When the young chefs must butcher and cook snakes in the appetizer round, will they be too squeamish to let their skills shine through? In the entree round, a dense oddball of a cake must be worked into lamb shoulder dishes. Then, the last precious seconds of the round are a show of desperation and cooperation as the finalists are challenged to make creative, caffeinated desserts for the judges, actor Chris Colfer and chefs Raiza Costa and Amanda Freitag.
Chefs Kardea Brown and Amanda Freitag are joined by actor Andrew Rannells to judge a very fishy competition! Some sugary items in the first basket have the competitors wondering how to create balanced fish dishes, and time management issues create big problems for one junior chef and a difficult choice for the judges. Canned pasta and an extremely salty veggie are two of the entree round ingredients, then an injury in the dessert round puts one finalist in jeopardy of ruining their dish.
Actress Ali Larter, Food Network Star contestant Arnold Myint and chef Chris Santos are on the judging panel and are ready to put these junior chefs to the test! The first round has boar and is anything but boring when plans fall apart for one of the competitors in the final seconds. A delectable fish and some colorful tubers are two of the must-use entree ingredients, then a taco theme in the dessert basket promotes a lot of creativity.
A new round of talented junior chefs storms the kitchen to win over judges Alex Guarnaschelli, Eddie Jackson and actress Christine Taylor. First, kids heart pasta, but will the competitors love the heart-shaped pasta in the appetizer round? Some shellfish that are still on the shell and a lime unlike any lime the competitors have ever tasted are part of the challenge in round two. Then, a creative take on cookies and milk is discovered in the dessert basket.
The young competitors get a generous 30 minutes to cook minute steak in the appetizer round. Breaking down a bird is part of the challenge in round two, along with figuring out what to do with some cool ketchup. Then, the dessert basket contains some delicious stuffed fruit and a fun snack cake. The judging panel features chefs Amanda Freitag and Kristen Kish and former MLB player Jason Varitek.
Neatness is always important in plating, but with sloppy joes as a mandatory ingredient in the first round, the judges -- food blogger Siri Daly, actress Cheryl Hines, and chef Geoffrey Zakarian -- must excuse some sloppiness! A red pesto and some white turnips keep things interesting in the entree round, then a yummy bacon apple pie is found in the dessert basket.
A new group of ambitious junior chefs enter the kitchen with hopes of winning over a special panel of judges: chef Alex Guarnaschelli, Cooking Channel's Kelsey Nixon, and food blogger/chef Donal Skehan. The young competitors start by attempting to make a delicious appetizer with both octopus and a tart dessert bar. An equally confounding meat is at the center of the entree basket, then the finalists see what they can do with some strange fruit and some colorful seeds in their desserts.
Four fresh-faced junior chefs must give it their all to impress the judges, model Jourdan Dunn and chefs Carla Hall and Chris Santos. In round one, the competitors must confront a soft drink with a wacky flavor, and some grapes in a funny shape and a crunchy healthy snack are required elements in the young chefs' goat entrees. Then, there's big drama in the dessert round as one competitor attempts a last-ditch dash to the ice cream machine.
A new group of ambitious junior chefs must win over a special panel of judges: chef Tiffany Derry, actress Busy Philipps and chef Aaron Sanchez. First up, an odd egg and a unique version of chicken and waffles are found in the basket. Orange noodles and a red paste are among the colorful ingredients that the young chefs must promptly address in the entree round, and the two finalists must find creative ways to turn Italian pudding and sweet sushi-shaped sandwiches into original desserts.