Watch a blind taste-off shake up the competition on 'The Taste'

It’s all in how the food tastes for ABC’s The Taste, but that no longer holds true just for the show’s blind auditions. Chefs will now have to fight for their lives on the show while only relying on the quality of their food.

For the show’s third cycle, The Taste will introduce a blind tasting twist to its “Taste Off” competition. While normally the two bottom competitors battle to save themselves from elimination, this year, it won’t matter who makes each dish. The judges are unaware who makes what going into a tasting, and will have to decide who to eliminate solely based on how good the food actually is.

EW can reveal an exclusive clip of how the new blind Taste Off throws the contestants and their mentors Ludo Lefebvre and Marcus Samuelsson for a loop in the season premiere.

Mentors can guide the contestants from the sidelines, but are unable to touch any utensil or food involved in the Taste Off. The remaining judges, meanwhile, will be sectioned off—in a lavish waiting room, no less—while the contestants prepare their dishes.

The change puts the onus on the contestants to make their best dish without being able to rely on their previous performances or their personalities.

Watch how this twist affects the outcome of the Taste Off, as well as the rest of the third season premiere, when The Taste‘s third season debuts on Thursday, Dec. 4 on ABC.