فصل 15

Appetizer: lamb's head and chocolate cake. Entree: arctic char and vinegar. Dessert: yellow rice and persimmons.

For this Viewers' Choice competition, Chopped fans devise the cruelest baskets ever. Appetizer: two brightly colored manmade items and one of nature's most odious foods. Entree: a canned product that became infamous in a previous competition. The dessert basket proves very difficult for the finalists.

The chefs open the first basket to find ingredients inspired by Australia, including one that has everybody's jaw dropping. Then in the entree round, one competitor makes very ambitious plans; will everything come together for him as time runs out? And the finalists better not lollygag with lollies and lemon verbena in the dessert basket.

With a pre-grilled protein and a dried fruit in the appetizer basket, the chefs attempt to make an amazing first impression in the first round. Jitters in the second round cause one chef to drop something on the floor: Will she be able to pull herself together to put together a decent entree? In the final round, the last two chefs are in a hurry to make curry desserts that the judges will love, but one chef runs into serious trouble in the final seconds.

Four talented moms, who are not professional chefs, take on the mother of all kitchens, the Chopped kitchen. In the first round, the competitors have a lot of work to do, including breaking down an uncommon protein and figuring out how to make coffee a key part of their appetizers. Then in the entree round, a grain and a green must make it onto the plate. And when the last two moms find themselves facing off in the dessert round, they must make nutty and fruity flavors work together.

Four amateur chefs who have been yearning to compete in the Chopped kitchen get their chance! Yet, will they be sorry when they open up the first basket and find a daunting sea creature? Then in the entree round, an unfamiliar tuber challenges the competitors as the energy level peaks. The two amateurs remaining in the final round must create a dessert using crackers and red wine.

The usual rounds of appetizer, entree and dessert are replaced with breakfast, lunch and dinner, and the judges are hoping for pure decadence! In the first round, black forest bacon and prune juice are two of the mystery ingredients that the competitors must manage to transform. Then in the lunch round, some colorful surprises are in the basket.

Hup, two, three ... four chefs who have served in the Army or Navy bring military precision to the Chopped kitchen! In the appetizer round, a freeze-dried surprise in the basket has the chefs scrambling to add much-needed flavor to their plates. A large loaf and a tough candy make for a challenging second round. The last two military chefs go head-to-head in the dessert round, both badly wanting the win.

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.

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.

In the appetizer round, the chefs discover various creative ways to combine peppers and pork, and the judges wonder why one competitor makes a strange, last-minute decision. Then in the entree round, the chefs must wrestle with a heart-stopping protein. And the challenge in the dessert basket seems to be taming some super sweet ingredients.

The chefs' first challenge is to see what they can do with a very earthy first basket, including chia seeds and dandelion greens. Then in the entree round, tempeh is the tempting center of every plate. And the two finalists get a local sweetener and a fresh berry from which to make delicious desserts.

Four energetic chefs hit the ground running in the appetizer round, but the one chef who runs into the worst trouble with their currywurst dish must be chopped. The big curveball in the entree round — popcorn balls! Berries and oats meet in the final basket.