The BEST episodes of Top Chef season 14

#1 - Trial By Fire

Season 14 - Episode 13 - Aired 2/23/2017

The Yucatan Peninsula is the setting for a challenge to cook a dish showcasing the local habanero. Later, the chefs learn about traditional Maya cooking, then they create a dish using only ancient Maya ingredients and tools. Appearing: Jeremiah Tower; Roberto Munoz Zurita; Roberto Solis; and Guillermo Beristain.

#2 - Adios Charleston, Hello James Beard

Season 14 - Episode 11 - Aired 2/9/2017

The final four chefs cook impromptu dishes while simultaneously instructing mystery partners on how to create the same dish; when the judges compare dishes, the chefs are shocked to discover their secret partners are their visiting family members.

#3 - Comida Final

Season 14 - Episode 14 - Aired 3/2/2017

#4 - For the Kids

Season 14 - Episode 9 - Aired 1/26/2017

A blindfolded taste experiment tests the chefs. Later, the chefs draw inspiration from their own childhood memories to create meals for a charity gala for the MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children's Hospital. Appearing: Michael Voltaggio and Graham Elliot.

#5 - Restaurant Wars

Season 14 - Episode 8 - Aired 1/19/2017

The iconic Restaurant Wars challenge features the chefs dividing into teams to design a restaurant and create a cohesive menu, but the heat is on when egos collide and tempers flare. Appearing: chef Daniel Humm and restaurateur Will Guidara.

#6 - Choke Holds and Clammy Hands

Season 14 - Episode 3 - Aired 12/15/2016

The chefs divide into teams to compete in a "mise en place" race. The foodies must also create a seven-course progressive meal featuring the humble radish in front of "Top Chef" superfans. The guest judges are Chris Cosentino and Richard Blais.

#7 - Smoke 'em If You Got 'em

Season 14 - Episode 5 - Aired 12/29/2016

The chefs are baffled to enter a dark, empty kitchen, with all signs pointing to a biscuit challenge. Later, they must work through the night to prepare a whole hog and three side dishes for 150 barbecue fans, including music star Darius Rucker. Appearing: foodie John Currence and barbecue master Rodney Scott.

#8 - A Southern Legend

Season 14 - Episode 6 - Aired 1/5/2017

U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy enlists the chefs to create vegetarian versions of traditional comfort foods. Then, the chefs must prepare dishes that pay tribute to Edna Lewis, the matriarch of Southern cuisine. Appearing: Alexander Smalls; Art Smith; Hugh Acheson; Nathalie Dupree; and Mashama Bailey.

#9 - Cooking Away in Margaritaville

Season 14 - Episode 12 - Aired 2/16/2017

In Guadalajara, Mexico, the three remaining chefs face off against the winner of "Last Chance Kitchen'. The chefs must create a dish using goat, then they are tasked to pair their own cocktail with a dish that incorporates the notes of a margarita.

#10 - Southern Hospitality

Season 14 - Episode 2 - Aired 12/8/2016

A traditional shrimp boil is sampled by the remaining 15 chefs, who are divided into teams to put a culinary spin on a traditional South Carolina lowcountry family feast.

#11 - Shrimp Boats and Hat Ladies

Season 14 - Episode 10 - Aired 2/2/2017

The chefs are asked to prepare a decadent brunch for the famed Charleston Hat Ladies. However, it won't be a traditional southern brunch as they must create whimsical breakfast and lunch hybrid dishes inventive enough to impress the judges.

#12 - Booty

Season 14 - Episode 7 - Aired 1/12/2017

Ingredients and the element of the chefs' zodiac sign must correspond. Later, the food fighters divide into teams to throw a pirate-themed bash, during which they must race through Charleston in a treasure hunt to collect their ingredients. Appearing: Michael Cimarusti and Graham Elliot.

#13 - Something Old, Something New

Season 14 - Episode 1 - Aired 12/1/2016

Eight new chefs and eight returning chefs battle in Charleston, S.C., in the Season 14 premiere. The rookie chefs serve up as many dishes as possible using a whole chicken, and the veterans revamp a classic shrimp-and-grits meal.

#14 - The Feast of Seven Trash Fishes

Season 14 - Episode 4 - Aired 12/22/2016

The chefs must create dishes using an odd mix of ingredients and tools found inside gift boxes. Later, they prepare a traditional Italian-American seafood-filled dinner, but they're forced to use a notoriously undesirable fish species. Appearing: editor Nilou Motamed and foodie Mike Lata.