The WORST episodes of Top Chef: Masters

#1 - Holly Madison's Pool Party

Season 4 - Episode 5 - Aired 8/22/2012

In this week’s Quickfire challenge the Chefs must make a dynamic duo dish for a couple of dynamic musicians – The Indigo Girls. For the elimination challenge, the Chefs are tasked with making a whimsical all-you-can-eat - bottomless bloodys & mimosas brunch at an upscale sexy pool party, hosted by Ms. Vegas, Holly Madison. Bikini-clad servers will serve the chefs’ creations to Holly’s friends lounging poolside. Special guest judges include The Indigo Girls and Holly Madison.

#2 - A Soldier's Story

Season 3 - Episode 9 - Aired 6/8/2011

A celebration of returning soldiers.

#3 - I'm With the Band

Season 3 - Episode 6 - Aired 5/11/2011

The tables are turned in this week’s Quickfire when the cheftestants become the judges and have to critique their fellow chefs. Then in the Elimination Challenge, the remaining contestants are in for a double dose of surprises. Pop Rock group Maroon 5 drops by and challenges the chefs to create a feast fit for a rock star, but it's not that easy. Once again the tables are turned and the chefs are taken out of kitchen and brought to a surprise location to prepare their meals.

#4 - Finale

Season 4 - Episode 10 - Aired 9/26/2012

#5 - Masters Get Schooled

Season 1 - Episode 1 - Aired 6/10/2009

In the premiere episode of "Top Chef Masters," Hubert Keller (Fleur de Lys), Christopher Lee (Aureole), Michael Schlow (Radius Restaurant), and Tim Love (The Lonesome Dove Western Bistro) are the first four chefs to draw knives and kick off a whole new level of culinary competition. The Master chefs are tasked with cooking dessert for a tough crowd of judges, Girl Scouts, and in the elimination challenge the acclaimed chefs must cook a three course meal in a college dorm room.

#6 - Everything Old is New Again

Season 3 - Episode 2 - Aired 4/13/2011

The masters are in for a treat this week when two high-profile celebrities visit the top chef kitchen. Pop Star and trained chef, Kelis, drops by to judge a very meaty quickfire challenge and then Mad Men actress, Christina Hendricks and her husband, actor Geoffry Arend, enlist the help of the cheftestants in a special '60s-themed Elimination Challenge.

#7 - Grand Canyon Cookout

Season 4 - Episode 4 - Aired 8/15/2012

This week, the Chefs are tasked with taking ordinary salad bar ingredients and making them “pop” for music legends, the B-52’s. Then the Chefs will take a trip to the Grand Canyon for a cookout like never before. The Chefs will be paired up to cook for the Hualapai tribe, using ingredients from the tribe’s sacred land.

#8 - Restaurant Wars

Season 3 - Episode 1 - Aired 4/6/2011

Top Chef Masters is back with a brand new host, new judge and a new format -- so why not start the competition off with something familiar, the most notorious of all Top Chef challenges, Restaurant Wars? These master chefs have opened their share of award-winning restaurants, but nothing could have prepared them for the pressure that’s on now. With their egos on the line, the knives come out right out of the gate.

#9 - What Would Brian Boitano Eat?

Season 4 - Episode 3 - Aired 8/8/2012

They can cook, but can they put on a show? The Chefs will be split into teams of 3 and have their skills put on full view as they cook up a 3-course meal to serve VIP guests at the most challenging of chef’s tables, a Teppanyaki. With only 30 minutes to put on a delicious and dazzling show, they’ll be serving some of our favorite Top Chef Masters along with our critics. Special guest judges include: Olympic gold medalist Brian Boitano and acclaimed chefs May Sue Milliken, Susan Feniger, Rick Moonen, Jonathan Waxman.

#10 - Improv

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

Taking inspiration from Top Chef Chicago's season four, the remaining chefs must use unusual pairings from Los Angeles' The Groundlings improv troupe to create dishes.

#11 - Culinary Knock Out

Season 4 - Episode 7 - Aired 9/5/2012

This week the chefs will battle it out -- facing off in a boxing ring to serve our critics and boxing champ, Sugar Ray Leonard. The winner of the first match will compete against the winner from the second match in a third match for the win and $10,000. The losers from the first and second match will face off one last time to determine who will be sent packing. Special guest judge is Sugar Ray Leonard.

#12 - My Life as a Chef

Season 3 - Episode 10 - Aired 6/15/2011

Season Finale

#13 - You May Now Feed The Bride

Season 4 - Episode 2 - Aired 8/1/2012

The meal mavens prepare cuisine for a wedding.

#14 - Catch of the Day

Season 5 - Episode 7 - Aired 9/4/2013

Special guest judge actress Ali Larter challenges the chefs to elevate nachos for their Quickfire. Then the chefs get totally tubular as they cook up the catch of the day for Malibu locals. Divided in to pairs, they have to create a dish with a hot and cold preparation of the same fish, and hope that the critics’ response is better than lukewarm.

#15 - Magic Chef

Season 1 - Episode 4 - Aired 7/8/2009

In the Quickfire, the four chefs take a page from season three's special "4 Star All Stars" when they find themselves manually challenged when they must cook an egg with one hand tied behind their backs- literally! Then it's on to a magically themed Elimination with Neil Patrick Harris as guest judge.

#16 - It's My Party

Season 2 - Episode 2 - Aired 4/14/2010

The chefs cater a celebrity birthday party. This time it’s Mekhi Phifer and he’s requesting a soul food-themed feast for his birthday party. The chef’testants up to bat tonight are David Burke, Marcus Samuelsson, Monica Pope, Thierry Rautureau and Carmen Gonzalez.

#17 - Tailgating

Season 2 - Episode 7 - Aired 5/19/2010

It's a Quickfire with a very specific focus: the leg. Once the chefs have butchered and prepared their dishes, they must then turn their skills to an even bigger challenge, preparing a tailgate feast for college football fans.

#18 - Dietary Restrictions

Season 1 - Episode 8 - Aired 8/5/2009

The five remaining chefs engage in a battle of burgers; guests actress Zooey Deschanel and filmmaker Morgan Spurlock.

#19 - First Date Dinner

Season 2 - Episode 1 - Aired 4/7/2010

The chefs are tasked with using aphrodisiac ingredients while creating dinners that would be appropriate for a first date.

#20 - Biggest Loser

Season 3 - Episode 4 - Aired 4/27/2011

Eating healthy is a challenge that people face every day. For this week’s Elimination Challenge, the cheftestants must prove nutritious food can still taste good. The remaining masters will be broken up into three teams of three to prepare breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the cast of The Biggest Loser, but that’s not all, all three meals, when added up, cannot exceed the daily allotment of 1500 calories a day.

#21 - Blinded Me With Science

Season 3 - Episode 8 - Aired 6/1/2011

The ace culinarians delve into science and technology by utilizing modern-day kitchen gadgetry to whip up breakfast. Later, they tap into old-school chemistry at a science fair to render culinary creations.

#22 - Would You Like Fries With That?

Season 3 - Episode 5 - Aired 5/4/2011

Master chefs know how to work under pressure, but how well can they do fast food? This week’s Elimination Challenge puts the cheftestants to the test in a traditional Southern California eatery, the drive-through. The cheftestants will have to operate a fast food drive-through, from the grill to serving up their best meals and all in less than two minutes.

#23 - Food of the Gods

Season 2 - Episode 8 - Aired 5/26/2010

The Masters are challenged to create a divine dish inspired by a Greek God. The blind taste test returns with the "Name That Ingredient" Quickfire, and then the chefs look to Greece and the ancient gods as inspiration for their elimination dishes.

#24 - Miniaturize Me

Season 1 - Episode 5 - Aired 7/15/2009

The chefs are challenged to turn classic junk food items into fine-dining cuisine. The cast of Flipping Out are the diners for this challenge. Then, the chefs are challenged to create a mini 3-course "meal" for 100 people, without any help whatsoever. The meal must be based on an appetizer, an entree, and a dessert.

#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.