The Next Iron Chef

The remaining two chefs walk into Kitchen Stadium to complete their final test: PRESSURE. With the Chairman looking on and host Alton Brown commentating from the sidelines, the final challenge is themed around the winter holidays. Enduring the unpredictability and PRESSURE of Kitchen Stadium will determine who will become the Next Iron Chef.

In Kitchen Stadium, chefs must take culinary RISKS. Time and again the risk-takers are the ones who create the spectacular dishes that dazzle the judges. Alton and the Chairman welcome the five remaining chefs at an empty auction house. In this challenge the chefs bid on ingredients (ponzu sauce, perhaps?) with time; a winning bid comes from the chef who claims he/she can cook an interesting dish in the least amount of time. The chefs are judged based on the chance the chef has taken and the riskiness of the dish. Taking a calculated risk and acting on instincts may be more beneficial than playing it safe.

An Iron Chef's ability to IMPROVISE is a key to success in Kitchen Stadium. When ingredients on the altar are revealed, combatants in Kitchen Stadium must respond quickly to what the Chairman has thrown at them. Guest comedian Kevin Nealon and the audience at the Improv comedy club in Hollywood throw ingredient suggestions at the chefs - everything from octopus to marshmallows, perhaps a coconut? Kevin selects a disparate list of ingredients to cook with and the chefs have 45 minutes to improvise an Iron Chef-worthy dish.

The chefs head to Petco Park in San Diego to take on food related to baseball. They meet host Alton Brown and former Cy Young winner Randy Jones at home plate and are challenged to transform classic ballpark favorites into "Iron Chef" cuisine. With only minutes to grab ingredients from food carts, concession stands and the park kitchens, the chefs attempt to hit a gustatory grand slam in just one hour.

After a season packed with grueling challenges, only two chefs remain to battle it out for the ultimate title of Iron Chef. The challengers head to New York for a Thanksgiving-themed showdown in legendary Kitchen Stadium where they face a true Iron Chef challenge: Prepare five creative and delicious dishes in 60 minutes. In the end, only one chef will reign supreme to earn the title of The Next Iron Chef.

The five remaining chefs arrive in Las Vegas, where they're challenged to create a modern buffet inspired by their surroundings. Later, two hopefuls are eliminated.

The chefs are tested on their ability to take ordinary ingredients, like ketchup and mayo, and make extraordinary dishes. Then, they're taken to the San Diego County Fair, where they'll transform fair foods into gourmet dishes.

Innovation

The remaining two chefs walk into the hallowed halls of Kitchen Stadium to complete their final test: Imagination. With the Chairman looking on and host Alton Brown (Iron Chef America) commentating from the side, the two finalists compete in a head-to-head battle. Using everything they have learned, they must take the secret ingredient and create a five course meal that reflects the melting pot that is the American culinary experience. One of the chefs will then be selected as the winner and become the new Iron Chef!

The four remaining chefs board an American Airlines flight and travel to Tokyo, Japan. The chefs begin a culinary adventure into the world of umami (a Japanese term for 'delicious' that is used to describe the fifth taste). First the chefs arrive at a traditional Japanese yakitori grill restaurant where they are asked to use Kikkoman soy sauce to infuse umami into their dishes and enhance the flavor profiles of a variety of ingredients. Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto arrives as a surprise judge for this test. Then the chefs travel through Tokyo to the most renowned culinary academy in the city where they meet Dr. Yukio Hattori, the original Iron Chef Japanese culinary commentator. Dr. Hattori opens the doors to his academy where the chefs are challenged to use different cooking styles in a test that highlights the five tastes: sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami. The next chef is eliminated.

An Iron Chef must adapt to a secret ingredient that is revealed just moments before cooking. For their next test, host Alton Brown asks the remaining seven chefs endure a tough test of Adaptability. The chefs have 90 minutes to prepare a savory and sweet duo of Mexican-inspired dishes and a creative beverage that successfully utilizes a secret ingredient flown in from Mexico on American Airlines. At the iconic Grand Central Market, the chefs shop for additional indigenous ingredients to effectively capture the heart and soul of Mexican cooking. They are judged on how well they adapt the secret ingredient to their culinary creations. One chef is eliminated.

Host Alton Brown gives the nine remaining chefs their next two challenges: Simplicity and Interpretation. In the first challenge, the chefs are asked to use a variety of one-pot cooking devices from around the world to make a family-style dish. The chefs judge one another and reveal who cooked both the most successful and the least successful creations using the ethnic cooking vessels. Next, the chefs are asked to reinvent classic "international" dishes to see who can create an Iron Chef-worthy interpretation of some of the best-known dishes in the world. The next chef is eliminated.

Alton assigns the chefs their next tasks: simplicity and innovation. The chefs must create one perfect bite that reveals their culinary viewpoint.