The competing chefs are in for a surprise when they open the appetizer basket to find a peculiar pate. In round two, the competitors must work with a fish that they've never cooked before. When one of the final competitors has difficulty making ice cream in the dessert round, their Plan B may be meant to be.
Making their kids proud, four daring dads take on the pressure cooker that is the Chopped Kitchen, but how will the fathers-turned-competitors fare with fish and salt and vinegar potato chips in the appetizer round? The dads get the gift of a bottle of scotch in the entree basket. And after the two fathers fight it out in the dessert round, the judges debate whose rice pudding and pretzel dessert was more successful.
No commercial chicken here -- Anne cooks the real deal Coq Au Vin with fresh capon and of course plenty of red wine. Oysters topped with savory granita are the perfect crisp appetizer for this hearty meal.
Former winners and runners up from Worst Cooks in America arrive at the Chopped Kitchen with something to prove. In the first round, the competitors do a nice job with their frog leg appetizers, but the second round has the remaining chefs struggling to cook steak correctly. Then, in the last round, the cooks rely on ready-made doughs from the pantry to help them with their cocoa powder and pear desserts.
Roger loves a great barbecue sandwich and when the meat's cooked low and slow and kissed with just the right amount of smoke, he rolls up his sleeves and digs in. Roger heads to The Barbecue Exchange for two sinfully delicious sandwiches - one is called Heaven and the other Hell. Both are packed with pulled pork and bacon. Then it's off to Papa KayJoe's BBQ in Centerville, Tennessee where pork, pickles, slaw and hot sauce are sandwiched between crispy corn cakes.
Everyone's got a half pound of ground beef or a couple of frozen chicken legs sitting in the freezer, but how do you thaw out rock solid gems and turn them into delicious meals? Dave reaches into his freezer and slow cooks three dishes back to their tasty sparkle while showing us some fantastic freezer storage tips as well.
Sixteen astonishingly skilled young winners return to compete for a grand prize of $25,000. In the first battle of this five-part tournament, the champs get a French delicacy and a crunchy snack for the appetizer round. One competitor has never cooked pork tenderloin before, but finds it in the second basket. Finally, the champs' pantry picks in the dessert impact the judges' critiques.
In the third of four preliminary competitions, a new group of teen chefs arrives in the Chopped Kitchen with tons of energy, which they put to good use cooking short rib appetizers. An already-cooked, artificially-colored ingredient appears to be the most puzzling ingredient in the entree basket, and in the dessert round, a pastry bag of pate a choux leaves the competitors wondering what to do.
A new group of four champs compete to see who will advance to the $25,000 grand finale! An infamous Chopped ingredient appears in the appetizer basket, then steak could be a gift or a challenge for the kid cooks who make it to the entree round. Then, the two young cooks who get to make dessert must use a tangy fruit and a deep-fried treat.
Talented kid cooks compete with their brothers and sisters in an impressive show of cooperation in the Chopped Kitchen. The sibling teams uncover a strange pizza and some bitter greens in the appetizer basket. In round two, the judges find out if the kids have the chops to cook goat chops. Finally, a tropical fruit and a sugary cereal keep the kids on their toes in the dessert round.