In the Elimination Test, the cooks must prepare one or more dishes to meet the challenge requirements, which often includes a specific theme and are usually more complex and require more time to execute than a Mystery Box quickfire Challenge. It is usually followed from a preceding Mystery Box Challenge. Elimination challenges are usually individual challenges or require the cooks to work in teams; some may require the contestants to produce several dishes. Teams may be selected by the home cook that won the preceding Mystery Box round, but sometimes determined by a random process, such as "drawing pictures" of the contestants from a box or spinning a wheel. The time limit for an Elimination Challenge is usually 1 hour, which typically includes preparation and cook time. Ingredients for Elimination Challenges generally allow cooks access to the pantry, within a time limit. However, certain challenges may provide specific ingredients or limit the type or number of ingredients that can be used, while others require non-traditional methods for obtaining ingredients. After shopping, the contestants will cook a savory protein dish or baking a dessert for the judges, usually including at least one guest judge. In some cases, the contestants cook for a group of VIP guest diners as well.
The winner of the Mystery Box quickfire challenge joins the judges in the pantry where the judges unveil ingredients and/or equipment for the cook to challenge their fellow competitors and they must create a restaurant quality dish out of it. In some cases, the cook must also join the others in the elimination challenge, whereby they get an advantage of choosing a key ingredient for themselves. Shortly after the elimination challenge is explained, judges evaluate all dishes based on taste and visual appeal. Contestants who produce the best, winning dishes of the night are usually made team captains for next week's off-site field team challenge episode. The judges nominate the worst dishes for elimination, criticize them and single them out for elimination before eliminating at least one contestant.