Chef Ramsay introduces himself to the 16 new contestants by announcing that they are expected to complete their very first dinner service. He then divides them into two teams, men vs. women, and sends them to the kitchen to prepare their signature dishes. After presenting the dishes to Chef Ramsay, he sends them up to study the menu and prepare for dinner service, which, unfortunately, does not go as he had hoped.

Both teams are challenged to prepare eggs four different way. The team that cooks the most eggs properly wins a helicopter ride over Los Angeles. Meanwhile, an argument between one of the chefs and Chef Ramsay during dinner service causes one team to crash and burn.

The chefs are challenged to serve lunch to the very hungry members of a marching band. During dinner service, one member on the red team gets burned and throws the entire team into chaos.

The two teams are challenged two each create a dish based on ingredients chosen by rolling dice with letters on them. Though one team makes some strange choices, the results end up being close, with the final determination coming down to the quality of the cooking rather than the nature of the dishes.

When it comes to judging good food, mother knows best. The chefs are tasked with preparing dishes representing each of the five "mother sauces," and two surprise judges show up to decide which dishes stand out. For the evening's dinner service, it's family night and the pint-sized customers couldn't be more finicky, rowdy and demanding. As tempers flare, one contestant is sent home and Chef Ramsay surprises everyone by throwing in an unexpected twist.

Chef Ramsay turns Hell's Kitchen into an upscale deli when he challenges each contestant to create an original gourmet sandwich. While the winning team is treated to an amazing retreat in wine country, the losing team is left behind to perfect the peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Later, Chef Ramsay gets into an angry confrontation – with a disgruntled customer – during a disastrous dinner service. Meanwhile, when Chef Ramsay switches up the teams, the contestants face a different challenge: adjusting to their new teammates while reinventing a wedding menu for a 50th anniversary party.

The remaining aspiring chefs compete in the eighth episode of the competition.

The remaining aspiring chefs compete in the ninth episode of the competition. A blind taste test challenges the palette of the chefs. Later, the two teams are tasked to create their own original menus.

The chefs are challenged to create their own unique lobster dishes. The dishes are judged by Michelin-starred chefs, with Gordon Ramsay left to break a tie after two chefs' dishes are rejected for simply not being cooked to par. The winning team enjoys a visit to a caviar house followed by a shopping spree, while the losing team is made to clean the dorms, then prep both kitchens for service. Gordon Ramsay delivers a surprise by ordering the two teams to work together to complete a dinner service with a time limit of 2 and 1/2 hours. The pressure proves too much for one, leading to a complete meltdown and ejection during service. The dinner service, however, is ultimately a great success, leading to another surprise at the elimination.

The six remaining aspiring chefs work together for the first time as one team. The chefs are presented with a challenge requiring them to come up with a creative dish using cheap ingredients. Switching stations create added pressure during service.

The remaining aspiring chefs compete in the twelfth episode of the season.

The remaining chefs compete in the thirteenth episode of the season and struggle against the pressure with only four chefs left. The chefs are challenged to teach bachelors how to prepare monkfish. During service, a chef is called out for sabotaging another. A budding romance forces Chef Ramsay to make a difficult decision.

The remaining aspiring chefs must recreate a dish by taste; one of the aspiring chefs buckles under pressure.

The final two chefs compete to be the winner of Hell's Kitchen. Both are given a preview of what they could win and face their toughest challenge yet. One of the two is declared the winner of Hell's Kitchen, earning $250,000 and a position at the Savoy Hotel in London.