Cara Stadler

Sixteen of the nation's most talented chefs step into Padma Lakshmi's fiercely competitive arena to battle it out for the $1 million prize.

The remaining chefs leave the pantry behind to harvest the ingredients that will decide their fate and then return to the Penthouse to face the Sustainability Commandment.

The competition reaches a boiling point as the top 10 chefs battle it out in a full-scale Tournament of Sauces. Across three relentless rounds, the tournament reveals who truly understands the backbone of great cooking and who's out for revenge.

The remaining chefs face off in teams of three to deliver a vegetarian three-course menu to a dinner party of elite guests. Each chef must stay within their vegetable family parameters, with one creating an all-vegetable dessert.

At the halfway point of the competition, the final eight competitors must each create two desserts, one heavenly and one devilish, using a shocking forbidden ingredient chosen by their rivals.

The chefs head to the farm, where they must break down a massive 250-plus-pound hind saddle of beef, then transform their cuts into unforgettable dishes for more than 100 meat-loving guests at the inaugural America's Culinary Cup Carnivore Classic.