Melissa Stratton and Kendra Sunderland step into the kitchen to help Chef Jojo kick off season six. 

Kendra is feeling bold and confident in her cooking skills, while Melissa admits hers are a little rusty, thanks to her packed OnlyFans schedule. Still, she hopes that her culinary creativity as a vegetarian will shine through… 

…but she’s immediately thrown off when Jojo announces the challenge: meaty Cubano sandwiches with homemade plantain chips. 

Luckily for Melissa, Kendra seems just as intimidated. With both chefs on equal footing, it’s anyone’s guess who will deliver the tastiest take on this culturally specific meal.

With 30 minutes on the clock, Melissa calmly starts with her plantain chips, knowing they’ll take longer than the sandwich. Smart move. 

Meanwhile, Kendra’s fiery competitive streak flares up. She immediately toasts her bread before preparing a single ingredient.

Inspired by the chaos, Chef Jojo gives them a lesson on mise en place: the importance of prepping your ingredients and workspace before cooking. 

Melissa’s chill attitude seems to be paying off until her sandwich starts falling apart in the panini press. She pulls it together, but when it’s time to plate, Kendra tries to block her from the “pretty plates.”

Despite the drama, both chefs manage to get their Cubano sandwiches and plantain chips plated before time runs out. 

Chef Jojo tries Melissa’s dish first. He praises her chips for their flavor and crispness (thanks to the mandoline slicer) and says her sandwich is “not bad at all.” 

Kendra also delivers a solid Cubano, but her plantain chips are too thick.

So, despite all her worrying, it’s Melissa who wins the challenge and moves on to the semifinals.

Shrimp fried rice sounds simple, but not when there’s $20,000 on the line.

When Gina Valentina enters the kitchen with a deep appreciation for East Asian food, she’s hoping to use the prize money for a fantasy trip to Japan. 

But the TikTok chef and self-described “most competitive person on the planet” Jason Luv enters ready to do whatever it takes to win.

Jason has the swagger of a winner, but Gina might have a secret weapon. She studied shrimp fried rice recipes the night before. 

With all the head games and trash talk, both chefs are shocked when Chef Jojo reveals that eight minutes have flown by and neither has much to show for it. 

They spring into action, chopping vegetables, preparing their marinades, and de-veining their shrimp. 

The intensity reaches new heights when Chef Jojo warns that timing and seasoning will make or break their shot at winning.

Jason leans on his New Orleans instincts, tossing entire shrimp into the wok and finessing the perfect sear. Meanwhile, Gina invests more time and effort into her sweet-and-savory marinade. 

However, after a quick taste test, Gina realizes her marinade is in serious need of seasoning. She adds a heavy pour of sesame oil and hopes for the best.

Both chefs are able to put together gorgeous plates, but it all comes down to flavor.

Chef Jojo must be feeling Jason’s big-shrimp energy. While his dish isn’t “traditional”, Jason gets credit for its overall flavor, crispness, and near-perfect seasoning. 

Although Gina’s dish looks great, Chef Jojo criticizes it for being both too safe and a bit too oily. 

Jason advances to the semifinals, but Gina takes it in stride. After sampling both dishes, she tells the cameras that she prefers hers. She’s not the first contestant to disagree with Chef Jojo.

Sophie Dee and Kayley Gunner face off in a fish challenge neither wanted to tackle: crispy salmon, parsnip purée, and roasted Japanese sweet potatoes.

Considering neither Sophie nor Kayley have much experience with the ingredients, this is an especially tall order. But both are determined to claim a semifinals spot and scramble to use their limited knowledge to their advantage.

It’ll be a showdown of Sophie’s recent This Is Fire re-watch versus Kayley’s food delivery habits.

Sophie goes all in on butter. Her potato plan? Throw everything in the oven and hope the added salt, pepper, and oil do their jobs.

Meanwhile, between forgetting to peel her garlic and battling an uncooperative blender, Kayley’s frustration is rising. Fortunately, a few encouraging words from Chef Jojo get her back into the game.

Despite her bizarre flipping technique — a knife and a wooden spoon? — Sophie's salmon is crisping up nicely.

After stellar first-round wins, Melissa Stratton and Sophie Dee are fired up for the semifinals. This time, our chefs are headed on an Italian adventure. 

Their challenge: the perfect Chicken Marsala served with a starch and vegetable of their choice. 

There’s just one problem: neither Melissa nor Sophie has ever made the dish, leaving them wondering, “What even is Chicken Marsala?”

But they’ll have to figure it out fast. 

Melissa kicks things off by choosing broccolini as her vegetable, while Sophie leads her signature move: butter, butter, and more butter. 

Sophie hates mushrooms, but unfortunately they are a key ingredient in Chicken Marsala. Searching for something she actually enjoys, she chooses to use bell peppers as her side vegetable.

Melissa tastes her sauce and is pleasantly surprised. Sophie, on the other hand, has the complete opposite reaction... 

And, according to Chef Jojo, it’s giving clam chowder. 

After some quick guidance from Chef Jojo, Sophie adds herbs to her sauce, and swaps rice for pasta as her side.

Across the kitchen, Melissa worries her mushrooms are turning “gummy.” She reduces her sauce, trying to build deeper flavor, while hoping her chicken isn’t overcooked. 

Meanwhile, Sophie’s pasta is undercooked and Chef Jojo suspects her chicken is overdone. With the clock ticking down, both chefs scramble to get everything plated and ready to serve.

It’s time for Chef Jojo to dig in. Melissa is nervous about the texture of her dish and Sophie is stressed about everything.

Melissa's instantly relieved when Chef Jojo cuts into her perfectly cooked chicken. Her mushrooms, however, are a little overcooked and the sauce leans slightly sweet. 

Sophie is next, and even though Chef Jojo offers some compliments, she doesn’t buy it. 

Ultimately, Melissa wins the semifinals round and heads to the Season Six Finale! 

Jason Luv returns to the kitchen to battle Richelle Ryan for a spot in the finals. Jason’s determined to apply everything he’s learned so far, while Richelle is more confident than ever. 

Which is great, because both will need every ounce of confidence they have to take on the Mexican breakfast classic: chilaquiles with oxtail. 

Thankfully, Chef Jojo gives them one big leg up… or a tail up: perfectly prepared oxtails. All they have to do is master the other components.   

Both chefs start by crafting their homemade salsas. Though Chef Jojo likes a kick, they’re careful not to overdo the heat.

Learning from his past mistakes, Jason stays mindful of the clock and is determined to leave time to plate his entire dish to perfection. 

Meanwhile, Richelle’s salsa starts leaning more into pico de gallo territory. Chef Jojo reminds her that he’s looking for a salsa roja, not pico. 

Jason’s feeling confident in his salsa, until he realizes it’s way too spicy. 

Jason uses some broth to tame the heat and moves on to frying his tortilla chips. As Richelle slices her perfectly crispy chips, both Chef Jojo and Jason can’t help but wonder if she’s been downplaying her skills the whole time. 

The clock ticks down and despite the mounting pressure, both chefs keep their cool. In the final moments, Jason makes a bold but inspired move: cooking his eggs in the rich oxtail fat. 

Both chefs have everything plated in the nick of time.

The moment of truth: Chef Jojo enjoys Richelle’s dish, but says he’s missing some of the heat and depth that define great chilaquiles. 

Next, Chef Jojo loves Jason’s flavors, but notes that it lacks the acid and creamy elements to balance out the richness. Both contestants are missing key components, so it’s anyone’s game.

Only one can advance to the finals… and it’s Jason! He’ll next face Melissa in the This Is Fire Season Six Finals. 

Melissa Stratton and Jason Luv are ready to go head-to-head for $20,000, and bragging rights. 

This time, Chef Jojo gives them 45 minutes because perfecting Beef Wellington is no easy feat, especially for first-time chefs. Melissa begins with a focused game plan, while Jason channels his inner Ratatouille. 

Chef Jojo urges the contestants to elevate their dishes and taste as they go, but both Jason and Melissa are still trying to wrap their heads around the very concept of Beef Wellington.

And when it’s time to wrap their beef in prosciutto and puff pastry, both Jason and Melissa struggle to form a secure, fully covered seal. 

Melissa feels like she’s falling behind, but from Jason’s perspective, she’s a total kitchen pro. As he starts sautéing his carrots, she shifts focus to whipping up smooth, creamy mashed potatoes.

And then, a setback: Melissa forgot to peel her potatoes. With the clock ticking, she has to improvise some quick fixes in hopes of meeting Chef Jojo’s high standards. 

Chef Jojo practically begs Jason to get started on his demi-glace, while also taste-testing both Melissa’s and Jason’s mashed potatoes. But to his surprise, both chefs’ potatoes are impressively delicious. 

In his last two rounds, Jason’s plating has fallen short. This time, however, he’s determined to leave enough time to dial in the aesthetics as well as the flavor. 

Meanwhile, Melissa’s demi-glace is in jeopardy after being left on the stove too long. She crosses her fingers as she plates, hoping it still turns out okay. 

Melissa's dish is up first. The beef is cooked perfectly, and her potatoes wow Chef Jojo; unfortunately, her demi-glace is too salty and her carrots are overcooked.

Similarly, Jason’s meat is cooked beautifully and his potatoes are delicious, but his sides are over-salted. They couldn’t be more neck-and-neck as Chef Jojo makes his decision. 

In the end, Melissa Stratton is the This Is Fire Season Six Champion! But now she’ll have to face off against the formidable Hayley Davies in the Superfinals. 

Melissa Stratton and Season Five Champion Hayley Davies return for a miso-glazed sea bass showdown. 

Chef Melissa is riding the momentum of her recent win and comes in ready to battle. Chef Hayley, on the other hand, may be a bit rusty after a season away from the kitchen.

It’s Melissa’s first time cooking with miso, so she takes a moment to get familiar with the flavor. 

Hayley’s strategy? Watch what Melissa does and do the exact same thing.