The “Rachael Ray” show is, and always has been, about our fans, so in our season 12 premiere, we were on a mission to surprise some of our biggest fans and celeb pals.

And, of course, we didn’t forget our studio audience! 

“One of you is going to get a trip,” Rachael told them.

“When I say go, I want everyone to look under your seat…whoever has the envelope with the word vacation in it…is getting two tickets from Frontier Airlines…anywhere they fly!”

“Ready?! Go!” 

Watch the video above to what happened next. Let's just say it turned out well.

The rest of the episode was filled with epic surprises, too! It all started with a little BAM! That’s right, we sent our friend Emeril to New Orleans to surprise his biggest fan.

Surprise #2 came to us by way of a viewer named Shakira, who wrote us this letter about her mama:

Dear Rachael,

I need your help to surprise my mother, Sandra, with a makeover. She wears nothing but outfits from the ‘80s, original mom jeans (not the cute trendy ones back in style) and oversized polo shirts. If that isn’t bad enough, she has given up on her hair completely, wearing only wigs. My mother deserves this because she has dedicated her life to others, volunteering and giving back to her community every single day. I want to thank her for all she has done and give her a style that will make her feel as beautiful as she makes others feel!

Love,
Shakira 

How could we not take this task on? Check out her stunning new look -- and her emotional reaction -- here.

Then, we revealed the top secret project that our pals, the Cousins, Anthony Carrino and John Colaneri have been working on all summer: our gorgeous new kitchen!

Last, but certainly not least, we tracked down the woman who inspired Bob Harper’s career in fitness and had her surprise him by sitting in our audience. Talk about an emotional reunion!