Every season of Food Network Star ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best seasons of Food Network Star!

Episode 1

Episode 2

Episode 3

Episode 4

Episode 5

Iron Chef Bootcamp

Rachael Ray TV 101

2nd Elimination

Giada Elimination

Alton Brown TV 101

TV Guide Press Conference

Paula Deen Pilots

Season 2 finale

Season 3 kicks off as the 11 finalists are introduced and presented with their first three challenges. They must create an original dish for a dinner party; decorate a wedding cake; and cater a wedding for 100 guests in six hours. The 11 finalists struggle to complete their first three assignments, which include creating an original dish for a Selection Committee dinner party; decorating a wedding cake; and catering a wedding for 100 guests in six hours.

Potluck, Cakes and Wedding Challenge

Giada De Laurentis tests the contestants on their presentation skills. The winner's dish will appear on the cover of Bon Appetit magazine.

Bon Appetit Challenge

A chocolate challenge is given by former NBA player Darryl “Chocolate Thunder” Dawkins and last season's winner Guy Fieri. Then, the contestants must put a unique spin on stadium food and serve their creations at a New Jersey Nets game. Basketball fans choose the winner.

NBA Chocolate Challenge

Paula Deen and Giada De Laurentiis instruct the remaining finalists to prepare comfort-food dishes for troops at Fort Dix in New Jersey

Fort Dix Challenge

The contestants build their own brand by making a packaged food that represents their unique point of view; they also film their first full-scale, on-camera cooking demonstration.

Alton's Classroom

The remaining four finalists each get a surprise sous chef to help them on an “Iron Chef” battle, where they must create three dishes in one hour. Judges: Bobby Flay; Cat Cora; Karine Bakhoum.

Iron Chef Showdown

Three hopefuls remain and they head to Rachael Ray's daily talk show, where each will prepare a signature dish. Then, the final two contestants are chosen.

Meet the Press

In the Season 3 finale, the two remaining finalists head to Miami's South Beach Food Wine Festival, where they'll prepare a meal for Food Network stars. Then, a winner is chosen live in New York.

Finale

The last two finalists fly to Miami and cook for all the Food Network stars at the South Beach Food & Wine Festival. Then it's back to New York, where the winner is revealed, live!

Third Season Finale

Star Quality

FN Star On the Go

You . . . In a Jar

Being an Expert

Enticing and Easy with Bon Appetit

Into the Studio

Vegas Throwdown

Ultimate Vegas Buffet

In the season five premiere of The Next Food Network Star, the 10 finalists are immediately thrown into their first challenge. They head to Food Network Kitchens and are greeted by the selection committee (Iron Chef Bobby Flay and Food Network executives Bob Tuschman and Susie Fogelson), who inform the finalists that they’ll be split into two teams and catering Food Network’s "Sweet 16" party. The teams are tasked with creating delicious dishes and serving tables packed with Food Network stars like Giada De Laurentiis, Alton Brown, Duff Goldman, Sunny Anderson and Masaharu Morimoto, and also Access Hollywood co-host Nancy O’Dell! The first finalist is then eliminated.

Press Party for Food Network's 16th Birthday

The nine remaining finalists receive their next challenge from Esquire's articles editor Ryan D'Agostino. They must create a recipe for the Esquire man that works for the magazine's "Recipe for Men" section. Then the finalists head to the Good Housekeeping test kitchen where they're greeted by Giada De Laurentiis and Good Housekeeping's editor-in-chief, Rosemary Ellis. The finalists are randomly assigned a holiday and must prepare a dish that represents their holiday in a new and exciting way. The challenge winner finds out he or she will be featured in Good Housekeeping's July issue, and the next finalist is eliminated.

Holidays with Giada

The eight remaining finalists meet Tyler Florence who tells them they must shop for a family dinner and menu-plan while presenting money-saving tips to camera. The next day, the finalists head to the Hamptons to visit Ina Garten where they’ll be working in teams to plan menus and create a lavish meal for Ina and her friends. The next finalist is eliminated.

Dinner at Ina's

Bobby Flay tests the remaining seven finalists by having them put their culinary point of view on a classic American dish – the burger! The finalists must whip up their ideal burger while sharing personal stories and their connections to their dish. The best burger lands a place on the menu of Bobby's new restaurant venture Bobby's Burger Palace. Then, Guy Fieri and USA WEEKEND Magazine associate editor, TJ Walter, surprise the finalists on the Intrepid Sea, Air Space Museum, challenging each of them to create a dish using a basket of international ingredients for a group of returning American soldiers. The winner learns that his or her recipe will be featured on the July 3-5th cover of USA WEEKEND Magazine, and another finalist is eliminated.

The Ultimate American Meal

In the spirit of her cooking and kids charity, Yum-o!, Food Network star Rachael Ray challenges the remaining six finalists to create kid-friendly dishes and convince a group of children to experiment with food they’ve never tried before. Then, the finalists must transform typical kid fare into gourmet dishes for adults and work in teams to demo their fancy upgrades on Rachael Ray!

FN Star - Rachael Ray

The remaining four finalists pack their bags and prepare to head to Miami for their next challenge. Before taking off with JetBlue, they meet Ted Allen and OTG Concept Chef Michael Coury and learn their next challenge: create a dish for one of OTG Management’s restaurants at JetBlue’s Terminal 5 at John F. Kennedy International Airport. After presenting their dishes, the finalists fly to Miami and discover they’ll be catering a swanky party at the fabulous Nikki Beach nightclub. The JetBlue challenge winner assigns roles for each finalist, and the team scrambles to pull off an extraordinary party! The next finalist is eliminated.

Miami Up All Night

Red Lobster Battle On The Beach

Miami VIP

In a special two hour premiere episode of The Next Food Network Star, twelve hopefuls arrive in Los Angeles to compete for the ultimate dream job: To host their own show on The Food Network. The competition starts right away as they face their first on-camera test: preparing a meal that best represents who they are. Next, the finalists are taken to Paramount Studios where an A-list Hollywood Director films 30-second promos for the show that each finalist wants to host. Finally, the finalists must each create a Power Lunch for LA's biggest celebrity Chef, Wolfgang Puck.

Welcome to Los Angeles!

The remaining eleven finalists learn how hard it is to perform an assembly line demo in only eleven minutes. Then, special guest star Duff Goldman from "Ace of Cakes" presents their next challenge: Duff is throwing a party for 100 of his closest friends on the Santa Monica Pier. The finalists must each take a classic carnival sweet and transform it into a savory party bite for the guest of honor and all of his friends.

Sweet to Savory Carnival

Ten remaining finalists get a crash course in the Hollywood way of life. First they have to present a dish to camera, inspired by a classic film genre. Next they strut the red carpet at an after-party for Grammy Award-winner Colbie Caillat. The twist: They also have to cater the event in teams of two.

Grammy Award Celebration

The heat turns up on the remaining nine finalists. Pepper Master Bobby Flay has the group make a mad dash to choose a pepper to cook with — the winner's dish is put on the menu of Bobby's famous restaurant, Mesa Grill. Next, Bobby introduces three culinary legends who challenge the finalists to re-invent the best thing they ever ate.

Spicy Competition

In a super-sized episode, the remaining eight finalists have to create their very own food product in a jar. The twist: instead of presenting the product to camera, they must do a live demo in front of a crowd of hundreds. Then, special guest Paula Deen reveals four lunch trucks, and challenges the finalists (in teams of two) to create and operate their very own lunch-truck business at Venice Beach.

Lunch Trucks With Paula

The seven remaining finalists must prove that they have another essential trait for a Food Network star: the ability to entertain. Special guest Ted Allen assigns each finalist a party theme "in a basket." The finalists much create a party bite, and give an entertaining tip to camera. Next, the finalists head to Frank Sinatra's estate in Palm Springs where they must serve a retro dish for a table of special guests.

Retro Palm Springs

A busy home cook herself, last year's winner, Melissa D'Arabian, drops by to task the finalists to relate to the busy home cook by making "dinner with breakfast" using cereal. Then they must relate to hardcore foodies when they team together to create an underground supper club, the members of which count among the culinary elite. Camera Challenge: Make Dinner with Breakfast Star Challenge: Work as a Team to Open Your Own Supper Club

Secret Supper Club

Family and emotions play a key role in tonight's challenges as the finalists are delivered an unexpected twist to the camera challenge by people they know, and then must devise a dish with a meaningful story for some star clients based on an emotion. Camera Challenge: Create a Signature Dish Featuring Your Least Favorite Ingredient Star Challenge: Cook a Dish Based on the Emotion Assigned to You

Cooking for Eva Longoria

The four remaining finalists travel back to Food Network's New York City home for their hardest challenge to date, an Iron Chef America competition.

Iron Chef Battle

Audience feedback will play a pivotal role in tonight's selection, but first the three remaining finalists must create a pilot which Rachael Ray will direct. Then, in a first for the competition, the pilots are screened in front of focus groups whose reactions will be used by the panel to select the Next Food Network Star.

Rachael Ray Directs

Fifteen eager Food Network Star finalists arrive at Hollywood's famous Grauman's Chinese Theater where they meet each other for the first time and are welcomed by Bobby Flay and Giada De Laurentiis. For their first Camera Challenge, the finalists must create a breakfast dish that reflects their personality and culinary point of view. Their first Star Challenge finds them shooting promos for their shows as well as cooking for a panel of Hollywood's press, including Mario Lopez from television's Extra. The first finalist is sent packing.

Lights, Camera, Cook

The 14 remaining finalists must create a pizza that reflects their culinary point of view. A surprise elimination shocks the finalists. The pressure is really on for the group during the Star Challenge when they have to cook in front of a panel of Food Network superstars!

In the Line of Fire

The finalists have their work cut out for them during the Camera Challenge when they must use a sweet Hershey's product to turn dessert into dinner. Special guests Duff Goldman and Michael Symon challenge the finalists to create a Dueling Desserts party. When the finalists are split into two teams, tension mounts as they struggle to work together to beat their opponents and save themselves from elimination.

Dueling Desserts

Food Network Star alum Melissa d'Arabian challenges the finalists to use a Kellogg's product to create sophisticated and impressive hors d'oeuvres for a surprise guest. Paula Deen makes a surprise visit to the Food Star Kitchen. At the Star Challenge, the finalists go Hollywood as they team up to feed the cast and crew of the hit show Cougar Town.

Cougar Town and Paula Deen

Guy Fieri rolls up in his classic red Camaro to guide the finalists through a segment of Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. Then the finalists head out to a Fourth of July bash where they must re-create American classic dishes AND perform their first cooking demo on stage.

Diners, Drive-Ins and Fourth of July

Food Truck Face-Off

Dinner Party for Wolfgang Puck

Ina Garten & Rachael Ray

Comedy Roast

Iron Chef

Cook For Your Life & Pilots

In the premiere episode of Food Network Star, 15 hopefuls arrive in New York to compete for the ultimate dream job: to host their own show on Food Network. The finalists arrive at the Food Network kitchens to greet their team leaders, Alton Brown, Bobby Flay and Giada De Laurentiis, and meet their rivals for the first time! Special guest Robert Irvine gives the finalists their first Star Challenge: to create their very own Pop-Up restaurant from the ground up - with an extremely limited budget and very little time.

Impossible Beginnings

This week's challenge is a food tour of New York! The finalists are split into three teams and will each take a busload of tourists on a tour of three different New York neighborhoods. How entertaining are they? What landmarks will they highlight? How much food knowledge do they impart? Then each finalist will have to prepare and serve a dish to the judges based on the research they do in the neighborhoods.

NYC on the Go

The 13 remaining finalists meet Chopped judges Alex Guarnaschelli, Scott Conant, and Marc Murphy and are given their Star Challenge: desserts. But it's not just any dessert challenge. Each team must use a basket of ingredients to create their best sweet concoction in a head-to-head inter-team battle -- Chopped style!

Dessert Chopping Block

Bland dishes receive makeovers during New York Fashion Week. Ted Allen is a guest judge.

Fashion Week Food Makeover

The hopefuls film TV specials based on holidays or special events, with Season 2 winner Guy Fieri providing feedback.

Guy Live

Iron Chef Geoffrey Zakarian challenges the 10 remaining hopefuls to feed 150 hungry shoppers in a food-court challenge that requires them to cook in a kiosk and incorporate a surprise mystery ingredient into their dishes.

Iron Chef Food Court

Nine hopefuls remain, and they're tested on how well they can handle themselves under pressure. First, they film their own promotional videos with no help from their producers. Then, a panel of journalists grills each of them, asking tough questions about their techniques, their personal backgrounds and the show they want to bring to the Food Network.

Meet the Press-Ure

The remaining eight go to the Miami South Beach Wine & Food Festival, where Paula Deen is hosting a summer beach party, to cook up the meal. Each chef creates a sophisticated adult dish and a kid-friendly version.

Deen Family Beach Party

The 7 remaining contestants are challenged to do a three-minute live cooking demo at the South Beach Wine Food Festival. They must create their signature dish and demo one step of it to a live audience and the Selection Committee. There is a twist, however; each demo is set up to have some sort of problem meant to test the contestants' main weaknesses. The bottom two people will be up for elimination.

Deliciously Unpredictable Demos

The finalists star in promos; four make the cut.

Pilot Greenlights

The final three are joined by their families and the winner is revealed.

Finale: A Star is Born

12 hopefuls compete to host their own Food Network show. Each films a pitch tape and prepares one dish. Bob Tuschman, Susie Fogelson, and a focus group of Food Network viewers decide who will go on.

Are You Ready For Prime Time?

The contestants are tasked with creating the ultimate burger and presenting it to 100 burger enthusiasts.

Burger Bash

The remaining contestants are given an exotic ingredient and must be able to use their palate to identify and present what it is; the top two winners earn a seat at the judge's table.

A Star Is Chopped

This week, the finalists will compete at a one of these extravagant cinemas. Paired into teams of three, they will have to create a menu and a movie trailer for a focus group of movie enthusiasts.

Big Screen Bites

Food Network Stars often participate in live TV events where they're required to think on their feet and react to any situation thrown at them. Special guest, Terrence Jenkins, from E! News, will host our finalists as they do live cooking demos — with some curveballs. Then the finalists participate in "4th of July Live," a one-take interactive show that helps the viewers at home with must-have recipes and tips for summer parties.

4th of July Live

Food Network Stars need to communicate big ideas quickly, so this week, each finalist will have to come up with a product representing their unique brand and culinary style and then create, package and pitch the product to a tough panel of successful food executives from Target, Kellogg's and Kraft. The selection committee will decide who did best overall, and who will go home.

Product Pitch

The finalists must use an unusual ingredient to create a dish which they will then auction to a roomful of adventurous eaters.

Star Charity Auction

The finalists are divided into teams to film a three minute "food story show" about a pizza joint and a donut shop. Guest judges from The Hollywood Reporter screen and critique the shows, and the least successful team lands in the bottom three.

Food Stories From The Road

Robert Irvine issues a challenge to the remaining contestants, asking them to rework outdated dishes on a restaurant's menu.

Menu: Impossible

The four finalists pitch their ideas for a show to Food Network executives Bob Tuschman and Susie Fogelson, who choose three of the concepts to be made into pilots directed by Guy Fieri.

Network Pitch

The Season 9 winner is revealed during a reunion show featuring never-before-seen footage and reflections from the competitors and mentors.

America Picks a Star

Twelve hopefuls arrive in L. A. to compete for their own Food Network show.

Hollywood Calling!

Alton Brown asks the finalists to teach him a recipe; and later, they must demonstrate a dish of their choosing to the home viewer who, in this case, is chef Alex Guarnaschelli.

Please Try This at Home

Sabotage is on the menu when the remaining finalists are split into two teams of five for a challenge, inspired by the TV show, "Cutthroat Kitchen".

Cutthroat Food Star

The finalists set out to prove their social-media savvy when they create behind-the-scenes selfies in the Food Network Star Kitchen; and later, they are tasked with making marketing videos for a Hershey's candy product.

Internet Marketing Video

The contestants visit Knott's Berry Farm amusement park in Buena Park, California, where they are tasked with performing a food demo before hundreds of attendees.

Live Demo at Knott's Berry Farm

The finalists are tasked with creating products that are representative of their culinary point of view. After receiving feedback from the mentors, commercials are made in an unconventional setting.

Product Commercial

The contestants are whisked away to "Caesar's Palace" in Las Vegas, where they take part in a challenge with a buffet theme. Later, they create small dishes to serve at a pool party.

Vegas Pool Party

The contestants visit restaurants that offer one-of-a-kind dining experiences in Las Vegas, and then are split into teams of three and tasked with serving high-profile guests a unique multi-course meal.

One-of-a-Kind Experience

The five remaining contestants visit Food Network headquarters in New York City, where they learn they will be doing "live" reports from a nearby restaurant or shop. After completing the assignment, Rachael Ray invites everyone to her show.

Rachael Ray Show

Giada and Alton coach the final four contestants as they shoot promos for potential Food Network shows. After seeing the results, Bob Tuschman and Susie Fogelson decide who will leave the competition, while the others go on to make pilots.

Promos and Pilots

The winner is revealed during the Season 10 finale, which also includes a tell-all reunion between the contestants and never-before-seen footage. In addition, Bobby, Alton and Giada are on hand to share their favorite moments.

A Food Star Is Born

The 12 Food Network Star Finalists hit Los Angeles running, tasked with making an introductory video for the food festival being held the following day, where they will serve their signature dish. Along with Mentors Giada De Laurentiis and Bobby Flay, their dishes and presentations will be judged by Food Network executives Bob Tuschman and Susie Fogelson, joined by People Magazine's JD Heyman.

Food Star Food Festival

The Finalists are tested on their adaptability in the two challenges today. First, they create inspiring dishes using leftovers, which they present to Giada De Laurentiis, Bobby Flay and guest judge Melissa d'Arabian. Then, they serve and present a savory dish inspired by the world of desserts to five of the country's finest pastry chefs. Guest Judge Alex Guarnaschelli will help Giada and Bobby determine which Finalist will be going home.

Savory Baking

It's all about keeping up with the latest food trends when the Finalists first create and photograph their own version of tiny foods, and then create a five-course meal where each course corresponds to a buzzword. The Kitchen's Sunny Anderson and Geoffrey Zakarian join Giada De Laurentiis and Bobby Flay to decide which Finalist failed to trend.

Trendy Dinner

The Finalists are split into teams of three, tasked with creating and presenting a cohesive menu to a crowd of hungry families at a 4th of July cookout. Guest judge Bobby Deen joins Giada De Laurentiis and Bobby Flay to determine which team is safe, and which Finalist will be sent home.

4th of July Cookout

In the Mentor Challenge, the Finalists' favorite ingredients are swapped with that of another Finalist for a dish they prepare for Giada De Laurentiis and Bobby Flay. Then, they arrive at Patina Restaurant in downtown Los Angeles where they are paired up to collaborate on a dish that blends their culinary styles, presenting that dish to first-time daters from Match. Anne Burrell and Joachim Splichal, Master Chef of Patina Group, join Giada and Bobby at the judging table.

The Perfect Match

In the Mentor Challenge, the Finalists are tasked with creating and presenting an enticing pizza with kicked-up flavors for Giada De Laurentiis, Bobby Flay, and guest judges Duff Goldman and Darin Harris, CEO of CiCi's Pizza. In the Star Challenge, Bobby and guest David Alan Grier randomly assign each Finalist several criteria for their dishes, which they'll present in a demo for a crowd filled with food and comedy fans. Susie Fogelson and Bob Tuschman assist Giada and Bobby in eliminating the least successful Finalist.

Improv

Cooking competition following upcoming chefs, and the winner gets to host their own show!

The Best Seasons of Food Network Star

The Best Seasons of Food Network Star

Season 8

Season 7

Season 12

Season 11

Season 9

Season 10

Season 1

Season 2

Season 3

Season 4

Season 5

Season 6

Season 13

Season 14