The third and final seat at the judges' table is up for grabs! Four precocious kids tackle the mystery baskets, with a baking theme in effect. The appetizer basket reveals a South American sausage and a cheesy baked treat. The young cooks are surprised to find their protein in whole-animal form in the entree round, then the finalists must transform a tart berry and colorful cookie dough into delicious desserts. Amanda Freitag, Alex Guarnaschelli and Scott Conant serve as judges.
For the first time in Chopped history, kid competitors have a chance at becoming a Chopped judge! In the first competition, judged by Amanda Freitag, Alex Guarnaschelli and Marc Murphy, a burger theme shapes what the kids must cook. For the appetizer round, they have to use an unusual popsicle and a small egg delicacy. The entree round delivers straightforward burger meat, but with a sweet oniony condiment. Then, the remaining kid cooks must figure out how to make burger-inspired desserts using a cured meat ingredient and fresh fruit.
The kid cooks learn that they'll be making the most fun cuisine, foods on sticks, for judges Sunny Anderson, Marcus Samuelsson and Dale Talde. Their skewered appetizers must include a fair classic and some stuffed pasta. Cake pops are a whimsical treat for the entree round. Finally, there's a super sweet collection of ingredients in the dessert basket.
When the junior chefs encounter alarmingly outlandish surprises in every basket, will working with weird ingredients stop them from cooking at their best? A swamp special must be combined with a spicy frozen dessert in the appetizer round. Peppers and puffer fish tails are in the entree basket. Finally, the kid chefs get a Scandinavian pancake for a dessert-round shocker. Food Network Star finalist Martita Jara guest judges with chefs Marcus Samuelsson and George Mendes.
In a circus-themed competition, a new bunch of 10- and 11-year olds dare to make appetizers using corn and playful cookies. The entree basket reveals a finger food and some beautiful produce, then in the dessert round, the chefs tackle a baked good and a something covered in caramel. Actor Ryan Guzman joins The Kitchen's Sunny Anderson and Geoffrey Zakarian on the judging panel.
The young cooks tackle baskets of leftover and often-wasted food, starting with cheese rinds and takeout leftovers in the appetizer round. Then, they find some unwanted produce that must be worked into an entree. For dessert, the finalists find creative uses for forgotten fruit and baking leftovers to win over judges Amanda Freitag, Sam Kass and Marc Murphy.
Caribbean flavors rule in this tropical competition, presided over by judges Scott Conant, Amanda Freitag and musician Ziggy Marley. The competitors come out strong in the appetizer round when they must cook with a classic Caribbean spice blend. Then, the junior chefs must pair fish with fruit in the entree round. The two finalists open the dessert basket to find a green fruit and citrus cookies.
A new batch of kids celebrate mac and cheese in all three rounds, beginning with appetizers containing the ready-to-make version. A bright orange snack and fancy cheese must work their way into entrees, then in the final round, even the judges -- actress Betsy Brandt and chefs Marc Murphy and Nguyen Tran -- are surprised to see how mac and cheese can be interpreted in dessert form.
A fun twist on a classic comfort food is paired with pricey truffles in the appetizer round. In round two, the junior chefs must roll up their sleeves to deal with a large blue squash. Then, the two finalists find creative ways to make desserts with of out-of-this-world lollipops and green fruit. Food journalist Michelle Park, chef Chris Santos and singer Ruben Studdard take over the judging panel.
In this grilling competition judged by singer Jessie James Decker, food writer Jed Portman and chef Geoffrey Zakarian, a new batch of precocious junior chefs must use a classic cornmeal dish in the appetizer round. The grill pans continue to get a workout in round two, where the kids must combine a marshmallow treat with white barbecue sauce. Then, the dessert round delights the finalists when they find a magnificent cake in the basket!