Top Chef

Bravo's hit culinary series "Top Chef" is back with 15 rising chefs, one red-hot Los Angeles kitchen and some of the restaurant industry's most renowned talent. In the premiere, the chefs dive straight into the heat with their first quickfire challenge where they have 30 minutes to shop for ingredients, flambé their dish and present it to the judges, including "Top Chef" season 1 winner Harold Dieterle. The winner of this flambé challenge will have immunity for the elimination challenge, where they will face their toughest critics. New to the judges' table this season is host, Padma Lakshmi, who joins Head Judge, Chef Tom Colicchio of New York City's Gramercy Tavern and Craft Restaurants and Gail Simmons of Food and Wine Magazine. Harold Dieterle, who plans to open his Manhattan restaurant Perilla later this year, will guest judge and help determine who stays and who must pack their knives to go home.

It's a global experience in the second episode of Bravo's "Top Chef," as the chefs get an early morning wake up call and head to the fish market for their quickfire challenge where they must prepare a scrumptious sushi meal. Helping to preside over a very emotional elimination is guest judge Ming Tsai, owner of the famed Blue Ginger.

It is time for the chefs to chill out and cool down as they make a tasty ice cream treat for the quickfire challenge in the third episode of Bravo's "Top Chef." For the elimination challenge, the chefs enlist the help of a firehouse to put a new twist on various childhood favorite foods. The lucky winner of this challenge will have their dish featured on the TGI Friday's menu in their more than 500 locations nationwide.

In the fourth episode of Bravo's "Top Chef," the challenges and the competition heats up as the chefs take on the difficult task of creating amuse bouche for the quickfire challenge. For the elimination challenge, the chefs visit a weight loss camp. In the end, the chefs will face the panel of "Top Chef" judges, who are joined by guest judge Suzanne Goin, owner of Los Angeles restaurants A.O.C. and Lucques. Someone is headed home and one person is closer to becoming the next "Top Chef."

Grab some antacid for this week's episode of "Top Chef." For their quickfire challenge, the chefs are presented with piles of revolting leftover animals parts -- including chicken feet, pigs blood and lamb hearts -- and asked to delectable tasty dishes from the discarded ingredients. Next up the chefs must prove their resourcefulness for the elimination challenge. Guest judge Michelle Bernstein from the famed Miami restaurant "Azul"will help make the decision of who gets to stay and who must pack their knives and go home.

On the sixth episode of Bravo's "Top Chef," the contestants prepare for Thanksgiving. In their quickfire challenge, they take a look into their cupboards and must prepare a sophisticated dish using only canned goods. Guest judging in this episode is Anthony Bourdain, author of "Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly." It's a Thanksgiving the chefs won't soon forget, although they'd like to try!

The chefs take a leap back in time on this week's episode of Bravo's "Top Chef" as they must create an entrée without modern day technology. Guest judging the challenge is surfer turned chef, Rafael Lunetta.

It's the holidays in the eighth episode of Bravo's "Top Chef" as the chefs must serve up a party appetizer and a complementing Baileys cocktail mix in their quickfire challenge. Guest judging for this challenge is award-winning mixologist and owner of Culinary Cocktail Catering, Kristin Woodward from Oysters Restaurant in Corona del Mar.

This week on Bravo's "Top Chef," the chefs must put their creative minds to the test for the quickfire challenge and use one of the seven colors of the rainbow to create a color themed three-item dish that is not only a treat for the taste buds, but also appealing to the eye. Ted Allen and Consulting Chef of Mauro's Café at Fred Segal Robert Ivan serve as guest judges, and Entourage's Debi Mazar makes an appearance in the episode.

In this week's episode of Bravo's "Top Chef," the chefs cook a late night snack with tight constraints. Guest judging is San Francisco restaurateur Mike Yakura.

Love is in the air on this week's episode of "Top Chef" as the cooks head to Santa Barbara. For the quickfire, they must create a sweet or savory dish featuring chocolate. At the end of the elimination challenge, the final chefs remain and will compete in the finale episode for the title of "Top Chef." Guest judging is Chef Eric Ripert of Le Bernardin in New York City.

The two-part season two finale begins, when the final four contestants head to the Big Island of Hawaii for a week of high-stakes competition. Upon arrival to the luxurious Hilton Waikoloa Village Hotel, the four finalists must immediately battle it out to stay in the game. From fish to fruit, the chefs will utilize a variety of the freshest Big Island ingredients to prepare specialties and dishes unique to the island, and lavish enough to feed hungry attendees to a very special luau. At the end of the challenge, two of the final four will be sent packing their knives. Guest judging in this episode is Alan Wong.

The remaining two chefs will face-off for one final intense competition. They must cook the meal of their lives for the toughest table of chefs they've ever faced. In the end, only one chef will make it through the spectacular final competition to take the top culinary title. The winning chef will receive $100,000 in seed money to help encourage their culinary career, be featured in Food & Wine magazine, appear at the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen in June 2007, and most importantly, earn the prestigious title of "Top Chef." Their home will also be outfitted with a complete gourmet kitchen courtesy of Sears Kenmore. Guest judging for the finale is Michelle Bernstein of Michy's restaurant in Miami, Wylie Dufresne of New York's WD50, Scott Conant of New York's L'Impero and Alto, Hubert Keller of San Francisco's Fleur de Lys and Honolulu's Roy Yamaguchi.