They are judged by a panel of professional chefs and other notables from the food and wine industry with one or more contestants eliminated in each episode.
Early in the season the winning chef(s) are granted immunity from the episode's Elimination Challenge.
The chefs may have from a few hours to a few days to complete this challenge, which typically includes preparation and planning time.
The top individuals or teams are called in, and may be asked questions about their dishes or preparation before they are notified of their placement.
One or more chefs is named the winner of the challenge and may be awarded an additional prize by the guest judge.
The same procedure is repeated with the poorest performing chefs or team, after which similar discussion takes place.
This is usually followed by a knife packing sequence for the eliminated chef, and with a voice over of their final thoughts about their performance, at the close of the episode.