Season 3

episodes

1. 1. Auditions (1) 2012-06-04 After a nationwide search, only the best amateur cooks – including a stock broker, a professional opera singer, a plastic surgeon, as well as the first blind cook to enter the competition - were flown...
2. 2. Auditions (2) 2012-06-05 The auditions continue as the judges critique the good and the bad and continue to winnow down the competition. Those who impress the judges will earn a coveted white apron and move one step closer to...
3. 3. Auditions (3) and Top 36 Bootcamp 2012-06-11 The final round of auditions is held in Los Angeles. Then, the 36 remaining hopefuls compete in a ground-beef challenge in hopes of earning a spot in the Top 18.
4. 4. Top 18 Compete 2012-06-12 The Top 18 must create gourmet dishes using duck and bananas. Later, they're challenged to cook with unusual and intimidating ingredients.
5. 5. Top 16 Compete 2012-06-18 Culinary boot camp awaits the 16 remaining hopefuls at California's Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base, where they'll work in teams to prepare a healthy, balanced meal for 200 servicemen and women.
6. 6. Top 15 Compete 2012-06-19 Fifteen hopefuls remain, and they're tasked with creating unique dishes using unconventional—and unappetizing—cuts of meat in a challenge that tests their resourcefulness.
7. 7. Top 14 Compete 2012-06-25 The judges split the cooks into teams to prepare breakfast for hotel guests; the members of the losing team must prove they deserve to stay in the competition.
8. 8. Top 13 Compete 2012-06-26 A budget-friendly mystery-box challenge requires the wannabe chefs to create a gourmet meal using only $20 worth of ingredients. Later, another hopeful is sent packing.
9. 9. Top 12 Compete 2012-07-02 The 12 remaining hopefuls are split into three teams for a food-truck challenge that requires them to create budget-friendly meals for beachgoers.
10. 10. Top 11 Compete 2012-07-03 Judge Graham Elliot joins the amateur cooks in the kitchen, taking part in a mystery-box challenge. Later, a double elimination sends two hopefuls home.
11. 11. Top Nine Compete 2012-07-09 The amateur chefs must cook with exotic ingredients from the sea
12. 12. Top 8 Compete 2012-07-16 The amateur chefs are taken to a Southern California rodeo, where they'll work in teams to feed a hearty meal to 101 hungry cowboys. Members of the winning team advance to the next round of competitio...
13. 13. Top 7 Compete 2012-07-17 Paula Deen is a guest judge for a Southern-inspired mystery-box challenge. Later, the hopefuls are paired up to cook a complicated Japanese dish.
14. 14. Top 6 Compete, Pt. 1 2012-07-23 Part 1 of 3. Eight previously eliminated contestants return and compete for a chance to win back their aprons and continue on in the competition. Each hopeful selects one ingredient to make up the mys...
15. 15. Top 6 Compete, Pt. 2 2012-07-24 Part 2 of 3. The seven remaining hopefuls find shrimp in the mystery basket, and must make standout dishes with a very limited pantry. The winner then determines which savory ingredient the others wil...
16. 16. Top 6 Compete, Pt. 3 2012-08-14 Conclusion. The six remaining hopefuls compete in a team challenge at Hatfield's, a Hollywood hot spot, where they attempt to replicate the acclaimed restaurant's signature dishes. Later, members of t...
17. 17. Top 5 Compete 2012-08-21 A game-changing twist surprises the five remaining hopefuls during a mystery-box challenge. Later, the wannabe chefs are tasked with re-creating one of Graham Elliot's signature dishes that he served...
18. 18. Top 4 Compete 2012-08-28 Four hopefuls remain, and they must work in teams of two to prepare a gourmet meal for three world-renowned chefs: Daniel Boulud, Alain Ducasse and Guy Savoy. The winning pair will each earn a spot in...
19. 19. Top 3 Compete 2012-09-04 Part 1 of 2. Season 3 finale: The three remaining hopefuls are tasked with creating a dish that best embodies their personality and passion for food. Then, each prepares a pair of legs—chicken, lamb a...
20. 20. Winner Chosen 2012-09-10 In their final challenge in the kitchen, the two home cooks will conceptualize and prepare the most important three-course meal of their lives. Later, the judges will reveal America's next, and the de...