Season 26

Chef Anne Burrell and returning mentor, Jeff Mauro, welcome the newest batch of recruits to culinary boot camp. These 16 fun-loving singles are disasters in the kitchen, but they're eager to learn some cooking skills and impress future dates. Before picking teams, Anne and Jeff kick off the competition by having the recruits make their signature "seal the deal" meals to show off their skills, or lack thereof, in the kitchen. Then in the Main Dish challenge, the recruits learn how to make duck paired with a fruit sauce. After assessing everyone's skills, Anne and Jeff reveal a unique twist when choosing their teams.

Chefs Anne Burrell and Jeff Mauro introduce the recruits to the classic flavors and dishes of Italy. They start off with a fast-paced game where recruits answer trivia and ride gondolas, followed by an outrageous cooking relay where they must work in pairs to create a romantic Italian picnic basket. In the Skill Drill challenge, the singles take on sausage and pepper sandwiches, which includes making sausages from scratch! Then in the Main Dish cook, Anne and Jeff demonstrate classic meatballs with sauce and polenta. The recruits that successfully replicate their chefs' dishes continue on in boot camp, and the least successful bid "arrivederci" to boot camp.

Anne Burrell and Jeff Mauro have their teams face off in boot camp's very first date night showdown, The Cupid Games. The recruits pair up for multiple rounds of first date-inspired physical food challenges. After that, the chefs teach their teams how to make the ultimate date night meal: sushi. In the Main Dish challenge, the recruits learn how to make fresh hand-pulled noodles with lobster and seafood broth. The chefs are smitten with some recruits, but the recruits with the worst dishes are sent packing.

Anne Burrell and Jeff Mauro test the recruits' taste buds with an outrageous game, The Bagelorette. Blindfolded and with their hands tied behind their backs, the singles must taste flavored bagels with cream cheese dangling in front of them. Then, the chefs challenge their teams to create their own decadent breakfast sandwiches. In the Main Dish challenge, the recruits make fried chicken and slaw, and while some recruits start to find their groove in the kitchen, the least successful is eliminated.

It's halfway through the competition, and it's time to turn up the heat! Anne Burrell and Jeff Mauro start by having teams compete in a game called The Inferno Zone, where recruits must taste spicy ribs, find ingredient balls hidden in a hot tub and play catch with their Velcro suits! Then, the recruits create their own spicy wontons before Anne and Jeff teach their teams how to make spice-rubbed steaks and sides. The recruits with the most successful dishes live another week in boot camp, but the ones who can't take the heat are sent home.

Boot camp transforms into a Parisian patisserie, and the singles learn they'll be making desserts in a fast-paced game called Dessert Dash. Recruit pairs taste and recreate pastries by wheeling their "bistro mobiles" to different stations in the middle of boot camp. Desserts continue in the Skill Drill challenge when Anne and Jeff task their teams with making their own flavored profiteroles. The training wheels come off for the Main Dish challenge as the recruits cook a romantic dinner for two on their own. While some recruits manage to sweep their chefs off their feet, those with the worst dishes are eliminated before the second date.

Chefs Anne Burrell and Jeff Mauro are fresh from a wild night of partying as boot camp transforms into the Las Vegas strip, and the teams play a game where they must piece together clues to retrace the chefs' steps and locate a missing dish. After recreating the dish without a recipe, the singles learn how to make a showstopping fish dish that focuses on plating and presentation. The winning streak continues for some recruits, but the buck stops here for the ones with the worst dishes.

It's down to the final four recruits, so Anne Burrell and Jeff Mauro test all their skills by challenging them to create a composed dish using ingredients in specially curated meal kits. The two recruits with the best dishes continue on to the final cook. Later, Anne and Jeff teach their recruits a three-course, restaurant-quality meal, and the finalists must put all their newfound skills to work in order to impress a panel of culinary experts, despite a huge twist thrown at them by a surprise special guest. Judges Chris Scott, Christian Petroni and Hawa Hassan taste the recruits' dishes in a blind taste test and determine the winner of the $25,000 prize.