Mei Lin

The remaining duos compete in a Tiny Food Quickfire; guests Baron Davis and chef Mei Lin join in; "Top Chef Portland" finalist Shota Nakajima gives the chefs a crash course in sushi-making for their Elimination Challenge.

The final chefs take an early-morning hot-air balloon ride in the Season 12 finale. They then face off by creating a four-course menu, after which the winner is revealed.

In a head-to-head challenge, the chefs cook for guest judge Jamie Bissonnette; the chefs make dishes on a lean military budget at the historic Watertown Arsenal.

The remaining three chefs take a surprise visit to Purisima de Jalpa, the farm that supplies the top restaurants in the region. For their Quickfire Challenge, the chefs must create two dishes with chocolate: one sweet and one savory. For their last Elimination Challenge before the Finale, the chefs create a six-course progressive menu. Tensions flare when one chef gets the short end of the stick.

For their Quickfire Challenge, the chefs get a flashback to their college days when they must prepare a ramen dish using only ingredients from college students’ dorm rooms to be judged by “Watch What Happens Live" host Andy Cohen and his college roommate from Boston, Dave Ansel. For a very special Elimination Challenge, guest judge and legendary chef Jacques Pepin challenges the chefs to create a dish inspired by the French cooking techniques of the legendary Julia Child. It’s a make or break moment for these chefs as they take major risks to create French dishes that would make Julia proud. Joining the judges are Food and Wine editor-in-chief Dana Cowin, Julia Child’s great nephew Alex Prud’homme, and some of the first ladies of Boston’s culinary scene: Barbara Lynch, Mary Dumont and Joanne Chang.