Thirty amateur chefs compete against one another as they prepare their signature dish, in hopes of moving through to the next stage of the competition.

The contestants must prepare a unique dish in the first mystery box challenge - which features ingredients typically used in desserts; in the next round, the contestants prepare a classic American dish.

The cooks compete to feed 500 male and female troops on a desert Army base; the losing team faces a pressure test featuring blueberry pie.

The contestants tackle a seafood challenge, with the winner choosing what dessert the others will prepare in the elimination round.

The remaining contestants prepare an upscale seafood dinner for a wedding by the sea. The teams fight through emotions and tension with the losing team facing a challenge involving steak and fries.

The contestants prepare a dish using canned foods; MasterChef winner Luca Manfe and MasterChef Junior winner Alexander Weiss help determine what dish the contestants cook in the elimination round.

The contestants must put aside their difference as they pair up to create a surf-and-turf dish; the challenge losers face a pressure test featuring spring rolls.

The remaining 14 chefs prepare classic American fare for customers at Dinah's, a busy diner in Los Angeles. The losing team face a pressure test in which they must prepare an elaborate three-layer red-velvet cake.

The cooks must create a dish using Alaskan king salmon; during the elimination round, the cooks create a dish using one judge's favorite ingredients.

The cooks prepare romantic dinners for couples celebrating anniversaries; Ramsay's wife joins him for dinner; the losing team create their own truffle recipes for a box of chocolates.

For the first time, the contestants get to choose between two mystery boxes: one filled with high-end ingredients and one containing ordinary items; the winner of the challenge chooses which type of stuffed pasta the remaining cooks make.

The home cooks split into two teams and create menus of healthy football game concessions for an entire stadium; the cooks on the losing team must create three unique prawn dishes in a pressure test.

The cooks split into teams of two and prepare a poultry dish using different parts of the chicken; two pairs face a pressure test with eggs.

The remaining contestants receive hometown encouragement as they prepare savory apple dishes; while the challenge winner is safe from elimination, the other contestants form teams of two and make a variety of potstickers.

The remaining six cooks compete in teams and take over a high-end restaurant in Los Angeles. The losing team competes individually in a unique croquembouche pressure test.

Each cook creates a dish inspired by one of their loved ones after they meet with some VIP kitchen guests and all but the winner prepre rare protein dishes to stay in the game.

A final team challenge establishes who will move on to the top three.

One chef moves on to the finals after impressing a panel of judges representing all 50 states and a second finalist is determined based on a challenge involving three classic American desserts.

The judges reveal America's next 'Masterchef' who will walk away with a 'Masterchef' trophy, a book deal and the 0,000 grand prize.