We heart Julia Child! Devotees of the cooking icon endeavor to make her proud in this preliminary battle of a five-part tournament event. Every basket will be inspired by a different Julia Child recipe, and every round will be a celebration of her extraordinary life and legacy. In the appetizer round, the competitors are challenged to riff on the idea of fish stew. Upon opening the entrée basket, the chefs discover that their meal will include veal. Then, fruit and processed cheese make for an oddball combo in dessert. The winner advances to the tournament's finale!
Three Chopped Junior Champions are taking a seat at the Chopping Block, as four regular Chopped judges -- Amanda Freitag, Alex Guarnaschelli, Marcus Samuelsson and Chris Santos -- compete for $25,000 for charity. The chefs are cooking with some of the same ingredients that the kids did, but with a few shocking twists, starting with cured fish roe in the appetizer basket. The entree basket contains some familiar barbecue ingredients, and the chefs must also incorporate an elaborate gelatin creation. The dessert basket turns into an ice cream showdown, and the remaining two chefs must cook with ears!
Three champions arrive back in the Chopped kitchen with their sights set on taking down a formidable foe, esteemed judge Amanda Freitag. The champions realize it will be a tough challenge when they open up the first basket and find chicken gizzards and fish heads. In the entree round, duck seems like a gift, but at least one champion struggles to cook it properly in the given time. When Amanda and her challenger must work with a Japanese omelet and a Mexican beverage in the final round, will the combination result in brilliant fusion or total confusion?
In this spectacular battle of the judges, four Chopped deities -- Amanda Freitag, Marcus Samuelsson, Chris Santos and Tiffani Faison -- bring an intensity to the kitchen that has never been seen before. With their sights set on making it to the tournament's $100,000 finale, the judge-competitors open the appetizer basket and find a strange fish dish and some tiny exotic fruits. A pizza topped with something wild is the star ingredient in the entree basket, and a vegetable disguised as a meat is a treat in the dessert basket. A riveting final elimination will leave only one Chopped titan jubilant.
Four champions return to the kitchen as favorites of legendary judge Alex Guarnaschelli. The winner will return for the tournament's grand finale, with Alex as their sous chef. In the first round, a French pastry and a richly flavored fish are two pieces of the culinary puzzle that Alex has devised for her special group of competitors. A lowbrow, universally beloved item is in the entrée basket. Then, the two chefs who make it to the dessert round have ambitious plans for some of Alex’s favorite sweet ingredients, but only one champ can advance in this Chopped Legends tournament!
With only two spots remaining in the $50,000 Chopped Champions Grand Finale competition, four champs attempt to elbow their way to victory. In the appetizer round, the chefs are unsure how to treat a pretty fruit and a succulent seafood product. Whose choices will leave the judges impressed? Then the champs try to balance out the flavors of a great big fish and a little cookie in the entree round. And with two champs left champing at the bit to cook dessert, the judges wonder if either one can turn duck fat and guava paste into sweet perfection.