The Best Episodes of Chopped
Last Updated: Apr 3, 2019
Hosted by Ted Allen, Chopped is a high energy, fast paced cooking competition that challenges four up-and-coming chefs to turn a selection of everyday ingredients into an extraordinary three-course meal. After each course, a contestant gets "chopped" by our panel of esteemed culinary luminaries until the last man or woman left standing claims victory.
#1 - Sweet Second Chance!
Season 8 - Episode 3
Chopped, no more! Four previously-defeated chefs get a second chance at the $10,000 prize! Coming into this competition they could not have wanted a victory more, but will they want to call it quits once they see the mystery ingredients in the appetizer round? Then in the entrée round, the competitors' own hearts skip a beat at the sight of lamb hearts in the basket. And with just minutes left in the round, a frightening kitchen accident has everybody shaken. With an off-the-wall mystery ingredient in the mix in the final basket, the chefs are totally floored. And in a very physical dessert round, the finalists both yearn desperately to achieve sweet success at last.
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#2 - For Sake's Sake
Season 12 - Episode 13
Ostrich tenderloin appetizers are on the menu for the judges after a dramatic first round of cooking. And then, for creativity's sake, the chefs must work hard to make terrific entrees with sable fish and sake. When one of the final competitors uses a rolling pin to compress hot dog buns, the judges wonder what kind of dessert they will get.
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#3 - Chopped Chops
Season 20 - Episode 12
Frog leg fest: The chefs open the first basket to find the French delicacy and some fine fungi. Then in the entree round, some little beans and big pork chops cause the competitors difficulties. And one of the finalists decides to take the cheese in the basket and use it in an ice cream. Will it work?
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#4 - $50,000 Tournament: Grand Finale
Season 5 - Episode 8
The four finalists compete for the $50,000 grand prize. They must use a large sea creature in their appetizers and a wild combination of ingredients for their entrées.
8.50 #5 - Grandma Vs. Grandma
Season 19 - Episode 3
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.
8.50 #6 - Liver and Learn
Season 17 - Episode 7
The chefs receive calves' livers and ranch dressing in the first round, and the judges watch as four appetizers come together in 20 minutes. Then in the entree round, a small bird and a citrusy spice make for an interesting combination. And will hot sauce be a hit in the finalists' desserts?
8.43 #7 - Gefilte Dish
Season 40 - Episode 11
The chefs get some surprises in the ingredient baskets, starting with the appetizer round, when they have to make gefilte fish work with something super sweet and something soft and salty. The judges are excited to see a beautiful pork product in the entree basket, but will the chefs treat it right? And a particularly strange collection of ingredients in the dessert basket leaves the remaining two chefs scrambling to solve the final culinary puzzle.
8.40 #8 - Family Affair
Season 26 - Episode 7
A mom, dad, son and aunt who work in the same restaurant meet in the Chopped Kitchen, where it's every chef for themselves. In the first round, one family member's grill pan gets taken over by two relatives. In the entree round, chicken breasts seem like an easy protein to work with, but how will the chefs fare with the other mystery ingredients? The final two family members make desserts using dried fruit and a very sweet cake.
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#9 - Sweet Redemption
Season 3 - Episode 8
Four previous runners-up return and compete again in hopes of finally being named a "Chopped" champion.
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#10 - $50,000 Tournament: Part 3
Season 5 - Episode 6
Four previous winners return and compete for a chance at a $50,000 grand prize. They must use sweetbreads in their appetizers; a spiny seafood in their entrées; and pickles in their desserts.
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#11 - Happy Turkey Gizzards Day!
Season 11 - Episode 12
Gobble, gobble, it's Turkey Day in the Chopped Kitchen! When the chefs are given gizzards in the first basket, will they feel thankful? The competitors step up their games when everyone's favorite — pumpkin pie — shows up in the entree basket. In the end the challenge is to compose some chocolatey desserts as part of the final Thanksgiving offering.
8.33 #12 - Chopped Champs Throwdown: Finale
Season 39 - Episode 5
Four repeat champs are back for the Chopped Champions Grand Finale and the chance to make a $50,000 meal! The appetizer basket challenges the chefs with a seafood delicacy that requires a high degree of thoughtfulness. An in-your-face shocker in the second basket leaves the remaining chefs racing to make bold plates. And with the prize at stake, the two remaining chefs face off in a dessert round with a basket that is fittingly difficult.
8.31 #13 - Haricot Flair
Season 20 - Episode 10
Yes, we have no bananas! But we do have banana blossoms in the first basket and four women competing! The three chefs who make it to the entree round must work with a notoriously stinky ingredient. And will a colorful ingredient in the last basket prompt the finalists to sprinkle a little fun on to their desserts?
8.30 #14 - All-Stars Tournament: Part 4
Season 24 - Episode 4
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.
8.29 #15 - Better Saffron Than Sorry
Season 15 - Episode 10
The chefs show off in the appetizer round by creating four unique interpretations of mussels with saffron. In the entree round, the baskets contain a particularly daunting protein: Will the competitors have the knowledge or experience to treat it correctly and make it work with blackberries? And pasta sheets make for a good blank canvas for dessert.
8.29 #16 - Teen Tournament: Grand Finale!
Season 25 - Episode 6
Four returning teen winners come back to compete for $25,000 and the title of Chopped Grand Champion! Excitement is at an all-time high, as the young cooks open the first baskets and find a pasta, some jarred seafood, a candy, and a veggie. Breaking down a giant fish is a daunting way to begin the entree round, and scant use of a certain other basket ingredient could mean elimination for one young champ. Then in an intense final round, the two remaining teens turn a mocktail and a festive cake into a $25,000 dessert.
8.27 #17 - Wild Ride
Season 24 - Episode 8
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.
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#18 - All-American Competition
Season 12 - Episode 5
It's a special all-American Chopped! Fierce competition is a matter of national and personal pride, as four chefs face off to see who will be the champ. From apple pie in the appetizer basket to bourbon for dessert, the patriotic theme makes for some yummy, original dishes. And 10,000 American dollars will go to the one chef who bests the others.
8.25 #19 - Chopped Tournament of Stars: Comedians!
Season 19 - Episode 6
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)
8.22 #20 - Chopped, Again!
Season 23 - Episode 3
It's a second chance at victory, for four losing chefs seeking redemption. After the chefs make skate and pomegranate molasses appetizers, one chef must endure the indignity of being the first chef re-chopped. In the entree round, the competitors work with a boozy ice cream and an amusingly-named British pudding. In the dessert round, a German tart is a good start.
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#21 - First Things Worst
Season 4 - Episode 6
It's up to the judges to determine whichchef fell short.
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#22 - Reversal of Fortune
Season 11 - Episode 10
The chefs struggle to make composed, elegant dishes with green goddess salad dressing in the first round. The second round brings about a reversal of fortune, when the competitors impress the judges with what they can do with fortune cookies and brazino. Two finalists go full steam ahead into the last round; but when the chefs realize they are making the exact same dessert, using sourdough bread, will either competitor change course?
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#23 - Mussels Mastery & Cotton Candy Can-Do
Season 4 - Episode 5
The chefs have to come up with tasty mussel appetizers in just 20 minutes.
8.18 #24 - Meat Your Match
Season 40 - Episode 10
Four female butchers battle it out for a shot at $10,000. In the first round, the competitors must break down a large piece of beef while sizing up a sweet salad in the basket. Fresh chickpeas pose a time-consuming challenge in the second basket. Then, a third savory round gives the last two women a final chance to show off their butchery skills.
8.17 #25 - Cook Your Butt Off!
Season 15 - Episode 9
Four chefs with incredible weight-loss stories charge into the Chopped kitchen to compete. In the first mystery basket they find a fatty protein that challenges them to stick to their healthier-food philosophies. In the entree round, there's a fish to breakdown and a snackfood to transform. And when the final two physically fit competitors dash into the dessert round, the judges watch eagerly to see if their angel food cake creations will be heavenly.
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