The season will include 17 contestants, as in prior seasons. Eric Ripert will replace Toby Young on Top Chef's judging panel. The new chefs introduce themselves by cooking a dish that best represents their home districts while layering in their own signatures.

The dreaded desserts take up the Quickfire where the chefs must make a pie from scratch, and then it's off to Capitol Hill where they are tasked with creating a perfect grilled picnic for the interns there