In the season three premiere, twelve Hell's Kitchen chefs begin their journey for the final prize: becoming head chef at the Green Valley Ranch Resort and Spa in Henderson, Nevada.

Members of the men's and women's teams test their food preparation skills in a fish-related challenge. The winning team is rewarded with some important time outside the kitchen with Gordon Ramsay while the losing team is faced with an almost impossible task.

Chef Ramsay orders the 10 remaining contestants to cook breakfast for visiting servicemen and women. Members of the winning team receive a day of R & R, and for the losers it's KP. Then there's another dinner service to prepare that night.

Day 4 tests the palates of the remaining chefs as they compete in a blindfolded taste test. The losers must face a difficult punishment while the winners dine with Chef Ramsay. At the dinner service, the dishes are critiqued and rated by the diners

For the first time in Hell's Kitchen, a wedding party is held at dinner service, but the groom may have made the mistake of his life.

With Melissa saved from elimination, she now must join the men's team and compete against the women to see which team can prepare the best lobster dish. At that evening's dinner service, one team turns in a performance to remembered.

The final six remaining contestants must make appetizers and entrées from leftovers, a challenge Chef Ramsay always gives his chefs to test their creativity. Then the teams must come up with their own menus for the evening's dinner service. At dinner service the diners definitely prefer one team's menu; however, lack of teamwork and poor communication may spell the end for one contestant.

It's down to five chefs remaining in the competition as Chef Ramsay merges them into one team. In the next challenge the contestants are competing head to head with individual dishes to impress 100 hungry high school students. One winner (and a contestant of his or her choice) are rewarded with a trip to the Green Valley Ranch resort in Las Vegas. At dinner service, the night goes anything but smoothly as one chef is sent packing in the middle of dinner service.

Chef Ramsay starts the challenge by having his mother present her own mac 'n cheese and then producing his own more elegant version. Each of the five remaining contestants must take a randomly selected comfort food dish and re-create it as a gourmet version. A new surprise team of judges brings the contestants to tears.

As with the previous seasons, Hell's Kitchen is separated into two sides. Both chefs begin planning for their own side of the restaurant, including decor, staff uniforms and menus. One chooses an eclectic French bistro feel and the other opts for a clean decor with a southern-inspired menu. On one side of Hell's Kitchen, the ideas are flowing. On the other side, each decision is a struggle.

The two Hell's Kitchen finalists take opposite approaches in dealing with their staff. Chef Ramsay reviews the proposed dishes and presents the finalists with their own head chef’s jackets in preparation for the final dinner service. At the end of the night, one finalist emerges the winner.