George Mendes

Top Chef Masters is back with a brand new host, new judge and a new format - so why not start the competition off with something familiar, the most notorious of all Top Chef challenges, Restaurant Wars.These master chefs have opened their share of award-winning restaurants, but nothing could have prepared them for the pressure that's on now. With their egos on the line, the knives come out right out of the gate.

Master chefs know how to work under pressure, but how well can they do fast food? This week's elimination challenge puts the cheftestants to the test in a traditional Southern California eatery, the Drive Thru. The cheftestants will have to operate a fast food drive thru, from the grill to serving up their best meals and all in less than two minutes.

Eating healthy is a challenge that people face every day. For this week's elimination challenge, the cheftestants must prove nutritious food can still taste good. The remaining masters will be broken up into three teams of three to prepare breakfast, lunch and dinner.

The masters are in for a treat this week when two high-profile celebrities visit the top chef kitchen. Pop Star and trained chef, Kelis, drops by to judge a very meaty quickfire challenge and then "Mad Men" actress, Christina Hendricks and her husband, actor Geoffry Arend, enlist the help of the cheftestants in a special 60s themed elimination challenge.

Crickets, nightcrawlers and beetles, oh my! These master chefs are used to cooking with the finest ingredients but in this week's quickfire they're forced to make a delicious dish out of some horrifying creatures. The elimination challenge however, makes it all worthwhile when the chefs compete to sell their dishes for $100 a plate at a charity fundraiser. For every plate they sell, the money they receive goes directly to their charity of choice and these chefs are in it to win it.