Salome Munoz and Willow Harper enter with very little cooking confidence and even less ramen experience.

Salome grew up surrounded by flavorful Spanish and Portuguese cooking, but admits she mostly survives on takeout these days. Willow’s kitchen expertise begins and ends with the microwave, which immediately becomes apparent once the challenge begins.

Willow seasons her short rib before overcorrecting with an avalanche of cayenne pepper, forcing Chef JoJo to step in.

Salome runs into similar trouble after loading her broth with far too much Tabasco.

As the final seconds tick away, Salome calmly finishes her garnishes while Willow races just to get broth and noodles into the bowl before time expires.

Chef JoJo praises Salome’s short rib and jammy egg, but her broth is overloaded with Tabasco and the noodles are so undercooked he has to spit them out. Willow’s ramen is far from perfect, but her broth is balanced, her noodles are cooked through, and her short rib lands much better overall.

With Salome’s noodles sealing her fate, Willow takes the win and advances to the semifinals.

Lela Star and Natalia Starr arrive with very different food backgrounds but similarly shaky confidence.

Lela grew up in a Cuban household full of flavor, though she’s more of an air fryer artist. Natalia grew up in Poland around fresh vegetables, but admits she’s more comfortable in packaged-salad territory.

Chef JoJo gives them a deceptively simple challenge: cacio e pepe with bucatini made from scratch.

Once the clock starts, it becomes clear neither contestant is ready for homemade pasta, forcing Chef JoJo to walk them through the basics step by step.

The energy in the kitchen stays surprisingly relaxed as Chef JoJo, Lela, and Natalia joke their way through homemade pasta chaos. But once the clock dips under ten minutes, both contestants start making risky decisions.

Lela loads her cacio e pepe with wine, sage, pepperoni, and heavy cream, while Natalia somehow pushes things even further by adding flour to her sauce. Chef JoJo visibly spirals watching both contestants drift farther and farther away from traditional cacio e pepe.

In the end, Lela’s well-cooked pasta and flavorful sauce win out over Natalia’s thick, paste-like creation.

Sinatra Monroe and Haley Reed enter Chef JoJo’s kitchen feeling unusually confident for a This Is Fire challenge.

Chef JoJo tasks them with making ricotta pancakes with blueberries and bratwurst, a combination that sounds strange enough to immediately throw everyone off balance.

Haley quickly abandons her pancake confidence under the pressure, while Sinatra tries to separate herself by adding lemon zest and extra flavor to her batter.

The semifinals begin with Willow Harper and Girthmasterr facing off for a spot in the finals.

Willow is coming off her signature ramen victory, while Girthmasterr barely survived the first round with his Korean fried chicken bao buns.

Willow immediately races for the only butternut squash in the pantry, forcing Girthmasterr to pivot to a honeynut squash inspired by his family’s pumpkin soup recipe.

While Girth settles into the challenge by basting his lamb with sage, rosemary, and butter, Willow spirals trying to figure out how to properly break down her cut of lamb.

Lela Star and Sinatra Monroe enter the semifinals after surviving the first round. Their reward? A delicate mussels challenge with white wine and chorizo.

Neither contestant has much seafood experience, which becomes obvious almost immediately as Chef JoJo fields a nonstop stream of questions from both sides of the kitchen.

Lela focuses on building flavor through her chorizo and toast points, while Sinatra wrestles with a watery wine sauce.

But the real source of Chef JoJo’s panic arrives when both contestants start reaching for heavy cream.

As the clock winds down, Lela struggles to balance reducing her sauce with properly cooking the mussels, while Sinatra sacrifices presentation to get everything onto the plate.

Chef JoJo praises Lela’s chorizo and toast points, but her sauce lacks seasoning and the mussels are slightly overcooked. Sinatra’s sauce also needs more reduction, but her mussels and chorizo completely win Chef JoJo over with both flavor and texture.

That strong seafood execution seals the deal, sending Sinatra to the finals and one step closer to the $20,000 grand prize.

The finals arrive with $20,000 on the line as Girthmasterr and Sinatra Monroe battle for the season 9 championship.

After surviving multiple rounds of kitchen chaos, both finalists now face Chef JoJo’s toughest challenge yet: lasagna and cannoli, both made in under 45 minutes.

The second the clock starts, the kitchen turns frantic. Sinatra begins building out her meat sauce while Girthmasterr focuses on his ragu, but an early mistake immediately throws Sinatra off course when she accidentally burns her butter.

Sinatra locks in on her lasagna while Girthmasterr plots psychological warfare by hiding Sinatra’s cannoli shells.

Unfortunately for Girth, karma hits fast when he forgets powdered sugar for his own dessert.

When judging begins, Chef JoJo is blown away by Sinatra’s lasagna, calling the execution nearly flawless, though her cannolis fall flat on flavor. Girthmasterr’s lasagna has a few issues with seasoning and texture, but his four different cannolis completely steal the show.

In one of the closest decisions of the season, Girthmasterr takes the win and is crowned the season 9 champion.

The kitchen opens in a cloud of barbecue fumes as The Flesh Mechanic and Dana DeArmond face off for gyro glory. Chef Jojo drops the challenge: gyros with traditional accompaniments.

Flesh promises “trailer-trash cuisine” greatness and starts mentally spending the prize money. Once the clock starts, Dana’s precision meets Flesh’s chaos, and her early organization unravels fast with mandolin mishaps and a cross-contamination scare.

Halfway in, everything literally combusts. Dana burns pitas, Flesh drops a watermelon, and smoke floods the room as Jojo begs for ventilation.

The final seconds are a sprint through chaos, but both plates make it. Chef Jojo digs in.

Dana’s gyro is gorgeous but overwhelmingly garlicky, while Flesh’s “trailer-trash fusion” seems to work.

In the end, The Flesh Mechanic snags the win, and the new title “Gyro Mechanic,” as Dana laughs off defeat, even if that wasn’t what she manifested.

Dan Dangler steps into Chef Jojo’s kitchen with one modest goal: make something edible. Natasha Nice, who rates herself a 2/10 in the kitchen, is understating her skills.

Jojo announces fajitas with rice, beans, salsa, and fresh tortillas, sending both chefs into a spiral, but at this point it’s either fiesta or fail. 

Dan grabs chicken out of survival, Natasha throws rice straight into boiling water, and Dan fumbles every tool.

As they find their footing, the heat turns literal. Dan over-seasons her veggies into a spice bomb and adds sugar in desperation, while Natasha burns her peppers and discovers her unseasoned beans are basically soup. 

The final minute is a scramble, but both plates land on the table. Jojo finds Natasha’s steak solid but everything else bland. Dan’s chicken and beans shine, even if her peppers require a fire extinguisher. 

When Chef Jojo makes his decision, it’s Dan who takes the win, proving “edible” can still be victorious.

Gal Ritchie and Cami Strella hit the kitchen fueled by nerves and delusion. Gal blames “lazy LA” for her fading cooking skills, while Cami hopes Gal is simply worse than she is. 

Chef Jojo announces a refined Filet-O-Fish with tartar sauce and leek soup, and neither has made either dish. The clock starts and chaos erupts. 

Cami shreds leeks like a raccoon, Gal grabs every spice in reach, and Jojo begs someone, anyone, to salt their food as the kitchen fills with fear and white wine.

With minutes left, the panic peaks. Gal’s tartar leans mostly Dijon, her sauce worries her (accurately), and she double-dips cod with bold incompetence. 

Cami’s soup comes together, but her tartar becomes a crime scene. When time’s up, both plates shockingly include properly cooked fish paired with disastrous sauces. 

Chef Jojo praises Cami’s smooth soup and Gal’s unbelievable crunch and seasoning. In a twist neither saw coming, especially Gal, Jojo crowns her the winner, sending Cami home motivated to keep cooking.

Only one chef can survive the semifinals, and this matchup is pure personality: Lisa Ann, calm and collected, versus Flesh Mechanic, chaos in human form. 

Chef Jojo drops a curveball challenge: a half chicken with pistachios, honey, and pickles, plus three different cuts that all cook differently. 

Lisa dives into a dill-honey-pickle marinade and a veggie-packed pasta side. Flesh channels his “white trash roots” with a hot-honey concept and grilled pickles. The trash talk rises, but Lisa refuses to be rattled.

As time ticks down, Flesh crushes pistachios by hand and risks big flavors, while Lisa stays steady, building a colorful, balanced plate. 

Both chefs narrowly slide their dishes onto the table at the buzzer. Chef Jojo loves Lisa’s crispy skin, bright pasta, and creative marinade. However, her chicken breast is a bit dry. 

Flesh wows with grilled pickles, a killer hot-honey drizzle, and mostly perfect chicken… until Chef Jojo cuts into the thigh and finds it raw. 

That seals it: Lisa advances to the finals, leaving Flesh furious and heartbroken.

Dan Dangler and Gal Ritchie return for the semifinals, hoping grit and determination will carry them to the finals. The twist? They’re best friends, which only adds another wrinkle to the $20,000 prize. 

Chef Jojo challenges them with squash blossom gnocchi made from scratch, sending both into panic mode. Dan dives into her sauce while Gal wrestles with the potato dough. 

Early mind games surface as Dan mimics Gal’s British accent, leaving both contestants scrambling to find confidence and rhythm under the ticking clock.

As time winds down, Dan’s sauce shines but her gnocchi is mushy, and the squash blossom is bland. Gal’s gnocchi impresses, though her sauce could’ve cooked the peas longer. 

Tensions rise as flavors are judged over plating finesse. When Chef Jojo delivers his verdict, it’s Gal who advances to the finals, surprising both contestants. 

The friendship survives, but only one moves forward. Gal heads into the finale ready to face the ultimate challenge.

In the season 8 finals, Lisa Ann squares off against Gal Ritchie in what promises to be a hotly contested championship where only one person will walk away with the $20,000 prize. 

Lisa vows to change her strategy and learn from past mistakes, while Gal has done her own research on the six essential sauces and feels prepared for whatever comes her way. 

Both competitors are thrown for a loop when Chef Jojo reveals that today they’ll be entering a seafood focused open pantry competition.

The clock starts and both chefs rush to roast their vegetables. Lisa chooses scallops, while Gal commits to halibut, despite never cooking it before. Lisa overcooks her scallops, and Gal attempts a bechamel she’s never made. 

When time expires, Chef Jojo notes Gal’s dish is beautifully plated but under-seasoned, while Lisa’s scallops are “hockey pucks” and her sauce is more of a dip. 

With someone needing the win, Chef Jojo crowns Gal the champion for her consistent improvement and unwavering dedication throughout the competition. Congrats to Gal on the win!

Welcome to This Is Fire: Grand Championship! Season 8’s winner, Gal Ritchie and Season 7’s winner Siri Dahl are back—boots, charms, nerves, and all. 

Both expect something intense, but Chef Jojo still manages to shock them: cauliflower three ways in just 30 minutes.

Siri jumps straight into a purple purée and immediately cuts her finger (she’s okay!). Gal chooses fried rice she’s never made before, and her rice cooker refuses to cooperate.