Show Guide: 'All-Star Academy'

Synopsis: Together, Alex Guarnaschelli, Bobby Flay, Michael Symon and Curtis Stone make up one of the fiercest foursomes in culinary competitions. In this series, they will battle it out in the kitchen, as mentor versus mentor with teams of shining home cooks. (Courtesy Food Network, 2016)

The Cast:

Production Credits:

The Episodes:
Season One Episode Guide (Food Network)
1-01 Choosing Teams--03/01/2015
Ten skilled home cooks battle for the grand prize of $50,000, while being mentored in intense culinary challenges by established chefs, including Bobby Flay, Alex Guarnaschelli, Curtis Stone and Michael Symon, who, in the series opener, choose teams.

1-02 Mentor's Choice--03/08/2015
The eight remaining home cooks are tasked with reinventing famous food pairings, which will be judged by Geoffrey Zakarian.

1-03 Battle Of The Mentors--03/15/2015
The mentors battle, head-to-head, to win a crucial advantage; and chef Elizabeth Falkner determines which home cook is sent home.

1-04 Frenemies--03/22/2015
The mentors join forces to make a spectacular three-course steak dinner with their home cooks. Later, Amanda Freitag and John Li enter the kitchen to determine who is eliminated.

1-05 Second Chances--03/29/2015
An eliminated contestant is given a second chance, but first the mentors must use tough ingredients, including eel and vinegar, in a cooking battle. Also: Donatella Arpaia determines which home cook goes home.

1-06 The Blind Taste Test--04/05/2015
Robert Irvine coaches the home cooks, when they are challenged to create dishes using canned meats, which will be judged during a blind taste test by their mentors.

1-07 Win & You're In--04/12/2015
The four remaining home cooks compete in a head-to-head battle, comprised of three tough challenges to determine who will move ahead to the finale. Marc Murphy is the guest judge.

1-08 The Finale--04/19/2015
In the Season 1 finale, tensions rise as the three remaining cooks battle for $50,000, alongside their mentors, preparing three courses that represent breakfast, lunch and dinner.


Season Two Episode Guide (Food Network)
2-01 First Day Of School--02/14/2016
In the Season 2 premiere, the nine competing home cooks are put to the test, by preparing a dish using the contents of a lunch box. The lowest-ranked contestant is eliminated, and the remaining eight choose their mentors, who include Robert Irvine.

2-02 Geography--02/21/2016
The home cooks compete in a tag-team challenge, making dishes that combine the styles of their geographical backgrounds. Later, the elimination test features ingredients from the popular cuisines of Thailand, Italy and Mexico.

2-03 Art--02/28/2016
The mentors face off in two art-inspired dessert challenges, presided over by Duff Goldman.

2-04 Math--03/06/2016
The group test is a numbers game, when Katie Lee and Jeff Mauro appear as the guest "math" professors. The challenge for the home cooks is to create an appetizer trio, featuring one main ingredient.

2-05 Snack Time--03/13/2016
Guest professors Scott Conant and Geoffrey Zakarian judge the mentors this round, with each mentor creating a gourmet dish using snack food. The winning mentor gets the chance to add an eliminated chef to their team.

2-06 Science--03/20/2016
A science lesson brings Adam Richman to the academy to dissect some iconic dishes and challenge the home cooks to use those ingredients in a new way.

2-07 Literature--03/27/2016
In the penultimate episode before the Season 2 finale, the home cooks participate in a literature-inspired "Win and You're In" game to determine who's going to compete for the grand prize of $50,000.

2-08 History--04/03/2016
A surprise guest professor tests the cooks on the history of food.  Round one is for the mentors, cooking for an advantage in round two as they create an updated version of the humble meatloaf.  The home cooks then must recreate a dish revisiting the ingredients from their first day of school lunch box, with only the winning mentor's contestant receiving upscale options in a golden lunch box. In the final round, the remaining cooks must create the best dish of their lives and one cook is named winner receiving the $50,000 grand prize.