Chopped(2009–)

A Prickly Situation

In the Season 2 opener, four chefs find a spiny surprise in their appetizer baskets. Then, one has a serious snafu with snapper in the entrée round. Judges: Aaron Sanchez; Alex Guarnaschelli; and Chris Santos.

Salted Veggies and Heated Battles

The chefs must use salty vegetables in their appetizers, Thai chilis in their entrées, and Mexican ingredients in their desserts. Judges: Alex Guarnaschelli; Chris Santos; and Marc Murphy

High Hopes

Featured ingredients include whole calamari (appetizers), bison meat (entrées) and ancho chilis (desserts).

Floundering Around

The chefs are presented with a challenging cut of meat in the appetizer round. In the entrée round, they work with miniature produce and whole flounder.

Pride on the Plate

The chefs try to represent their cultural heritage through duck appetizers. Then they work with Serrano ham in the entrée round.

Pretty Please with a Pepper on Top

Piquillo peppers and snap peas are among the featured ingredients.

Pods, Grills, and Sticky Fingers

The mystery ingredients include star fruit, liquor and spicy merguez sausage.

A Wish Upon a Starfruit

Part 1 of 4. Past "Chopped" winners return to compete in a champions round. Some chefs have an edge when a Southern specialty shows up in the appetizer basket. Then Japanese noodles and leafy greens create a challenge for the entrées.

Buckwheat Blunders and Twists of Fate

Part 2 of 4. Four past "Chopped" winners face off in a champions round. Featured ingredients include cockles, ground chicken and apples.

Chopped Champions - Round One: The Ultimate Face-Off

The first tournament featuring past Chopped champions, where the winner advances to face three new champions next week. First up, chefs must create an appetizer using crayfish and fiddlehead ferns and an entrée that includes dinosaur kale.

Chopped Champions - Round Two: Best of the Best

Round Two features the Round One victor against three more returning champions. Featured ingredients include cockles, kohlrabi, and goji berries.

Chopped Champions - Round Three: All-Stars Showdown

The reigning Round Two All-Star Champion competes against three more previous winners. Featured ingredients: lavash, beef jerky, and gin.

Rattle and Roll

Rattlesnake meat must be included in the chef's first course.

My Froggy Clementine

The chefs find frog legs in the first basket for the Appetizer Round.

Easy Peasy?

British invasion! Four English chefs face off to see who will be headed back over the big pond with the big money. In the first basket, an American staple and a Japanese snack get the food festivities started. Will the judges be impressed by the visiting Brits appetizer plates? Then the chefs find a crunchy, cheesy surprise in the entrée basket, and one competitor sets out to make a very complex dish. But is it too complicated a dish for the allotted 30 minutes? And when the two finalists discover a distinctly British biscuit in the dessert basket, they attempt to make the familiar extraordinary. The judges are on the edge of their seats watching to see whether one competitor's cakes will make it onto the plates.

Champions' Tournament: Part 1

Welcome back, champs! Four Chopped heroes return to action to see who can go up against the very best and win again. But this time, time becomes a very big challenge in the first round. Then with the sting of the judges' harsh criticisms fresh on their minds, the competitors face stinging nettles and antelope in the entrée round. And in the decisive last round, it is clear that both chefs are craving a chance to move on to the finale, but only one will prevail once the judges taste the pie crust desserts.

Champions' Tournament: Part 2

The Big Scoop

One, two, three, four mystery ingredients in the appetizer basket! One competitor loses count in the first round and misses getting marmalade on the plates. When there is no confession highlighting the mistake, can the judges' investigative tasting skills reveal it? Then, the chefs hop into action with rabbit in the entrée round. What a surprise when the big scoop in dessert is vanilla ice cream! Hold on for a chilling finale where one competitor heads for a meltdown.

Chop on Through

With a fruit and a root in the first basket, two of the chefs go with a similar approach for their appetizers. Will one dish turn out better than the other? Then in the entree round, a cut of meat with a peculiar name gives the judges something to talk about, while the chefs rush to get the main dishes made. And Camembert is the fromage of choice in the dessert basket. Whose cheesy, sweet creation will be most pleasing to the panel of experts?

I'm Your Huckleberry

In the first round four competitors try to make octopus and huckleberry into dishes that will make them stand out as Chopped Champ material. Then in a high-energy second round, champagne corks and hammers go flying. After two finalists create desserts with a Peruvian drink and a Mexican cheese, one walks away with all the dinero while the other gets nada.

Chewing the Caul Fat

As the clock ticks down on the first round, one chef gets into a pickle with the pickle juice. Then in the entrée round the chefs must figure out something savvy to do with Savoy cabbage and a curious web of fat. And a very competitive final round - featuring edible flowers - results in a daring dash for the ice cream machine.

Sunny Side Apps

The chefs get an unusual wake-up call in the appetizer basket: gummy fried eggs. Will they be able to successfully transform this novelty candy into something that tastes good with corned beef? Then a sweet-and-sour surprise in the entree round sends the chefs running to the pantry to find suitable complementary ingredients. The two chefs who make it to a fiercely competitive dessert round must make do with knodel and almond flour.

A Guts Reaction

The chefs need to have guts when they discover poultry intestines and red miso in the first basket. The ingredients are less daunting for the entree round, but some big technical flaws are disappointing to the judges. And two talented competitors advance to the dessert round with something to prove with candied nuts and kombucha as mystery ingredients.

Stacking Up

The competition starts off strongly with four chefs, cooking with gusto, as they attempt to make delicious jumbo shrimp appetizers. Then, in the entree round, with less than a minute remaining, one of the chefs has yet to get one of the mystery ingredients on the plates! The judges watch on the edge of their seats to see if the competitor will remember before time runs out. When the two finalists find frozen pancakes in the final basket, whose dessert will stack up to a $10,000 victory?

Class Acts, Too

Class is once again in session in the Chopped Kitchen, with ladies from America's school cafeterias competing and sharing their stories. In the first round, ground turkey and frozen yogurt test the chefs' skills. Then the ladies must sweat out a 30-minute entree round with sweet potatoes and hoisin sauce as ingredients. The final two competitors advance to dessert round to find a basket of healthy items. And when one chef's plans literally fall apart, she must decide whether to rethink her idea or try, try again.

Ambitious Amateurs

With courage to spare, four home cooks compete in the Chopped Kitchen to prove that they are as good as they think they are: But what will the judges think after tasting their chicken tenderloin appetizers? Then in the entree round, one of the competitors endeavors to pull off a very ambitious hanger steak dish within the 30-minute time limit. And two very unusual ingredients show up in the dessert basket, and the judges watch to see if the amateur cooks can figure out what to do with them.

Teen Tournament: Episode One

In the first preliminary competition of the Chopped Teen Tournament, a strangely fuzzy ingredient is one of the surprises awaiting the young chefs in the appetizer round. Then in the entree round, a challenging protein must be paired with a processed cheese. And the judges become increasingly concerned for the last two teens, who encounter a number of problems combining chips and candies into yummy final dishes.

Kefir and Loathing

A basket ingredient with a "secret" history and the fermented milk drink kefir are at the forefront of the appetizer round. The second basket looks to be deceptively simple, except for a strange blue drink. Then, something you wouldn't expect to find in a can is discovered in the dessert basket, and the last two chefs decide to go in a similar direction with their final plates.

Clean Eatin'

The chefs must make delicious, healthy dishes; legumes confound some of the chefs; a fancy fish and a fermented drink for the entrees; fruit-and-grain dishes for desserts.

Best Laid Pans

A big setback leaves one chef unsure whether her sausage and okra appetizer will come together on time and as planned. Savory pie and a fresh Italian cheese meet on the chefs' entree plates. Then, peppers and pears pair up in an exciting dessert round.

Thanks, Mom!

To honor the wonderful women who raised them right, four famous Food Network cooks -- Ted Allen, Jeff Mauro, Jet Tila and Chris Santos -- compete with their moms! In the first round, the mother/son teams strive to manage their time and to carefully crack quail eggs. A large fish and some lovely lemons make up part of the second basket. Then, the final two family duos must find sweet ways to use blood oranges and walnuts.

Clam Clash

In the lightning-fast first round, the chefs must create appetizers in just 20 minutes from clams and a sweet dried fruit. Squid ink and a strong-flavored candy are part of the entree round puzzle. Then, a pie made of beans and an alcoholic drink made with sorbet are two of the mystery basket ingredients for dessert.

Luck of the Irish

The chefs have the good fortune to get treats from Ireland in every round, beginning with an iconic stout in the appetizer basket. One chef doesn't hide their distaste for a certain Irish delicacy in the entree round. Finally, the two remaining chefs hustle to make plates with a favorite Irish ice cream treat and some booze for the third round.

Better Duck Next Time

Luck is not on the competitors' side as they open the first basket to find not duck breast, but a more formidable foe: duck tongue. A bitter juice and a pretentiously presented American classic challenge the chefs in the entree round. For the last two chefs battling it out in the dessert round, a peachy final basket is anything but easy.

Plum Luck

In the first round, the chefs find a classic Asian food in an innovative form and some lovely plums. A tough cut of meat and a container full of an unusual mayonnaise product test the chefs' creativity in Round Two. And a giant surprise made of sugary breakfast cereal invigorates the competition in the final round.

Lamb Slam

Judge Martha Stewart tastes a corn dog for the very first time as a fun version of the famous fair food challenges the chefs in the appetizer basket. Then, an exciting second round has the competitors working with lamb and pie. Will the judges slam their dishes or find them delicious? In the final round, an unusual coffee drink and a special citrus ingredient prompt the chefs to bring some distinct flavors to the plate.

Ultimate Redemption

Four chefs who didn't make it in high-stakes tournaments return in search of redemption. The competitors face goat chop appetizers in the first round. A breakfast cereal is the crunchy curveball in the entree basket. The remaining chefs then open their final basket to find a cookie behemoth and a strange soda.

Grills On! Game On!

When the ovens and fryers are turned off, four chefs have no choice but to get their grill on! A rare meat hits the heat in round one, and a frozen food favorite in the second basket might not thrill the competitors. The final two grillers must contend with double-smoked bacon in the dessert basket, and each chef tries to smoke the other in this fiery contest.

Beef Cake Mistakes

Beasts and Bourbon

It's a match made in culinary heaven as four chefs must tame wild game meat in every round and use a different bourbon to accent and complement their dishes. The meaty surprise in the appetizer basket is a giant one, and a crispy, carnivorous bite is a tasty part of the challenge in round two. The chefs who move on to the dessert round find that the beasts and bourbon theme plays out with a challenging and sweet final basket.

Burgers And Bravado

Competing chefs attempt to prove from the start that they're the one to beat. In the first basket, a big burger with a gluttonous twist gives the chefs a lot of options. Parsley cake is a curve ball in round two, and when the last remaining chefs focus their attention on a dessert basket that includes Cara Cara oranges and a curiously boozy condiment, the judges are impressed by the level of skill they see.

Time Capsule: '60s Foods!

This Chopped episode dives into retro chaos, starting with an appetizer basket of 60s-style cookies, grape jelly meatballs, peas, and grapefruit soda. The entrée round pushes chefs further with wieneroni casserole, mushrooms, fondue, and salmon competing for coherence. In dessert, melon balls, fudge cake, rocket lollipops, and chips force a strange balance of sweet and salty.

Military Salute: Navy

U.S. Navy chefs will have to create spectacular appetizers using an aged meat product before reworking a patriotic cake for dessert, all with $75,000 for a charitable cause on the line.

Battle Italiano: Emilia-Romagna

Four chefs get to the heart of Italian cuisine as they explore the incredible influence that the robust Emilia-Romagna region has on the culinary world. A slithery surprise and a frozen favorite challenge the chefs in the appetizer round, and those who make it to the entrée round have very different ideas for their veal and mushroom dishes. Then, the two competitors who remain for the dessert round endeavor to represent themselves and their region!

Legends: Scott Conant

Four Chopped Champions are asked back to the kitchen via personal invitation from legendary judge Scott Conant and will face off to see who is most worthy of returning to represent Scott in the finale. On the line: a $25,000 cash prize, $25,000 for charity and legendary status

Legends: Chris Santos

Hungry for Love: Dating

Love is in the air! In this tournament event, couples in different stages of their romantic journeys compete to see if their relationships are built to withstand the heat of intense culinary competition. For this preliminary battle, pairs who are dating take over the stoves! In the first basket, they find some bubbly and some berries. The entrée round challenges the teams of sweethearts to make great dishes using fondue and a buttery snack. And will a coffee-based dessert in the final basket be the kick the couples need as the battle nears its conclusion? The winning team will advance to the $50,000 Hungry for Love finale!

Fluke Rebuke

In the appetizer round, a peculiar cereal is the strangest find in the basket. Then, when one of the chefs begins cooking her fluke fillets very late in the round, the judges wonder whether they will be happy with the results. The entrée round mystery basket ingredients run the gamut from light to hearty, and the finalists must work a clever crepe and an interactive candy into their desserts.

Ted's Takeover