How many episodes in 21 season: 16 episodes
For the first time ever on HELL'S KITCHEN, the well-seasoned 40-somethings (blue team), will battle the fresh up-and-coming 20-somethings (red team) in a Battle of the Ages competition. The chefs are challenged to cook their signature dish where Chef Ramsay will rate each dish on a scale of 1 to 5. The team with the most amount of points will win the challenge.
Each contestant is challenged to make their best chicken wings; the teams take on their first dinner service of the season.
Skateboarder Tony Hawk and 13-year-old Olympic medalist Sky Brown join Gordon to teach the contestants a lesson on hard work and success; teams have 10 minutes to shell and cook a lobster after watching Gordon demonstrate it to perfection.
The contestants go to a water park and are launched down a giant slide into a pool of ingredients; each team must create an amazing spin on four different types of sliders, containing unique ingredients found in the water park.
Both teams are tasked with serving a delicious breakfast to a group of first responders, firefighters and EMTs; the winning team earns a celebration in the Hollywood Hills; the losing team must sort the trash from the dumpster.
Season 20 winner Trenton Garvey and soon-to-be-wife, Macee, enter the kitchen and challenge the contestants to create their upcoming wedding menu. It's a once-in-a-lifetime challenge when they find out who the dinner service is for.
Chefs are put to the test when Gordon and special guest Stephanie Izard challenge the chefs to make the perfect dish with obscure ingredients - only in a wok.
The chefs step up to compete one-on-one in an ingredient game show, where contestants who win can either choose the fate of that ingredient or sabotage the other team; chefs Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo join Gordon in the dining room.
One chef from each team goes head-to-head in different carnival games to gain a major advantage in the challenge.
The final nine chefs are put to the test, creating elevated tacos with various proteins; actor-turned-restaurateur Danny Trejo joins Gordon to judge each of the tacos.
Chefs face the ultimate test of their individual pallets in the 21st annual blind taste test challenge; actor Eric McCormack and professional baseball player Justin Turner attend the dinner service for their respective charities.
The final seven chefs compete in several challenges to earn their black jackets; two chefs are eliminated
The black jacket final five are challenged to cook dishes with ingredients from different cities. James Beard Award winning Chef Michael Cimarusti joins Gordon to judge the chefs dishes. And, for the first time, chefs will prepare for dinner service in one kitchen, and one will be eliminated.
With only four chefs left, they will be challenged to create a stunning seafood dish that will be featured in Entertainment Weekly. At dinner service, each chef takes turns running the pass while Chef Ramsay tests their attention to detail with sabotages. One chef will not survive the test.
The final three chefs create their own menus for Hell's Kitchen, with each round of dishes judged by five incredible world-renowned chefs where one will be eliminated.
The previously eliminated contestants return to help the final two as they go head-to-head for the last time in Hell's Kitchen. Only one chef will earn the Head Chef position at Hell's Kitchen in Atlantic City, the 0,000 cash prize, and the coveted title.
