In the series premiere, host Jesse Palmer welcomes sixteen of the nation's top pastry chefs to the most intense baking competition ever. After being randomly split into two groups, they are tasked with creating a dessert that is centered around flavor profiles that test one of the four tastes—sweet, salty, sour, or bitter—combined with a specific texture. Each baker must craft an elevated plated dessert in their signature style inspired by their assigned profile to present to judges Duff Goldman and Sherry Yard. After several eliminations, the remaining bakers advance to the Master Challenge, where the chefs must create a dessert inspired by the roots of their baking journey.