Embracing the idea of less is more, Alton Brown puts the creativity of the remaining chefs to the test by having them pare down their ingredients. In a Chairman’s Challenge twist, one competitor will be eliminated on the spot after the tasting. The least successful dish sends one chef out of the kitchen, and only the final two Iron Chef hopefuls are left standing. The Secret Ingredient Showdown reveals an altar that takes the chefs back to where it all began, and judges Iron Chef Alex Guarnaschelli and Ching-He Huang determine which elite competitor moves forward to the finale to run the gauntlet and potentially join the ranks of Iron Chef.

• Bobby Flay
• Michael Symon
• Alton Brown