Seasons & episodes

Four former runners-up seek redemption; the first round features a faux meat and a hot mustard; sour grapes is an appropriate ingredient in the second basket.

Two cultures collide in the first round, when the chefs must combine kimchi and gefilte fish. The second round has the chefs working with uniquely flavored vodka and a green snack. And when the two finalists find marshmallow cake and citrusy water in the final basket, the judges hope for delicious desserts.

Four stars who love to cook compete in the Chopped Kitchen for a favorite charity. The party begins with sparkling cider and doughnuts in the first basket. Wagyu steaks are served up for the entree round. And the final moments of the competition are filled with drama and suspense as the competitors rush to get their plum pudding desserts plated.

The chefs get a special tool in the basket to help them bust apart a challenging ingredient: a giant jawbreaker. The judges hope the shards-of-candy appetizers do not cause them any harm! Then a trendy pastry meets a North African stew in the second basket. And rosemary and ginger must be combined in the desserts.

Four talented teenaged chefs bring their energy and ambition to the Chopped Kitchen! With a $40,000 scholarship on the line, the young competitors open up the first basket and find a sweet drink and a juicy fruit. Then in the entree round, the teen chefs are given some super sophisticated ingredients. And breakfast-like ingredients give the final two teens a rude awakening in the dessert round.

Time to shake things up in a big/small way as the chefs find out that this competition has a tapas theme. In the first round, the baskets contain some beautiful Spanish ingredients, including gazpacho. In the entree round, one chef makes an alarming choice after accidentally starting a small fire. And the two competitors who move on to the dessert round, featuring catalan creme, try to make mini creations bursting with flavor.

The chefs must make use of ingredients that are usually thrown out, for being imperfect, overripe or stale. For example, the first basket includes juicer pulp and tea bags. Then in the second round, the competitors have to get creative with a little bit of salad dressing and some paltry scraps of poultry. And the finalists get some often-tossed portions of a fruit and the peels of a veggie to work into their desserts.

Chopped: The firefighter competitors get the meal started with some hearty meat-and-cheese appetizers that would be a hit back at their firehouses, but will the judges enjoy them? Then in the entrée round, some big errors with a non-basket-ingredient gets one of the judges inordinately upset. And playing with fire is part of the challenge in the final round.

When the clock starts ticking down from 20 minutes, the chefs must rush to make appetizers with pickled pigs' feet and sweet potato chips. And one chef doesn't realize they've made a potentially costly mistake until it's too late. Then in the entree round, the competitors must try to make pie work with venison. And the two finalists come up with similar ideas for their desserts, but which dish will the judges prefer?

The chefs learn they will be expected to make a pizza perfect meal. In the first round one of the competitors takes a loose interpretation of the theme: How will the judges react? Then some unusual toppings must make their way onto the entrée pizzas. And the finalists must make pizza for dessert, with candied mushrooms and salted caramel sauce.

The chefs learn that they will be making hamburgers, in some shape or form, for every round, starting with veal burgers for appetizers. Then in the entree round a little quail egg causes a big headache for some of the competitors. And who's ever heard of a dessert burger?

With chocolate in every basket of this themed competition, the chefs must figure out how to make this perennial dessert favorite work in the first two savory courses. Then the two competitors who make it to the end must find a way to combine two chocolate ingredients with cherries and a German layer cake.

The chefs get some great news before the cooking begins: bacon will be in every basket! In the first one, they find Mangalista bacon and apple chips. Then in the second round, the judges watch to see if the competitors will be able to make dried cherries work with their pork entrees. French toast and bacon are a breakfast classic, but can the final two chefs manage to transform these mystery ingredients into dessert?

Chefs are brewing up as all three rounds are devoted to beer. Chefs must make sausages work with toasted lager for appetizers and a tasty tripel ale's in the basket for the entree round. The iconic beer & pretzels must be made into dessert.

Two starchy ingredients, Chinese dumplings and Middle Eastern noodles, are used in the appetizer round. Later, one chef burns two of the mystery ingredients when making a lamb entrée; and pawpaw desserts are made before the winner is named.

The competing chefs are forced to cook with the so-called "100-year-old egg" in the appetizer round; find mango pudding in their entrée baskets; and make desserts with waffle cones.

With courage to spare, four home cooks compete in the Chopped Kitchen to prove that they are as good as they think they are: But what will the judges think after tasting their chicken tenderloin appetizers? Then in the entree round, one of the competitors endeavors to pull off a very ambitious hanger steak dish within the 30-minute time limit. And two very unusual ingredients show up in the dessert basket, and the judges watch to see if the amateur cooks can figure out what to do with them.

Four chefs who lost in previous competitions return, wanting the win more than ever. A bright green dessert and a seafood snack must be worked into the competitors' appetizers. Then in the entree round, the chefs must contend with quinoa and sour candy. And with one more chance to redeem themselves, the two finalists fight to the end, as they make desserts from palm seeds and dulce de leche.

For the first time, four determined grannies face off in the Chopped Kitchen. In the appetizer basket they find a favorite grandma leftover: a coffee can of bacon grease. The three feisty grandmas who make it to the entree round must make meatloaf mix work with an aptly named cocktail. And the judges can't wait to get some grandmotherly love served up with their oatmeal desserts.

Four athletes, Brandi Chastain, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Greg Louganis and Charles Oakley, bring their fierceness and passion to the Chopped Kitchen for the premiere competition of a five part $50,000 Tournament of Stars. With the charities they are competing for in their minds, they open the first basket to find a scary ingredient: alligator. Then in the entree round, the celebs must cook with strange eggs and tiny limes. The two sports stars who make it to the dessert round put their athleticism and enthusiasm into making great final dishes that include crystallized ginger and wafer cookies.

The four competitors for this second part in the Tournament of Stars are all cooking-competition veterans, alums of Food Network's Rachael vs. Guy: Celebrity Cook-Off. But Coolio, Lou Diamond Phillips, Penn Jillette and Carnie Wilson have never stepped foot in the Chopped Kitchen! How will they do with beef tongue and microwaveable chocolate cake in the appetizer basket? Then the stars have a pizza party in the entree round, after they discover leftover slices in the basket. And with hopes of making it to the $50,000 finale, two competitors must make desserts using chocolate bars and banana chips.

Bringing the funny to the Chopped Kitchen, four comics (Sinbad, Tommy Davidson, Robert Wuhl and Gillian Vigman) compete for a chance to move on to the $50,000 finale. The stars open up the first basket and get a pork delicacy and a gummy candy. In the entree round, the three remaining comedians must make jalapeno poppers palatable with beer can chicken. And with vanilla cupcakes in the final basket, transforming the ingredient becomes key for the two finalists. (Episode: CQ1911H)

With only one spot left in the $50,000 charity tournament finale, actors Lucas Grabeel, Michael Imperioli, Peter Scolari and Tasha Smith bravely take on the role of chef. In the first round, one competitor tries desperately to figure out the right cooking technique for a tricky ingredient. And a pretty citrus fruit and a spiny lobster are two of the mystery ingredients that the competitors must demystify in the entree round. Then in the final round, the two remaining stars make a mess in the kitchen and some very creative desserts with mascarpone and strawberries. (Episode: CQ1912H)

The four amazing finalists open the first basket and get a drive-thru snack and a cold dessert. $50,000 is destined to go to one of the last three celebrities' favorite charities, but which stars will have good luck with the duck in the entree basket? And the fifteenth and final round of the Chopped Tournament of Stars is bound to be intense: do the competitors have enough culinary stamina left to make something yummy, beautiful and creative from churros and champagne? (Episode: CQ1913H)