Seasons & episodes

A surge of excitement is felt in the Chopped Kitchen when the chefs find out that every mystery basket will contain chocolate! In the first round, the chefs must figure out how to make chocolate ingredients work with pork chops. The baskets in the entree round contain beef along with dark chocolate. The two lucky, talented finalists aim to amaze the judges with their milk chocolate and graham cracker desserts.

Eight chefs comprised of cooking duos have been invited to the Chopped Kitchen to compete in pairs. In the first round, the couples learn to navigate the space together as they make appetizers that include date vinegar and chili garlic coated peas. For the entree round, there is a lively sea critter in the basket as well as some sweet potato patties. And the two cooking couples who make it to the dessert round must come up with some fresh ideas for creme fraiche and port wine.

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.

It takes a very brave home cook to take on Chopped once, and these amateurs are courageous enough to come back for a second time. In the first round, vegan roast is an ingredient to be reckoned with. In the second round, a small bird and a sugary breakfast item are part of the vexing entree puzzle that the amateurs must solve. Some sweet-and-savory candies and a special spice blend keep the last two competitors on their toes, as they fight to be the last one standing tall as the Chopped Champion.

In this competition, the usual rounds are replaced with breakfast, lunch and dinner. The morning meal must include tiny eggs and fancy coffee. In the second round, the chefs have to make midday meals featuring lunchbox favorite peanut butter and jelly. A strange turn of events in the dinner round finds one of the competitors searching frantically for an ingredient that has mysteriously vanished from sight.

It's a great fake out, when all the basket ingredients are in disguise. Everyone should taste the "chicken wings" in the first basket, which are a secretly sweet item. The "cake" in the second round and "tomato soup" in the dessert basket also require a close inspection. The duplicitous ingredients lead to trouble for all and even more potential for trickery lurks in the pantry.

Police officers and paramedics with culinary chops are in the Chopped Kitchen. In the first round, the contestants respond to a basket with hummus chips and ground bison. In the second round, they must jump into action and figure out how to make fiery jawbreakers work with rotisserie chicken. And angel food cake in the final basket is apropos.

It's a friendly competition between friends, when the Chopped judges face off with baskets containing leftover ingredients. In the appetizer round, the chefs must turn tuna noodle casserole into something new. Rice left in a pan and soup saved for later are two of the ingredients in the entree basket. In the dessert round, leftover cake must be turned into something innovative and delicious.

It's a battle for all the carnivores, celebrating the art of barbecue in the Chopped Kitchen. In the first basket, the chefs find a regional barbecue sauce and jumbo shrimp. In round two, the chefs scramble to make delicious pork spare ribs entree. After two savory barbecue courses, the last two chefs must make sweet and hearty desserts with bananas and coconuts.

All-Star chefs Madison Cowan, Eric Greenspan, Brian Malarkey and Art Smith converge in the Chopped Kitchen to fight it out for a spot in the $75,000 finale. In the first round, a slimy ingredient provokes some disgusted reactions from the competitors and judges. In the entree round, the beautiful fish in the basket leads the chefs to make some surprising mistakes. And when the two finalists go in totally different directions with their desserts, it's up in the air which approach will be more pleasing to the judges.

The second group of All-Star chefs, Anne Burrell, Hung Huynh, Mary Sue Milliken and Dale Talde, come out swinging for the fences with appetizer baskets containing a soup and a sour surprise. In the entree round, a cheesy party food must be matched with some expensive offal. The two star chefs who make it to the dessert round are challenged to make delicious dishes with a refreshing drink and some airy cookies.

Four new All-Stars (Cat Cora, Antonia Lofaso, Michael Psilakis and Marcel Vigneron) strut into the Chopped Kitchen, sights set on the Grand Finale. In the first round, a special Spanish meat must be paired with an airy cookie. The chefs who make it to the second round face a huge ingredient to butcher and some tiny, sour fruits to tame. Flavored water and clarified butter are part of the culinary puzzle that the final two chefs have to solve in their desserts.

There's just one more spot in the Grand Finale up for grabs, and Rocco DiSpirito, Jet Tila, Fabio Viviani and Lee Anne Wong all want it. The All-Stars open the appetizer baskets and find a succulent seafood and an Asian pastry. In the entree round, the chefs will need to get creative in order to cook a perfect piece of beef in time. And some fish-shaped snacks meet crystals that pop in the dessert round.

With four winning All-Stars returning to the Chopped Kitchen, and $75,000 on the line for someone's favorite charity, the judges are set to enjoy a masterful meal. The competitors find something purple and something fishy in the appetizer basket. In a tense entree round, a seafood tower threatens to topple the competitors' cool. Before being awarded the largest charitable prize in Chopped history, the final two All-Star chefs must handle a very hot pepper and conquer a cookie cake in the dessert round.

The chefs get beef tendon balls in the appetizer basket, a very tough ingredient -- literally. In the entree round, fresh vermicelli noodles seem to get the best of some smart competitors. And caramelized onions don't scream dessert, but shouting out for more time in the final round is not an option for the last two chefs.

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.

Fun at the carnival is the theme for this special Chopped competition. In a sign of what's to come, the chefs open the first basket to find that two out of the four ingredients are deep-fried. An outrageous sundae is the centerpiece of the second basket, but it's the deep-fried ravioli that causes trouble for one competitor. Then, after a wild final round, the judges face an unprecedented dilemma.

Taking a break from their studies to crush it in the Chopped Kitchen, four college students compete for culinary superiority. In the first round, the young amateur cooks must work with a dorm-life starchy staple and a bag of frozen veggies. The college kids then look for creative ways to make use of a savory microwaveable snack in the entree round. And with both sweet and salty surprises in the dessert basket, the final two cooks seek to make balanced desserts to complete their meals.

In this special competition, the baskets are packed with healthy ingredients, from which the chefs will be creating delicious dishes that also happen to be nutritious and moderate in calories. In the first round, the judges are impressed by the fish dishes that the lean, mean competitors prepare. Then in the entree round, some heat in the basket helps the chefs add flavor without adding fat. And will the finalists be able to make yummy desserts that include green smoothies and rice crackers?

It's a Chopped tailgate party! In the first round, the chefs must prepare pretzel roll and chicken wing appetizers. Then will the chefs make the obvious from the burger patties in the second basket, or stretch their imaginations in an effort to impress the judges? With the end zone in sight, the final two chefs open the dessert round to find four fruity surprises.

The four chefs learn that the mystery ingredients must be transformed into delicious gastropub food. House-smoked bacon and homemade pickles are found in the appetizer baskets. A cocktail and a classic English pub dish must be transformed in the entree plates, and suds and tots have to be included in the desserts.

Faster than a speeding reindeer, Cooking Channel stars Gabriele Corcos, Kelsey Nixon, Roger Mooking and Jim Stacy are set to take on a holiday challenge in the Chopped Kitchen, with $10,000 on the line for their favorite charity. The beautiful appetizer basket features a whole roasted goose. Then after a meat-and-potatoes entree round, the two finalists open the dessert basket to find some fruit and some pie dough. Will they take the hint or take a more creative approach?

In the first preliminary competition of the Chopped Teen Tournament, a strangely fuzzy ingredient is one of the surprises awaiting the young chefs in the appetizer round. Then in the entree round, a challenging protein must be paired with a processed cheese. And the judges become increasingly concerned for the last two teens, who encounter a number of problems combining chips and candies into yummy final dishes.

Four new whiz kids battle it out in this second competition of the Teen Tournament. Expensive crustaceans are a bit of a shocker in the appetizer baskets, while nerves and mishaps plague round two, and one of the competitors gets flustered with the sharpness of the knives and the scarcity of time allotted to complete creative lamb entrees. The two teen chefs who make it to the dessert round must create yummy, sweet dishes with a frozen treat and an Indian spice.