Sixteen of the worst cooks in America, including a sportscaster, a feisty granny and a professional balloon artist, arrive at boot camp with dreams of putting their kitchen nightmares behind them.
Mentors Anne Burrell and Tyler Florence introduce the recruits to magical and mysterious kitchen gadgets. Then boot camp transforms into a fish market where the recruits learn to fillet and prepare fish.
Boot camp is transformed into a game show, Family Food, and the teams of recruits go head-to-head in trivia rounds and culinary tasks that test their knowledge.
Recruits compete in cornhole and darts to determine flavors for their craveable game day creations. For the main dish challenge, mentors Anne Burrell and Tyler Florence teach the recruits how to make irresistible stuffed burgers.
The recruits learn how to create new dishes from common leftover ingredients. Then Anne and Tyler leave them alone for the first time to make pizza from scratch. Some pizzas impress the Chefs, while others get boxed out.
It's Valentine's Day at boot camp and the recruits are learning how to make sweets for their sweeties including molten chocolate cakes and a multi-component dessert.
The final four recruits compete to represent Anne and Tyler in the finale. First, they learn high-flying bartending tricks. Then, they must cook a dish and perform a flashy tableside demonstration for some very special guests.
The final two recruits, with coaching from Anne and Tyler, cook a 3-course, restaurant-quality meal for a panel of culinary experts. Judges Paulette Goto, Jordan Andino and Michael Chernow determine the $25,000 grand prize winner.