Twelve wannabe chefs and restaurateurs compete to impress head chef Gordon Ramsay as he works to open a world-class restaurant in Los Angeles and discover the country's next culinary star.

After barely surviving the opening night of the Hell's Kitchen restaurant, the heat is on as the contestants prepare for their second dinner service. To prepare for the service both teams have a squid cleaning competition as Ramsay overlooks with his watchful eye.

The third night in the kitchen finds the remaining chefs cracking under the pressure of Gordon Ramsay and his hot temper. After barely surviving the opening night of the Hell's Kitchen restaurant and fumbling their way through night two, the remaining contestants have gotten more than a taste of the wrath of Chef Ramsay -- and hungry patrons.

As the contestants prepare for their third dinner service, the pressure of Hell's Kitchen is too much for one of the wannabe chefs, who chooses to leave Hell's Kitchen and hang up their apron for good. But the choice is Ramsay's for another unlucky contestant who gets the boot.

The fourth night in the kitchen finds the remaining chefs cracking under the pressure of Gordon Ramsay and his hot temper as they try to serve up Ramsay's signature dishes at L.A. hotspot Haute Cuisine. A fourth contestant is eliminated from the show.

On the restaurant's fifth night, Hell's Kitchen presents an entire Italian-themed menu. After a tense competition in the afternoon, one team is rewarded with an afternoon outing with Chef Ramsay. Later at the dinner service, the participants' competitive nature comes to a head as one team deliberately sabotages the other, while a contestant makes a decision that shocks both teams.

First Half of Two Hour Special. As the Hell's Kitchen contestants prepare for their sixth dinner service, Chef Ramsay reveals the latest twist – each team will create its own menu consisting of three appetizers, entrees and desserts. Egos and tempers reach a boiling point as the wannabe chefs hustle to get their signature dishes up to Ramsay’s impeccable standard and out to the hungry guests in a timely manner.

Second half of Two Hour Special. The five remaining contestants learn they are no longer competing as teams, but as individuals who must work together (and against one another) to complete an entire dinner service. The theme of the dinner is “tableside service,” with both the appetizers and dessert prepared tableside. To further complicate matters, there is a power failure, and the filet mignon mysteriously disappears.

Hell's Kitchen opens its eighth night with not only the four contestants left over from the previous night's service, but also the ingredients. The four remaining chefs are given 15 minutes and a tray of leftovers to create a meal that Chef Ramsay considers servable. The winner of the challenge is rewarded with a chance to cook on a live national TV show alongside Ramsay. Jealousy and desperation are eating away at the wannabe chefs and with all of them fighting for themselves, the kitchen feels like a pressure cooker. Who can handle the heat and who gets kicked out of the kitchen?

Three contestants remain and Gordon’s order that they serve an entire dining room becomes too much for one contestant who succumbs to fatigue. The contestants serve their signature dishes, but the teammates suffer from one disastrous performance. Who will create the best dish and who will be sent home without his or her just desserts?

In part 1 of the two-hour season finale, it’s down to the final two contestants who have survived the wrath of Ramsay and many disastrous nights at Hell’s Kitchen. Ramsay turns HK over to the battling duo by dividing the restaurant in half – with each wannabe chef choosing their own menu and decor.

In part 2 of the two-hour finale, Hell's Kitchen is divided in half, and each of the two finalists completes a dinner service with the concept and menu they designed.

In this two-hour season premiere, twelve Hell's Kitchen chefs begin their journey for the final prize of an executive chef position at the newly opened Las Vegas casino, Red Rock Casino Resort.

In this two-hour season premiere, twelve Hell's Kitchen chefs begin their journey for the final prize of an executive chef position at the newly opened Las Vegas casino, Red Rock Casino Resort.

Chef Gordon Ramsay is frustrated with both teams' work ethic after another lackluster dinner service. Ramsay communicates his experiences on running a successful restaurant to the teams while setting the third night's goal to have a complete dinner service.

Chef Gordon Ramsay puts aside the battle of the sexes and switches the chefs to even out the teams. Hell's Kitchen breaks new ground when the teams are put to the test during a lunch service cooking for a group of highly demanding customers.

Day 5 commences with Chef Gordon Ramsay giving a lesson to the remaining contestants in the art of culinary flavor while attempting to complete at least one dinner service.

In Day 6, Chef Gordon Ramsay tempts the two teams with the winner celebrating a night out on the town. For the dinner service, the teams create their own personalized menus.

In Day 7, the wannabe chefs must combine their skills and work as individuals for the first time in Hell's Kitchen. The prize for this challenge: a trip with Chef Ramsay to get a taste of the restaurant at the Red Rock Casino Resort.

In Day 8, it's down to the final four chefs as they try to avoid elimination and reach their goal of Head Chef at the new multi-million-dollar restaurant at the Red Rock Casino Resort in Las Vegas.

The contestants taste Chef Ramsay's signature dish and are given 20 minutes to replicate it. Tension arises among the chefs amidst accusations of cheating.

Two-hour season finale, part 1. From the menu to the decor, the two finalists must prove their worth to Chef Ramsay as they are each in charge of their own restaurant, completing a dinner service with the help of their former competitors.

Two-hour season finale, part 2. From the menu to the decor, the two finalists must prove their worth to Chef Ramsay as they are each in charge of their own restaurant, completing a dinner service with the help of their former competitors.

In the season three premiere, twelve Hell's Kitchen chefs begin their journey for the final prize: becoming head chef at the Green Valley Ranch Resort and Spa in Henderson, Nevada.

Members of the men's and women's teams test their food preparation skills in a fish-related challenge. The winning team is rewarded with some important time outside the kitchen with Gordon Ramsay while the losing team is faced with an almost impossible task.

Chef Ramsay orders the 10 remaining contestants to cook breakfast for visiting servicemen and women. Members of the winning team receive a day of R & R, and for the losers it's KP. Then there's another dinner service to prepare that night.

Day 4 tests the palates of the remaining chefs as they compete in a blindfolded taste test. The losers must face a difficult punishment while the winners dine with Chef Ramsay. At the dinner service, the dishes are critiqued and rated by the diners

For the first time in Hell's Kitchen, a wedding party is held at dinner service, but the groom may have made the mistake of his life.

With Melissa saved from elimination, she now must join the men's team and compete against the women to see which team can prepare the best lobster dish. At that evening's dinner service, one team turns in a performance to remembered.

The final six remaining contestants must make appetizers and entrées from leftovers, a challenge Chef Ramsay always gives his chefs to test their creativity. Then the teams must come up with their own menus for the evening's dinner service. At dinner service the diners definitely prefer one team's menu; however, lack of teamwork and poor communication may spell the end for one contestant.

It's down to five chefs remaining in the competition as Chef Ramsay merges them into one team. In the next challenge the contestants are competing head to head with individual dishes to impress 100 hungry high school students. One winner (and a contestant of his or her choice) are rewarded with a trip to the Green Valley Ranch resort in Las Vegas. At dinner service, the night goes anything but smoothly as one chef is sent packing in the middle of dinner service.

Chef Ramsay starts the challenge by having his mother present her own mac 'n cheese and then producing his own more elegant version. Each of the five remaining contestants must take a randomly selected comfort food dish and re-create it as a gourmet version. A new surprise team of judges brings the contestants to tears.

As with the previous seasons, Hell's Kitchen is separated into two sides. Both chefs begin planning for their own side of the restaurant, including decor, staff uniforms and menus. One chooses an eclectic French bistro feel and the other opts for a clean decor with a southern-inspired menu. On one side of Hell's Kitchen, the ideas are flowing. On the other side, each decision is a struggle.

The two Hell's Kitchen finalists take opposite approaches in dealing with their staff. Chef Ramsay reviews the proposed dishes and presents the finalists with their own head chef’s jackets in preparation for the final dinner service. At the end of the night, one finalist emerges the winner.