Eric Adjepong welcomes chefs Kelsey Barnard Clark, Carlos Anthony and Crista Luedtke, who set their friendships aside for a cutthroat culinary competition with an impressive $15,000 pot of their cold, hard cash on the line. Throughout each battle, underdog Carlos tries to prove he belongs in the kitchen with two of the fiercest chefs in the Food Network universe, until one of these frenemy chefs emerges to take home the win.
It's fry-day in the Chopped Kitchen and the judges will be expecting deep-fried deliciousness on every plate. In the first round, the competitors work with hot dogs and taro root. During judging on the entree round, featuring cookies and cube steak, the judges must debate whether a repeated mistake should warrant one chef's elimination. And an ooey, gooey cake and salted caramel make for some sweet creations in the final round.
Four rock stars with a passion for cooking (Lita Ford, Kelly Hansen, Eddie Ojeda and Dweezil Zappa) take over the Chopped Kitchen in hopes of winning $10,000 for a favorite cause. In the first round the cooks attempt to make harmonious appetizers with a bubbly drink and a "punny" protein. In the entree round, lamb is the jam. The final rock 'n' roll-themed round has the competitors cooking with rock candy and lemon rolls.
Four fourth and fifth graders attempt to stand tall in the Chopped Kitchen! The mini culinary artists find a very kid-friendly ingredient in the first basket: cotton candy. In the second round, the judges are thoroughly impressed by the three remaining little cooks, who are seeking to make delicious entrees from pizza dough and a bitter green. And an exciting dessert round features brownie mix as one of the mystery ingredients.
Four chefs enter the Chopped kitchen for a diner-themed battle with three courses of elevated comfort food, all under the watchful eyes of guest judge Neil Patrick Harris. The chefs find pie in the first basket and must rise to the challenge of making an appetizer with it. A play on pancakes is a clever addition to the second basket, and a breakfast-inspired final basket leads the chefs in two distinct directions.
Guy Fieri challenges three all-star chefs to make guilty pleasure dishes from the comfort of their own homes. In both rounds, Guy plays a game that determines the mandatory ingredients from the fun-filled boxes he sent the chefs. However, they can only rely on whatever ingredients they have in their home kitchen pantries. The chef with the highest score across both rounds gets to spin the Money Wheel for a shot at $20,000.
Three chefs remain, but only one can survive to face the Gauntlet. The Chairman's Challenge narrows the field by forcing the chefs to adapt when they get to choose two difficult ingredients for their competitors to create one unified dish. Then, the two remaining chefs head to Kitchen Stadium for their last Secret Ingredient Showdown, and judges Iron Chef Cat Cora and Rocco DiSpirito decide who has the chops to enter the Gauntlet.
Four college students with a passion for cooking take over the Chopped Kitchen to prove who can make the grade. A humble pizza and common protein keep the appetizer basket relatable but present a challenging culinary puzzle. A caffeinated drink is a featured ingredient in the entree round, although the wildly energetic competitors hardly need it. The two remaining competitors must then make ambitious plans for the peanut butter and banana dessert basket.
Chef Robert Irvine's expertise at saving failing restaurants is put to the test at Sullivan's in Fruita, Colo. The restaurant is on the verge of bankruptcy and owner Ginny is on the verge of a breakdown. Neglected and dirty, Sullivan's needs chef Robert and his team to give it a new identity in the kitchen and in the dining room. Will the tight deadline and $10,000 budget be too much to save this failing pub?
Chef Robert travels to Hagerstown, Md., on a mission to save the Georgia Boy Cafe. The stress of the restaurant is ruining the once loving relationship between owners Chuck and Montez, who now avoid each other at all costs or end up screaming at each other in front of their guests. Robert also needs to address the heaping health hazards in the kitchen, but first, he needs to get the owners back on speaking terms.