How many episodes in 17 season: 16 episodes
Sixteen All-Stars come back for a second chance to prove they have the shugs to earn the head chef position at one of Gordon's Las Vegas restaurants.
The 16 chefs are given 40 minutes to execute their first individual challenge, the Bar Menu Challenge. Then, the chefs prep for the season's first dinner service, as they adapt to an all-new menu.
Chef Ramsay challenges the remaining chefs to complete a four-tiered shellfish tower with 'fast hands'. Each team is divided into four teams of two, with each pair completing one tier at a time.
The remaining chefs must face off in a 'game of chance' to divvy up their ingredients and create their own unique dishes.
After a shocking change, many are left unhappy and the tension in the dorms is at an all-time high. The next day, the chefs are challenged to work in pairs and cook different types of fish on cedar and hickory wood planks. Chef Ben Ford helps Ramsay decide which team delivered the best and most consistent dishes. Later that evening, the chefs aim to impress special guest diner Shaun Brown; and Ramsay has had enough with one chef and makes a drastic decision.
The remaining chefs are given 30 minutes to create a pizza inspired by an assigned country. Later, during dinner service, Melissa Fumero and model Devon Windsor join as special guests, and while both teams struggle, one just can't keep up.
Chef Ramsay decides to give the 12 remaining contestants a tutorial on how to best prepare six of the most popular 'Hell's Kitchen' dishes.
This week's challenge takes place in the 'Hell's Kitchen' 'Jungle', where the contestants must create a dish using exotic meats Boar, Venison and Elk that were eaten by early humans.
The remaining contestants compete in a special challenge involving creatures of the sea. Then, during dinner service, the chefs aim to impress a host of VIP guests including Michael Cimarusti.
The remaining all-stars head to the dining room to be greeted by Gordon and a camel, before diving into the infamous Blind Taste Test Challenge during which they must decipher spices with the risk of being blasted by mashed potatoes and gravy.
The remaining chefs must create three restaurant-quality pasta dishes with ; guest judges Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson and Bruce Kalman; an elimination.
Chef Ramsay reveals to the remaining All-Stars that they will be competing for the coveted black jacket by facing a series of three difficult challenges: 'Taste It, Now Make It', in which contestants must use their senses to recreate a dish.
The remaining chefs must instruct athletes Candice Park, Jordan Weber, Ricky Williams, Shawne Merriman, and Reggie Miller to make their signature dishes using only verbal instructions; the contestants cook in only one kitchen during dinner service.
When the families come to visit, the four remaining All-Stars are feeling extra-motivated to succeed. For this week's challenge, the chefs must choose a gift, each of which contains a secret ingredient on which they must base their dish.
Three finalists must cook and perfect their menus; two advance to the finale.
The final two All-Stars pick from the season's past contestants to join them on their team for the final dinner service. And a winner is chosen.
