Twenty-one contestants compete for fifteen spots in real-world challenges administered by the judges.

The fifteen chefs who remain after last week's qualifying challenge must think on their feet and at a high elevation when a twist complicates their challenge.

The chefs choose international dumpling recipes for the Quickfire, and then team up with either Tom or Emeril in a Thanksgiving challenge.

First the chefs must demonstrate their knife skills, and then they board a time machine, metaphorically at least, so they can design menus from the 1950s.

The chefs' culinary skills are tested at Seattle's Pike Place Market. Included: They must please palates with rare ingredients.

The chefs' ability to share is put to the test when their genealogy inspires dishes. Later, they must cater a homecoming party for celebrity couple Anna Faris and Chris Pratt. Rick Moonen is the guest judge.

An entire pantry wrapped in aluminum foil tests the chefs. Also: head-to-head battles. Former contestant Stephanie Izard is the guest judge.

The foodies harvest oysters and then prepare them for judge Emeril Lagasse. Later, they serve up fare for a Seattle sports team - and host Padma Lakshmi makes an appearance on roller skates.

Blades are drawn in this week's Quickfire Challenge, and we'll find out which cheftestants' knife skills are truly on the cutting edge. In the Elimination Challenge, tribute is paid to the most memorable moments in Top Chef history, and sabotage is afoot when two chefs cook to save their lives. Judge Wolfgang Puck returns and is joined by culinary super stars Wylie Dufresne, Jonathan Waxman, and Chris Cosentino, as well as head judge Tom Colicchio and host Padma Lakshmi.

The foodies set out to impress celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck. Then, the sweeping and traditional "Restaurant Wars" challenge kicks off, as the group offers new culinary concepts at a Seattle food event.

The men square off against the women in the all-encompassing "Restaurant Wars" challenge. Here, eateries are built from the ground up and the chefs try to please the palate of restaurateur Danny Meyer.

Sushi dishes test the chefs. Later, they prepare a fried-chicken dinner for a table of culinary judges that includes David Chang, Michelle Bernstein, Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo.

The chefs set sail for Alaska on a cruise ship, where they must transform iceberg lettuce into a tasty bite-size appetizer. Later, they reinvent the classic surf-and-turf dish. Curtis Stone is the guest judge.

The foodies dock in Juneau, Alaska, and must prove their culinary worth with a local delicacy, king crab. Then, they're tasked with giving their own spin to salmon-and-sourdough dishes. Sean Brock is the guest judge.

Adventure awaits the chefs in a glacial-theme test. Later, a meal prepared by Emeril Lagasse and guest judge Roy Choi sets the stage for an elimination challenge.

Part 1 of the two-part Season 10 finale features the remaining chefs showcasing their culinary skills at an eatery in Los Angeles owned by Tom Colicchio, who serves as kitchen facilitator. Guest judges: John Besh and Martin Yan.

For the epic season finale, each finalist will cook the best five dishes in their culinary arsenal live in front of a studio audience that includes their friends, families and all previous nine Top Chef winners.