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 to Los Angeles for a chance to prepare their signature dishes and present them to the judges. The judges will taste for flavor, originality, creativity and presentation. But most importantly, the amateur cooks must demonstrate a genuine passion for food and a drive to win in order to earn a coveted white apron and move on to the next round.

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 becoming the next MasterChef.

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.

The Top 18 must create gourmet dishes using duck and bananas. Later, they're challenged to cook with unusual and intimidating ingredients.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The 12 remaining hopefuls are split into three teams for a food-truck challenge that requires them to create budget-friendly meals for beachgoers.

The amateur chefs must cook with exotic ingredients from the sea

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 competition, while the others face off in a pressure test that has them preparing six eggs in four different ways.

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.

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 mystery box, and then they are required to use all of the items to create a dish that proves they are worthy of a second chance.

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 will have to incorporate into desserts in the elimination round.

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 the losing team face off in an elimination challenge that requires them to prepare steak three different ways.

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 to President Obama at his flagship restaurant.

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 the Top 3, while the losing team face off in a pressure test featuring soufflé.

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 and frog—in hopes of scoring a spot in the Top 2.

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 deserving home cook will walk away with a book deal and the $250,000 grand prize. Find out whose culinary dreams will turn into a reality.