24 in 24: Last Chef Standing is an intense culinary competition series that premiered on Food Network in 2024. It is a marathon-style cooking competition that pushes competitors to their limits with a real-time 24-hour gauntlet of culinary challenges. The series is one of the network’s most ambitious cooking competitions.
The show features 24 chefs competing in 24 culinary challenges across 24 non-stop hours. It groups the chefs into eight “shifts,” each comprising multiple tasks that test specific professional skills such as speed, resourcefulness, simplicity, artistry, adaptability, teamwork, risk-taking, and elevation. Competitors must impress expert judges in each challenge to avoid elimination, and the clock never stops.
Challenges range from high-pressure speed rounds early on to more nuanced tasks later in the competition, with each testing different aspects of culinary excellence. The competition is structured so that chefs may earn advantages, temporary respites, or straight progression depending on their performance in each challenge. The chef who endures all 24 hours and prevails through all 24 challenges is declared the “last chef standing” and receives a significant cash prize.
24 in 24: Last Chef Standing is co-hosted by celebrated chefs Michael Symon and Esther Choi, who guide contestants through the marathon and provide commentary as the competition unfolds. The show also features a rotating roster of guest judges who evaluate dishes and determine which chefs advance or are eliminated. Notable judges who have appeared on the show include Eric Adjepong, Maneet Chauhan, Scott Conant, Stephanie Izard, Jet Tila, Bryan Voltaggio, Michael Voltaggio, and Brooke Williamson.
Following a successful debut, the series was renewed for a second season, which premiered on April 27, 2025. Season 2 maintained the core format of 24 challenges over 24 hours and offered an increased grand prize of $75,000. The return season continued to showcase the intense mix of stamina, skill, and creativity essential to elite competitive cooking.
