For the first Chairman's Challenge, Alton Brown serves up an array of wild ingredients, and the chefs are tested right out of the gate. Judges Donatella Arpaia and Iron Chef Geoffrey Zakarian send one competitor home.

Alton Brown goes hog-wild with his second Chairman's Challenge. The remaining chefs present their dishes to judges Anne Burrell and Iron Chef Jose Garces, who eliminate one competitor.

The competitors face ingredients that require them to be both fast and adaptable. Iron Chef Marc Forgione and Giada De Laurentiis judge the dishes and send one chef packing.

Testing their ability to turn the ordinary into the extraordinary, the Chairman's Challenge assigns each competitor a classic one-two flavor combo. Judges Ali Bouzari and Iron Chef Cat Cora determine who stays and who goes.

Alton Brown tests the remaining chefs' creativity by having them pare down their ingredients. Judges Iron Chef Alex Guarnaschelli and Ching-He Huang determine which elite competitor moves forward to the finale.

The last chef standing runs the three-round gauntlet against legendary Iron Chefs Bobby Flay, Masaharu Morimoto and Michael Symon. Judges Anya Fernald and Ludo Lefebvre decide if the finalist becomes an Iron Chef.