MasterChef - Season 7

In the season premiere episode, 40 of the best home cooks in America travel to Los Angeles to compete in the MASTERCHEF Battle of the Apron challenge, during which they will attempt the to earn a coveted white apron and move forward to compete for the MASTERCHEF title, a cookbook deal and the $250,000 grand prize. Judging the battle rounds will be Ramsay and Tosi, who will taste for flavor, creativity and presentation. In order to move to the next round of the competition, the home cooks must display culinary skills, as well as an immense passion for food, and be determined to out-cook their rivals.

In a continuation of the season premiere episode, 40 of the best home cooks in America compete head-to-head in the MASTERCHEF Battle of the Apron challenge, during which they will attempt the to earn a coveted white apron and move forward to compete for the MASTERCHEF title. The remaining home cooks must display culinary skills, as well as an immense passion for food, and be determined to out-cook their rivals and make the next round.

After the Battle of the Apron concludes, the Top 20 home cooks in America meet the first guest judge of the season - culinary icon Wolfgang Puck, who will introduce the season's first Mystery Box Challenge. Each contestant will have 60 minutes to create a dish of their choice that features one of the world's most fundamental ingredients - potatoes! The winner of the Mystery Box Challenge is rewarded with a significant decision going into the season's first elimination challenge, during which they will have to replicate one of Chef Ramsay's signature dishes in less than 60 minutes.

In their first MASTERCHEF field challenge, the Top 18 home cooks are divided in to two teams where they will have to prepare appetizers and entrees for a very special guest and member of the MASTERCHEF family, season 6 contestant Nick Nappi on his wedding day! Not only will they feel the pressure from Gordon Ramsay, Christina Tosi and a former contestant but also Nick's bride and 72 hungry wedding guests. The winning team will earn a significant advantage in the next elimination challenge.

After a dramatic elimination, the remaining 17 home cooks are greeted by Chef Ramsay and Tosi, as well as special guests Season Six winner Claudia Sandoval and guest culinary judge Aarón Sánchez, as they reveal the next mystery box challenge. Each contestant will have 60 minutes to create his/her own unique dish using a number of Sandoval's favorite ingredients. The winner of the challenge will not only be safe from the next elimination round, but will also help in deciding the fate of three other contestants in the elimination. Find out who is saved and who survives elimination.

This week, the remaining 16 home cooks get a very special treat leading into the next challenge, as Chef Ramsay demonstrates how to properly deconstruct a lobster. They will then each have 25 minutes to kill, poach and shell a lobster, just as they learned from the master, and the winner will have the advantage of choosing which team he or she will join for the next field challenge. For the second part of the challenge, Chef Ramsay demonstrates how to make lobster tortellini in a seafood broth. The contestants have 45 minutes to recreate Ramsay's dish.

The remaining 15 home cooks will separate into two teams for the second major field challenge of the competition, cooking for 101 hungry veterans! The two teams will have 75 minutes to prep, and one hour to serve a dish consisting of a steak, two sides and a sauce. After a dramatic day out in the field, the veterans will have the power to vote for their favorite dish. The team with the most votes will be safe in the competition, while the team with the least amount of votes will face the pressure test. Find out who is safe and who survives.

The contestants are introduced to special culinary guest judge Edward Lee, chef and owner of 610 Magnolia in Louisville, KY, who reveals the third Mystery Box challenge. Contestants lift their boxes only to find a $20 bill. They will each have five minutes to shop for ingredients priced in the pantry without spending more than $20. Then they will have 45 minutes to prepare four entree dishes to present to the judges. Not only will the winner and the winner's dish be featured in Family Circle magazine, but he/she also will avoid having to participate in the elimination challenge. Find out which contestants survive.

The remaining 12 contestants are broken up into two teams to prep, cook and plate 30 dishes for teenagers celebrating their Sweet 16 birthdays. Each team receives a surprise box with 16 different ingredients and one protein. They'll have 60 minutes to prepare and present their dishes to the diners, who then will vote on their favorite dish. To kick off the challenge, judge Christina Tosi exhibits her signature three-layer cake for the contestants. Find out who bakes their way through the pressure and who melts down.

The losing contestants from the Sweet 16 Challenge in last week's episode are faced with the Birthday Cake pressure test and will have 90 minutes to bake a three-layer birthday cake. After a dramatic elimination, the remaining contestants are dropped off in the middle of a vegetable field and surprised by the judges - Gordon Ramsay, Christina Tosi and guest judge Edward Lee - who inform them of their next team field challenge. The teams go head-to-head with 75 minutes to prepare and cook their dishes, followed by 45 minutes to serve more than 100 hungry farmers.

The Top 10 contestants have 60 minutes to prep, cook and plate a Nutella breakfast dish. The winner, who is safe from the next elimination challenge, also gets to choose what dish the other contestants must prepare for the challenge. Is it paella, bibimbap, or risotto?

Guest judge Kevin Sbraga cooks alongside the Top Nine in the next Mystery Box Challenge, as they create an impressive dish using unique upscale ingredients. The contestants then go head-to-head in the elimination challenge, cooking with either fresh salmon or canned salmon. Then, the Top Eight face a three-part potato skill test. Find out which contestants get eliminated.

The Top 8 remaining contenders must battle through a 3-part potato proficiency challenge. Guest judge Kevin Sbraga.

The seven remaining cooks compete in their next Mystery Box Challenge using three basic utensils to prepare two dishes. The contestants are paired up and go head-to-head in the elimination challenge to create a picnic platter. Then, the six remaining contestants compete in the series' classic pop-up restaurant challenge. Find out which contestants get eliminated.

The 6 remaining contestants compete in the series' classic pop-up restaurant challenge.

The five remaining contestants are introduced to special culinary guest judge Richard Blais - chef, restaurateur and cookbook author - who reveals the seventh Mystery Box challenge. The winner will avoid competing in the elimination challenge and the remaining contestants are given five minutes to shop for a basket full of twenty ingredients. With an unexpected twist in the competition, one is eliminated. Then, the four remaining contestants are given 90 minutes to prepare either a halibut or duck entrée for VIP food critics in the Studio Box challenge. The winning team will be exempt from the elimination challenge and the losing team will face the Pressure Test to recreate three pork dishes. Find out which contestants prove they have what it takes to be in the finale.

The 4 remaining contestants are given 90 minutes to prepare either a halibut or duck entrée for VIP food critics in the Studio Box challenge. The winning team is exempt from the elimination challenge and the losing team faces the Pressure Test to recreate three pork dishes.

In the next challenge, with help from some familiar home cooks, the remaining three will have 60 minutes to prepare an amazing appetizer dish. In Part Two of the season finale, the contestants will have one hour to create entrees and an hour to create a dessert. After evaluating the final dishes, the judges will reveal America's next MASTERCHEF, and the deserving home cook will walk away with a MASTERCHEF trophy, a book deal and the $250,000 grand prize. Find out whose culinary dreams will turn into a reality.

The contestants have one hour to create entrees and one hour to create a dessert. After evaluating the final dishes, the judges reveal America's next MasterChef, and the deserving home cook walks away with the trophy, a book deal, and the $250,000 grand prize.