: prepare five creative and delicious dishes in 60 minutes using the always-feared Secret Ingredient. In addition to the season's three judges, the finalists also try to impress special guest judges, Iron Chefs Bobby Flay and Masaharu Morimoto. In the end, only one chef will reign supreme to earn the title of The Next Iron Chef.

In the season premiere of The Next Iron Chef: Super Chefs, 10 Chefs are brought to the middle of nowhere and their primal instincts are put to the test with a suckling pig. Split into five teams, the chefs are given the most basic tools to create build their own cooking stations before creating their Iron Chef worthy dishes.

The chefs are brought to Petco Park in San Diego, where host Alton Brown presents their next test: TRANSFORMATION. The chefs are asked to use ingredients they source at the ballpark concession stands (think hot dogs and peanuts) to prepare two Iron Chef-worthy interpretations of stadium classics. Transformation is the goal: Which chef takes ballpark foods and transforms them into dishes worthy of Kitchen Stadium?

An Iron Chef has the INGENUITY to see the extraordinary culinary potential in ordinary circumstances and ingredients. In this challenge, the chefs are brought to the Orpheum Theater, where Alton reveals the raw material for the Chairman's Challenge: iconic movie snack bar goodies, including popcorn and all the candy classics. The chefs have 60 minutes to create two dishes that show off their movie snack bar ingredient in the most ingenious way.

An Iron Chef's ability to IMPROVISE is a key to success in Kitchen Stadium. When ingredients on the altar are revealed, combatants in Kitchen Stadium must respond quickly to what the Chairman has thrown at them. Guest comedian Kevin Nealon and the audience at the Improv comedy club in Hollywood throw ingredient suggestions at the chefs - everything from octopus to marshmallows, perhaps a coconut? Kevin selects a disparate list of ingredients to cook with and the chefs have 45 minutes to improvise an Iron Chef-worthy dish.

The remaining chefs are brought to Charlie Palmer in NYC's Grand Central Station for their next test: STORYTELLING. Alton reveals six postcards and hidden on the back of the cards are six iconic NYC locations. The chef who won the Chairman's Challenge the previous week assigns each chef a New York location. The mission? The chefs must create a culinary story based on one of these iconic sites and present how they have each put New York on a plate. Will they incorporate iconic foods like the beloved New York bagel?

In Kitchen Stadium, chefs must take culinary RISKS. Time and again the risk-takers are the ones who create the spectacular dishes that dazzle the judges. Alton and the Chairman welcome the five remaining chefs at an empty auction house. In this challenge the chefs bid on ingredients (ponzu sauce, perhaps?) with time; a winning bid comes from the chef who claims he/she can cook an interesting dish in the least amount of time. The chefs are judged based on the chance the chef has taken and the riskiness of the dish. Taking a calculated risk and acting on instincts may be more beneficial than playing it safe.

In this challenge, the chefs must create food for a Hamptons event that reflects the rich seafood bounty of the area. Double-elimination looms while the chefs must entwine their skills and focus on finding their "passion" to take a traditional beach cookout to Iron Chef-worthy heights. Who has the passion, the burning desire, to become the Next Iron Chef?

The remaining two chefs walk into Kitchen Stadium to complete their final test: PRESSURE. With the Chairman looking on and host Alton Brown commentating from the sidelines, the final challenge is themed around the winter holidays. Enduring the unpredictability and PRESSURE of Kitchen Stadium will determine who will become the Next Iron Chef.

Ten great chefs arrive on "redemption beach" to find that they must cook with the ingredient that sent them packing from previous Next Iron Chef competitions. The chefs must re-write their unpleasant histories with these ingredients and get a jumpstart on the road to redemption. Who will fail to redeem themselves and go down in flames?

The last time the Chairman brought NIC competitors to a diner, he asked them to elevate American comfort food classics to Kitchen Stadium fare. This time, the transformation will take on a global accent. The chefs, competing in groups of three, must create an innovative and Iron Chef worthy take on humble international classics.

The chefs arrive at the Original Farmers Market in Los Angeles, where renowned photographer, Todd Selby, captures each chef's unique personality in a single snapshot. The Chefs return to the kitchen and must use these photos as inspiration for putting one of their opponents' personalities on a plate, in just one simple, tasty and delightful bite.

The seven remaining chefs have reached the half-way point in this competition and now they must not only battle for their own redemption, but they must prove they can redeem and transform ingredients that some would think are unworthy for Kitchen Stadium, into Iron Chef-worthy fare.

The six remaining chefs arrive at an airplane hangar to discover an ingredient auction. In this auction, the currency to win is the chef's cooking time. These aren't just any ingredients, the Chairman has given the chefs ingredients so large; they're transported in freight trucks. Can each chef risk their cooking-time to make their bids, and still have enough time left to cook these giant ingredients?

The chefs arrive in Las Vegas for the challenge of fusion. As in many a past classic NIC challenges, the chefs are asked to bring together and fuse unusual ingredients into something new and Iron Chef worthy. In this challenge, odd ingredients are randomly paired and the chefs must prove that opposites do attract ... even in the kitchen.

The four remaining chefs have dazzled the judges with their culinary magic and now, they meet with legendary Las Vegas magician David Copperfield. Through a little sleight of hand, Copperfield "magically" produces an ingredient that must be used by the chefs as they tackle one of the Chairman's classic challenges from the past -- the re-invention of the Las Vegas buffet. The chefs cook in teams and must create a buffet that is Iron Chef worthy and transcendent in both flavor and presentation.

For the final cooking challenge in Las Vegas, the three remaining Chefs must demonstrate their passion for cooking ... and their passion to become the Next Iron Chef. Each Judge selects an ingredient that stirs his/her own culinary passion which will shape the chefs' "last supper" in Las Vegas. One chef's Next Iron Chef dream will end after this meal and the final two will move on to Kitchen Stadium -- who will be "The Next Iron Chef?"