Watch 24 in 24: Last Chef Standing

There are five chefs and four challenges remaining in this epic competition of skill and stamina. In the final shift featuring elevation, co-hosts Michael Symon and Esther Choi give the five weary finalists a challenge that will be familiar to them. This sets the course for the final three challenges, which will require making an elevated breakfast, lunch and dinner for judges Antonia Lofaso, Graham Elliot and Jet Tila. But as these chefs have come to learn, these last challenges will not be quite what they expected.

The chefs are tired and grumpy as shift number seven begins, but they're more determined than ever to get to the final shift and have a chance at winning $75,000. Co-hosts Michael Symon and Esther Choi present the first challenge, which features a three-way battle in spicy street food. Next, it's math time as the chefs must do some measurement calculations after being up for 19 hours! Then, the competitors make a finale-worthy fish dish for judge Andrew Zimmern to earn a spot in the final shift.

Frustration and fatigue mounts in hour 16 as co-hosts Michael Symon and Esther Choi ask the eight remaining chefs to work in teams to make a soup and sandwich, all while handling three culinary curveballs that threaten to ruin their chances at survival. After the first challenge, one team is safe while the other team is left to keep on battling. Judges Carlos Anthony and Brian Malarkey decide who will move on to shift seven.

Hour 13 of this extreme culinary competition features unrelenting twists and turns for the exhausted chefs. First, co-hosts Michael Symon and Esther Choi challenge the nine remaining competitors to turn snacks they find in the breakroom into dessert. Then, after being given only two minutes to shop for a lumberjack breakfast, the chefs must turn their breakfast ingredients into a different meal entirely for judge Brooke Williamson. And that's just the beginning!

At hour 10, fatigue has officially set in for the 10 remaining chefs, but there's no rest for the weary as they face their most creatively demanding challenges yet. First, co-hosts Michael Symon and Esther Choi give the chefs a mere 10 minutes to turn any available produce into a beautiful plate of food that will be judged not by taste but by appearance. Then, the chefs are assigned famous works of art which they must use for inspiration. Judge Fariyal Abdullahi decides which plates of food taste the best and which plates of food look most impressive, and the chef who does the poorest job will have to clock out.

In a shift that tests resourcefulness, Michael Symon and Esther Choi ask the 11 remaining chefs to create a three-course meal worthy of a black-tie event in 60 minutes. Judge Jet Tila decides which chef will be clocking out.

Co-hosts Michael Symon and Esther Choi begin the second shift with two chefs in a head-to-head elimination battle that tests simplicity. Their assignment is to turn a basic sandwich plus three ingredients of their choosing into a fancy lunch. After judge Graham Elliot decides which chef will clock out, the 12 remaining chefs must use the simplest of tools -- their palate -- to a tricky test that impacts their ability to survive a second elimination challenge. It's only hour four, so the chefs are still running on adrenaline and energy ... for now!

In the supersized season premiere, hosts Michael Symon and Esther Choi welcome 24 of the country's most talented and fearless chefs to compete in the most intense competition of all time – 24 challenges in 24 nonstop hours. In the first shift, the chefs must endure three challenges testing speed. Those that impress expert judge Antonia Lofaso survive, and whoever does not is forced to clock out. When Michael and Esther introduce the all-important golden knife, the chefs learn this epic day of cooking will be full of twists and turns, but only those that can adjust on the fly have a chance to be the last chef standing. Over the next 24 hours, the competition tackles different shifts that test aspects of being a chef: after the premiere's speed challenge, themes include simplicity, resourcefulness, artistry, adaptability, teamwork, risk taking and elevation.