[5] In addition to the return of the Last Chance Kitchen, Bravo launched a new web series called Padma's Picks.

Debuting on August 14, 2013, the competition, presided over by host Padma Lakshmi, featured ten New Orleans chefs competing for the chance to join the official lineup of contestants and represent the city.

[7] Fan outrage led Colicchio to release the judges' scores on Twitter to justify their decision to give Elmi the victory over eventual runner-up Nina Compton, who was considered a front-runner in the competition.

[9][10][11] At the conclusion of Padma's Picks, Lakshmi selected Justin Devillier and Michael Sichel to join the regular lineup of contestants.

[12] Benedetto Bartolotta had previously competed in the fifth season of Top Chef Masters as the sous-chef of Odette Fada.

Stephanie Cmar was also a previous contestant, briefly appearing in Top Chef: Seattle during the qualifying rounds.

Elimination Challenge: The chefs were sent to a swamp and asked to create a dish highlighting a Louisiana delicacy: alligator, turtle, or frog.

The guests at the party voted for their favorite meals by presenting a string of Mardi Gras beads to the chefs whose dishes they liked the most.

Elimination Challenge: The chefs were separated into four teams and worked in food trucks to serve lunch for Habitat for Humanity volunteers.

Elimination Challenge: The chefs were separated into three teams to create a menu inspired by the Vietnamese influence on the shrimping industry in New Orleans.

Elimination Challenge: The chefs had to make a dish using farm-fresh ingredients and featuring Philadelphia cream cheese.

Quickfire Challenge: The chefs rotated around prep stations in the kitchen in a version of musical chairs, continuing and completing the dishes that they ended up at.

Elimination Challenge: The chefs worked in teams to prepare potluck meals for a party hosted by Kermit Ruffins for a group of musicians.

Elimination Challenge: The chefs each prepared a dish from their portion of a whole hog, in the spirit of a Cajun boucherie, or communal slaughtering.

Quickfire Challenge: The chefs replicated a dish prepared by Jacques Pépin (Dover Sole with Artichokes and Asparagus).

Elimination Challenge: The chefs were divided into two teams to prepare five-course tasting menus influenced by French and Spanish cuisine, respectively.

Elimination Challenge: The chefs made dishes that represented a turning point in their career when they found their own culinary voice.

In the first, the chefs made a one-bite dish that featured a combination of sweet, savory, sour, and spicy flavors.

Elimination Challenge: The finalists, with the assistance of three sous chefs of their choosing (Jason, Louis, and Brian for Nicholas, and Shirley, Stephanie, and Travis for Nina)had to cook the best four-course meal of their lives.

They were blindfolded for 10 minutes in the middle of the challenge and had to instruct a sous-chef (Jason for Louis, Janine for Sara) on how to continue preparing their dishes.

They had an hour to prepare their dishes, which were tasted blind by Tom Colicchio, Emeril Lagasse, and the three finalists (Nicholas, Nina, Shirley).