A new batch of kitchen chaos, food fumbles and culinary confusion is fresh out of the oven as 12 recruits arrive at boot camp to meet up with chefs and mentors Anne Burrell and Cliff Crooks. Even though some of these recruits know each other, they're all strangers to the culinary arts. To start the competition, Anne and Cliff have them show off their skills (or lack thereof) by cooking a loved one's favorite dish. For the main dish challenge, the recruits must replicate the chefs' surf-and-turf dinner. Anne and Cliff are shocked by the kitchen disasters, and the recruits hope they are chosen for a team.

The recruits find boot camp transformed into a gladiator-style arena. Chefs Anne Burrell and Cliff Crooks explain that to be a successful chef, the recruits need stamina, speed and a developed palate. For the skill drill challenge, the recruits learn how to make a falafel platter fit for a culinary titan, and in the main dish challenge, they're tasked with making flavor-packed chicken adobo. Anne and Cliff judge all the dishes, and the battle is over for one recruit.

Boot camp becomes a beachside resort, and chefs Anne Burrell and Cliff Crooks ask the recruits to explore some iconic summer dishes and ingredients. To start, the teams face off in a head-to-head relay race to make a beach picnic basket, and they're tasked with making crab cakes with a sauce and salad. In the main dish challenge, the chefs fire up the grill and have the recruits cook grilled fish dinners. It's smooth sailing for some, but the recruit with the least successful dish must sail off into the sunset.

The recruits find boot camp transformed into a Mad Hatter-style tea party, and chefs Anne Burrell and Cliff Crooks send them down the rabbit hole to discover the magical wonderland of desserts and pastry. To learn about the different types of sweet treats and ingredients, the recruits go on a scavenger hunt that involves solving riddles and completing tasks. They learn how to make fruit tarts, and things get saucy for the main dish challenge when the chefs ask the recruits to make gnocchi and a hearty sauce. Unfortunately, it's "Arrivederci!" for the recruit with the least successful dish.

Chefs Anne Burrell and Cliff Crooks introduce their recruits to cowboy cuisine, starting with a game showcasing Southwestern flavors and ingredients. After a tough morning on the ranch, it's time for a hearty breakfast, so the chefs teach their teams how to make eggs Benedict with a Southwestern twist. For the main dish challenge, the recruits tackle a classic Tex-Mex dish, chile rellenos. While some recruits really pull themselves up by their bootstraps, the least successful recruits are put to pasture.

The tables turn, and the teams have to taste and describe an identical dish to chefs Anne Burrell and Cliff Crooks so that they can attempt to replicate it without seeing or tasting it themselves. For the main dish challenge, the training wheels come off and the recruits must create an elegant dinner for two. Some dishes are truly spectacular, but it's time to send two more recruits home.

For the final week in boot camp, the remaining recruits must put their newfound knowledge to use in the real world by foraging for produce at a rooftop farm. Then they have to create unique dishes with a curated box of farm-fresh ingredients. Chefs Anne Burrell and Cliff Crooks teach their final two recruits how to make a three-course, restaurant-quality meal, and the finalists must draw on all of their new culinary skills to impress a panel of culinary experts. Judges Matt Abdoo, Kwame Onwuachi and Millie Peartree sample the recruits' dishes in a blind taste test and determine the winner of the $25,000 prize.