“There’s an entire generation of chefs too young to know a world without Hell’s Kitchen,” said the HK announcer upfront. Indeed, the high-pressure cooking competition premiered in 2005 and is now entering its landmark 25th season. And how better to celebrate than to find Gordon Ramsay‘s next protégé from among chefs aged 25 and under?

The 18 elite contestants come in with extensive knowledge of and admiration for the show, and they’re greeted by a video reel of past winners showing just what’s in store for one of them, and then the winners themselves were revealed on stage with Ramsay. This year’s champ will become head chef at the Hell’s Kitchen restaurant in Foxwoods Resort and Casino and receive a hefty $250,000 grand prize.

Signature Dish Challenge

The talented Gen Z upstarts begin with the Signature Dish Challenge, for which Ramsay tells them they have 15 minutes — psych! 45 minutes — to complete the task. Mike Catuosco takes a risk on a spice-crusted duck recipe he hasn’t made very often. Georgiana Pahon is also tackling duck, in her case with carrot puree and sour cherry gastrique, which won her a gold medal in culinary school. “Chicken is for the weak people,” she explains about her choice of poultry.

Joy Shi brings her “crazy chaotic side” to her own fiery duck preparation. Valentin Royo prepares his special good-luck gnocchi. Haley Moss and Jeyda Brooks compete with salmon dishes. Diego Sanchez’s skirt steak is inspired by his mixed Mexican and North Carolinian roots, though he’s worried about his biscuits finishing in time. Aiden Ricklef introduces himself with a pork chop paired adventurously with strawberry.

Ramsay calls the chefs up in pairs to evaluate their dishes on a scale of one to five. The team with the highest score wins the challenge. Here’s how they did:

Diego (5), Georgiana (4)
Mike (4), Joy (5)
Miguel (5), Nadia (3)
Miles (3), Haley (4)
Dylan (4), Mya (5)
Valentin (2), Jeyda (4)
Jonny G (5), Sandra (2)
Gabe (3), Kylie (4)
Aiden (5), Reni (3)

The blue team won narrowly with 36 total points over the red team with 34 points. It all came down to the last dish, with Aiden locking it up for the fellas and earning them an evening with the Hell’s Kitchen winners. “This was my time to shine, and I did it,” says Aiden about the victory. So he and his cooking compatriots get to pick the brains of the best who ever did it, then sit down with Gordon himself for an enlightening dinner.

The losing team, however, is tasked with making gift baskets with homemade jam made from scratch. During their punishment, seeding vegetables is its own kitchen nightmare, while Jeyda shocks the rest of her team by wearing flip-flops in the kitchen instead of the customary closed-toe shoes. She also doesn’t know what half a pound is in ounces, and she mispronounces “oregano.” “Jeyda, unfortunately, looks like she’s not meant for the kitchen whatsoever,” says teammate Kylie Budich. But she did score four out of five points for her signature dish, so clearly she’s not completely lost.

Then Gordon beckons all 18 contestants to join him. “Overall, I’m very impressed with the signature dishes,” says the host. “Six of you scored the maximum of five. However, a few of you disappointed me, and I’m going to do something I’ve never done before.” He calls two-pointers Valentin and Sandra forward as the lowest scorers from the entire challenge, but what becomes of them? We’ll have to wait until next week to find out.