Food-truck and food-cart pros, on a roll, fight it out for Chopped Kitchen dominance. The mandatory appetizer round ingredients range from a cheap, sweet treat to a fine-dining indulgence. The three chefs who move on to the entree round find a pork delicacy and a Mexican staple. And when the finalists take on the dessert round, there is potential for confrontation over a key piece of equipment.
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.
The chefs learn that there is a "money saver" theme for this special competition: Ingredients in each basket will not exceed $10, but the chefs' dishes are still expected to look and taste like a million bucks. In the first round, a meatless basket has some of the chefs searching for protein in the pantry. Then various levels of creativity are one of the factors that the judges consider while analyzing three ham-steak entrees. And the dessert basket, including chocolate chips, seems deceptively simple.
Four distinct groups of champs will return to the Chopped Kitchen: professionals, amateurs, heroes and celebrities, all leading up to a grand finale where one chef will seize the biggest prize in Chopped history: $50,000 and a new car! In this initial battle, four stellar professionals fight to see who will represent the pros in the finale. They have to wrangle and cook eels and figure out what to do with a super salty veggie for their appetizers. Then in the entree round, the champs have to work with a bird and a soda. And a special cheese and a creepy chocolate item appear in the dessert basket.
Some of the most beloved amateur winners return to the Chopped Kitchen for a shot to compete in the $50,000 finale. In the appetizer round the competitors must use salsa and cheese blintzes in their culinary masterpieces. Then as the entree round gets started, an off-balance tug-of-war over a piece of equipment has everybody laughing, except for the chef who loses the fight. And grapefruit is among the loot the last two champs find in the dessert basket.
With two spots left in the $50,000 Ultimate Champions Grand Finale, the Chopped Kitchen welcomes back four incredible cooking heroes -- two firefighters, a police officer and an army vet. In the appetizer round, the hero champs must get creative in order to make savory dishes with pineapple and fruit and nut bars. Then in the entree round, the champs find some lovely stalks of spring garlic in the basket, as well as some beautiful lamb chops. And an unpleasantly purple ingredient that the cooks must work into a dessert makes for a challenging last round.
Four Chopped Champions from the world of entertainment and sports compete for the last spot in the $50,000 finale. In the appetizer round, the celebrity champs find a peculiar type of flour and sweet tea in the baskets. Then a can of soup in the entree round causes various issues for the competitors. And the judges taste banana paste and cream cheese desserts before deciding on the last finalist.
In a Chopped first, three not-at-all-average "Joes" fight it out against one outstanding pro, with $50,000 and a new car on the line! When the competitors get risotto in the first round, they have to decide whether to completely transform it or to greatly enhance its flavor. Then in the entree round, there's a huge surprise in the basket that not all of the champs are excited to see. And with the grand prize looming large, the last two competitors open the basket to find some booze and some baked goods.