Heather Williams

For the first time ever on HELL’S KITCHEN, Chef Gordon Ramsay invites eight previous contestants back to the kitchen to battle against eight ambitious rookies for a chance at a life-changing grand prize: an Executive Chef position at the world’s first Gordon Ramsay Hell’s Kitchen Restaurant at Caesars Palace Las Vegas. In the first challenge of the season, the rookie chefs will cook up the best versions of their signature dishes within 45 minutes, while the veterans will attempt to create the same dishes, foregoing the making of their own signatures in the process. The winning team will be rewarded with a first-class meal at restaurant Charcoal and will be joined by Chef Ramsay, while the losers must prep the kitchen for dinner service the next day.

On the Season 16 premiere of HELL’S KITCHEN, Chef Gordon Ramsay welcomes the newest crop of hopefuls on the grounds of a U.S. Army training facility. The 18 aspiring chefs will have to demonstrate they have the discipline to succeed in HELL’S KITCHEN, before proving their culinary skills in the kitchen. Once Ramsay is confident they have a chance to survive, they are then split up into two teams – men (blue) vs. women (red) – and greeted by the Signature Dish Challenge! The winning team will enjoy a special dinner hosted by Ramsay at Takami Restaurant in downtown Los Angeles. Meanwhile, the losing team will be tasked with cleaning both kitchens and preparing the dining room for the season’s first dinner service. Later, during the dinner service, and joined by VIP guests actor Nolan Gould (“Modern Family”) and actress Erica Ash (“Real Husbands of Hollywood”), one team will deliver a fantastic service that impresses Chef Ramsay.

The chefs are tasked with serving lunch to a room full of Marines and prepare dishes that represent the air (chicken parmesan), the land (NY Strip) and the sea (fish and chips). The first team to serve all of the Marines on their side of the dining room wins the challenge and is awarded a day at Paramount Ranch, where they will have the opportunity to star in their own western film. Later, the most dramatic dinner service ever ends with a shocking contestant walk-out.

When Chef Ramsay announces that he is taking his risotto off of the Hell’s Kitchen menu, the contestants are tasked with preparing their own risotto dish in the hopes of replacing the old one for the remainder of the season. Then, in preparation for the first dinner service of the competition, Chef Christina calls both teams down to the kitchen to demonstrate how to make the night’s menu. While the veterans are prompt and attentive, the rookies drag their feet, making it clear that they still have a lot to learn. Find out which chefs survive another day.

The chefs are surprised with winter jackets and then must compete in a sled race for an advantage in the upcoming challenge, during which the two teams must prepare their best winter soups. The winning team is rewarded with a luxurious day and night in Palm Springs. After a troublesome dinner service, Chef Ramsay makes an extreme change in the teams.