The competing chefs take on truly bizarre ingredients and must stay cool under pressure to create outstanding desserts. An oddball traditional Japanese sweet meets a very large egg in the first basket. In the second basket, weird ice cream is a treat compared to a certain animal's feet! In round three, the finalists have to make a pretty panna cotta and some strange candy sing.
Bring on the bling! The chefs set out to make sweet dishes that are almost too pretty to eat. In an exciting first round, four bold pastry pros attempt to make a marvelously mosaic ingredient work with shimmering silver leaf. Fancy booze gets the competitors in a sparkly spirit in round two, and a gorgeous cake and a nostalgic candy are part of the puzzle for the finalists.
Chopped Sweets is no picnic -- even with a picnic theme and baskets packed with summery, outdoorsy ingredients! A juicy fruit in a fun form takes up a lot of space in the first basket. A sweet salad and a savory surprise are part of the challenge in round two, and the judges watch the final competitors closely as they take on a refreshing drink and an unusual cake in the last basket.
Four competing chefs stretch their imaginations as they craft towering architectural desserts. The chefs set out to make a great first impression with the first basket's ingredients, including awfully challenging duck offal. Chocolate, strawberry and peanut flavors are at play in round two, and in the thrilling final round, two fierce competitors are left figuring out how to make a scrumptious cake and starfruit shine.
Flower power meets flour power in this floral-themed desserts competition! In round one, the chefs are startled to find a slimy, savory ingredient in the basket. Salted blossoms and a flowery cake keep the theme going strong in round two, and the judges are impressed by the techniques and hustle they see in the final round.
In this birthday-themed desserts competition, the chefs whip up celebratory sweets starting with popcorn in the first basket that proves more challenging than expected. A pinata brings a blast of fun to round two, and everybody's birthday wish is a dessert made from insect flour, right? The finalists try to come out on top with a tough third basket.
Say cheese! The competing chefs are making cheese-centric desserts, and grilled cheese is a comforting sight in the first basket, but bringing out its sweet side won't be easy. A snack food that's so nice it was named twice is a curious addition to the round two basket, and a Brie spree is in order in the third round as the two remaining chefs race to outsmart one another in a final cheesy challenge.
All in good fun, the baskets in this competition are packed with ingredients that might appeal to the basic male human. Some sharpshooter cupcakes and a meaty snack are part of the riddle in round one. The chefs have to include bacon in the second round, and beer brownies get enthusiastic support from the finalists in round three.
Two desserts are better than one as the competitors are challenged to make mashup masterpieces. The chefs discover a nutty version of a doughnut in the round one basket. A hyped-up hybrid meat makes an appearance in round two, and one competitor gets emotional at kind words from the judges. In the final round, the remaining chefs face a twist on tacos.
With a fruit theme to inspire their imaginations, the competing chefs endeavor to make desserts that are bright and bold. A tropical drink and a chewy snack keep the chefs' minds spinning in round one. Punch and pavlova make for an alluring, alliterative pair in the second round, and the remaining pastry pros open the final basket to find an often-regifted dessert and a can of something gooey and sweet.
Beware of the baskets! The fear factor is off the charts when the competing chefs must work with some dangerously delicious ingredients -- like the scary, hairy creepy-crawly in the first basket! From poisonous to moldy to superstinky, the second basket delivers on the deadly theme, and one of the judges is appalled by what she sees in the third basket. Can she overcome her phobia in time to enjoy the final desserts?
The competitors get a tropical theme and set out to send the judges on a sweet trip they won't forget. The round one basket ingredients establish the vibe with an island cocktail and a hip Hawaiian dish. A pina colada-flavored surprise and edible seaside scenery show up in the second round, and the pair of pastry pros left to make a third dessert set out to amaze the judges with their stellar technique.
In an all-American, all-desserts competition, a gorgeous flag cake in the first basket sets the scene for a red, white and blue celebration. The most American of desserts -- in an exaggerated form -- is the centerpiece of the second basket, and the final two pastry pros bring their vastly different styles to round three in an exciting display of American ingenuity.