Tyler Florence welcomes nine food truck teams to Laguna Beach, Calif., where they begin the battle to win the hottest season ever. In their first challenge, Tyler dares the teams to light him up with their hottest dish, but only one team can bring enough heat to make him cry tears of spicy joy. Maybe Cheese Born With It, a mac 'n' cheese food truck team, starts off with stellar sales but gets less than stellar reviews. Meanwhile, Senoreata, a plant-based Cuban truck, instantly forms a rivalry with Mexican food truck Salsa Queen, pitting their head chefs against each other. The team with the lowest sales is sent home.

Although eight teams arrive to compete, it's the Los Angeles heat that leads the race -- and not in a good way. Special guest and all-star season winner Lime Truck challenges the teams to an eye-opening, head-to-head selling competition. As if that weren't tough enough, all the teams struggle with finding good spots with enough crowds to sell in the City of Angels. Tensions come to a boiling point when one team's home field advantage adds fuel to the already smoldering rivalries.

Seven teams arrive in Venice Beach, Calif., ready to sell. Chef Antonia Lofaso challenges the teams to craft a signature dish that reflects who they are as a food truck. On the streets of Venice, Tyler Florence makes the trucks to swap teammates for the day, a rivalry heats up, and one team member is pushed over the edge.

In Redondo Beach, Calif., special guest food truck and all-star season runner-up Seoul Sausage challenges the teams to craft a game-changing box lunch and sell it on the boardwalk. Sales improve for most of the food trucks, with one truck selling more than they've sold in the entire race. But one team struggles with sales -- and with each other, forcing Tyler Florence to pay them a visit and lead a makeshift therapy session.

The competition heats up in Manhattan Beach, Calif., where Tyler Florence challenges five food trucks to impress a trio of secret foodies with three courses of international fare. Next, the teams compete to create the best recovery snack for local athletes before assembling for a shocking elimination.

The four remaining food trucks travel to Glamis, Calif., where they race down sand dunes to win their choice of protein. An innovation challenge from Tyler Florence puts everyone's creativity to the test, but the teams struggle to beat the heat while facing their biggest crowds yet.

The three remaining food trucks meet Tyler Florence at the Grand Prix of Long Beach, Calif., where they must create a dish inspired by a chili cheese Coney dog. One team is awarded an extra hour of selling time, giving them a coveted head start. On day two, the trucks are challenged to create their own riff on a longtime Long Beach favorite -- chicken and waffles. The teams push themselves to the limit in hopes of winning the reward of tripling their sales total, but only one team can win -- and one team must head home.

The final two teams go head-to-head at a San Diego brewery where they must sell a dish based on the other team's signature menu item. After tasting a flight of craft beer, the teams create new specials to sell as a paring to brewery patrons. Next, Tyler Florence and Chef Ruffo Ibarra challenge the trucks to cook with the hottest chilies in the world. Both teams pull out all the stops, but only one team is awarded the $50,000 and crowned winner of the hottest season ever!