We are back with another season of the show that gave us Guy Fieri, Melissa D'Arabian and others is back for another season.

Here are the competitors:

Alicia Sanchez, 33, New York, NY -- Young Adult Culinary Teacher
Chris Nirschel, 28, Hoboken, NJ -- Sous Chef
Howie Drummond, 40, Highlands Ranch, CO-- Radio Host
Jeff Mauro, 32, Chicago, IL -- Chef
Juba Kali, 29, New Orleans, LA-- Research Chef
Justin Balmes,32, Marietta, GA-- Fishmonger/ Butcher
Justin Davis, 31, Minneapolis, MN --Food Blogger
Jyll Everman, 31, Glendora, CA--Caterer
Katy Clark, 34, Long Beach, CA-- Food and Fitness Company Operator
Mary Beth Albright, 38, Washington, DC--Food Writer and Blogger
Orchid Paulmeier, 38, Bluffton, SC-- Restaurant Owner
Penny Davidi, 39, Los Angeles, CA --Restaurant Owner
Susie Jimenez, 31, Carbondale, CO -- Catering Company Owner
Vic "Vegas" Moea , 36, Las Vegas, NV -- Executive Chef
Whitney Chen, 28, Lehigh Valley, PA -- Chef

And the judges are the same: Susie Fogelson and Bob Tuschman from the Food Network Executive Department and Bobby Flay and Giada De Laurentiis moves from the mentoring table to the judges table.

The prize - A Feature in Food Network Magazine, a spot on the NFNS Book Tour and the shot to become a culinary superstar!

We are in Los Angeles and we are introduced to Chris Nirschek first. The people are meeting at Grauman's Chinese Theater. Jyll Everman is next and calls herself a "performer first" and a chef second who owns her own catering business. Next is Penny Davidi is a restaurateur, Alicia was a former model and now wants to be a Food Network Star. Whitney Chen quit her engineering job to become a chef in a five-star restaurant. Justin Davis is a Food Blogger. Juba Kali is a Private Chef, Katy Clark has so many points of view she is unclear. Orchid is intimated by the professional training because she isn't. Justin Balmes is a fishmonger/butcher who is a perfectionisty. Susie nearly trips and is a private chef from Aspen. Howie Drummond is a radio host and is telling people he can't cook. Jeff Mauro is next. Mary Beth Albright claims to be the "love child of Alton Brown and the Barefoot Contessa". Vic Moea is an executive Chef from Las Vegas. He is from Brooklyn originally.

The door opens and Bobby and Giada come out. Bobby: If you can't cook, you can't win. Giada: What sets you apart from everyone else? Bobby explains this is the city where stars are made. They are looking for the next star. The first Challenge is right now and it is the first meal of the day: Breakfast!

CHALLENGE: Wow the judges with a sophisticated breakfast. The contestants have to show who they are on a plate. They have 45 minutes at the Food Star Kitchens. Your time starts NOW!

They are driven in their 2011 Buick Enclaves.

We see each chef prep their meals.

The time is over!

But before we get to tasting we get out first camera challenge!

CAMERA CHALLENGE: Each chef will have one minute to present their breakfast dish and present who they are in front of a camera.

First dish is Vic who didn't finish his dish and is embarrassed to present it to camera. (He didn't plate his lobster tails.) His dish was a country fried Lobster with a Garlic Gravy. They are penalizing him for not plating this. But Bobby likes him and Vic says, "I will never not plate again." Giada thought he would be intimidating but he came off warm and inviting.

Next is Alicia with her guanchile and egg stuffed crepe. They really are put off by her Valley Girl by way of Missouri accent.

We some other presentations which leads into Mary Beth's presentation. Bobby wasn't connected to her.

Howie Drummond overused the word basic. Bob Tuschman didnt like the fact he called himself a novice. Bobby was unsure as to why he wanted this job. Bob Tuschman: "This may be a case where Video killed the Radio Star".

Chris is next. He is embarrassed at missing chicken and his timing, which showed in his presentation. The consensus while they felt bad for him, he needed to be an adult and move on and get over it.

Susie is next..Ms. Fogelson was confused why she was running away from her Mexican Heritage. According to her she had a lot of passion, but no focus.

Katy Clark is next. Her presentation was unfocused especially after the questioning from the judges where she explained she had about 5 different passions, none of which she talked about in the demo. But they liked the food.

Juba is next. He blew the presentation. Not good on camera. But they loved the food.

The winner of the challenge was Orchid. Juba won the best dish. Mary Beth was singled as "Mediocre, which won't make the grade" by Bobby Flay. She is pissed at being called Mediocre.

Everyone goes home to the Food Network Mansion by the Hollywood Sign. We see them playing pool and talking about their points and dreams.

Next day they head to the Farmer's Market to meet Alton Brown!

Camera Challenge #2: The chefs will team up to shoot a promo for their future show. They will be teamed up to shoot the three parts of the promo: They get 4 takes at it. If a team member fouls up, they have to start over again. They also have props. They are directed by Alton.

Teams are:

Group 1- Whitney, Marybeth, Justin B
Group 2 -Vic, Howie and Jyll
Group 3 -Susie, Katy and Chris
Group 4 -Orchid, Jeff and Juba
Group 5 - Penny, Justin D and Alicia

Group 1 is first. Justin blows the first take. Justin doesn't like Whitney. He blows the third take. Last one. He blows it too and freezes it as well. He feels awful.

Group 3 is next. Take one is blown. Alton doesnt like Katy's props. Take 3 is overblown. Last take is better.

Group 2 is next. Howie is on Jyll's nerves. Howie blows 1st take easy. And the 2nd one. Vic blows Jyll's name. Last one. And Alton and Jyll argue over the use of the teleprompter. You can tell she is reading the prompter. Alton is not happy with this one. But they move on to...

Group 4 is up. Jeff feels the promo will be doomed by Juba. Take 1 is blown by Jeff. Take 2 is blown by Juba. Alton doesnt like Juba's hook. Take 3 blown by Juba again. Take 4 is finished.

Group 5 is last. Alicia and Penny rub each other the wrong way. Take 1 is blown by Alicia and she breaks down to the Alton after the judges criticism of her accent. Justin blows the 2nd take. Take 3rd is not great. Last take is done.

Alton tells the groups that this is only part 1 of the Star Challenge. The teams will remain and have to impress 3 members of the press: Mario Lopez, from Extra Magazine, Jess Cagel from Entertainment Weekly and Hal Rubinstein from InStyle Magazine. The teams will present a four course tasting menu with each member dealing with one course. The fourth item must be a team dish. And before the dishes are eaten, the promos are screened.

Time for the teams to shop...the budget is $200 and they have 45 minutes.

Time to cook. Two hours to cook! Penny and Alicia are at each other throats.

Vic, Howie and Jyll are doing the following menu:

Calamari Fritti, Potato Gnocchi with Lemon Zest and Marinated Flat Iron Steak with the group dish being a roasted beet salad.

Penny and Alicia are still arguing over poached pears and can't get along.

Orchid, Juba and Jeff's menu is:

Pork Skewer with Cole Slaw, Shrimp Boil, Chicken Sliders and the group dish is Key Lime Pie(or Que Lime Pie?)

And we have time. The pears boil.

Time to impress the press.

Alicia/Penny/Justin D present first. Alton relates the breakdown to the selection committee and to the press members. Jess says, "If you can't handle criticism don't be on TV." Mario liked the rib. Penny's presentation was liked by Mario, but hated by Jess. Susie calls her an empowered woman. They liked her dish. Justin's energy needs to be stepped up. Mario is on the fence about him. They liked the group dish.

Next is Marybeth, Whitney and Justin B. Everyone shakes their head at Justin B. They called Mary Beth's soup competent but her gimmick and hook didn't shine through. Justin B has potential, but right now he stinks. Alton said he was thinking ahead instead of thinking about right now. They all say he can cook. Whitney had the biggest potential and they liked her food. They liked the group dessert.

Next is Vic, Howie and Jyll. Howie needed help for everything. Near the end, Vic's Calamari goes boom after colliding with Jyll. Vic things he is going home. The guests are shocked there are only 2 out of the 4 dishes on the plate. Bobby chastises the group for wasting the "shot of a lifetime." Jyll says her promo was weak. Bob hated their promo. He called Vic's show "Empty Plate" and Mario thought he had a weird "MMA/Wrestler Vibe" to him. Bob thought Jyll's promo was bad and more disappointing because she has talent. Howie's Gnocchi was ripped apart by Giada.

Orchid Jeff and Juba are next. Juba takes over Jeff's introduction of the Key Lime Pie which failed. Mario thought Juba's presentation was a joke. They loved the shrimp, but hate his presentation. Mario liked Jeff's Energy and Sandwich. Bobby and Bob HATED the sandwich, especially after he presents himself as the King Of Sandwiches. They loved Orchid and her food. and the pie.

FInally its Susie Katy and Chris. Susie and Chris argue about the spicy puree. Katy hates her promo. They hate Chris's Promo. Mario thought Chris was a work in progress and the committee felt he was trying too hard. They liked his squash dish. They like Susie and her dish because she is being herself and authentic. They liked the group dish and the puree. They liked Katy's dish but she needs to be more comfortable on camera.

Howie and Jyll argue about what happened in the kitchen.

Evaluation Time:

Jeff, Orchid and Juba are first. They liked the cohesiveness of the promo. Bob didnt get the joke of "Que" Lime Pie, but after Jeff explained it, he got it. He didn't get it via Juba's explanation. It was Susie's favorite dish. Jeff made the Ricotta Stuffed Chicken Sliders and while Giada liked his sandwich, the ciabatta bread was a bad choice. Susie finds his name of "Between Two Buns" as juvenile. Bob says he has some growing to do. The committee liked his shrimp dish but hated his on camera performance. They hope he can get it by the fourth take. Orchid's pork skewers and slaw dish was great and she aced the press challenge. This is the winning team! They are all safe and leave the evaluation room! They are stoked.

The rest are not safe.

Next is Susie, Katy and Chris. They explain the beer situation and Bobby explains that you have to sacrifice for people who you work for. They loved Chris's pumpkin soup. They loved his energy, but it came off as "crazy, frat clown" to Bob. Katy's smores were delicious. Bob challenges her to focus on camera and not be all over the place. Susie's ceviche was very good and they were impressed with her promo.

Marybeth, Whitney and Justin B are up. Everyone liked their group chocolate and fruit dish. Marybeth's onion soup is up. Giada liked it. Bob says she is clear, concise and confident....but he sees a food WRITER, not a food STAR. She tears up about the "mediocrity", and Bobby says she has potential. Susie like Justin look and cooking, but she needs a crowbar to get the personality. Bob sees his knowledge and passion, but he needs to stop over thinking everything. Bobby likes his braised lamb shank. They know he can cook, just bring out who Justin is. Whitney's Carrot Salad was pretty to look at and delicious. Susie liked her camera presence. These 6 are safe as well.

Vic, Howie and Jyll and Penny, Justin D and Alicia are the bottom two teams.

Penny, Justin D and Alicia. Penny felt disharmony. Alicia didn't take full responsibility for the group dish, but should have because everyone liked it. Penny's dish was liked by Giada. Susie thought Penny's use of the word "Sexy" demeans it into something "trashy". She explains her concept of "Stilettos in the Kitchen" isn't just about 6" heels but more. Susie wants her to see the warmer softer side and bring that out. They like Justin's look, but his look and food was right down the middle according to Bob. Alicia's ribs were loved, but they need for Alicia to find confidence and grow a skin. She needs to be tougher and not breakdown.

Susie to Vic, Howie and Jyll - What Happened? Jyll explained the Howie/Jyll fiasco and Howie didn't take responsibility for it. Giada didn't like the Gnocchi. They like Jyll's Balsamic Vinagrette. Vic explains his collision but they are judging on food chops. Bob says that he was snarling and rough on camera. He takes responsibility. Jyll's promo was awful to Bob and Jyll and Howie argue about the amount of takes and the use of the teleprompter.

Who goes home? Alicia, Justin D, Penny are safe. Vic, Howie and Jyll are the bottom three.

The committee deliberates. Jyll has potential and star quality according to Bob, but Bobby and Giada don't like her food yet. Bobby thought if Vic had food on his plate he would be ok. Giada doesn't like him on camera. Bob liked him in the committee, but not in the food. They like Howie's personality but Bobby didn't like his lack of respect for the team or his lack of talent, which he admitted himself. Bobby: "Which is better, bad food or no food?"

Jyll is safe. Down to Vic and Howie. Going home is....HOWIE. Vic is safe. Jyll says, "Lesson Learned."

14 are left. Who will be the Next Food Network Star?