In the premiere episode of Food Network Star, 15 hopefuls arrive in New York to compete for the ultimate dream job: to host their own show on Food Network. The finalists arrive at the Food Network kitchens to greet their team leaders, Alton Brown, Bobby Flay and Giada De Laurentiis, and meet their rivals for the first time! Special guest Robert Irvine gives the finalists their first Star Challenge: to create their very own Pop-Up restaurant from the ground up - with an extremely limited budget and very little time.