Plot Synopsis

Hosted and judged by Chefs Alex Guarnaschelli and Gabriele Bertaccini, CIAO HOUSE is a one-hour competition series that welcomes ten rising culinary stars to live together in an Italian villa and compete against each other as individuals and in teams to prove their mastery of Italian cooking techniques and dishes. From real-life nonnas showcasing how they make pasta from scratch to a lesson with the head butcher of a three centuries-old family butcher business, each challenge is accompanied by a local experience steeped in tradition. The competitors must also navigate alliances and rivalries as they pick their own teams and each week, the losing team must vote off one of their own. In the end, only the last chef standing wins the life-changing grand prize: an immersive culinary education across Italy, training with renowned Italian master chefs. The competitors are: Omar Ashley (Avenel, New Jersey); Corey Becker (Brooklyn, New York); Saba Duffy (Framingham, Massachusetts); Trenica Johnson (Houston, Texas); Jess Mahoney (Los Angeles, California); Preston Paine (Dallas, Texas); Sarah Raffetto (New York, New York); Justin Robinson (Atlanta, Georgia); Natalia Rosario (Chicago, Illinois) and Matt Wasson (Staten Island, New York).

In the series opener, "Welcome to Ciao House!," Alex and Gabriele welcome ten talented chefs to Ciao House, where they will live together in a beautiful Tuscan villa and be challenged on their expertise with Italian cuisine. To start off the experience, each competitor must show Alex and Gabriele what Italian cuisine means to them by creating a dish that demonstrates who they are as a chef. Two chefs receive a huge advantage going into the next round and one chef must say "ciao ciao" to the villa. Eight weeks of Tuscan-centric challenges including three-course truffle and wine pairings, visit to an Italian cheese cave and creating a wild boar dish culminate in the life-changing finale on Sunday, June 4th where Alex and Gabriele preside over a cooking duel to determine who wins the ultimate grand prize: an immersive culinary education across Italy, training with renowned Italian master chefs.
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On Sunday, June 4, 2023 from 9-11pm ET/PT, Food Network premiered "Last Chef Standing," the two-hour season finale of CIAO HOUSE. Judges Alex Guarnaschelli and Gabe Bertaccini preside over a cooking duel to see which previously eliminated chef will earn a spot in the finale. The winner will join the other two finalists to cook one last meal, knowing a life-changing prize is within their reach -- an immersive culinary education across Italy to train with renowned master chefs.