Valerie Bertinelli loves everything about football season, especially the halftime feast. This year's big game features new takes on old favorites, and Valerie is joined by actor Angela Kinsey, her husband, Josh Snyder and food writers Jo Stougaard and Jenn Harris. Just like a big game, there are two competing champion recipes for wings, but only one will take home the trophy for the best wings of the season.
Four former Chopped runners up are brave enough to return to the Chopped Kitchen, and in the appetizer basket, they find a shocker of a protein and some sweet jam. Sugar and spice are in store for the chefs in the second round, when they must use cheesecake and garam masala in their entrees. The dessert round finds the remaining two chefs gunning for victory... finally!
The chefs have two starchy ingredients to work with in the appetizer round: Chinese dumplings and Middle Eastern noodles. Then in the entree round, the three competitors go in different directions with lack of lamb, and will one chef recover after burning two of the mystery ingredients? And two pawpaw desserts are critiqued as the judges decide which chef will be the Chopped Champion.
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. All of the ingredients are selected by Scott himself, and a certain notorious vegetable is a true test in the appetizer basket. In the second round, one champion hits a major hurdle when an ingredient falls to the floor. Will there be enough time to pull a great plate together? And a simple pantry staple is part of the basket inspiration in the dessert round. The winner will get to cook with Scott as their sous chef in the finale fight!
Four winners return to Chopped's Casino Royale, gunning for the jackpot and the title of grand champion! As in the prelim battles, the chefs will have a choice to gamble away an ingredient before each round, and the $25,000 jackpot will get higher or lower depending on the champs' good or bad fortune. The appetizer round is a frenzy of excitement, as the competitors race to raise the bar and deliver the flavor. Nobody wants to swap out the beautiful rack of lamb in the entree basket, but the level of intensity is sky-high as the intoxicating possibility of a finale win sinks in. It all leads up to the final rolls and the final cooking round! Who will leave the casino with a huge jackpot and an even bigger sense of accomplishment?
In season 1, the remaining two chefs walk into the hallowed halls of Kitchen Stadium to complete their final test: Attain Greatness. With the Chairman looking on and host Alton Brown commentating from the side, the two finalists compete in a head-to-head final showdown by commencing in an official Iron Chef America battle.
Ree Drummond and her husband, Ladd, are celebrating their birthdays with a dinner for two. While he's out on the ranch, she makes Skillet Spaghetti and Meatballs with her favorite cheesy pesto Garlic Bread Pinwheels and Ladd's Chopped Wedge Salad with Italian Ranch. A fabulous Black Forest Cake for Two wraps up their birthday bash.