Top Moments of Chopped After Hours: Circus

Alex, Ron and Scott are in for a fun circus-themed basket containing popcorn, snow cones, funnel cakes and sour cream. Ted says the final two competitors from the show "had to perform some serious culinary acrobatics to try to make anything" out of the ingredients. One wasn't even able to finish plating. Will the judges succeed, or will too much fun derail their efforts?

Ron thinks the basket is too difficult and says he wants to go home, but then he changes his mind and tells Alex, "I'm going to take you down." Ted thinks he has the advantage because he's a professional pastry chef, but Ron disagrees: "I never cook like this ... I like to have control ... these are crazy ingredients." Still, he hopes to pull it off somehow, even if it involves resorting to dropping Alex with his dance moves.

Ted stops by to see what Scott is up to. He's chopping up the funnel cake, deciding on winging a cake recipe, however, hesitantly: "I'm going to use that [funnel] cake in a batter, I think." By incorporating the funnel cake into the batter, he's avoiding a mistake one of the competitors from the show made by baking a cake containing no basket ingredients. Later, when he takes his cake out of the oven, he's so confident that he says of his competitors, "They don't stand a chance."

Alex decides to bake cookies and make an ice cream out of the snow cone and the sour cream, adding lemon zest and juice to the mixture to add some additional flavor. She says she's going for the "Cracker Jack-y Americana." She later says, "I really wanted to make a dessert that you could imagine picking up and eating and getting it all running down your hands while you're watching the circus."

Scott's finishing up his caramel corn, but he realizes he needs more popcorn. He doesn't feel guilty at all about going over to Alex's station and stealing half of her popcorn. Ted shouts: "What would we do if someone did that on Chopped? We'd chop 'em! You're chopped. Get outta here!"

Ron puts Ted to work as his sous chef, telling him to whip some cream for him. "Oh sure, help the pastry chef," says Alex. But Ted bluffingly threatens sabotage by dumping his red wine in Ron's cream. "Some of us don't need to resort to desperate tricks," says Ron. To that, Alex responds, "That would not include me."

Everyone digs into Scott's Funnel Cake Cake, which Alex finds very savory, but calls it "distinctly a dessert." She loves the whipped cream and says, "When in doubt, make whipped cream — not when in doubt, make bread pudding." That could have been a great tip for the eliminated competitor, whose funnel cake souffle didn't bake in time.

Ron opted for a Funnel Cake Napoleon with caramel mousse, sour cream mousse and a popcorn crunch with smoked paprika. Both Alex and Scott love the spiciness. Ted compliments Ron on how restrained the sweetness is. Ron responds, "Too much sweetness just blocks the palate." But Alex contends she loves sugar, to which Scott responds, "Well, you're sweet enough, Alex, as we all know."

Alex's pecan cookie ice cream sandwich really impresses Scott: "These damn Iron Chefs are always showing off." Ron calls the snow cone sorbet a "revelation." He then turns to Alex and says, "You are a Sweet Genius." The Chopping Block just got a little sweeter with Ron!