The BEST episodes of Top Chef: Masters

#1 - The Lost Supper

Season 1 - Episode 2 - Aired 6/17/2009

Top Chef season two's "Less is More" influences tonight's quickfire challenge, but there won't be any Cheetos in melted chocolate bars tonight as the next four chefs are asked to create an elegant amuse-bouche from vending machine fare. Then it's on to the elimination challenge where the show Lost acts the muse.

#2 - Top Chef Master

Season 2 - Episode 10 - Aired 6/9/2010

The remaining three chefs face their final challenge.

#3 - Sex, Greed and Murder

Season 5 - Episode 3 - Aired 8/7/2013

Soap-opera themes inspire culinary creations. Appearing: the cast of "Days of Our Lives."

#4 - Finale: Top Chef Master

Season 1 - Episode 10 - Aired 8/19/2009

#5 - Teacher Tribute

Season 5 - Episode 9 - Aired 9/18/2013

The chefs serve up their version of a burger for a surprise guest critic. Also: The culinarians pay tribute to teachers through food; and three contestants advance to the finale.

#6 - Finale

Season 5 - Episode 10 - Aired 9/25/2013

Season 5 comes to a close with the final three master chefs creating memorable dishes from their personal and professional lives, after which the winner is revealed.

#7 - Restaurant Wars

Season 5 - Episode 5 - Aired 8/21/2013

The epic "Restaurant Wars" challenge tasks the foodies to open eateries with a Los Angeles theme. Appearing: actress Busy Philipps and culinary editor Dana Cowin.

#8 - Foodie Flash Mob

Season 4 - Episode 8 - Aired 9/12/2012

It's getting down to the wire -- this week, the chefs will participate in one of the world's greatest underground dining events: a Diner en Blanc. For our Masters to take on this Diner en Blanc, each chef will create a picnic style meal with abundant ingredients to create an epic feast and pack it up for the first ever Diner en Blanc picnic in Vegas.

#9 - Masters of Disaster

Season 1 - Episode 9 - Aired 8/12/2009

The four remaining chefs are challenge to identify ingredients blindfolded. Afterward, the chefs will be tested on their leadership talents and teaching skills when they cater an event.

#10 - Sous Chefs and Skydives

Season 5 - Episode 1 - Aired 7/24/2013

Thirteen chefs arrive in Los Angeles to participate in culinary heats in the Season 5 opener. Here, the foodies take flight by cooking outdoors for a professional skydiving team and are given the opportunity to dive from the sky themselves. In Season 5, the chefs also have sous-chefs who will compete in their own online competition.

#11 - Old School, New School

Season 4 - Episode 9 - Aired 9/19/2012

The ace chefs instruct a mystery guest to make a dish in the penultimate Season 4 episode. Later, they mentor culinary students.

#12 - Mindy Kaling and Yo Gabba Gabba

Season 5 - Episode 6 - Aired 8/28/2013

#13 - Curtis Surprise Party

Season 5 - Episode 4 - Aired 8/14/2013

As every chef knows, curry is difficult to hurry, but the chefs are challenged with making their version of curry in 30 minutes for this week’s Quickfire Challenge. Host Curtis Stone is not easy to surprise, but the tables are turned on him this week as fiancée Lindsay Price and the chefs team up to throw Curtis a surprise engagement party he won’t forget.

#14 - Lucha Vavoom

Season 5 - Episode 8 - Aired 9/11/2013

The winner of this week’s Battle of the Sous Chefs challenge, along with their Top Chef Master, get to create today’s Quickfire. Then, the chefs face a culinary body slam, as they create dishes with a Mexican flair for the wrestlers of Lucha Vavoom. Que sabroso!

#15 - Pub Food

Season 2 - Episode 3 - Aired 4/21/2010

Convincing high-brow clients of pub grub's merits is tonight's seemingly impossible challenge for the chefs as they try to show that flair and flavor can be found in other than haute cuisine. Competing chefs, Graham Elliot Bowles, Jonathan Waxman, Ludo Lefebvre, Mark Peel, Rick Moonen and Wylie Dufresne are tasked to reimagine old-school pub grub.

#16 - Asian Night Market

Season 5 - Episode 2 - Aired 7/31/2013

The chefs create classic American cuisine with an Asian spin.

#17 - Cast and Crew Meal

Season 2 - Episode 4 - Aired 4/28/2010

op Chef Masters Season Two there are only five chefs left to compete in the first level for the final two spots in the champion round. Susur Lee, Rick Tramanto, Maria Hines, Debbie Gold, and Jody Adams. All but Susur have been awarded a James Beard. The chefs dabble in craft service as they prepare meals for the cast and crew of ABC's Modern Family.

#18 - Champions Round Begins

Season 1 - Episode 7 - Aired 7/29/2009

The top six chefs get a surprise as they prepare to cook their signature dishes.

#19 - The Buffet Must Go On

Season 4 - Episode 1 - Aired 7/25/2012

#20 - Wedding Wars

Season 2 - Episode 5 - Aired 5/5/2010

Top Chef's brutal tag team relay begins the first champions round Quickfire, followed by the dreaded wedding elimination challenge—the first time the master chefs have seen this particular trial—and this time there's no cheats: the person with the lowest score packs their knives, so everyone must put his or her best dish forward… even if it is a wedding cake.

#21 - Trick in a Box

Season 1 - Episode 6 - Aired 7/22/2009

The chefs are challenged to create a dish using items found in only one aisle of the grocery store, Whole Foods, with each chef drawing knives to determine their aisle. However, they only have a budget of $20. The diners for this challenge are workers at Whole Foods. Then, the chefs are challenged to make a meal using ingredients one of their fellow chefs have chosen for them with each chef drawing knives to see who they get paired with.

#22 - Scary Surf & Turf

Season 2 - Episode 6 - Aired 5/12/2010

The chefs are asked to create Quickfire dishes inspired by Simpsons characters who then judge them, and then they must turn their skills toward making offal tasty in a surf & turf presentation.

#23 - Date Night

Season 3 - Episode 7 - Aired 5/18/2011

In this week’s Quickfire Challenge the chefs must use each of their five senses to identify mystery ingredients -- however they can only use one of their senses at time. In the Elimination Challenge, the masters help a man propose to his unsuspecting girlfriend on her favorite show, Top Chef Masters. In a six-course meal, the chefs must create dishes that reflect different stages of the couple’s relationship, but could one bad dish ruin the whole plan?

#24 - Thai One On

Season 4 - Episode 6 - Aired 8/29/2012

On this week’s episode, the chefs will be creating an aphrodisiac dish using known aphrodisiac ingredients. The chef whose dish really turns them on will be the winner for this challenge. Lotus of Siam is a legendary Nevada Culinary landmark that has amassed award after award. For this Elimination Challenge, our chefs will be faced with the task of creating their own Thai restaurant in the Top Chef Masters kitchen and attempting to create their own versions of classic Thai dishes. Special guest judge is Dita Von Teese.

#25 - Diners to Donors

Season 3 - Episode 3 - Aired 4/20/2011

Crickets, nightcrawlers and beetles, oh my! These master chefs are used to cooking with the finest ingredients, but in this week's Quickfire they’re forced to make a delicious dish out of some horrifying creatures. The Elimination Challenge however, makes it all worthwhile when the chefs compete to sell their dishes for $100 a plate at a charity fundraiser. For every plate they sell, the money they receive goes directly to their charity of choice and these chefs are in to win it.