Eddie Jackson welcomes six spectacular chefs to the summer house for the ultimate all-American showdown. First up, the chefs have 30 minutes to whip up their best backyard burger and each chef must randomly choose a cooler with an ingredient to use in their dish. Judges Damaris Phillips and Jamika Pessoa are joined by the Grill Dads, Mark Anderson and Ryan Fey, to choose the best backyard burger, and the winner receives a key advantage in the next round. In round two, the chefs make another quintessential American summer food -- hot dogs! They have 60 minutes to create one fully loaded hot dog and one fully unexpected hot dog. In the end, the judges will send one chef home for the summer, while the rest continue on in pursuit of the $25,000 grand prize.
Eddie Jackson reveals the theme to the five remaining chefs: seafood! For their first challenge, the chefs have 30 minutes to prepare an outrageous six-foot-long lobster roll. Judges Damaris Phillips and Jamika Pessoa are joined by Lazarus Lynch to choose their favorite lobster roll, and the winning chef gets access to the special cooler in the second heat. Next up, Eddie challenges the chefs to present the judges with a 60-minute seafood feast. At the end of the round, the judges send one chef packing, while the final four move one step closer to $25,000.
The four remaining chefs return to the summer house, and Eddie Jackson sets up the theme: summer vacation! For the first challenge, the chefs have 30 minutes to take one tropical fruit and serve it two ways, but no two chefs can use the same fruit. Judges Damaris Phillips and Jamika Pessoa are joined by Genius Kitchen's Courtney Rada to pick which chef used their tropical fruit the best. The winning chef gains access to the special ingredient cooler in the second heat, where they'll have 60 minutes to prepare an entire summer dinner with a popular travel destination theme. One chef's summer vacation ends, and the last three chefs move on to the finale and a chance to win $25,000.
Eddie Jackson greets the last three chefs for the big finale and tells them that they'll be preparing the ultimate summer party. In their first challenge, the chefs have 30 minutes to create three kabobs with summer party themes and one chef will get skewered early by judges Damaris Phillips and Jamika Pessoa, who are joined by barbecue experts Susie Bulloch and Cameron Treu. In the second and final heat, the two remaining chefs have 60 minutes to create an elevated dinner and dessert for the ultimate summer dinner party, but the only heat source they can use is the grill. In the end, one chef wins the Ultimate Summer Cook-Off and $25,000!