Donna Sonkin Shaw

Twelve hopefuls arrive in L. A. to compete for their own Food Network show.

A Food Network Star must be able to teach home viewers how to prepare great meals. In the Mentor Challenge, Alton Brown challenges the finalists to teach him how to make one of his own recipes.

Live demos are a staple of every Food Network Star's repertoire. In this challenge, finalists take the stage at Knott's Berry Farm, an amusement park built on culinary tradition, to perform a food demo for the park visitors.

Each finalist is tasked with creating a product that represents their unique brand and culinary style. After receiving feedback from the judges, the finalists make a commercial for their product in an unorthodox setting.

A Food Network Star must have the knowledge and ability to adapt to any circumstance. In two heats of five, finalists bid on sabotages to saddle their competitors with then battle it out in the kitchen, Cutthroat Kitchen style.

Each finalist is challenged to create a dish which represents them, and describe it to guests at a pool party at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. The selection committee decides who did the best overall and sends one finalist home.