The BEST episodes of Chopped season 36

#1 - Epic Eats

Season 36 - Episode 11 - Aired 2/27/2018

In an indisputably indulgent competition, the chefs find that every basket contains at least one epic ingredient -- an extreme example of something completely craveable. The appetizer basket brings them a big, bold marriage of two classic American comfort foods, and a savory cake is the showstopper in the entree round. A puzzling dessert basket reveals something gummy and something over-the-top yummy.

#2 - Gold Medal Games: Fast!

Season 36 - Episode 5 - Aired 1/16/2018

Four culinary contenders race to make a phenomenal meal under pressure in this exciting Gold Medal Games heat featuring chefs who are speed demons in the kitchen. The chefs are shocked to learn that every round will be five minutes shorter than usual! In the 15-minute appetizer round, the culinary athletes are burdened by some extremely tedious prep work and challenged by a sweet surprise. A wild watermelon and an expensive fish keep things interesting in the entree round. And there's no shortage of nopales in the dessert basket as the final two speedster chefs chase their dream of landing a spot in the $50,000 Grand Finale.

#3 - Gold Medal Games: Baking

Season 36 - Episode 6 - Aired 1/23/2018

Four chefs famous for baking take on a thrilling heat in the Chopped Gold Medal Games! In the first round, the chefs must focus their creativity on a grocery store breakfast dough and a lovely cut of lamb. The peculiarities of a second dough and nostalgic spaghetti product must be sorted out in round two. Baking opportunities abound in round three, but will the judges be happy with the desserts the remaining competitors make with hot chocolate and banana curd? Only one chef will advance to the $50,000 Grand Finale.

#4 - Gold Medal Games: Grilling

Season 36 - Episode 4 - Aired 1/9/2018

Four renowned chefs battle to prove why grilling is a winter "sport" worth cheering for, but only one can advance to the $50,000 Grand Finale. An uncooked pastry and a bone-in steak challenge the chefs in the appetizer round. In the entree round, the competitors encounter a guilty-pleasure snack and a Korean side dish. And will the last two contenders know what a pig pickin' cake is or how to reimagine it in the dessert round?

#5 - Cocktail Party

Season 36 - Episode 2 - Aired 12/19/2017

#6 - Chocolate, Chocolate, Chocolate!

Season 36 - Episode 9 - Aired 2/13/2018

The pastry experts battling it out in the Chopped Kitchen are excited to learn that they'll be making candy, cake and ice cream in this all-desserts challenge. They face three rounds of chocolate, but an unwelcome, squirmy invader in the first basket threatens to dampen their enthusiasm. Round two has the chefs making ambitious baking plans that must include hummus, and some savory finds in the final basket challenge the remaining competitors to strike a flavor balance or risk being chopped.

#7 - Mardi Gras Goals

Season 36 - Episode 8 - Aired 2/6/2018

Get ready for some culinary revelry as four New Orleans chefs take on a Mardi Gras competition! The baskets are packed with perennial NOLA favorites, including po' boys in the appetizer round. The judges hope none of the competitors ruin the roux in the second basket, and a traditional cake and a boozy coffee challenge the final two chefs in dessert.

#8 - Better Duck Next Time

Season 36 - Episode 1 - Aired 12/12/2017

Luck is not on the competitors' side as they open the first basket to find not duck breast, but a more formidable foe: duck tongue. A bitter juice and a pretentiously presented American classic challenge the chefs in the entrée round. For the last two chefs battling it out in the dessert round, a peachy final basket is anything but easy.

#9 - Gold Medal Games: Grand Finale

Season 36 - Episode 7 - Aired 1/30/2018

All eyes are on the four returning champions to find out who will be the Gold Medal Games Grand Champion and go home with $50,000! In the first round, the elite culinary athletes open up their baskets to find something grilled and something intended to frighten them. In the entree round, the judges wonder which competitors will be far, far off in their treatment of far far, an Indian snack food. And champagne (in an unusual form) is in the final basket, but there won't be any celebrating until after the final chop!

#10 - The Light Stuff

Season 36 - Episode 10 - Aired 2/20/2018

Four fit chefs take on the challenge to cook creative, healthy dishes that are light on calories but big on flavor. A faux noodle and a beautiful fish fillet are two of the round one mystery ingredients, and the second round revolves around a diet drink and a protein-packed snack box. When both remaining chefs plan to use the ice cream machine for their acai berry powder desserts, there's a chance someone will be left out in the cold when time runs out.

#11 - Gold Medal Games: Frying

Season 36 - Episode 3 - Aired 1/2/2018

In this gripping heat, four famous fry masters compete to see which elite competitor will move on to the $50,000 Gold Medal Games finale. The first basket comes packed with a fun fair treat and a gamey meat. The most challenging item that the chefs must manage in the second basket is, unfortunately, in a can. And the remaining competitors must roll with whatever is matched with matcha powder in the dessert basket.

#12 - Pork on the Brain

Season 36 - Episode 13 - Aired 3/20/2018

Everyone goes hog wild in the Chopped Kitchen as the chefs take on a pork-themed competition. The first basket threatens to contain too much of a good thing, and a beautiful cut of heritage-breed pork is juxtaposed with a questionable canned product in the entree round, sending the chefs in some creative directions with their dishes. While they would have welcomed bacon in round three, the finalists must make use of more unusual porky items in their desserts.

#13 - Dim Sum Yum

Season 36 - Episode 12 - Aired 3/6/2018

Pop goes the basket as the chefs must make bubblegum-flavored candy balance with hot and sour soup in their appetizer plates. Classic Cantonese dim sum is a yummy surprise in basket two. Then, the competitors who make it to the dessert round wind up working with something out-of-the-ordinary in a can plus a pink paste.

#14 - Fat Chance

Season 36 - Episode 14 - Aired 3/27/2018

The appetizer round prompts a couple of critical questions -- namely, what in the world is a narutomaki, and what are you supposed to do with it? The judges are astonished when one of the chefs takes an extremely unusual approach with the fish from the entree basket that also includes caul fat. Finally, the last two chefs attempt to make scrumptious dishes in the dessert round with Swedish syrup and a classic cookie.

#15 - You've Been Canned

Season 36 - Episode 15 - Aired 4/10/2018

The judges are excited by the prospect of beautiful octopus appetizers in the first round as the four chefs scramble to create dishes featuring mollusk morsels. The canned product in the second round threatens to throw the competitors off their game and leaves one chef in an unusual predicament. The two remaining chefs choose the same format for their Gorgonzola dolce desserts in the final round, leaving the judges to thoroughly compare the two dishes.