Jae Jung

Fifteen of the country's best chefs arrive in Houston, Texas, ready to fight for the title of Top Chef.

The chefs are challenged in the Quickfire to put their own spin on the Tex-Mex classic queso; for the Elimination Challenge, the competition heads to the field of a high school football stadium.

The chefs are joined by local chef Chris Williams in the Quickfire Challenge; He tasks the chefs to put their own twist on a biscuit dish in honor of his great grandmother, Lucille B. Smith.

The chefs are surprised in the kitchen by "Top Chef Miami" winner, Hung Huynh, and challenged to make a dish inspired by five of the larger Asian communities in Houston; along with Hung, the judges and Kiran Verma, they'll be serving 100 guests.

The chefs meet Brooke Williamson at Houston's J-Bar-M, where she tasks them with putting their own spin on a brisket dish for some of the best BBQ pitmasters in Houston and their guest judge, pitmaster Greg Gatlin.

The chefs must create salty-sweet desserts that will inspire a new flavor of Talenti gelato; in the Elimination Challenge, the chefs must draw inspiration from the lives of some of Texas' most influential women.