Jae Jung

For this week's Quickfire Challenge, the chefs are tasked with creating a savoury dish inspired by a sweet treat.

The finalists prepare themselves for the most important cook of their lives; they'll have to leave it all on the plate in order to wow Padma, Tom, Gail, and guest judges Stephanie Izard and Eric Ripert.

For their last Quickfire Challenge, the chefs make the trip to El Charro in Tucson, Arizona, the oldest family-run Mexican restaurant in the country, where chef Carlotta Flores challenges them to create a dish featuring her carne seca.

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.

After saying goodbye to their loved ones and another fellow competitor, the chefs receive an ominous gift from Tom, who tells them to get up early and meet him at the docks.