Michael pulls out all the stops for a Throwdown focused on a couple of the things he does best - Burgers and Barbecue. His mystery competitor, slinging a burger piled high with juicy pulled pork, is former fine dining chef Matt Abdoo from Brooklyn hot spot, Pig Beach. Will Michael be able to bring the sizzle and smoke to come out with a win?

The call comes and Michael is ready to answer. This time the Throwdown challenge is Khachapuri: the rich, savory, cheesy and decadent stuffed bread from the nation of Georgia. His competitors, Ricky and Maria, have mastered this comfort food classic at their hip downtown New York restaurant Tzarevna to the delight of fans and food critics alike. Will Michael's cheesy bread boat sink or sail to victory?

It's on every street corner in New York City, but when shawarma shows up as Michael's Throwdown challenge, can he look past the spinning tower of meat towards victory? Not if the Sussman brothers of Samesa have anything to say about it; they've been New York's shawarma darlings since they began marinating and roasting meat as a pop-up. Michael is confident he can win this one, but will that cockiness cost him the title of Throwdown Shawarma Master?

Michael Symon knows his fried chicken, but this throwdown is focused on the extra crunchy, extra flavorful variety popular in Korea and Japan. Michael and his culinary partner Katie Pickens have stiff competition in Maiko Kyogoku and Emily Yuen, whose Japanese-style fried chicken with global influences leaves diners at their restaurant Bessou swooning.