The chefs get an early start as they head to the Houston farmers market to meet Padma and Quickfire guest judge Claudette Zepeda. For this Quickfire Challenge, the chefs have to put their own fresh take on fajitas, a Houston classic. The best fajita dish will win $10,000 courtesy of Chipotle. Next, the competition reaches new heights in the Elimination Challenge as the chefs voyage to the Houston Space Center to meet up with Melissa King and a few experts in space cuisine. If they want to blast off to victory, they'll have to create a stellar new menu item that they would crave if they were on a multi-year mission to Mars that meets both NASA and guest judge Marcus Samuelson's culinary standards.

After saying goodbye to their loved ones and another fellow competitor, the chefs receive an ominous gift from Tom, who tells them to get up early and meet him at the docks. They'll have to find their sea legs quickly because for their Elimination Challenge each chef must create two fresh fish dishes to hook their guest judges Stephanie Izard and Daniel Boulud. The catch? They'll be fishing for all of their protein themselves.