S17, E1: Fifteen of the competition's fiercest challengers return to face-off in the toughest season yet! A mise-en-place challenge set at the historic Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles kicks off the intense battle, where the Chefs immediately size each other up to see how everyone has progressed since last competing. Then, the first elimination challenge takes the Chefs to the beach to cook a seafood meal -- however, their only heat source will be fire. No electricity, no special appliances. Back to basics. It's going to be a true slug-match to see who has the skills and who has the drive to take the one thing that has eluded them all... the title of Top Chef! Padma Lakshmi, Tom Colicchio, and Gail Simmons return as judges and joining them as the first guest judge of the season is legendary Chef, Jeremiah Tower. Marcus Samuelsson, Nancy Silverton, Michael Cimarusti, Josiah Citrin, Suzanne Goin, Caroline Styne share the table for the high-powered, high-stress beach-side meal.