Chopped Battle Italiano 17 Photos
Italian enthusiasts like Scott, Alex and Gabe are saying "Ciao!" to 16 chefs who are set to compete in this Italian-themed tournament.
Un-Choppable
Inside the Competition
The Exclusive Look 9 Photos
Get a behind-the-scenes peek into the making of Chopped.
The Best of After Hours 61 Photos
From top moments to crazy mishaps, see what happens.
Judge Exclusives
Best Reactions 36 Photos
As dramatic battles unfold, the judges can't hold back.
Loving Their Jobs 11 Photos
Each judge reveals a favorite thing about the show.
Chopped Cookbook
Get the book with recipes inspired by the show's mystery basket ingredients.
Episodes
See Episode GuideSquidding Around
The chefs open the first basket to discover they'll be serving up cephalopods! The appetizer round is filled with energy and ambition as the chefs set out to show they're a clever and competitive bunch. Pork and a Portuguese finger food make up part of the challenge in the second round, and the two chefs who move on to the dessert round are determined to make terrific final dishes with a canned cocktail and a marshmallow treat.
Uncommon Ramen
Four chefs are determined to be the next Chopped Champion, but only one of them will succeed! In the first round, combining ramen with a fruity cereal snack seems like the biggest challenge the competitors might face, but a serious injury leaves one chef stunned and significantly set back. Next, a strange frozen food is part of the puzzle in the entrée round. Then in the final round, the last two chefs attempt to show their very different culinary points of view through their bologna and orange desserts.
Alton's Maniacal Baskets: Part 1
Alton Brown is at it again! The chefs in his Maniacal Baskets tournament are seriously tripped up by a canned wonder in the appetizer round, and the clock isn't doing them any favors either. A shelf-stable surprise in the entree basket is unlikely to be a crowd pleaser. Can the chefs elevate it? In the dessert round, pudding in the basket would ordinarily be nice to see, but not this particular type of pudding!
Alton's Maniacal Baskets: Part 2
Alton Brown is back with more maniacal baskets! As the tournament heats up, the competitors brace for zany, brainy ingredients courtesy of Alton and his like-minded social media fans. Creativity abounds in the first round as the chefs attempt to make impressive appetizers with a super stinky ingredient. In the second round, a unique style of apple pie may have the competitors asking, "Why?!" While Alton and the judges chatter about chitterlings, the competitors have to figure out how to use them in a dessert!
Alton's Maniacal Baskets: Part 3
Make it maniacal! Alton Brown is in charge of an extraordinary Chopped tournament, and the competitors must brace themselves for shocking surprises in the baskets that have been selected with help from Alton's conspiring fans. In the first basket, the chefs get a big surprise ingredient with a challenging texture. Can they make delicious appetizers with it? In the entree round, some sticky beans and a peculiar salad are shockers, and the final chefs attempt to make winning desserts from the wild ingredients in the third basket.
Alton's Maniacal Baskets: Part 4
Alton Brown has taken control of the Chopped baskets, enlisting his fans' help to curate maniacal ingredients for an epic tournament. In the first round, two of the chefs decide to make the same thing. Will the judges prefer one version to the other? In the entree basket, the chefs find a fermented Japanese dish that's definitely an acquired taste as well as a strange banana product. It just might be the most difficult Chopped basket ever! Finally, the two bold chefs who make it to the dessert round must work with a fluffy, porky surprise.
Alton's Maniacal Baskets: Finale
In the wild conclusion of Alton Brown's Maniacal Baskets Tournament, champions from the first four battles compete for the title of Chopped Grand Champion! Before cooking begins, Alton has a big announcement that's sure to get the chefs fired up. Of course, the finale ingredients are super tough. For the entree round, the chefs open the baskets to discover one of the items staring back at them! A weird wedding cake is part of the dessert round puzzle as the two remaining chefs face off to see who will score major bragging rights and the grand prize.
Trash into Treasure
The Chopped competitors take on ingredients that would usually be thrown away in hopes of turning edible trash into culinary treasures. In the appetizer round, all four chefs have zero reservations about the zero-waste theme, and they have big plans for the shrimp-centric basket. Then, a leftover dish and ignored vegetable tops create a culinary puzzle in the entrée round, and the two finalists make wise use of expired milk before time expires in the dessert round.
Breakfast Baskets!
Inspired by hash browns and energized by eggs, four chefs wake up the judges' palates using baskets packed with breakfast foods. Time constraints in the super short first round have the chefs working frantically to get their plates done, and two chefs battle with breakfast sandwiches in the entrée round. In the dessert round, the competitors face a challenge that includes a strange coffee and a regional meat dish.
Gargantuan Surprises
In addition to the three mandatory ingredients in each basket, the competing chefs have to share a colossal fourth ingredient in every round. It's a shockingly big surprise that takes some getting used to, and in the first round, one competitor feels the pressure and their emotions get the better of them. In the entree round, the giant fourth ingredient is an Italian-American classic. In the dessert round, everyone is in awe of the huge sweet, shared surprise, but will the chefs' final dishes leave a big impression on the judges?
Breakfast Baskets!
Inspired by hash browns and energized by eggs, four chefs wake up the judges' palates using baskets packed with breakfast foods. Time constraints in the super short first round have the chefs working frantically to get their plates done, and two chefs battle with breakfast sandwiches in the entrée round. In the dessert round, the competitors face a challenge that includes a strange coffee and a regional meat dish.
Gargantuan Surprises
In addition to the three mandatory ingredients in each basket, the competing chefs have to share a colossal fourth ingredient in every round. It's a shockingly big surprise that takes some getting used to, and in the first round, one competitor feels the pressure and their emotions get the better of them. In the entree round, the giant fourth ingredient is an Italian-American classic. In the dessert round, everyone is in awe of the huge sweet, shared surprise, but will the chefs' final dishes leave a big impression on the judges?
Trash into Treasure
The Chopped competitors take on ingredients that would usually be thrown away in hopes of turning edible trash into culinary treasures. In the appetizer round, all four chefs have zero reservations about the zero-waste theme, and they have big plans for the shrimp-centric basket. Then, a leftover dish and ignored vegetable tops create a culinary puzzle in the entrée round, and the two finalists make wise use of expired milk before time expires in the dessert round.
Trash into Treasure
The Chopped competitors take on ingredients that would usually be thrown away in hopes of turning edible trash into culinary treasures. In the appetizer round, all four chefs have zero reservations about the zero-waste theme, and they have big plans for the shrimp-centric basket. Then, a leftover dish and ignored vegetable tops create a culinary puzzle in the entrée round, and the two finalists make wise use of expired milk before time expires in the dessert round.
Spin It to Win It: Battle 1
It's the biggest Chopped shake up ever as a wheel of chance determines which of the sixteen chefs will compete, how the tournament jackpot will go and what randomly selected ingredients will be added to the challenge. In the first battle, four talented and ambitious chefs get a tough appetizer basket that includes a glorious seafood product. In the entrée round, the chefs must combine an acai bowl with an amphibious delicacy. Then, a spin of the wheel gives the chefs a strange beverage they must include in their desserts.
Spin It to Win It: Battle 2
With twelve chefs left in the pool of potential competitors, only three will be selected by the wheel to attempt to topple a fierce returning champion! In a dramatic appetizer round, the chefs must work with a funny cake and an unusual canned item. Then, the chefs have differing opinions in the entrée round about whether the randomly selected fourth ingredient is a cinch or a problem, while the dessert round has both chefs running into issues trying to make delicious final plates from a weird pie and a nostalgic candy.
Spin It to Win It: Battle 3
From a pool of nine, the wheel determines which three chefs will be selected to topple a fierce returning champion for a chance at an ever-rising jackpot. In a wild first round, prepping an ingredient eats up time for one chef, which worries the judges. Then, the chefs find ostrich meat in the entrée basket, which seems easy compared to the nightmare ingredient the wheel deals out. The two chefs left give it their all with spicy and sweet desserts in hopes of continuing on to battle four!
Spin It to Win It: Battle 4
With six chefs left in the pool, three who've been impatiently sidelined finally get their chance at the stoves! In the appetizer round, everyone is unfamiliar with the ingredient that was randomly selected by the wheel, while the protein in the entrée round causes problems. Then, it's a nail-biter of a dessert round as the chefs race to prove who can make the better sweet plate from a breakfast pastry and an Asian spice. Winner will move on to the decisive battle five!
Spin It to Win It: Final Battle!
Everybody is spinning with excitement for the highly anticipated battle five fight! The three remaining chefs from the pool finally get to cook against the reigning champion, and the already astronomical jackpot is destined to go higher. Upon opening the appetizer basket, the chefs come face-to-face with an intimidating ingredient. In the entrée round, the chefs are shocked at the dollar value of the ingredient from the wheel, and they must tame one of the most bitter ingredients in Chopped history. After the final two contenders discover a giant sweet surprise in the dessert basket, they frantically stir, blend and bake their hearts out in an effort to emerge as the one and only Spin It to Win It grand champion!
Abalone Absurdities
Just add sea snails! Most of the chefs are shocked and confused when abalone appears in their appetizer baskets. Then, a fusion soup and a colorful veggie are in the mix in the entrée basket, and an unwelcome egg in the dessert basket challenges the competitors to accept their fates and create innovative final plates.
B.L.D.: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner!
The chefs set out to make a whole day's worth of amazing food when the cooking rounds are changed to breakfast, lunch and dinner. Eggs are not in the breakfast basket but the chefs still race to grab them in the fridge. In the second round, the competitors must make terrific mid-day meals with something salty and something reminiscent of a typical American childhood. And the judges hope the chefs who make it to the final round will be able to make lamb dinners to remember.
B.L.D.: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner!
The chefs set out to make a whole day's worth of amazing food when the cooking rounds are changed to breakfast, lunch and dinner. Eggs are not in the breakfast basket but the chefs still race to grab them in the fridge. In the second round, the competitors must make terrific mid-day meals with something salty and something reminiscent of a typical American childhood. And the judges hope the chefs who make it to the final round will be able to make lamb dinners to remember.
Abalone Absurdities
Just add sea snails! Most of the chefs are shocked and confused when abalone appears in their appetizer baskets. Then, a fusion soup and a colorful veggie are in the mix in the entrée basket, and an unwelcome egg in the dessert basket challenges the competitors to accept their fates and create innovative final plates.
Waffles for the Win
The judges have a pressing matter to discuss with four lucky chefs: waffles! The competitors prove waffles are no longer just for breakfast by making them the star of every plate and every round. First, the chefs bring some heat to their waffle appetizers by seasoning them with chiles de arbol. A thick Belgian waffle dough hits the irons in round two, then waffles take the form of cookies in the dessert round.
Abalone Absurdities
Just add sea snails! Most of the chefs are shocked and confused when abalone appears in their appetizer baskets. Then, a fusion soup and a colorful veggie are in the mix in the entrée basket, and an unwelcome egg in the dessert basket challenges the competitors to accept their fates and create innovative final plates.
Chopped Champions: Battle 1, Best of the Best
Returning winners, daunting baskets, killer pressure -- it must be Chopped Champions! The five-part tournament kicks off with a stellar group of defending champs, who must first rock a basket that includes pig ears. In the second round, the chefs must navigate the complicated relationship between fish and cheese; then, both the chefs and judges agree that artichokes are a cruel draw for dessert.
