List of Chopped episodes (seasons 21–40)

This is the list of episodes (Seasons 21–40) for the Food Network competition reality series Chopped.

Series overview

SeasonEpisodesPremiereFinale
See overview of seasons 1–20
21 13 July 15, 2014 (2014-07-15) January 13, 2015 (2015-01-13)
22 13 October 14, 2014 (2014-10-14) June 30, 2015 (2015-06-30)
23 13 December 16, 2014 (2014-12-16) June 16, 2015 (2015-06-16)
24 13 April 28, 2015 (2015-04-28) December 8, 2015 (2015-12-08)
25 13 August 25, 2015 (2015-08-25) December 1, 2015 (2015-12-01)
26 8 October 6, 2015 (2015-10-06) December 17, 2015 (2015-12-17)
27 13 January 5, 2016 (2016-01-05) March 17, 2016 (2016-03-17)
28 13 March 29, 2016 (2016-03-29) June 21, 2016 (2016-06-21)
29 13 August 7, 2016 (2016-08-07) September 27, 2016 (2016-09-27)
30 8 September 22, 2016 (2016-09-22) December 20, 2016 (2016-12-20)
31 20 October 13, 2016 (2016-10-13) December 29, 2016 (2016-12-29)
32 12 January 3, 2017 (2017-01-03) May 2, 2017 (2017-05-02)
33 8 March 21, 2017 (2017-03-21) May 30, 2017 (2017-05-30)
34 13 May 9, 2017 (2017-05-09) November 7, 2017 (2017-11-07)
35 20 July 18, 2017 (2017-07-18) March 6, 2018 (2018-03-06)
36 13 December 12, 2017 (2017-12-12) June 5, 2018 (2018-06-05)
37 13 March 13, 2018 (2018-03-13) June 11, 2019 (2019-06-11)
38 13 May 15, 2018 (2018-05-15) May 28, 2019 (2019-05-28)
39 13 June 26, 2018 (2018-06-26) May 14, 2019 (2019-05-14)
40 13 July 17, 2018 (2018-07-17) July 16, 2019 (2019-07-16)
See overview of season 41 onwards

Season 21 (2014–15)

Series
No.
Season
No.
Title Original airdate
252 1 "Teen Tournament: Part One" July 15, 2014

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: cherry drink soaked pickles, lamb loin chops, kale chips, riccota salata
  • Entrée: mahi mahi, cookie snack chips, green beans, french fries
  • Dessert: gourmet frozen yogurt sundae, white balsamic vinegar, puffed rice cereal bars, dulce de leche

Judges:

Contestants:

  • Alexandria Brooks (age: 16), from Voorhees, NJ (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Ashley Dudley (age: 16), from Hancocks Bridge, NJ (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Jay Ureña (age: 16), from Queens, NY (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Jason Khaytin (age: 14), from Holland, PA (winner)

Episode notes: Part 1 of 5. Teenagers compete in this tournament for a spot in the finale where they would win $25,000 and a $40,000 culinary school scholarship. For the whole Teen Tournament, chefs were given 30 minutes for the appetizer round, instead of the usual 20 minutes.

253 2 "Teen Tournament: Part Two" July 22, 2014

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: jumbo shrimp, chunky peanut butter, jalapeños, sticky rice
  • Entrée: frog legs, mafaldine, bok choy, lobster mushrooms
  • Dessert: black and white cookies, fruit leather strips, cashews, agave nectar

Judges:

  • Marc Murphy
  • Amanda Freitag
  • Geoffrey Zakarian

Contestants:

  • Mikayla Layng (age: 13), from Lynbrook, NY (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Eyan Goldman (age: 16), from New York, NY (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Lucy Felong (age: 15), from Hightstown, NJ (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Dante Foggy (age: 17), from Burlington Twp, NJ (winner)

Episode notes: Part 2 of 5.

254 3 "Teen Tournament: Part Three" July 29, 2014

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: rabbit and ginger sausage, dandelion greens, dried currants, hot-sauce-flavored candy canes
  • Entrée: pineapple upside-down cake, Cornish hens, hen of the woods mushrooms, edamame hummus
  • Dessert: cinnamon cereal, pie crust, chocolate fudge sauce, grape carbonated candy

Judges:

Contestants:

  • Brandon Medley (age: 15), from Sewell, NJ (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Hannah Bukzin (age: 14), from Westport, CT (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Max Aronson (age 16), from Woodcliff Lake, NJ (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Tommi Rae Fowler (age: 16), from Townville, SC (winner)

Episode notes: Part 3 of 5.

255 4 "Teen Tournament: Part Four" August 3, 2014

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: salsa verde, chicken breasts, bundled lunch kits, blue corn tortilla chips
  • Entrée: buffalo tenderloin, couscous, rainbow chard, squeezable blueberry yogurt
  • Dessert: chocolate Swiss rolls, popcorn balls, blackberries, gummy fish

Judges:

  • Chris Santos
  • Alex Guarnaschelli
  • Alex Stupak

Contestants:

  • Antonio Jubela-Gordon (age: 16), from New York, NY (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Jake Diamond (age: 13), from Montclair, NJ (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Morgan Goldstein (age: 14), from Cleveland, Ohio (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Sequoia Pranger (age: 16), from Salem, Oregon (winner)

Episode notes: Part 4 of 5. Morgan cut herself in the second round.

256 5 "Teen Tournament: Grand Finale" August 12, 2014

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: octopus, purple cauliflower, kumquats, coconut caramel cookies
  • Entrée: antelope chops, red curry paste, rainbow carrots, ants on a log
  • Dessert: frozen mocha drink, Vacherin Mont d'Or cheese, jelly donuts, chocolate covered crickets

Judges:

  • Amanda Freitag
  • Alex Guarnaschelli
  • Alex Stupak

Contestants:

  • Sequoia Pranger (age: 16), from Salem, Oregon (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Jason Khaytin (age: 14), from Holland, PA (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Dante Foggy (age: 17), from Burlington Twp, NJ (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Tommi Rae Fowler (age: 16), from Townville, SC (winner)

Episode notes: Part 5 of 5. The previous four winners competed for a chance at $25,000 and a $40,000 culinary school scholarship. All the other contestants received a $1,000 gift card to FoodNetwork.com. Four of the teen chefs that did not win this season's Teen Tournament would return for a teen chef redemption episode in season 25 ('Teen Redeem'

257 6 "Food Truck Fight" August 19, 2014

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: strawberry shortcake ice cream bars, ground lamb, caviar, empanada dough
  • Entrée: whole suckling pig, red and white kabob sauces, corn tortillas, fiddlehead ferns
  • Dessert: Liège waffles, mangoes with spiced lime, Vietnamese iced coffee, flan

Judges:

Contestants:

  • Michael Natiello, Food Truck Owner from Bloomfield, NJ (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Han Ly Hwang, Former Food Truck Owner, from Portland, OR (eliminated after the entrée)
  • James Klayman, Food Truck Owner from New York, NY (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Nong Poonsukwattana, Food Truck Owner & Restaurateur from Portland, OR (winner)

Episode notes: Contestants are chefs who operate food trucks and carts. The suckling pig in the entrée basket was precooked.

258 7 "Ultimate Champions: Professionals" August 26, 2014

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: eel, pepihuates, shaved coconut, sea beans
  • Entrée: dressed squab, stuffed grape leaves, feta cheese, cherry cola
  • Dessert: grasshopper pie, Granny Smith apples, smoked salt, puffed rice

Judges:

  • Marc Murphy
  • Chris Santos
  • Scott Conant

Contestants:

Episode notes: Part 1 of a 5-part tournament featuring 16 past champions(4 professional chefs and 12 amateur champions) divided into 4 divisions of 4 contestants. The winner of each preliminary round advanced to the finale, whey they competed for a grand prize of $50,000, plus a new car. All contestants are professional chefs who were Chopped champions from other episodes. Fatima Ali had competed 2 other times before this (Episode 12.3 – "A Guts Reaction") and (Episode 14.3 – "Chopped Champions: Part 2"). This episode had a 30-minute "Chopped: After Hours" special that aired directly after the episode, consisting of previously online clips where judges engaged in friendly pseudo competition tackling one of the round's basket ingredients. Giorgio forgot an ingredient in the appetizer round but the judges loved his dish so he moved on.

259 8 "Ultimate Champions: Amateur Champs" September 2, 2014

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: cheese blintzes, salsa, poblano peppers, ground pork
  • Entrée: wagyu ribeye steak, jalapeño chips, pink pearl sedum, mangoes
  • Dessert: cookie spread, crème anglaise, grapefruit, microwaved mug cupcake

Judges:

  • Aarón Sánchez
  • Alex Guarnaschelli
  • Scott Conant

Contestants:

Episode notes: Part 2 of 5. All contestants are Chopped champions from other episodes featuring amateur cooks.

260 9 "Ultimate Champions: Heroes" September 9, 2014

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: sablefish, pineapple, fruit and nut bars, turnips
  • Entrée: rack of lamb, papaya, peppermint patties, spring garlic
  • Dessert: purple corn pudding, crystallized ginger, cinnamon spice coffee liqueur, pecans

Judges:

Contestants:

Episode notes: Part 3 of 5. All contestants are Chopped champions from other episodes featuring heroes(people who help others in some way). Two firefighters, a US army veteran, and a police officer are the hero contestants in this episode.

261 10 "Ultimate Champions: Celebrities" September 16, 2014

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: salmon fillets, avocados, sweet tea, cricket flour
  • Entrée: pork loin, cucumbers, black bean soup, chocolate body paint
  • Dessert: key lime juice, cream cheese, banana paste, ladyfingers

Judges:

  • Aarón Sánchez
  • Maneet Chauhan
  • Marc Murphy

Contestants:

Episode notes: Part 4 of 5. All the chefs are celebrities who formerly competed on Chopped for charity, each being a finalist in the tournament they originally competed in. Brandi, Carnie, and Gillian had competed against each other before when they were finalists in Season 19's Tournament Of Stars

262 11 "Ultimate Champions: Grand Finale" September 23, 2014

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: duck confit, orange cream ice pops, ramps, risotto
  • Entrée: pig's head, ajvar, vegetable steamed buns, chinese broccoli
  • Dessert: corn muffin tops, whiskey, macadamia nuts, chocolate covered gummy bears

Judges:

  • Scott Conant
  • Alex Guarnaschelli
  • Geoffrey Zakarian

Contestants:

Episode notes: Part 5 of 5. The 4 preliminary round winners were competing for a grand prize of $50,000, plus a new car of the winner's choice from Buick.

263 12 "Short Order Cooks" September 30, 2014

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: ground beef, tomatoes, slider buns, cotton candy
  • Entrée: broccoli rabe, chicken tenders, baked pizza dough, sour gummy candies
  • Dessert: banana pudding, vanilla ice cream, icing, brownie mix

Judges:

  • Geoffrey Zakarian
  • Alex Guarnaschelli
  • Scott Conant

Contestants:

  • Eitan Bernath (age: 11), from: Teaneck, NJ (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Christopher Pappas (age: 10), from: Long Island, NY (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Mona Ziabari (age: 10), from: Lehigh Valley, PA (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Lily Nichols (age: 11), from: NJ (winner)

Episode notes: The contestants in this special episode were children. Instead of the usual 20 minutes, they were given 30 minutes in the appetizer round. Due to the small height of the contestants, Ted had to help them reach for something at various times. This episode was dedicated to the memory of Lily Nichols' father, Jeffrey Nichols, who died just prior to the airing of this episode.

264 13 "Money Saver" January 13, 2015

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: chickpeas, baby red mustard greens, marinara sauce, silken tofu
  • Entrée: ham steaks, lemon lime soda, cottage cheese, pea tendrils
  • Dessert: pound cake, chocolate chips, honey, strawberries

Judges:

  • Geoffrey Zakarian
  • Alex Guarnaschelli
  • Scott Conant

Contestants:

  • Jun Robles, Chef de Cuisine from Portland, OR (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Christopher Arellanes, Chef de Partie from New York, NY (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Alluette Jones-Smalls, Chef and Owner from Charleston, SC (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Emily Chapman, Line Cook from New York, NY (winner)

Episode notes: The basket ingredients all cost less than $10; contestants were limited to using two parts of the pantry that were stocked with low-priced goods.

Season 22 (2014–15)

Series
No.
Season
No.
Title Original airdate
265 1 "Mummies and Gummies" October 14, 2014

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: gummy rats, canned pumpkin, bitter melon, mummy dogs
  • Entrée: graveyard dirt pudding, beef hearts, gummy body parts, pigs ears
  • Dessert: witch's brew, blood oranges, blue cheese, pretzel spider webs

Judges:

  • Amanda Freitag
  • Alex Guarnaschelli
  • Aarón Sanchez

Contestants:

  • Mark Murray, Private Chef from Stanford, CT (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Stephanie Mishoe, Pastry Chef from Charleston, SC (eliminated after the entrée)
  • TK Kyle, Caterer from Queens, NY (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Roro Morales, Caterer from Portland, OR (winner)

Episode notes: The basket ingredients were Halloween-themed. The graveyard dirt pudding in the entree round was crumbled chocolate cake "dirt" over whipped cream with white wafer cookie "headstones" on top. The witch's brew in the dessert round was made from: limeade, ginger ale and lime sorbet.

266 2 "Chopped Family Thanksgiving" November 11, 2014

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: smoked turkey legs, hominy, corn bread, gummy turkey feet
  • Entrée: brined turkey breast, savoy cabbage, corn casserole, boniato sweet potatoes
  • Dessert: pumpkin pie flavored vodka, cranberry pie, turkey fat, mashed potatoes

Judges:

Contestants:

Episode notes: This was a special Thanksgiving episode where the competitors were regular Chopped judges who were playing to win money for the charity No Kid Hungry. This is the first episode to have four judges on the judging panel instead of the usual three so the contestants had to make five plates instead of the usual four.

267 3 "Meatball Madness" December 2, 2014

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: lamb shanks, creme brûlée, ginger, baby leeks
  • Entrée: boar shoulder, etouffée sauce, bacon, okra
  • Dessert: chocolate ravioli, strawberry syrup, candied orange zest, french vanilla cake mix

Judges:

  • Michael Chernow
  • Aarón Sanchez
  • Geoffrey Zakarian

Contestants:

  • Mirna Attar, Chef & Restaurateur from Portland, OR (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Eva Winans, Line Cook from Charleston, SC (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Zachary Kell, Sous Chef from New York, NY (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Giuseppe Fanelli, Executive Chef from New York, NY (winner)

Episode notes: The chefs were required to make meatballs in every course. Each chef was provided with a meat grinder on their station.

268 4 "The Holiday Kitchen" December 9, 2014

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: marron glacés, prosecco, challah bread, seafood salad
  • Entrée: Yule log, brisket, baked potato, mulled wine
  • Dessert: cookie dough in a press, peppermint candies, candied nuts, royal icing

Judges:

Contestants:

Episode notes: This was a holiday themed episode featuring four of the hosts of The Kitchen as contestants, playing for charity. All the contestants, except Katie Lee, had competed before on Chopped. All four contestants received donations for their charities, win or lose.

269 5 "Family Food Fight" December 23, 2014

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: piadina, purple malabar spinach, preserved lemon, veal cutlet
  • Entrée: branzino, french green lentils, firm tofu, mostarda
  • Dessert: lobster tail pastries, cinnamon chips, star anise, hazelnut liqueur

Judges:

Contestants:

  • Raphael Martone (father), Chef from Boston, MA (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • John Martone (son), Chef & Co-Owner from Boston, MA (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Rosie Martone (daughter), Head Chef & Co-Owner from Boston, MA (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Geraldine Martone (mother), Chef from Boston, MA (winner)

Episode notes: The contestants were a mother, father, daughter, and son who run a restaurant together, competing head to head.

270 6 "Bizarre Baskets" January 20, 2015

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: lox ice cream, wasabi microgreens, pink asparagus, ground camel
  • Entrée: kholodets, flaming shiso, blue foot mushrooms, goat head
  • Dessert: unlaid chicken eggs, sour cream, rambutan, Turkish tavuk gogsu

Judges:

Contestants:

  • Nico Romo, Culinary Director & French Master Chef from Charleston, SC (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Geoff Rhyne, Chef de Cuisine from Charleston, SC (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Aaron Barnett, Chef & Restaurateur from Portland, OR (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Timothy Peterson, Sous Chef from New York, NY (winner)

Episode notes: Judge Andrew Zimmern is the host of several programs on the Travel Channel featuring "bizarre" foods. All baskets featured a series of highly unusual ingredients. Chef Peterson works at Beauty & Essex, which is run by Chopped judge Chris Santos.

271 7 "Reality TV Stars" February 17, 2015

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: smoked mozzarella, endive, biscuit dough, pheasant terrine
  • Entrée: lobster, dinosaur kale, vegetable cream cheese, quinoa
  • Dessert: cannoli shells, marshmallows, chocolate sauce, cherry pie filling

Judges:

  • Amanda Freitag
  • Alex Guarnaschelli
  • Scott Conant

Contestants:

Episode notes: The contestants were all reality television stars and competed for charity.

272 8 "Late Night Food Brawl" February 24, 2015

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: Italian sausages in buns, tomatillos, morel mushrooms, poutine
  • Entrée: fast food sliders, Belgian style stout beer, Japanese eggplant, Mexican corn
  • Dessert: rice and cheese burrito, chocolate milk, apple pie, whipped cream

Judges:

  • Aarón Sanchez
  • Amanda Freitag
  • Scott Conant

Contestants:

  • Maria Ojala, Private Chef from Bel-Air, CA (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Ryan Whyte, Sous Chef from Portland, OR (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Anastacia Song, Sous Chef from Manhattan, NY (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Adam Greenberg, Corporate Executive Chef from Norwalk, CT (winner)

Episode notes: Late night foods was the basket theme.

273 9 "Amateurs' Brawl" April 7, 2015

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: chicken truffle sausage, pecorino, banana peppers, spinach vinaigrette
  • Entrée: wild boar roast, katsu sauce, pattypan squash, caperberries
  • Dessert: marshmallow chocolate cookies, strawberry jam, hot sauce, cottage cheese

Judges:

  • Chris Santos
  • Maneet Chauhan
  • Scott Conant

Contestants:

  • Gregory Generet, Jazz Vocalist from New York, NY (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Marilyn Mansfield, Doll Maker from Staten Island, NY (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Melissa Naccarato, Hairdresser from Long Island, NY (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Drew Magary, Writer from New York, NY (winner)

Episode notes: The contestants were all home cooks. Drew Magary, a science fiction novelist and humor columnist for the sports website Deadspin, had previously posted a satirical application for the show in 2012.[1]

274 10 "Fabulous Baker Boys" April 21, 2015

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: focaccia dough, black cod, miso paste, rice pudding
  • Entrée: puffed pastry dough, chateaubriand, chicken liver, champagne chocolate truffles
  • Dessert: pâte à choux, marzipan oranges, gold leaf, candied crabs

Judges:

Contestants:

  • Kamel Saci, Head Bread Baker from New York, NY (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Frederick Aquino, Executive Pastry Chef from New York, NY (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Mario Bacherini, Chef Technician from New York, NY (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Thiago Silva, Executive Pastry Chef from New York, NY (winner)

Episode notes: This was a baking themed episode featuring four professional bakers. The contestants wore Chopped T-shirts and aprons rather than the traditional chef's coats. Contestants were required to bake something in each round, with each basket containing a type of baking dough. The chefs had 30 minutes in the appetizer round instead of 20 due to the extra time needed for baking.

275 11 "Hot Stuff" June 2, 2015

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: tom yum soup, goats milk yogurt, pork ribs, habanero peppers
  • Entrée: vindaloo sauce, hearts of palm, monkfish, ghost pepper beef jerky
  • Dessert: devil's tres leches cake, pink lemons, canary melon, chili pepper honey

Judges:

Contestants:

  • Mei Chau, Chef & Restaurateur from New York, NY (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Andrew Garrett, Hot Sauce Entrepreneur from Portland, OR (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Denzil Richards, Executive Chef from New Rochelle, NY (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Meny Vaknin, Executive Chef from Brooklyn, NY (winner)

Episode notes: The baskets featured spicy ingredients in every round.

276 12 "Thrill of the Grill" June 23, 2015

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: swordfish, watermelon, wine coolers, potato skins
  • Entrée: taramosalata, hanger steak, portobello mushrooms, fava beans
  • Dessert: peaches, lemonade, pound cake, piloncillo

Judges:

Contestants:

  • Jason French, Chef and Owner from Portland, OR (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Tonya Mitchell, Culinary Director from Charleston, SC (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Timothy Witcher, Culinary Arts Instructor from Westhampton, NJ (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Ben Bettinger, Executive Chef from Portland, OR (winner)

Episode notes: Contestants were required to use the grill each round and could not use the ovens. Chef Witcher was the teacher of Dante Foggy, runner-up of the 2014 Chopped Teen Tournament. Chef French and Chef Bettinger knew each other prior to this episode, Jason being Ben's boss at one point.

277 13 "Scoops On!" June 30, 2015

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: ginger ice cream in cones, English peas, halibut fillets, faloodeh
  • Entrée: asiago cheese, flank steak, Italian hot peppers, olive oil ice cream
  • Dessert: banana splits with palm sugar ice cream, white chocolate, red olives, milky raw sake

Judges:

  • Natasha Case
  • Scott Conant
  • Chris Santos

Contestants:

  • Clio Goodman, Chef & Owner from New York, NY (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Chris Starkus, Chef de Cuisine from Portland, OR (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Emmanuel Delcour, Private Chef & Fitness Expert from Beverly Hills, CA (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Stacey Givens, Chef & Restaurateur from Portland, OR (winner)

Episode notes: The baskets in each round contained ice cream and in keeping with the ice cream theme, each chef was provided with a tray of assorted toppings. An extra ice cream machine was brought in so that both chefs could each make a mandatory ice cream creation in the dessert round.

Season 23 (2014–15)

Series
No.
Season
No.
Title Original airdate
278 1 "Every 'Wich Way" December 16, 2014

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: polenta log, braised beef brisket, araucana eggs, tomatillos
  • Entrée: pâté, mango licorice, thousand island dressing, pork shoulder
  • Dessert: peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, marshmallow spread, Thai curry paste, chocolate covered espresso beans

Judges:

Contestants:

  • Leigh Ann Kato, Freelance Chef from Los Angeles, CA (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Susie Blue McWilliam, Chef & Owner from Portland, OR (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Josh Lewis, Head Chef from New York, NY (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Daniel Sharp, Executive Chef from New York, NY (winner)

Episode notes: Contestants were required to make a sandwich for every course. In round 1, Chef Susie Blue forgot a basket ingredient and Chef Leigh Ann flat-out refused to serve a basket ingredient because she didn't cook it properly.

279 2 "Viewers' Choice Ingredients" January 6, 2015

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: pickled eggs, ramps, instant ramen noodles, calf eyeballs
  • Entrée: beef tongue, chimichurri sauce, shiitake mushrooms, boxed mac and cheese
  • Dessert: pig skin, baby food, margherita pizza, ostrich egg

Judges:

Contestants:

  • Victoria Neikirk, Executive Chefs from Charleston, SC (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Tynan Gibson, Chef de Cuisine from Portland, OR (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Emily Hahn, Executive Chef from Charleston, SC (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Vandy Vanderwarker, Sous Chef from Charleston, SC (winner)

Episode notes: The mystery baskets were filled with ingredients suggested by fans via social media. The first round was from Twitter; the second from Facebook; and the third from Instagram. Chef Hahn and Chef Vanderwarker were in a relationship prior to competing on this episode.

280 3 "Chopped Again!" January 27, 2015

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: skate wings, pomegranate molasses, purple asparagus, candied sardines
  • Entrée: whole chicken legs, baby zucchini, wine ice cream, spotted dick pudding
  • Dessert: tortenboden, cocoa hazelnut spread, mirin, beer salt

Judges:

Contestants:

Episode notes: All contestants were chefs who had unsuccessfully competed in previous episodes looking for redemption.

281 4 "Say Cheese!" February 3, 2015

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: domed goat cheese, blue cheese, mostarda, guanciale
  • Entrée: raclette, brie, chicken thighs, garlic scapes
  • Dessert: manchego, garrotxa, fig spread, tarragon

Judges:

  • Adam Moskowitz
  • Amanda Freitag
  • Alex Stupak

Contestants:

  • Dung Trinh, Chef from Brooklyn, NY (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Christian Fischhuber, Chef de Cuisine from New York, NY (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Jose Chesa, Chef & Restaurateur from Portland, OR (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Maurizio Crescenzo, Chef & Restaurateur from New York, NY (winner)

Episode notes: The theme for this episode was cheese: every basket contained two types of cheese.

282 5 "Chocolate Rush!" February 10, 2015

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: chocolate stout, white chocolate, pork chops, malted milk powder
  • Entrée: tortilla lime chocolate bars, dark chocolate, deckle of beef, naranjillas in syrup
  • Dessert: chocolate chile liqueur, milk chocolate, graham crackers, toasted coconut flakes

Judges:

Contestants:

  • Kelly Kleisner, Executive Pastry Chef from Charleston, SC (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Einav Gefen, Corporate Chef from Englewood Cliffs, NJ (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Megan Vargas, Pastry Chef from Portland, OR (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Mindy Simmons, Owner & Pastry Chef from Beaverton, OR (winner)

Episode notes: This episode's theme was chocolate in every round.

283 6 "Double Trouble" March 3, 2015

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: date vinegar, rocky mountain oysters, daikon radish, chili roasted peas
  • Entrée: soft shell crab, passion fruit, canned beets, sweet potato patties
  • Dessert: port wine, crème fraiche, Canadian bacon, lollipop rings

Judges:

  • Aarón Sánchez
  • Alex Guarnaschelli
  • Scott Conant

Contestants:

  • Kimberly Maisey and Justin Maisey, Spa Chefs from Tucson, AZ (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Jen Catron and Paul Outlaw, Food Truck Owners from New York, NY (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Jon Cano and Elizabeth Gribko, Chef & Pastry Chef from East Massapequa, NY (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Adam Sappington and Jackie Sappington, Chef & Pastry Chef from Portland, OR (winner)

Episode notes: The contestants were all couples: engaged and married. This marks the first instance where more than four contestants competed at a time.

284 7 "T.G.I. Fry-Day" March 10, 2015

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: buckwheat honey, hot dogs, taro root, beef fat
  • Entrée: cube steak, pickled green tomatoes, chocolate sandwich cookies, duck fat
  • Dessert: serrano peppers, salted caramel sauce, gooey butter cake, coconut oil

Judges:

  • Marc Murphy
  • Chris Santos
  • Scott Conant

Contestants:

  • Fred Neuville, Chef & Restaurateur from John's Island, SC (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Catherine Cosby, Executive Chef from Summerville, SC (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Anh Luu, Head Chef from Portland, OR (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Mo Major, Sous Chef from Port Chester, NY (winner)

Episode notes: The contestants were required to fry something in every round. In addition to the deep fryer, each chef was provided with a pot of oil preheated to frying temperature at the start of each round. Catherine forgot an ingredient in both Round 1 and Round 2 resulting in her elimination.

285 8 "Amateurs Redemption" March 17, 2015

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: vegan roast, japanese mayo, purple kohlrabi, almonds
  • Entrée: quail, chermoula, cousa sqush, cinnamon sugar cereal
  • Dessert: ricotta cheese, maple bacon lollipops, wonton wrappers, baharat

Judges:

  • Marc Murphy
  • Alex Guarnaschelli
  • Chris Santos

Contestants:

Episode notes: The contestants were home cooks who had all competed previously and lost. Tommy Werther and Jackie Khanich had previously competed against each other in the same episode.

286 9 "Let's Do Lunch" March 24, 2015

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: cinnamon rolls, Turkish coffee, quail eggs, tamarillos
  • Entrée: duck breast, artichoke, champagne, peanut butter and jelly
  • Dessert: pork crown roast, green lipped mussels, creamed spinach, truffles

Judges:

  • Aarón Sánchez
  • Amanda Freitag
  • Marc Murphy

Contestants:

  • Mark Mata, Executive Chef from New York, NY (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Sarah Arkwright, Food Truck Owner from Portland, OR (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Diane Vista-Wayne, Line Cook from New York, NY (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Jonathan Kavourakis, Sous Chef from New York, NY (winner)

Episode notes: The three rounds (appetizer, entrée, and dessert) were replaced by breakfast, lunch, and dinner, respectively. Chef Kavourakis works at Beauty & Essex, which is run by Chopped judge Chris Santos.

287 10 "Fake Cake, Real Stakes" March 31, 2015

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: chicken wings (puffed rice treats with hot sauce), Italian sausage, caramel apple (caramel coated onion), sheep (cauliflower and olive)
  • Entrée: layer cake (meatloaf with cream cheese), spaghetti squash, green beans (fondant), ice cream sundae (mashed potatoes and gravy)
  • Dessert: grilled cheese (pound cake with frosting), milk (buttermilk), peas and carrots (candy), tomato soup (strawberry soup)

Judges:

  • Marc Murphy
  • Maneet Chauhan
  • Chris Santos

Contestants:

  • Lauren Miller, Executive Chef, Sasquatch Brewing Co., Portland, OR (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Daniel Doyle, Executive Chef, Poogan's Porch, Charleston, SC (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Cole Poolaw, Executive Chef, Barsa Tapas Lounge, Charleston, SC (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Silvia Baldini, Chef & Caterer, Strawberry & Sage, New Canaan, CT (winner)

Episode notes: This was an April Fools' Day competition where the ingredients in the baskets were actually something else in disguise and small pranks were pulled (e.g. hiding a rubber snake in a blender; having someone in a bear costume waiting in the break room between rounds.)

288 11 "First Responders" April 14, 2015

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: mixed berry jam, ground bison, arugula, hummus chips
  • Entrée: rotisserie chicken, fiery jaw breakers, fingerling potatoes, tequila
  • Dessert: passion fruit, angel food cake, toasted marshmallows, fruit ring candies

Judges:

  • Maneet Chauhan
  • Amanda Freitag
  • Chris Santos

Contestants:

  • Ariella Dalfen, North Shore LIJ Paramedic from Queens, NY (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Jing Cong, FDNY Paramedic Lieutenant from Manhattan, NY (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Richard Henderson, NYPD Bomb Squad Detective from New York, NY (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Anna Serrano, NYPD Police Sergeant from New York, NY (winner)

Episode notes: Contestants were first responders such as police and paramedics.

289 12 "Judges' Face-Off" June 9, 2015

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: tuna noodle casserole, Tex-Mex condiments, barbecue potato chips, collard greens
  • Entrée: tomato soup, pulled pork sandwich, dirty rice, peanuts
  • Dessert: cheddar biscuits, apple slices, carrot cake, mango chutney

Judges:

  • Chris Santos
  • Maneet Chauhan
  • Geoffrey Zakarian

Contestants:

  • Amanda Freitag (Charity: God's Love We Deliver) (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Marc Murphy (Charity: No Kid Hungry) (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Alex Guarnaschelli (Charity: Alex's Lemonade Stand) (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Aarón Sánchez (Charity: WhyHunger) (winner)

Episode notes: All basket ingredients were leftovers. All contestants were Chopped judges and were competing for charity. The Tex-Mex condiments consisted of guacamole, salsa, and sour cream.

290 13 "Big Barbecue Bout" June 16, 2015

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: South Carolina style barbecue sauce, jumbo shrimp, baby mustard greens, clams
  • Entrée: North Carolina style barbecue sauce, pork spare ribs, rainbow chard, avocados
  • Dessert: Kansas City style barbecue sauce, bananas, whole coconut, smoked almonds

Judges:

Contestants:

  • Jimi Hyatt, Chef from Charleston, SC (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Heather Edwards, Executive Chef from Charleston, SC (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Deljuan Murphy, Executive Sous Chef from Charleston, SC (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Taylor Garrigan, Executive Chef from Charleston, SC (winner)

Episode notes: Baskets were barbecue themed, with a different regional variety of barbecue sauce in every basket. All the chefs were from different areas of Charleston, South Carolina, and the third judge, Ray "Dr. BBQ" Lampe, was a finalist in the first Chopped Grill Masters Tournament. Due to the extensive time required to cook ribs, the ribs in the entree basket were pre-roasted.

Season 24 (2015)

Series
No.
Season
No.
Title Original airdate
291 1 "All Stars Tournament: Part 1" April 28, 2015

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: smoked pork tails, culantro, nattō, clams
  • Entrée: shrimp skin, hamachi, pomelo, green garlic
  • Dessert: maple smoked cheddar cheese, almond flour, mayonnaise, dates

Judges:

Contestants:

  • Brian Malarkey, Charity: Chimps Inc. (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Madison Cowan, Charity: Alzheimer's Association, New York City Chapter (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Eric Greenspan, Charity: Stu and the Kids (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Art Smith, Charity: Reunion (winner)

Episode notes: The first in a five-part All-Stars tournament series, where the winner takes home $75,000 for a charity of their choice. Madison Cowan had previously won the 2010 Champions tournament. Chef Cowan is also the first chef to have competed as both a civilian and celebrity contestant.

292 2 "All Stars Tournament: Part 2" May 5, 2015

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: Solomillo iberico, preserved lemons, arugula, peanut soup
  • Entrée: veal sweetbreads, fondue cheese, green chili sauce, artichokes
  • Dessert: switchel, lime leaves, meringue cookies, baked sweet potatoes

Judges:

Contestants:

Episode notes: Part two of a five-part All-Stars tournament. Anne Burrell was a preliminary round winner in the 2011 All-Stars tournament.

293 3 "All Stars Tournament: Part 3" May 12, 2015

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: baby zucchini, marcona almonds, mojama, coconut macaroons
  • Entrée: lamb ribs, kumquats, variegated radicchio, cherry spoon fruit
  • Dessert: ghee, msemen, walnuts, orange flavored water

Judges:

Contestants:

  • Marcel Vigneron, Charity: L.A. Kitchen (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Cat Cora, Charity: Chefs for Humanity (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Antonia Lofaso, Charity: Beit T'Shuvah (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Michael Psilakis, Charity: The Polycystic Kidney Disease Foundation (winner)

Episode notes: Part three of a five-part All-Stars tournament. Cat Cora also competed in the 2012 All-Stars tournament.

294 4 "All Stars Tournament: Part 4" May 19, 2015

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: sea scallops, tahini paste, taro buns, seasoned eggs in soy sauce
  • Entrée: chickpea curry, beef shoulder, finger limes, coffee pods
  • Dessert: pistachio cream, dried plums, fish shaped pretzels, carbonated crystals

Judges:

  • Aarón Sánchez
  • Amanda Freitag
  • Scott Conant

Contestants:

Episode notes: Part four of a five-part All-Stars tournament.

295 5 "All Stars Tournament: Grand Finale" May 26, 2015

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: fish carcasses, taleso ham, purple potatoes, Calabrian chili peppers
  • Entrée: seafood tower, arak, fennel pollen, sea urchin
  • Dessert: watermelon fruit bowl, french feta cheese, ghost pepper, cookie cake

Judges:

  • Geoffrey Zakarian
  • Alex Guarnaschelli
  • Scott Conant

Contestants:

  • Art Smith, Charity: Reunion (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Jet Tila, Charity: K9s for Warriors (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Michael Psilakis, Charity: The Polycystic Kidney Disease Foundation (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Anne Burrell, Charity: Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (winner)

Episode notes: Finale of a five-part All-Stars tournament, with a $75,000 prize for the charity of the winning chef's choice. The fish carcasses were from catfish heads and cod. The seafood tower included clams, oysters, lobster, and shrimp. Due to the heat of the ghost peppers, goggles were provided in the dessert basket.

296 6 "Tendon Intentions" July 7, 2015

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: beef tendon balls, purslane, jerusalem architokes, chocolate peanut butter cups
  • Entrée: trash fish, olive tapenade, fresh vermicelli noodles, blood oranges
  • Dessert: egg custard tarts, coffee infused tequila, caramelized onions, pretzels

Judges:

  • Geoffrey Zakarian
  • Amanda Freitag
  • Marc Murphy

Contestants:

  • Robert Sevchik, Chef de Cuisine from Seattle, WA (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Oscar Toro, Executive Sous Chef from New York, NY (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Steven Wambach, Executive Chef from Chicago, IL (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Robyn Almodovar, Food Truck Owner from Miami, FL (winner)

Episode notes: The "trash fish" in round 2 was scut fish (specifically 'porgy', as stated in the Chopped: After Hours segment for this episode). Chef Almodovar has competed in various food competitions including Cutthroat Kitchen and Hell's Kitchen.

297 7 "Rock Stars" August 18, 2015

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: drumsticks, corn tortillas, champagne, jam
  • Entrée: lamb t-bones, graffiti eggplants, string cheese, beer
  • Dessert: rock candy, fresh ginger, lemon roll, spiced German liquor

Judges:

  • Aarón Sánchez
  • Alex Guarnaschelli
  • Chris Santos

Contestants:

  • Eddie Ojeda, Charity: Carol Baldwin Breast Cancer Fund (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Lita Ford, Charity: Kids First Parental Alienation Awareness (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Dweezil Zappa, Charity: Guitars Not Guns (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Kelly Hansen, Charity: The Grammy Foundation (winner)

Episode notes: Musicians compete for charity.

298 8 "Wild Ride" September 3, 2015

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: corn dogs, candy apples, cream cheese, deep-fried cherry drink
  • Entrée: deep-fried canned ham, deep-fried ravioli, asparagus, hot beef sundae
  • Dessert: deep-fried tequila, nectarines, deep-fried butter balls, red, white and blue ice pops

Judges:

  • Scott Conant
  • Amanda Freitag
  • Maneet Chauhan

Contestants:

  • Kris Edelen, Executive Chef from New York, NY (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Eileen Andrade, Chef & Restaurateur from Miami, FL (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Derrick Prince, Sous Chef from New York, NY (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Brian Riggenbach, Executive Chef from Chicago, IL (winner)

Episode notes: Baskets were carnival themed, with each basket containing two deep fried items. Chef Derrick works for fellow Chopped judge Chris Santos, who did not appear as a judge in this episode. In the entree round, Chef Eileen forgot a basket ingredient (fried ravioli). In the dessert round, Chef Derrick cut himself but did not know about it until he was alerted by the medic. Blood was found in enough places that the judges could not taste his dish due to possible contamination.

299 9 "College Challenge" September 10, 2015

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: ground turkey, bluefoot mushrooms, frozen mixed veggies, instant ramen
  • Entrée: strip steaks, ranch dressing, broccoli, pizza turnovers
  • Dessert: potato chips, strawberry toaster pastries, fast food sundae, mini marshmallows

Judges:

Contestants:

  • Varsha Govindaraju (Senior), University of Washington in Seattle, WA (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Alex Steinwald (Senior), Northwestern University in Evanston, IL (eliminated after the entrée)
  • O'Shane Elliot (Junior), University of Miami in Miami, FL (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Andrea Galan (Sophomore), New York University in New York, NY (winner)

Episode notes: Four college students are the contestants. The instant ramen in the appetizer round consisted of dried ramen noodles and a flavoring packet, but the chefs were not required to use both components of the ramen

300 10 "Light Makes Right" October 20, 2015

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: pomegranate yogurt, dandelion greens, pepitas, salmon
  • Entrée: ground buffalo, muhammara, rainbow carrots, kefir
  • Dessert: matcha chia smoothie, rice crackers, pineapple, dark chocolate

Judges:

Contestants:

  • Justin Schwartz, Executive Chef from New York, NY (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Momo Attaoui, Private Chef from Brooklyn, NY (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Rudy Poindexter, Personal Chef from Arlington, TX (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Ryan Ross, Owner & Private Chef from Bow, WA (winner)

Episode notes: Lighter and healthier ingredients were featured in the baskets. Chef Poindexter is the personal chef of Texas Rangers player Prince Fielder.

301 11 "Tailgate Fate" November 3, 2015

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: gameday chili, roasted jalapeño poppers, chicken wings, pretzel rolls
  • Entrée: three bean salad, burger patties, flask of whiskey, football cupcakes
  • Dessert: fried apple pies, wine coolers, strawberries, banana pudding

Judges:

  • Aarón Sánchez
  • Chris Santos
  • Roger Mooking

Contestants:

  • Erin Wishon, Executive Chef from Chicago, IL (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Lamar Moore, Executive Chef from Chicago, IL (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Michell Sanchez, Chef & Restaurateur from Miami, FL (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Seis Kamimura, Executive Chef from Seattle, WA (winner)

Episode notes: The theme of this episode was tailgating and the baskets were replaced by coolers.

302 12 "Chopped Gastropub" November 26, 2015

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: house-smoked bacon, monkfish cheeks, deviled eggs, house-made pickles
  • Entrée: bangers and mash, Brussels sprouts, white truffle popcorn, Moscow mule
  • Dessert: house-pulled mozzarella, peanut-caramel chocolate bars, house-made potato tots, craft beer

Judges:

  • Geoffrey Zakarian
  • Amanda Freitag
  • Aarón Sanchez

Contestants:

  • Will Salazar, Executive Sous Chef from Chicago, IL (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Juan Borjas, Executive Sous Chef from New York, NY (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Fred Maurer, Charcutier from New York, NY (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Dafna Mizrahi, Chef & Restaurateur from Amenia, NY (winner)

Episode notes: Contestants were asked to prepare dishes that one might find at a gastropub. Each round featured at least two gastropub-themed mystery ingredients. Juan Borjas works for Chopped judge Chris Santos, who did not appear as a judge in this episode.

303 13 "Holiday Cooking" December 8, 2015

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: whole roasted goose, parsnips, green cherries, brie en croûte
  • Entrée: beef tenderloin, gingersnap cocktail, potato latkes, tzimmes
  • Dessert: white chocolate apple snowman, pie dough, cranberries, brandy Alexander cocktail

Judges:

Contestants:

  • Kelsey Nixon (Kelsey's Essentials) (Charity: Every Mother Counts) (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Jim Stacy (Offbeat Eats) (Charity: The Giving Kitchen) (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Gabriele Corcos (Extra Virgin) (Charity: The Food Bank of New York City) (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Roger Mooking (Man, Fire, Food) (Charity: Save the Children International) (winner)

Episode notes: This was a holiday-themed episode and all the competing chefs were hosts of shows on Cooking Channel playing for charity. Kelsey cut herself in the appetizer round and her food overcooked on the stove while she was getting bandaged, contributing to her being eliminated. Chef Corcos also competed in the 2013 All-Stars tournament prior to this episode. The gingersnap cocktail in the second round was mixed from vodka, ginger-scented apéritif, allspice, and clove.

Season 25 (2015)

Series
No.
Season
No.
Title Original airdate
304 1 "Teen Tournament: Episode One" August 25, 2015

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: swordfish, black garlic mayonnaise, lemon leaves, bear's head mushrooms
  • Entrée: hanger steak, lollipop kale, apple crisp, spray cheese
  • Dessert: fruit chew candy, instant yogurt pudding mix, tortilla chips, blueberries

Judges:

  • Amanda Freitag
  • Maneet Chauhan
  • Scott Conant

Contestants:

  • Franco Fugel (age 14), from New York, NY (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Theo Vicioso (age 17), from White Plains, NY (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Anna Mindell (age 15), from New Haven, CT (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Yazmene Kaylani (age 16), from Sussex County, NJ (winner)

Episode notes: This is part 1 of 5 in a tournament with all teenage contestants. In this and subsequent rounds, the teen contestants were given 30 minutes for the appetizer round.

305 2 "Teen Tournament: Episode Two" September 1, 2015

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: wild langoustines, Asian long beans, yuzu juice, Japanese sweet potato
  • Entrée: lamb shoulder, coconut milk, bok choy, dates
  • Dessert: powdered peanut butter, ice cream sandwiches, marshmallows, curry powder

Judges:

  • Amanda Freitag
  • Maneet Chauhan
  • Scott Conant

Contestants:

  • Alyssa Chacon (age 17), from Union, NJ (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Nino Asaro (age 16), from New York, NY (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Salma Zahran (age 15), from Brooklyn, NY (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Peter Wenger (age 13), from New York, NY (winner)

Episode notes: Part 2 of 5. Teen Chef Wenger is a protégé of Chef Joel Gargano, who competed in the fifteenth-season episode "Cook Your Butt Off!" Throughout the competition Salma cut herself four times.

306 3 "Teen Tournament: Episode Three" September 8, 2015

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: vegan crispy chicken legs, golden beets, tortilla chip lunch kit, pea leaves
  • Entrée: venison roast, butternut squash, fruity cereal macaroons, okra
  • Dessert: walnuts in honey, assorted cookies, plums, french toast cereal

Judges:

  • Chris Santos
  • Alex Guarnaschelli
  • Scott Conant

Contestants:

  • Jarren Pross (age 14), from Rebersburg, PA (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Eliza McKelvey age 13), from New York, NY (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Allison Lee (age 13), from New York, NY (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Alexina Chasin (age 14), from Kingston, NY (winner)

Episode notes: Part 3 of 5. The tortilla chip lunch kit in the appetizer round included tortilla chips and some salsa.

307 4 "Teen Tournament: Episode Four" September 15, 2015

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: spicy Italian sausage, white asparagus, habañero peppers, soup dumplings
  • Entrée: veal chops, heirloom tomatoes, glazed doughnuts, Swiss chard
  • Dessert: flame grapes, peanut and caramel candy bars, Greek yogurt, mango nectar

Judges:

  • Chris Santos
  • Alex Guarnaschelli
  • Scott Conant

Contestants:

  • Danny Ganzman (age 15), from Buffalo Grove, IL (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Olivia Neumark (age 13), from Seattle, WA (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Justin Ballenger (age 16), from Chicago, IL (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Veronica Seguin (age 14), from Bedford, MA (winner)

Episode notes: Part 4 of 5. The candy bars in the dessert round had the brand obscured but it appeared to be Pay Day candy bars.

308 5 "Viewers' Baskets" September 17, 2015

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: rum raisin ice cream, broccoli spigarello, potato tots, potted meat
  • Entrée: abalone, wasabi candy canes, beef jerky sticks, yellow snack cakes
  • Dessert: banana ketchup, fruit cocktail, goat's milk, sauerkraut

Judges:

Contestants:

  • Erica Nicholls, Executive Chef from Miami, FL (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Aaron Tekulve, Sous Chef from Seattle, WA (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Jeremy Fleming, Sous Chef from New York, NY (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Mathias Gervais, Executive Chef from Miami Beach, FL (winner)

Episode notes: All of the mystery ingredients were chosen by the fans via social media. Specifically: Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

309 6 "Teen Tournament: Grand Finale" September 22, 2015

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: tuna in oil, super snap peas, fruit candy squares, gnocchi
  • Entrée: tilefish, baby planet carrots, chanterelle mushrooms, corned beef hash
  • Dessert: coconut chips, Shirley Temple, quail eggs, chocolate wafer cake

Judges:

  • Chris Santos
  • Alex Guarnaschelli
  • Amanda Freitag

Contestants:

  • Peter Wenger (age 13), from New York, NY (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Alexina Chasin (age 14), from Kingston, NY (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Yazmene Kaylani (age 16), from Sussex County, NJ (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Veronica Seguin (age 14), from Bedford, MA (winner)

Episode notes: Part 5 of 5. The winner received a $25,000 grand prize, while the other three finalists each received a $1,000 Food Network gift certificate and an authentic Chopped chefs coat.

310 7 "Teen Redeem" September 24, 2015

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: lump crab meat, daikon radish, Japanese mayonnaise, chili garlic coated peas
  • Entrée: Korean-style short ribs, wax soda bottles, romanesco cauliflower, calzones
  • Dessert: cold brew coffee, peanut butter toast, strawberry purée, Italian milk cookies

Judges:

  • Aarón Sánchez
  • Maneet Chauhan
  • Marc Murphy

Contestants:

  • Morgan Goldstein (age 15), from Cleveland, OH (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Dante Foggy (age 18), from Burlington Township, NJ (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Jay Urena (age 17), from New York, NY (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Max Aronson (age 17), from Woodcliff Lake, NJ (winner)

Episode notes: This was a redemption episode, and the first redemption episode to feature teen chefs, all four of whom were contestants in the 2014 Teen Tournament. Unlike previous teen episodes, the chefs had the usual 20 minutes in the appetizer round instead of the extended 30.

311 8 "Sitcom Moms" September 29, 2015

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: TV dinners, portobello mushrooms, fresh spinach, sour cream
  • Entrée: minute steak, rainbow carrots, cream of celery soup, french toast
  • Dessert: tiramisu, bananas, strawberry sauce, almonds

Judges:

  • Chris Santos
  • Amanda Freitag
  • Geoffrey Zakarian

Contestants:

Episode notes: This was a celebrity episode featuring four actresses who played sitcom moms, all of them competing for charity. The TV dinners in the appetizer round included turkey, stuffing, and mashed potatoes. Betsy Randle accidentally left a piece of plastic in a round 1 dish, then forgot an ingredient in round 2, leading to her ultimately getting eliminated in the final round. (She got through the first two rounds because Jo Marie's dishes were inconsistently cooked and loaded with raw spices, while Tichina didn't transform her ingredients enough).

312 9 "Bizarre Battle" October 8, 2015

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: duckbills, young jackfruit in brine, hand-pulled noodles, fruit-flavored beef jerky
  • Entrée: pork bung, hot sauce jelly beans, farro, pork dust
  • Dessert: smen, aloe mango pudding, warka pastry sheets, poi

Judges:

Contestants:

  • Katie Wentworth, Executive Sous Chef from Seattle, WA (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Lucerno Martinez Obregon, Executive Chef from New York, NY (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Josh Elliot, Executive Chef from Miami Beach, FL (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Cory Morris, Executive Chef from Chicago, IL (winner)

Episode notes: The baskets featured "bizarre" ingredients. Chef Morris works for Iron Chef Jose Garces.

313 10 "Oktoberfest!" October 13, 2015

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: sülze, sauerkraut, German soft pretzels, beer cheese soup
  • Entrée: schnitzel, mittelscharf, turnips, keg of beer
  • Dessert: chocolate sausage, spätzle, blackberries, bock beer

Judges:

  • Geoffrey Zakarian
  • Maneet Chauhan
  • Edi Frauneder

Contestants:

  • Ivan Giani, Executive Chef from New York, NY (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Taylor Erickson, Personal Chef from Los Angeles, CA (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Heiner Aichem, Executive Chef & Owner from Stanhope, NJ (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Deborah Caplan, Line Cook from New York, NY (winner)

Episode notes: The basket ingredients were inspired by Oktoberfest. The schnitzel was made of pork. The beer keg contained Kölsch.

314 11 "Thanksgiving Soup-er Stars" November 9, 2015

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: leftover turkey, leftover mashed potatoes, leftover cranberry sauce, leftover green beans
  • Entrée: whole turkey breast, potatoes, cranberries, green beans
  • Dessert: turkey ice cream cake, mashed potato candy, cranberry salsa, green bean ice pops

Judges:

  • Marc Murphy
  • Amanda Freitag
  • Aarón Sánchez

Contestants:

  • Gretchen Roth, Food Services Manager at The Bowery Mission, New York, NY (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Bonnie Kepplinger, Volunteer Cook at The Crib at the Night Ministry, Chicago, IL (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Victor Squire, Soup Kitchen Chef at The Open Door Shelter, Norwalk, CT (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Sister Alicia Torres, Franciscan Nun at Franciscans of the Eucharist of Chicago, Chicago, IL (winner)

Episode notes: This was a Thanksgiving episode featuring four soup kitchen chefs. Each basket contained the same ingredients, but in different forms. Each chef's respective soup kitchen received a donation from Food Network win or lose. The chefs had 30 minutes in the appetizer round instead of the usual 20 minutes.

315 12 "Cooking with Bass" November 24, 2015

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: popcorn, chicken hearts, escarole, persimmons
  • Entrée: sea bass, Anjou pears, poblano peppers, saffron
  • Dessert: zucchini, chocolate-covered raisins, vanilla liqueur, peanut brittle

Judges:

  • Marc Murphy
  • Maneet Chauhan
  • Marcus Samuelsson

Contestants:

  • Laura Cheng, Executive Chef from Chicago, IL (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Alex Rodil, Executive Chef from Miami, FL (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Rob Hafer, Sous Chef from Chicago, IL (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Rosa Soto, Pastry Chef from Seattle, WA (winner)
316 13 "Mac and Cheese" December 1, 2015

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: mac and cheese, Canadian bacon, swiss chard, monkfish
  • Entrée: pasta shells, chorizo, spring peas, rotisserie chicken
  • Dessert: rigatoni, white chocolate, roasted figs, mac and cheese ice cream

Judges:

  • Maneet Chauhan
  • Alex Guarnaschelli
  • Aarón Sánchez

Contestants:

  • Matt Jozwiak, Research & Development Chef from New York, NY (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Bun Cheam, Executive Chef from Brooklyn, NY (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Tiffany Minter, Executive Sous Chef from New York, NY (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Joe Cecchini, Chef de Cuisine from Chicago, IL (winner)

Episode notes: Mac and cheese was the theme of the competition, with a version of the main mac & cheese ingredients found in every basket.

Season 26 (2015)

Series
No.
Season
No.
Title Original airdate
317 1 "A Chopped Halloween" October 6, 2015

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: gory ribs, broccoli rabe, blood soup, mozzarella eyeballs
  • Entrée: lobster, pickled pigs lips, squid ink pasta, coffin toast
  • Dessert: Day of the Dead cookies, watermelon brain, chocolate covered bugs, boo-nilla shakes

Judges:

Contestants:

  • Jeny Weimer, Executive Chef & Co-Owner from New York, NY (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Celinda Norton, Chef & Food Blogger from Seattle, WA (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Leo Mamaril, Chef de Tournade from New York, NY (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Heather Borden, Chef from New York, NY (winner)

Episode notes: This was a Halloween themed episode. The coffin toast in the entree round consisted of a toasted bread boat filled with seafood and a cream sauce. In the entrée round, Chef Norton cut herself, contaminating her dish. The judges did not eat her food as a result. The "boo-nilla" shakes in the dessert round were vanilla milkshakes.

318 2 "Chopped Catwalk" October 15, 2015

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: tuna in a bag, gazpacho, finger limes, kale chips
  • Entrée: sea bass, veggie tray with hummus, avocados, chia seeds
  • Dessert: strawberry lemonade, butter crackers, coconut fruit pops, cape gooseberries

Judges:

Contestants:

  • Din Yates, Model/Chef & Restaurateur from New York, NY (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Crosby Tailor, Model/Chef & Entrepreneur from, Los Angeles, CA (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Danika Brysha, Model/Private Chef from New York, NY (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Ashley Holt, Model/Pastry Chef & Owner from Brooklyn, NY (winner)

Episode notes: All of the contestants are models as well as professional chefs.

319 3 "Food Truck Kitchen" October 27, 2015

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: bao buns, cracklings, duck sauce, gyros
  • Entrée: bibimbap, rainbow chard, fresh chickpeas, footlong hot dogs
  • Dessert: doughnuts, green apricots, cocoa hazelnut spread, ice cream bars

Judges:

Contestants:

  • Franky Karagiorgos, Chef and Co-Owner from New York, NY (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Jonny Silverberg, Chef & Owner from Seattle, WA (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Leah Wilcox, Chef & Owner from Chicago, IL (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Hilda Hilman, Chef & Owner, from Seattle, WA (winner)

Episode notes: All of the competitors in this episode owned food trucks.

320 4 "Military Vets" November 10, 2015

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: roasted chicken, seven-layer dip, corn on the cob, scalloped potatoes
  • Entrée: meatloaf, corn muffin mix, green tomatoes, yogurt parfait
  • Dessert: lemonade, ballpark peanuts, puffed rice cereal bars, peaches

Judges:

Contestants:

  • Ellen Adams, Personal Chef/Air Force Veteran from Rochester, NY (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Alex Magloire, Executive Chef/Navy Veteran from Asbury Park, NJ (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Johnny Ulloa, Sous Chef/Coast Guard Veteran from New York, NY (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Roshara Sanders, Executive Chef/Army Veteran from Milford, CT (winner)

Episode notes: All contestants are veterans of the United States Military Services.

321 5 "Chopped Desserts!" November 23, 2015

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: (chocolate round) Mississippi mud pie, brie cheese, Italian maraschino cherries, potato crisps
  • Entrée: (candy round) champagne, wafer sheets, cookie spread, green strawberries
  • Dessert: (cake round) avocado, rangpur limes, hazelnut flour, Persian rice

Judges:

Contestants:

  • Sarah Mispagel, Pastry Chef, Nightwood, Chicago, IL (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Anthony Hunt, Corporate Pastry Chef, Restaurant People Group, South Florida, FL (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Jasmin Bell, Manager & Pastry Chef, Le Rêve Bakery & Café, Seattle, WA (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Mathew Rice, Executive Pastry Chef, Girl & The Goat, Chicago, IL (winner)

Episode notes: Four pastry chefs competed in this episode where all 3 rounds were dessert rounds. Each round focused on a different dessert: chocolate, candy, and cake. The 1st round was extended to 30 minutes instead of the usual 20 minutes. The 3rd round was 60 minutes instead of 30 to allow the chefs enough time to bake and decorate their cakes.

322 6 "In-Laws, in Teams!" December 10, 2015

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: lasagna, arugula, onion blossom chips, wine purse
  • Entrée: brisket, imitation sunny-side up eggs, mashed potatoes, leeks
  • Dessert: monkey bread, feijoa, cream cheese, orange blossom water

Judges:

Contestants:

  • Ada Santa (MIL) & Jaime Santa (DIL), from New York, NY (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Joan Low (MIL) & Linda Low (DIL), from Raleigh, NC (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Kathie Leonard (MIL) & Danielle Leonard (DIL), from Salem, MA (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Mara Cristiani (MIL) & Gena Cristiani (DIL), from Sarasota, FL (winner)

Episode notes: Teams of two amateur cooks, each consisting of a mother-in-law (MIL) and her daughter-in-law (DIL), competed in this episode. The wine purse in the first round contained white Bordeaux. The imitation sunny-side up eggs in the second round were made from tofu and soy.

323 7 "Family Affair" December 15, 2015

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: pork roll, baby eggplant, pizza dough, Chinese spaghetti sauce
  • Entrée: chicken breasts, tzatziki, stinging nettles, cornbread stuffing
  • Dessert: cassata cake, white chocolate chips, blood orange crackers, pine nuts

Judges:

  • Geoffrey Zakarian
  • Maneet Chauhan
  • Marc Murphy

Contestants:

  • Ryan Profetto (Heather's son), College Student from Milford, CT (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • John Profetto (Heather's husband), Business Manager & Co-Owner from Milford, CT (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Kate Campbell (Heather's sister), Chef de Cuisine from Milford, CT (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Heather Profetto, Chef & Co-Owner from Milford, CT (winner)

Episode notes: This is the second time all four contestants were family members that work at the same family restaurant.

324 8 "Battle of the Grandpas" December 17, 2015

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: bologna, mango salsa, frozen hashbrowns, maple egg cream
  • Entrée: London broil, rutabaga, broccoli rabe, peanut butter taffy bites
  • Dessert: strawberry pretzel pie, kiwi, chocolate milk powder, orange-flavored liqueur

Judges:

  • Aarón Sánchez
  • Maneet Chauhan
  • Chris Santos

Contestants:

  • Artie Wachtel, Retired Sales Manager from New York, NY (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Stanley Myers, Retired Postal Office Worker from Sayreville, NJ (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Gary Stamm, Community Theater Performer from Pleasant Prairie, WI (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Nelson Andreu, Chief of Police from Miami, FL (winner)

Episode notes: All competitors were amateur cooks and grandfathers. The contestants were given 30 minutes in the appetizer round instead of the usual 20. Gary Stamm is the father of former Chopped contestant April Stamm.

Season 27 (2016)

  • Chopped regular Marc Murphy did not appear as a judge in any episode this season.
Series
No.
Season
No.
Title Original airdate
325 1 "Knife Strife" January 5, 2016

Ingredients:

Judges:

Contestants:

  • Gary Ly, Sous Chef from Houston, TX (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Dawn Burrell, Line Cook from Houston, TX (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Jason Kerr, Chef & Food Sourcer from Houston, TX (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Raffaele Ronca, Chef & Restaurateur from New York, NY (winner)

Episode notes: Guest judge Christian Petroni was a former Chopped champion (Episode 4.5 – "Mussels Mastery & Cotton Candy Can-Do") and Chopped tournament competitor (Episode 5.7 - "$50,000 Tournament: Round Four").

326 2 "Healthy Rivalry" January 12, 2016

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: beets, 100-calorie almond pack, cauliflower pizza crust, Chilean sea bass fillets
  • Entrée: bone broth, teff, edamame noodles, grass-fed beef strip loin
  • Dessert: ghee, coconut sugar, guava, chickpea flour

Judges:

Contestants:

  • Aviv Regev, Private Chef from New York, NY (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Charles Chen, Private Chef from New York, NY (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Brenden Darby, Private Chef from San Francisco, CA (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Jesa Henneberry, Private Chef from New York, NY (winner)

Episode notes: Contestants were asked to cook healthy, nutritious, and lighter dishes, with nothing too fatty or heavy.

327 3 "Brunch Battle" January 19, 2016

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: smoked whitefish, deviled quail eggs, biscuits, bloody mary
  • Entrée: duck eggs, (whole) chicken, waffles, mimosa
  • Dessert: farm fresh eggs, cappuccino, Concord grape doughnuts, poached pears

Judges:

  • Aarón Sánchez
  • Alex Guarnaschelli
  • Chris Santos

Contestants:

  • Nick Williams, Executive Chef from Brooklyn, NY (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Kirsten Hocker, Chef from, Brooklyn, NY (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Zack Northcutt, Executive Chef from Austin, TX (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Eric Gibbs, Sous Chef from San Francisco, CA (winner)

Episode notes: Contestants were asked to make brunch-themed dishes.

328 4 "Chinese New Year" January 26, 2016

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: Peking duck, leeks, Chinese New Year eight-treasure rice pudding, Chinese sausage
  • Entrée: chicken feet, turnip cakes, dragon fruit, whole red snapper
  • Dessert: giant fortune cookies, good luck candy, ginger beer, winter melon

Judges:

Contestants:

  • Justin Herrera, Sous Chef from New York, NY (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Vanarin Kuch, Pastry Chef from New York, NY (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Martin Weaver, Chef de Cuisine from Houston, TX (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Kathy Fang, Executive Chef from San Francisco, CA (winner)

Episode notes: This was a Chinese New Year-themed episode.

329 5 "Tailgate Party" February 2, 2016

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: quinoa burgers, deep-fried bacon, screwdriver, hoagie dip
  • Entrée: bratwurst, shredded cheddar, beer, grilled corn
  • Dessert: corn chip bars, rum & cola, blackberries, bananas

Judges:

  • Aarón Sanchez
  • Chris Santos
  • Eddie Jackson

Contestants:

  • Kirk Bronsord, from Oakland, CA (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Nick Caputi, from Queens, NY (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Tim Lyons, from Houston, TX (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Jill Falgiano, from West New York, NJ (winner)

Episode notes: The theme of this episode was tailgating; the baskets were replaced by coolers. The contestants were amateur cooks and experienced tailgaters. Instead of the traditional chefs coats, the contestants wore specially made Chopped football jerseys.

330 6 "Bacon Boys" February 7, 2016

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: slab bacon, baby turnips, bacon-flavored popcorn, banana jam
  • Entrée: ham hock, dandelion greens, bacon ice cream, back bacon
  • Dessert: "bacon & egg" gummies, figs, chicharron, lardo

Judges:

  • Scott Conant
  • Maneet Chauhan
  • Chris Santos

Contestants:

  • Nick Lisotto, Executive Chef from Philadelphia, PA (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Gray Rollin, Chef & Restaurateur from Santa Rosa, CA (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Coby Farrow, Executive Chef from New York, NY (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Jay Abrams, Executive Chef from San Francisco, CA (winner)

Episode notes: This was a bacon-themed episode, featuring bacon in every basket. The "bacon" gummies in the third round were strawberry gummies. All the chefs were males and wore specially made bacon T-shirts and blue jean aprons instead of the chefs coats.

331 7 "Love Bites" February 9, 2016

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: oysters, avocados, chocolate-covered strawberries, whipped cream vodka
  • Entrée: figs, mead, asparagus, bone-in rib eye
  • Dessert: chocolate mousse, eclairs, pomegranates, port wine

Judges:

  • Geoffrey Zakarian
  • Alex Guarnaschelli
  • Scott Conant

Contestants:

  • Mark Bailey, Private Chef from New York, NY (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Giovanna Alvarez, Executive Sous Chef from New York, NY (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Rafaelle Solinas, Executive Chef from New York, NY (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Joshua Van Den Berg, Line Cook from New York, NY (winner)

Episode notes: This episode had a theme of love, with each basket containing one or more ingredients believed to be aphrodisiacs.

332 8 "Ready for Redemption" February 16, 2016

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: pig snouts, fava beans, teething biscuits, strawberry daiquiri jam
  • Entrée: cheesecake, leg of lamb, garam masala, bitter melon
  • Dessert: cocoa nibs, durian paste, raspberries, coconut milk

Judges:

  • Chris Santos
  • Maneet Chauhan
  • Geoffrey Zakarian

Contestants:

Episode notes: Every contestant was a former runner-up seeking redemption.

333 9 "Cooking Caribbean" February 23, 2016

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: shrimp, papaya, canned spiced ham, mofongo
  • Entrée: goat chops, chickpeas, callaloo, whole coconuts
  • Dessert: sugarcane, mangoes, sweet potatoes, rum

Judges:

  • Aarón Sanchez
  • Tino Feliciano
  • John Suley

Contestants:

  • Keisha Bocage, Chef & Owner from Houston, TX (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Rocco Nankervis, Executive Chef from Houston, TX (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Brandon Soverall, Chef de Cuisine from Houston, TX (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Andre Fowles, Sous Chef from New York, NY (winner)

Episode notes: This was a Caribbean themed episode. Contestants were asked to create Caribbean-inspired dishes and each basket contained Caribbean ingredients. During the entrée round, contestants were given a hammer to open the coconut. The callaloo greens in the entrée round appeared to be the variety from taro leaves.

334 10 "Truck Stop Stars" March 1, 2016

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: red-eye gravy, fennel, black garlic, meatloaf mix
  • Entrée: grits, cola, purple cauliflower, cube steak
  • Dessert: french fries, cactus pears, apple pie, bacon

Judges:

  • Amanda Freitag
  • Chris Santos
  • Aarón Sanchez

Contestants:

  • Jake Harbeck, Chef from Walcott, IA (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Shaun Yazbek, Executive Chef from Bangor, ME (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Eva Dix, Chef & Co-Owner from McLean, IL (eliminated after the dessert)
  • J.R. Tiger, Chef from Harrisburg, PA (winner)

Episode notes: Every contestant was a chef at a truck stop.

335 11 "Beg, Borrow or Eel" March 8, 2016

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: uova da raviolo, comté cheese, fresh bacon bits, eel
  • Entrée: Italian olive salad, Cornish hens, crisp bread, puntarelle
  • Dessert: satay peanut sauce, ripe yellow plantains, chocolate snack pies, black vinegar

Judges:

  • Chris Santos
  • Maneet Chauhan
  • Aarón Sánchez

Contestants:

  • Haley Sausner, Chef de Cuisine from San Francisco, CA (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Jase Grimm, Executive Chef from Brookhaven, NY (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Ryan Lory, Executive Sous Chef from New York, NY (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Shannen Tune, Food Truck Chef from Houston, TX (winner)
336 12 "Chopped: College" March 15, 2016

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: rice & beans, chicken cutlets, tomato soup, energy drink
  • Entrée: coffee, Brussels sprouts, frozen mac & cheese, skirt steak
  • Dessert: chocolate hazelnut spread, graham cracker cereal, rambutans, lime gelatin shots

Judges:

  • Chris Santos
  • Alex Guarnaschelli
  • Maneet Chauhan

Contestants:

  • Danielle Wilk, from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Alvin Zhou, from Columbia University in New York, NY (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Drew Friedman, from Lafayette College in Easton, PA (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Jenn Cheng, from New York University in New York, NY (winner)

Episode notes: Every contestant was an amateur cook and college undergraduate.

337 13 "The Bold and the Baconful" March 17, 2016

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: bacon-wrapped grilled cheese sandwiches, truffle carpaccio, baby eggplant, clotted cream
  • Entrée: pork shoulder, tea noodles, kohlrabi, agua fresca
  • Dessert: honeycrisp apples, extra-spicy cheese puffs, quick cook rice, French butter

Judges:

Contestants:

  • Sean Carroll, Chef from Houston, TX (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Angela Rowley, Chef from Houston, TX (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Martin Horsey, Chef from Houston, TX (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Justin Turner, Chef & Restaurateur from Houston, TX (winner)

Episode notes: Every contestant was a "street food chef" from Houston, Texas.

Season 28 (2016)

Series
No.
Season
No.
Title Original airdate
338 1 "Chopped Champions: Battle 1, Best of the Best" March 29, 2016

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: soft pretzels, green romano beans, papaya, pig ears
  • Entrée: grouper, frilly mustard greens, bread cheese, beer flight
  • Dessert: curry cooking sauce, lady apples, coconut brittle, baby artichokes

Judges:

Contestants:

Episode notes: First episode of a five-part tournament. Four returning champions compete for a spot in the tournament finale. The beer flight in the second round contained four different types of beer.

339 2 "Chopped Champions: Battle 2, Fighting Shape" April 5, 2016

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: smoked sausage, cavatappi, Napa cabbage, frozen yogurt
  • Entrée: beef kidneys, petite French lentils, beets, pickled cockles
  • Dessert: queso arrocero, peanut butter chocolate wafers, raspberry spoon fruit, dandelion coffee

Judges:

Contestants:

Episode notes: Second episode of a five-part tournament. While Chopped normally obscures brand names, the smoked sausage in the first round was a product of Chopped sponsor Hillshire Farms. The frozen yogurt in the first round was not flavored.

340 3 "Chopped Champions: Battle 3, Chefs in Control" April 12, 2016

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: chicken livers, cinnamon whiskey, edamame, grape licorice
  • Entrée: duck breasts, harissa, pear frangipane tart, orange sherbet
  • Dessert: bison jerky, sour cream, freeze-dried blueberries, egg waffles

Judges:

Contestants:

Episode notes: Third episode of a five-part tournament. Guest judge Christian Petroni was a former Chopped champion (Episode 4.5 – "Mussels Mastery & Cotton Candy Can-Do") and Chopped tournament competitor (Episode 5.7 - "$50,000 Tournament: Round Four").

341 4 "Chopped Champions: Battle 4, Kitchen Storm" April 19, 2016

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: stone crab claws, butterfly leaves, vanilla frosting, peach-strawberry salsa
  • Entrée: rack of wild boar, dried spicy mango, baby kale, piña colada
  • Dessert: saffron, honeycomb, duck mousse, sea beans

Judges:

Contestants:

Episode notes: Fourth episode of a five-part tournament. Contestants Adam and Jackie Sappington had previously won a couples' team competition episode, but competed individually in this episode. Guest judge Angie Mar was the winner of the second Chopped: Grill Masters tournament (Special 11 - "Grill Masters: Episode Five"). The duck mousse in the third round contained duck liver and port wine.

342 5 "Chopped Champions: Conclusion, $50,000 Pay Day" April 26, 2016

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: Mangalitsa pork burgers, chow mein noodles, tardivo, blood clams
  • Entrée: leg of lamb, blue cheese lollipops, cognac, cardoons
  • Dessert: chocoflan, satsuma mandarin, smoked almonds, caramelized onions

Judges:

Contestants:

Episode notes: Fifth episode of a five-part tournament. Guest judge Angie Mar was the winner of the second Chopped: Grill Masters tournament (Special 11 - "Grill Masters: Episode Five").

343 6 "Cinco de Mayo Fiesta" May 3, 2016

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: margarita pie, nopales, masa dough, mahi mahi
  • Entrée: corn cookies, Mexican-style cheese blend, jicama, beef barbacoa
  • Dessert: piñata, black beans, crema, Mexican hot chocolate

Judges:

  • Aarón Sánchez
  • Amanda Freitag
  • Ulrich Koberstein

Contestants:

  • Artist Thornton, Executive Chef from East Harlem, NY (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Sylva Senat, Executive Chef from Philadelphia, PA (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Telmo Faria, Executive Chef from San Francisco, CA (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Adrian Ramirez, Executive Chef from New York, NY (winner)

Episode notes: This was a Cinco de Mayo themed episode and contestants were asked to cook Mexican cuisine. The piñata in the third round contained assorted candies including caramel squares, strawberry hard candy, and round peppermints.

344 7 "Tortellini Trials" May 10, 2016

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: tortellini, goat milk caramel, bottarga, radishes
  • Entrée: jambalaya, marlin, chocolate covered garlic, kale
  • Dessert: olive oil tortas, rambutan, coconut milk, lime pickle

Judges:

  • Marc Murphy
  • Maneet Chauhan
  • David Loewenberg

Contestants:

  • Crystal Wahpepah, Chef & Owner from Oakland, CA (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Daniel Fleming, Sous Chef from Hoboken, NJ (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Laercio 'Junior' Chamon, Chef & Restaurateur from Little Silver, NJ (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Lauren Van Liew, Caterer from Red Bank, NJ (winner)
345 8 "Hungry for Love" May 17, 2016

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: scallops, dirty martini, Buddha's hand, dates
  • Entrée: veal chuck roast, bucatini pasta, honeynut squash, chocolate lips
  • Dessert: rose bud tea, chocolate honeycomb candy, crème anglaise, mangosteens

Judges:

  • Marcus Samuelsson
  • Maneet Chauhan
  • Christian Petroni

Contestants:

  • Peter Endrigian and Sally Meehan, Actor/Maitre'd from New York, NY and Actor/Model from New York, NY (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Tayo Ola and Elena Ng, Food Blogger from New York, NY and Bodybuilder from New York, NY (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Miles McKirdy and Stephanie Rizzolo, Bartender from New York, NY and Dining Concierge from New Brunswick, NJ (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Ian Phillips and Santana Benítez, Bartender from New York, NY and Non-Profit Volunteer from New York, NY (winner)

Episode notes: This was a team competition, with each team consisting of two amateur cooks meeting for the first time as blind dates. The episode focused not only on the cooking, but also on how well the dates got along.

346 9 "Summer Heat" May 24, 2016

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: lobster, zucchini, cucumber pineapple cooler, sand castle cake
  • Entrée: clambake, fresh chickpeas, potato chips, rainbow chard
  • Dessert: fruit kabobs, iced tea, whipped topping, ice cream sandwiches

Judges:

  • Aarón Sánchez
  • Maneet Chauhan
  • Geoffrey Zakarian

Contestants:

  • Dean Barker, Sous Chef from New York, NY (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Allison Kave, Chef & Owner from Brooklyn, NY (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Adrianna Montano, Sous Chef from New York, NY (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Ken West, Executive Chef from North Caldwell, NJ (winner)

Episode notes: In this episode, each basket contained ingredients associated with summertime. Chef Kave is the sister of former Chopped champion and Chopped tournament competitor Corwin Kave. The sand castle cake in the first round was pound cake with a graham cracker "sand". The clambake in the second round contained mussels, steamer clams, potatoes, corn, and seaweed.

347 10 "Deadliest Baskets" May 31, 2016

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: rattlesnake, cherimoya, rhubarb, ghost pepper
  • Entrée: alligator, absinthe, oysters, delicata squash
  • Dessert: huitlacoche, nutmeg, butterscotch beer, 'shark'

Judges:

  • Marc Murphy
  • Aarón Sánchez
  • Marcus Samuelsson

Contestants:

  • John Beatty, Executive Chef from New York, NY (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Mike Bianco, Chef de Cuisine from Dobbs Ferry, NY (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Mitchell Faber, Caterer from San Francisco, CA (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Erin Smith, Executive Chef from Houston, TX (winner)

Episode notes: Each basket featured dangerous ingredients, some deadly if prepared improperly. The 'shark' in the dessert round was a watermelon carved to look like a shark.

348 11 "Chopping Block Blues" June 7, 2016

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: Scotch eggs, baby leeks, crema, sauerkraut
  • Entrée: mackerel, squid ink base, candied orange peel, graffiti eggplant
  • Dessert: fruit ring cereal, molasses, cherries, sesame candy

Judges:

  • Geoffrey Zakarian
  • Marc Murphy
  • Janine Booth

Contestants:

  • Lenny Messina, Chef de Cuisine from Great Neck, NY (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Bruce Marais, Private Chef from New York, NY (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Katherine Fuchs, Executive Chef & Restaurateur from Queens, NY (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Mark Liberman, Executive Chef & Restaurateur from San Francisco, CA (winner)
349 12 "San Franchopco" June 14, 2016

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: garlic fries, pea tendrils, shishito peppers, mission style burritos
  • Entrée: California common beer, Chinese okra, quince, quail
  • Dessert: Irish coffee, sourdough bread bowl, California pomegranates, chocolate bars

Judges:

  • Scott Conant
  • Maneet Chauhan
  • Chris Santos

Contestants:

  • Mariko Wilkinson, Farm Chef from Marshall, CA (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Sean Thomas, Chef de Cuisine from San Francisco, CA (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Emily Hansen, Private Chef from San Francisco, CA (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Joe Sasto, Sous Chef from San Francisco, CA (winner)

Episode notes: All four chefs are from the San Francisco Bay area. Baskets each featured one or more San Francisco-themed ingredients.

350 13 "Leap of Faith" June 21, 2016

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: salmon, spring onions, raw white honey, Ezekiel bread
  • Entrée: lamb shoulder steaks, quince, cerignola olives, kosher wine
  • Dessert: figs, rainbow carrots, macadamia nuts, hamantaschen

Judges:

  • Marc Murphy
  • Alex Guarnaschelli
  • Geoffrey Zakarian

Contestants:

  • Father Justin Matro, Benedictine Monk & Pastor from Crabtree, PA (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Sister Sara Marks, Franciscan Nun from Philadelphia, PA (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Rabbi Hanoch Hecht, from Rhinebeck, NY (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Pastor Areli Biggers, Family Life Pastor from Hopkington, MA (winner)

Episode notes: All four contestants were amateur cooks and religious leaders. The baskets featured one or more biblical-themed or religious-themed ingredients. Rabbi Hecht is strictly kosher and therefore could not cook meat and dairy in the same competition. To accommodate this, the baskets kept kosher, and the pantry was stocked with dairy substitutes such as margarine and non-dairy whipping cream.

Season 29 (2016)

Series
No.
Season
No.
Title Original airdate
351 1 "Fried Chicken Time" August 7, 2016

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: half-roasted chicken thighs, scallion pancakes, kimchi, cherry cola sundae sauce
  • Entrée: whole brined chickens, pimento cheese, okra, peach cobbler
  • Dessert: chicken skin, Nashville hot chicken paste, sweet potato ice cream, buttermilk biscuits

Judges:

Contestants:

  • Jayson Reynolds, Chef & Caterer from Austin, TX (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Shanice Fleming, Line Cook from New York, NY (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Tyler Henderson, Executive Chef from Santa Fe, TX (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Brandon Peacock, Executive Chef from San Francisco, CA (winner)

Episode notes: The theme of this episode was fried chicken with chicken of some kind in every basket. The deep-fryer was turned off, and each chef was given a pre-heated pot of oil on their station. Chef Reynolds' wife is Chopped Champion Janelle Reynolds.

352 2 "Snail Snafus" August 9, 2016

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: canned escargot, popcorn shoots, cocktail franks, orzo
  • Entrée: tilefish, chayote squash, garlic knots, cookie butter chocolate bites
  • Dessert: pomelo, marcona almonds, grenadine, angel food cake

Judges:

Contestants:

  • William Gilchriest, Executive Chef from Houston, TX (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Elisha Weitz, Corporate Chef from Parsippany, NJ (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Kaley Laird, Executive Chef & Pastry Chef from San Francisco, CA (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Aarthi Sampath, Chef de Cuisine from New York, NY (winner)
353 3 "Hot Doggin'" August 14, 2016

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: alpaca hot dogs, sauerkraut, carrot ketchup, pâté
  • Entrée: wagyu beef hot dogs, quail eggs, watermelon radishes, canned chili
  • Dessert: corn dogs, coffee toffee, chocolate-covered jalapeños, deep-fried cookie dough

Judges:

Contestants:

  • Cameron Cain, Executive Chef from Houston, TX (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Seth Carter, Chef de Partie from San Francisco, CA (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Rey Martinez, Executive Chef from Brooklyn, NY (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Rachael Zavala, Executive Chef from Danville, CA (winner)

Episode notes: The theme for this episode was hot dogs, and all three baskets contained hot dogs in some form.

354 4 "Souper Chefs" August 16, 2016

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: dill pickle soup, red watercress, lime curd, steelhead trout
  • Entrée: habanero beer, pork ribs, purple asparagus, fig dragées
  • Dessert: smoked brown sugar, baby pineapples, empanada dough, French single malt whiskey

Judges:

  • Geoffrey Zakarian
  • Alex Guarnaschelli
  • Christian Petroni

Contestants:

  • Donato Deserio, Executive Chef from New York, NY (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Pasquale Abbatiello, Executive Chef from Pleasantville, NY (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Tariq Abdullah-Muhammad, Sous Chef from New York, NY (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Veronica Flores, Executive Chef from New York, NY (winner)
355 5 "Chili Cook-Off" August 21, 2016

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: pork cheek, kohlrabi, Mexican chocolate, chorizo
  • Entrée: boneless short ribs, spicy gummy peppers, choclo, smoked turkey wings
  • Dessert: jalebi, sweet/spicy cocktail sugar, habichuelas con dulce, roasted red peppers

Judges:

Contestants:

  • Jim Angelus, Chef & Restaurateur from San Francisco, CA (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Natacha Supplice, Private Chef from New York, NY (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Eric Adjepong, Personal Chef & Entrepreneur from New York, NY (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Matthew Arlington, Executive Chef & Restaurateur from Hoboken, NJ (winner)

Episode notes: The chefs were required to create chili-themed dishes in each round.

356 6 "Teen Tournament: Battle 1" August 23, 2016

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: waffle tacos, yogurt covered pretzels, broccolini, speck
  • Entrée: capon, purple cabbage, ranch dressing, pizza casserole
  • Dessert: banana split brownies, avocados, ribbon candy, wasabi peanuts

Judges:

  • Scott Conant
  • Alex Guarnaschelli
  • Geoffrey Zakarian

Contestants:

  • Nicholas Capone (age 15), from Parsippany, NJ (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Myla Njai (age 15), from Queens, NY (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Jared Goldberg (age 17), from Scarsdale, NY (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Kamryn Kohler (age 16), from Yardley, PA (winner)

Episode notes: Part 1 of a 5-part tournament featuring teenage cooks. For the whole tournament, the first round is 30 minutes instead of the usual 20.

357 7 "Teen Tournament: Battle 2" August 30, 2016

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: saucisson en croute, quinoa, white harissa, seaweed salad
  • Entrée: squid, lemon candy, Kusa Squash, shrimp cocktail
  • Dessert: French pastries, citrus soda, strawberries, pirate's breakfast (eggs and bacon)

Judges:

  • Scott Conant
  • Marc Murphy
  • Aarón Sánchez

Contestants:

  • Nathan Spiro (age 17), from Bedford, NY (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Tommy McMonagle (age 17), from Swedesboro, NJ (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Samantha Haas (age 16), from New York, NY (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Lyanna Cintron (age 17), from Queens, NY (winner)

Episode notes: Part 2 of a 5-part tournament featuring teenage cooks.

358 8 "Teen Tournament: Battle 3" September 6, 2016

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: Korean short ribs, apple green tea coolers, Brussels sprouts, Gorgonzola dulce
  • Entrée: Skate wing, rainbow pasta, bok choy, Giardiniera
  • Dessert: Pate a choux, cherry tomatoes, balsamic jelly, chocolate milk

Judges:

  • Scott Conant
  • Maneet Chauhan
  • Aarón Sánchez

Contestants:

  • Brittany Matteson (age 17), from Boyertown, PA (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Mukanjo Mukuka (age 17), from Valley Stream, NY (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Remmi Smith (age 15), from Tulsa, OK (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Gabriel Chirinos (age 15), from Jackson Heights, NY (winner)

Episode notes: Part 3 of a 5-part tournament featuring teenage cooks.

359 9 "Twins for the Win" September 8, 2016

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: double-yolked eggs, pickled pork skins, broccoli rabe, crawfish tails
  • Entrée: peas in a pod, crown roast of pork, root beer float, Japanese sweet potatoes
  • Dessert: ya pears, fennel pollen, pate sucree, Brazil nuts

Judges:

  • Aarón Sánchez
  • Alex Guarnaschelli
  • Marc Murphy

Contestants:

  • Tammy Lakatos-Shames & Lyssie Lakatos, Nutritionists from New York, NY (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Pamela Drew & Wendy Drew, Chef & Restaurateurs from San Francisco, CA (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Charlie Kalish & Michael Kalish, Instructors & Restaurateurs from San Francisco, CA (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Matt Romine & Mike Romine, Chefs & Restaurateurs from Imlay City, MI (winner)

Episode notes: This was a team competition featuring four teams of twin chefs. Aaron Sanchez' twin brother Rodrigo Sanchez made an appearance during the dessert round.

360 10 "Teen Tournament: Battle 4" September 13, 2016

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: porcini mushrooms, verjus, linzer torte cookies, rabbit in a can
  • Entrée: bison skirt steak, snap peas, guanciale, chocolate-covered potato chips
  • Dessert: seedless red grapes, building block candy, bee sting cake, sparkling cider

Judges:

  • Scott Conant
  • Alex Guarnaschelli
  • Amanda Freitag

Contestants:

  • Jeffrey Heilman (age 18), from San Jose, CA (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Jonas Park (age 16), from Ardsley, NY (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Shawna DeLima (age 17), from Augusta, NJ (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Eliana de Las Casas (age 15), from New Orleans, LA (winner)

Episode notes: Part 3 of a 5-part tournament featuring teenage cooks.

361 11 "Naan the Wiser" September 15, 2016

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: blood sausage, crosnes, cranberries, naan
  • Entrée: pad thai, oyster mushrooms, finger limes, dover sole
  • Dessert: guava, baby bananas, rum raisin chèvre, pistachio twists

Judges:

  • Scott Conant
  • Alex Guarnaschelli
  • Marc Murphy

Contestants:

  • Surbhi Sahni, Business Owner & Chef from New York, NY (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Brittany Eaden, Business Owner & Chef from Houston, TX (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Joel Lamica, Executive Chef from Berkeley, CA (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Florian Wehrli, Executive Chef from New York, NY (winner)
362 12 "Teen Tournament: Finale Fight" September 20, 2016

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: mussels, cipollini onions, confetti popcorn, merguez sausage
  • Entrée: prime rib, funnel cakes, dried crabs, okra
  • Dessert: gelatin fish bowl, mangoes, graham crackers, cream cheese

Judges:

  • Scott Conant
  • Amanda Freitag
  • Geoffrey Zakarian

Contestants:

  • Gabriel Chirinos (age 15), from Jackson Heights, NY (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Lyanna Cintron (age 17), from Queens, NY (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Kamryn Kohler (age 16), from Yardley, PA (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Eliana de Las Casas (age 15), from New Orleans, LA (winner)

Episode notes: Final part of a 5-part tournament featuring teenage cooks. The four remaining teen chefs competed for a $25,000 grand prize. The other three finalists each received a $1,000 FoodNetwork.com gift certificate and an authentic red Chopped chefs coat.

363 13 "Worst Cooks Challenge" September 27, 2016

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: frog legs, red finger chilies, bok choy, pig face roulade
  • Entrée: hanger steak, baby corn, tequila, lime curd
  • Dessert: bosc pears, black currant dijon, cocoa powder, brown sugar cinnamon pita chips

Judges:

Contestants:

  • Amber Brauner - Season 5 Winner (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Genique Freeman - Season 6 Runner-up (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Kristen Redmond - Season 6 Winner (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Jamie Thomas - Season 5 Runner-up (winner)

Episode notes: Contestants were previous winners and runners-up from Worst Cooks in America. Anne Burrell served as the guest judge for this episode

Season 30 (2016)

Series
No.
Season
No.
Title Original airdate
364 1 "Kefir and Loathing" September 22, 2016

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: pork secreto, asparagus, kefir, truffle flavored potato chips
  • Entrée: black sea bass, yuca, flat runner beans, blueberry grappa
  • Dessert: knafeh, passion fruit, pistachio paste, brown bread in a can

Judges:

  • Geoffrey Zakarian
  • Amanda Freitag
  • Giorgio Rapicavoli

Contestants:

  • Enzo Neri, Executive Chef from New York City, NY. (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Soraya Carrington, Personal Chef & Caterer from New Jersey. (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Erica Schaal, Private Chef & Caterer from San Francisco, CA. (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Josh Arcilla, Corporate Caterer from San Francisco, CA. (winner)

Episode notes: Guest judge Giorgio Rapicavoli is a two-time Chopped Champion.

365 2 "Sweetbread Dread" September 29, 2016

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: vinegar pie, plantains, poblano peppers, sardines
  • Entrée: sweetbreads, daikon radishes, bok choy, dried scallops
  • Dessert: fresh bee pollen, canned white wine, edible flowers, cheddar biscuit mix

Judges:

  • Scott Conant
  • Maneet Chauhan
  • Marc Murphy

Contestants:

  • Joey Malim, Line Cook from San Francisco, CA (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Alfred DiMartini, Hospital Executive Chef & Business Owner from New York, NY (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Krista Espinal, Executive Chef from Peekskill, NY (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Julieta Liebhoff, Executive Chef and Caterer from New York, NY (winner)
366 3 "Best Halloween Ever" October 3, 2016

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: zombie hand, dinosaur kale, ghost pepper mayo, jack o' lantern peppers
  • Entrée: bloodshot eyeballs, bone marrow, salty fingers, pork tenderloin
  • Dessert: goat cheese spider, candy corn cookies, worms in dirt, horned melon

Judges:

  • Maneet Chauhan
  • Amanda Freitag
  • Scott Conant

Contestants:

  • Ebony Amber, Costume Designer from Torrington, CT (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • James Roberts, Medical File Clerk from Long Island, NY (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Gina Gullo, University Research Assistant from Lehigh Valley, PA (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Joshua Potter ("Schwa de Vivre"), Drag Queen from New York, NY (winner)

Episode notes: This was a Halloween themed episode with all amateur cooks dressed in costumes. The zombie hand was meatloaf in the shape of a hand and mashed potatoes. The jack o' lantern peppers were orange bell peppers cut to resemble jack o' lanterns. The bloodshot eyeballs were dyed hard-boiled eggs. The salty fingers were sea beans. The worms in dirt were gummy worms and chocolate sandwich cookies.

367 4 "On the Quack Burner" October 6, 2016

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: pickled turnips, oroblanco, baba ganoush, duck tongues
  • Entrée: hanger steak, poached eggs, Italian cheese blend, wakame tagliatelle
  • Dessert: chocolate salted caramel licorice, spiced rum, cannoli cream, banana bread

Judges:

  • Marcus Samuelsson
  • Alex Guarnaschelli
  • Scott Conant

Contestants:

  • Thomas Brenner, Winemaker & Executive Chef from Napa Valley, CA (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Annabelle Turner, Executive Pastry Chef from Austin, TX (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Anthony Rinaldi, Executive Chef & Owner from Brooklyn, NY (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Heidi Rae Weinstein, Personal Chef from Melbourne, CA (winner)
368 5 "Web Stars" October 11, 2016

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: emoji cookies, fennel, apricots, ground beef
  • Entrée: boar shoulder, sun-dried tomatoes, puff pastry, canned mac n cheese
  • Dessert: vanilla cake mix, lavender, Szechuan peppercorns, almond water

Judges:

  • Marcus Samuelsson
  • Alex Guarnaschelli
  • Laura Vitale

Contestants:

  • Ameer Atari from "Epic Meal Time" (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Katie Quinn from "QKatie" (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Noah Galuten from "The Food Feeder" (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Jen Phanomrat from "Just Eat Life" (winner)

Episode notes: For this episode, the four contestants competing are YouTubers who run cooking shows on their channel.

369 6 "Turkey Day Heroes" November 14, 2016

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: pumpkin pasta sauce, mache, pernil, turkey bread
  • Entrée: fried turkey, kabocha squash, candied cranberries, cherpumple
  • Dessert: black walnuts in syrup, beet yogurt, clementines, ear-of-corn cupcakes

Judges:

  • Scott Conant
  • Maneet Chauhan
  • Marc Murphy

Contestants:

  • Amber Keyser, Noah's Kitchen in Houston, TX (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Pam Johnson, Elijah's Promise in New Brunswick, NJ (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Adam Coleman, Clear Path for Veterans in Chittenango, NY (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Alex Lawrence, Trinity/Food for the Homeless in New York, NY (winner)

Episode notes: This is a Thanksgiving themed episode where all four contestants worked in soup kitchens. Each competitor received a donation from Food Network to their respective soup kitchens.

370 7 "Holiday Reality Check" December 5, 2016

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: menorah bread, tomato mozzarella wreath, variegated radicchio, truffled pheasant
  • Entrée: matzo ball soup, venison tenderloin, brussels sprouts, ugly sweater cookies
  • Dessert: ginger marshmallow men, advocaat, blood oranges, caramel chocolate dreidels

Judges:

  • Scott Conant
  • Alex Guarnaschelli
  • Aarón Sánchez

Contestants:

Episode notes: This was a holiday themed episode. All four contestants were reality TV show stars competing for charity.

371 8 "New Year's Bash" December 20, 2016

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: blini with caviar, collard greens, crab legs, champagne
  • Entrée: lobsters, black-eyed peas, dirty martini, boneless strip loin
  • Dessert: countdown cake, 12 grapes, pomegranates, edible party horns

Judges:

  • Scott Conant
  • Alex Guarnaschelli
  • Aarón Sánchez

Contestants:

  • Javani King, Executive Chef from Houston, TX (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Lionel Haeberle, Executive Chef from San Francisco, CA (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Matt Davidson, Chef de Cuisine fromSan Francisco, CA (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Charleen Caabay, Chef & Restaurateur from Oakland, CA (winner)

Episode notes: This was a New Year's themed episode. Due to the extensive prep time needed, the crab legs in the first basket were pre-cooked and pre-cracked.

Season 31 (2016)

  • This is the first season where more than 13 episodes aired.
Series
No.
Season
No.
Title Original airdate
372 1 "Smorgastarta Your Engines" October 13, 2016

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: squid rings, fennel, chickpea miso, smörgåstårta
  • Entrée: pumpkin swordfish, beef tallow, strawberry milk powder, artichokes
  • Dessert: preserved eggplant, wafer sheets, ras el hanout, saturn peaches

Judges:

  • Scott Conant
  • Amanda Freitag
  • Aarón Sánchez

Contestants:

  • Sylvia Becker, Chef & Owner from Bloomfield, NJ (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Marc Quiñones, Executive Chef from Santa Fe, NM (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Kristina Sciarra, Executive Chef from Bel Air, MD (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Demetrio Zavala, Corporate Executive Chef from Washington D.C. (winner)
373 2 "Tailgate Greats" October 18, 2016

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: tailgate sandwiches, vegetables and dip, caramel corn, black bean salsa
  • Entrée: baby back ribs, brewmosa, hot Italian peppers, potato salad
  • Dessert: football pies, white nectarines, raspberry lambic beer, potato chips

Judges:

  • Marc Murphy
  • Amanda Freitag
  • Chris Santos

Contestants:

  • Ali Muhammad from Cranford, NJ (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Catherine Highland from Englewood, CO (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Gina Gray from Ossining, NY (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Frank West from Bayonne, NJ (winner)

Episode notes: All the contestants were amateur cooks (but experienced tailgaters) and the theme of the episode was tailgating. In keeping with the theme, the contestants wore specially made Chopped football jerseys instead of chef coats, and the baskets were replaced with coolers. The contestants had 30 minutes in the appetizer round.

374 3 "Chopped: Beat Bobby Flay, Part 1" October 20, 2016

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: lutefisk, mache, skordalia, crunchy berry cereal (Bobby's choice)
  • Entrée: beets, rose water syrup, chocolate-covered onions, lamb short ribs (Bobby's choice)
  • Dessert: wine flour, Mayhaw jelly, grilled cheese sandwiches, Marcona almonds (Bobby's choice)

Judges:

Contestants:

Episode notes: First part of a 4-part tournament featuring twelve returning Chopped champions. Each episode's winner progressed to the finale, where the three episode winners competed to determine the tournament finalist. The finalist would choose a dish and compete for $40,000 against Bobby Flay in making a better version of the dish. For the whole tournament, one item in each basket was chosen by Bobby Flay.

375 4 "Midnight Snack Attack" October 25, 2016

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: fried chicken, garlic scapes, Moscow mule, beet doughnuts
  • Entrée: blue foot mushrooms, pizza, duck fat fries, halal cart lamb & rice
  • Dessert: breakfast sandwich, fruit cereal, sour plums, rum butter ice cream

Judges:

  • Maneet Chauhan
  • Amanda Freitag
  • Aarón Sánchez

Contestants:

  • Alexa Wilkinson, Executive Chef from New York, NY (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Mario Roca, Executive Chef from Washington D.C. (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Alysis Vasquez, Chef & Owner from Jersey City, NJ (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Lee Knoeppel, Executive Chef from New York, NY (winner)

Episode notes: The theme for this episode was late-night food.

376 5 "Chopped: Beat Bobby Flay, Part 2" October 27, 2016

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: tropical fruit in a can, Delfino cilantro, abalone, fresno peppers (Bobby's choice)
  • Entrée: whole Alaskan king crab, purple snow peas, lemon ice box cake, corn nuts (Bobby's choice)
  • Dessert: licorice flavored liqueur, plums, cinnamon bun pancakes, crème fraîche (Bobby's choice)

Judges:

Contestants:

Episode notes: Second part of a 4-part tournament. Chef Thomas is the youngest competitor in this tournament, having won the first all-teen episode back in season 13. In round 1, the can of fruit contained peaches, grapes, pears, and cherries. Also, due to the extensive prep time required, the abalone in round 1 was pre-cleaned.

377 6 "Chaudin Chow (aka Hearty Party)" November 1, 2016

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: chaudin, fresh green peas, sorghum, vodka sauce
  • Entrée: cobia, crenshaw melon, mezcal, tasso ham
  • Dessert: Thai rolled ice cream, strawberry papaya, croutons, honey & basil seed drink

Judges:

  • Chris Santos
  • Amanda Freitag
  • Marc Murphy

Contestants:

  • Josh Hershkovitz, Chef & Restaurateur from Baltimore, MD (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • ML Carroll, Chef & Owner, Canapés Catering from Frederick, MD (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Renee Blackman, Private Chef from New York, NY (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Fernando Ruiz, Executive Chef from Santa Fe, NM (winner)
378 7 "Chopped: Beat Bobby Flay, Part 3" November 3, 2016

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: kale chips, gazpacho, mac & cheese stuffed lobster, zucchini (Bobby's choice)
  • Entrée: white currants, egg-stuffed muffin, rainbow chard, goat leg (Bobby's choice)
  • Dessert: Turkish cotton candy, chokladkolasnittar, "the ultimate milkshake", dates (Bobby's choice)

Judges:

Contestants:

Episode notes: Third part of a 4-part tournament. Contestants Matt Romine and Mike Romine previously competed together in a twins' team competition episode, but competed individually in this episode. The "ultimate milkshake" in the third round was reminiscent of "unicorn milkshakes" that are overloaded with rainbow candies, rainbow cereal, and colorful cookies in a large mug.

379 8 "Cheap Eats" November 8, 2016

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: pho, runner beans, Mexican street corn, pork buns
  • Entrée: ramen burgers, pickled nopales, zucchini blossoms, fried cheese curds
  • Dessert: lemon snack cakes, carrot hot sauce, plums, artisanal caramel

Judges:

  • Aarón Sánchez
  • Amanda Freitag
  • Alex Guarnaschelli

Contestants:

  • Sage Beausejour, Sous Chef from New York, NY (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Kathy Poland, Chef & Food Truck Owner from Denver, CO (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Shahin Afsharian, Executive Chef from Denver, CO (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Nicky Palamaro, Sous Chef from New York, NY (winner)

Episode notes: The theme of this episode revolved around inexpensive food items leading to the basket ingredients being convenience food items or street food. Chef Palamaro is a sous chef at Tertulia, owned by Chopped guest judge Seamus Mullen.

380 9 "Chopped: Beat Bobby Flay, Finale" November 10, 2016

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: slaw sauce, coconut candy, chickpeas, camel tenderloin
  • Entrée: molasses, haricot verts, breakfast nachos, eel
  • Dessert: (wild card round) ribeye steak, black garlic, fish maw, piña colada

Judges:

  • Amanda Freitag
  • Alex Guarnaschelli
  • Chris Santos

Contestants:

Episode notes: Final part of a 4-part tournament. The 3 finalists competed over 2 rounds (appetizer and entree) to win a guaranteed $15,000. The winner faced Bobby Flay in a $25,000 wild card round for a chance to increase their winnings to $40,000. This round was played like the second round on Beat Bobby Flay with both chefs making a dish of the winner's choice, which in this case was bibimbap. The chefs had 45 minutes in the 3rd round instead of the usual 30 to accommodate the crossover format.

381 10 "Battle of the Butchers" November 17, 2016

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: picnic pork shoulder, heirloom tomatoes, dried porcini mushrooms, head cheese
  • Entrée: goose, rat tail radishes, cornichons, pork rillettes
  • Dessert: pork blood ice cream, peaches, duck fat buttermilk biscuits, marrow bones

Judges:

  • Aarón Sánchez
  • Chris Santos
  • Scott Conant

Contestants:

  • Jay Fox, Butcher & Co-Owner from New York, NY (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Brian Paul Casey, Butcher & Co-Owner from Denver, CO (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Derek Boaz, Master Butcher from Philadelphia, PA (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Cara Nicoletti, Butcher from Brooklyn, NY (winner)

Episode notes: All four chefs were professional butchers. The chefs were given 30 minutes in the appetizer round and 40 minute in the entrée round in order to butcher their proteins properly.

382 11 "Beast Feast" November 22, 2016

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: sekacz, kale, chicken livers, chicken-on-a-spit
  • Entrée: white chocolate curry cashews, butternut squash, goat’s milk yogurt, whole goats
  • Dessert: marrow chutney, figs, bacon, whole pigs

Judges:

  • Scott Conant
  • Alex Guarnaschelli
  • Maneet Chauhan

Contestants:

  • Jared Falco, Chef de Cuisine from Armonk, NY (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Sarah Murray, Sous Chef from Baltimore, MD (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Brother Luck, Chef & Owner from Colorado Springs, CO (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Christopher Royster, Chef de Cuisine from Boulder, CO (winner)

Episode notes: Every basket contained whole roasted animals, which were placed in the pantry rather than the baskets due to their size.

383 12 "Back in Time" November 24, 2016

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: spiced ham in a can, crab aspic molds, orange space drink, spinach
  • Entrée: TV dinners, flying saucer candies, cheese ball, lima beans
  • Dessert: marshmallow sandwich pie, ambrosia, powdered milk, Shirley Temple

Judges:

  • Amanda Freitag
  • Alex Guarnaschelli
  • Aarón Sánchez

Contestants:

  • Peter Freeman, Chef & Owner from Brooklyn, NY (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Connie Ruel, Chef & Owner from Broomfield, CO (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Geoff "Ozzy" Carson, Kitchen Manager from Chester, VA (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Crystal River Williams, Chef & Owner from Queens, NY (winner)

Episode notes: The theme of this episode was retro-inspired food. All the basket contained old-fashioned ingredients.

384 13 "Viewers' Vengeance" November 29, 2016

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: duck blood soup, horseradish pickles, frilly red mustard greens, zombie hand
  • Entrée: elk heart, macapuno, Scotch Bonnet peppers, Tavuk göğsü
  • Dessert: atole, horned melon, salted dried plums, pig tails

Judges:

  • Chris Santos
  • Geoffrey Zakarian
  • Marc Murphy

Contestants:

  • Erick Dally, Executive Sous Chef from New York, NY (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Serge Pambo, Sous Chef from Rockville, MD (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Ashish "Al" Alfred, Executive Chef & Restaurateur from Bethesda, MD (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Lesley Covitz, Chef & Restaurateur from Brooklyn, NY (winner)

Episode notes: All of the baskets were chosen by viewers via social media. The zombie hand was meatloaf in the shape of a hand and mashed potatoes.

385 14 "Entree Basket Blues" December 1, 2016

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: canned ham musubi, hon shimeji mushrooms, mussels, passion fruit
  • Entrée: porcelet rib rack, honeydew melon, mache, blue curacao
  • Dessert: french fry chips, dragon fruit, ham glaze, blackberries

Judges:

  • Marcus Samuelsson
  • Geoffrey Zakarian
  • Leah Cohen

Contestants:

  • Christopher Newark, Sous Chef from Annapolis, MD (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Treeven Dove, Sous Chef from Washington D.C. (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Tressa Wiles, Pastry Chef from Washington D.C. (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Michael Bonk, Chef & Restaurateur from Washington D.C. (winner)

Episode notes: This episode was mistakenly labelled as "Jump for Bok Choy" on the Food Network website.

386 15 "Taco Time!" December 8, 2016

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: tripe, oranges, mustard rabe, coffee-flavored liqueur
  • Entrée: pork shoulder, baby watermelon, hearts of palm, hoisin sauce
  • Dessert: churro cake, goat's milk, serrano peppers, Mexican chocolate

Judges:

  • Aarón Sánchez
  • Alex Guarnaschelli
  • Marc Murphy

Contestants:

  • Elena Cruz, Chef & Co-Owner from Kingston, NY. (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • David Ruiz, Executive Chef from Albuquerque, NM. (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Jesse Vega, Executive Chef from Denver, CO. (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Faith Paulick, Executive Chef from Baltimore, MD. (winner)

Episode notes: The contestants had to make tacos for every round in this episode.

387 16 "Sweet Heat" December 13, 2016

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: pizza rustica, radicchio, sardines, lemon candies
  • Entrée: baby octopus, Italian orange liqueur, caperberries, ham steaks
  • Dessert: brown butter, blueberry crumb cake, serrano chiles, salt water taffy

Judges:

  • Geoffrey Zakarian
  • Alex Guarnaschelli
  • Chris Santos

Contestants:

  • Paddy Rawal, Chef & Owner from Santa Fe, NM. (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Christina Hinds, Executive Chef from Bayonne, NJ. (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Catherine O'Brien, Chef & Owner from Santa Fe, NM. (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Dante Giannini, Estate Chef for Jimmy Buffett. (winner)
388 17 "Betting on the Farm" December 15, 2016

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: local chickens, pickled chilis, baby squash with blossoms, switchel
  • Entrée: grass-fed lamb shoulder, polenta, gummy farm animals, wild arugula
  • Dessert: corn on the cob ice cream, gooseberries, goat's milk, farm fresh duck eggs

Judges:

  • Marc Murphy
  • Amanda Freitag
  • Chris Santos

Contestants:

  • Marjory Sweet, Farmer and Chef from Albuequerque, NM (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Jhette Gonzales, Chef de Partie from Albuequerque, NM (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Brian Cieslak, Line Cook from Annapolis, MD (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Martyna Krowicka, Chef de Cuisine from Hamburg, NJ (winner)

Episode notes: All the chefs worked at farm-to-table style restaurants and the basket ingredients leaned towards local or farm-themed foods.

389 18 "Million Dollar Baskets" December 22, 2016

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: flight of caviar, dried matsutake mushrooms, purple asparagus, hamachi
  • Entrée: summer black truffles, pure maple syrup, broccoflower, mangalitsa pork
  • Dessert: macadamias, pear brandy, champagne grapes, gold doughnuts

Judges:

  • Marcus Samuelsson
  • Alex Guarnaschelli
  • Maneet Chauhan

Contestants:

  • Faiz Ally, Executive Sous Chef from Washington D.C (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Ivan Saez, Executive Chef from Washington D.C (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Meena Throngkumpola, Executive Sous Chef from New York, NY (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Nick Browne, Private Chef from Berkshires, MA (winner)

Episode notes: Each chef specialized in high-end cuisine and each basket contained high-end ingredients, all of which were expensive. The flight of caviar in the first round contained three different varieties of caviar for the chefs to use. Chef Browne is the son of actors Kale Browne and Karen Allen.

390 19 "Basket Buzz" December 27, 2016

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: branzino, cucamelon, cava, testaroli pasta
  • Entrée: lamb couscous, white eggplant, chewy cinnamon candies, gorgonzola dulce
  • Dessert: grape leaves, wild blueberries, tahini ice cream, cherry gel candy

Judges:

Contestants:

  • Lien Lin, Executive Chef from Brooklyn, NY (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Brendan Neville, Executive Chef from New York City, NY (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Renée Fox, Chef & Restaurateur from Santa Fe, NM (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Maria Petridis, Chef and Restaurateur from Queens, NY (winner)
391 20 "Wild Times" December 29, 2016

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: venison loin, fennel flowers, huckleberry jam, kelp noodles
  • Entrée: wild boar, dandelion greens, wildflower honey, burdock root
  • Dessert: mushroom hot chocolate, cranberries, amaranth grain, buffalo milk butter

Judges:

  • Chris Santos
  • Alex Guarnaschelli
  • Jonathon Sawyer

Contestants:

  • Michele Wright, Chef & Restaurateur from Goochland, VA (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Justin Goerich, Executive Chef from Boulder, CO (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Peter Martinez, Sous Chef from Englewood Cliffs, NJ (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Mark Henry, Executive Chef from Fountain, CO (winner)

Episode notes: Each basket had wild ingredients (game and/or wild plants). Guest judge Jonathon Sawyer was the Chopped Champion from the "Grill Masters Napa: Part 1" episode.

Season 32 (2017)

Series
No.
Season
No.
Title Original airdate
392 1 "Clean Eatin'" January 3, 2017

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: muffin tops, Russian red kale, soaked beans, whole milk yogurt
  • Entrée: side of tuna, stonecrop, kombucha, shirataki noodles
  • Dessert: banana chocolate frozen dessert, raspberries, kaniwa, angel food cake

Judges:

  • Marc Murphy
  • Amanda Freitag
  • Chris Santos

Contestants:

  • Elisa Lyew, Chef & Restaurateur from Brooklyn, NY (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Melanie Brown-Lane, Executive Chef from Baltimore, MD (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Rick Vanderplas, Private Chef & Owner from New York, NY (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Adam Kenworthy, Private Chef from New York, NY (winner)

Episode notes: The contestants were given healthy, fresh ingredients and told to cook healthy, low-calorie meals.

393 2 "Whiskey and Wings" January 10, 2017

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: chicken wings, curly fries, Chinese broccoli, Japanese whiskey
  • Entrée: (pre-cooked) turkey wings, hot sauces, (platter of) celery, carrots, & blue cheese, quinoa whiskey
  • Dessert: angel wings, peaches, braised bacon, Rock & Rye

Judges:

  • Aarón Sánchez
  • Geoffrey Zakarian
  • Chris Santos

Contestants:

  • Russell Stippich, Sous Chef from Denver, CO (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Chris Burnett, Head Sous Chef from Little Silver, NJ (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Dasha Perez-Haney, Executive Chef from Denver, CO (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Scott McDonald, Executive Chef from Jersey City, NJ (winner)

Episode notes: Each basket contained different types of whiskey and wings. In the entree round the chefs were given a caddy of five different hot sauces, and the celery, carrots, and blue cheese were all on a platter which counted as one ingredient.

394 3 "Celebrating Veterans" January 17, 2017

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: cheeseburgers, haricot verts, potato tots, sweet tea
  • Entrée: chicken pot pie, watercress, pork chops, "stars & stripes" pasta
  • Dessert: candy apples, blondies, vanilla pudding mix, American cheese

Judges:

  • Chris Santos
  • Alex Guarnaschelli
  • Marc Murphy

Contestants:

  • Paul Maloney, Executive Chef and Navy Veteran from Doswell, VA (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Candace Gracik, Executive Chef and Coast Guard Veteran from Los Lunas, NM (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Jon Coombs, Sous Chef and Army Veteran from Ashburn, VA (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Gary Gonzalez, Line Cook and Marine Veteran from Edison, NJ (winner)

Episode notes: All four contestants were military veterans. While Chopped normally obscures brand names, the pot pie in the entrée basket was Marie Callender's brand. Each of the chopped chefs had $5000 donated in their name from Marie Callender's to a different charity. The winner also received a $10,000 donation to charity in addition to the usual $10,000 prize.

395 4 "Oodles of Noodles" January 24, 2017

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: tilefish, roasted grapes, Chinese preserved vegetables, Yakisoba noodles
  • Entrée: (platter of) sausage & meatballs, chayote squash, tomato sorbet, fresh pasta dough
  • Dessert: struffoli, maraschino cherries, cinnamon whisky, falooda ice cream

Judges:

  • Chris Santos
  • Geoffrey Zakarian
  • Marcus Samuelsson

Contestants:

  • Cristian Petitta, Executive Chef from White Plains, NY (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Thach Tran, Executive Chef from Denver, CO (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Zack Mills, Executive Chef from Baltimore, MD (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Christina Jackson, Chef from Brooklyn, NY (winner)

Episode notes: This was a noodle themed episode with noodles/pasta in every round. The sausage and meatballs were all on a platter which counted as one ingredient.

396 5 "Game Day Party" January 31, 2017

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: truffled mac & cheese, spigarello, pale ale, sliders
  • Entrée: purple potatoes, sangria artichokes, mortadella hot dogs, chili
  • Dessert: soft pretzels, husk cherries, blue sports drink, pig skin

Judges:

  • Scott Conant
  • Geoffrey Zakarian
  • Eddie Jackson

Contestants:

  • Jon "DJ Dallas Green" Rosa, Caterer & DJ from Harlem, NY (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Dean Dupuis, Executive Chef from Washington D.C (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Pete Santero, Culinary Arts Teacher from Passaic County, NJ (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Carrie Eagle, Executive Chef from Albuquerque, NM (winner)

Episode notes: The baskets were game day (American Football) themed.

397 6 "Chocolate Obsession" February 7, 2017

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: soft-shell crabs, chocolate olive oil, pomegranate seeds, white chocolate-covered caviar
  • Entrée: milk chocolate mille crêpe cake, chocolate whiskey, pork shanks, purple spinach
  • Dessert: dark chocolate decadence cake, dark chocolate seaweed candy, pistachio cream, apricots

Judges:

Contestants:

  • Jenny Dorsey, Chef from New York, NY (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Arnaud Devulder, Events Chef from New York, NY (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Doug Wetzel, Executive Chef from Baltimore, MD (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Brooke Siem, Pastry Chef & Restaurateur from New York, NY (winner)

Episode notes: The theme of the episode was chocolate. Each basket contained two chocolate ingredients.

398 7 "Blue Plate Fate" February 14, 2017

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: BLTs, marionberry jam, string beans, disco fries
  • Entrée: cube steak, beets, craft beer, deep-fried deviled eggs
  • Dessert: coconut arancini, variegated figs, cheesecake, coffee with creamer

Judges:

  • Marc Murphy
  • Amanda Freitag
  • Chris Santos

Contestants:

  • Arleen Harkins, Executive Chef & Owner from Red Hook, NY (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Nonna Riekert, Chef from Collingswood, NJ (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Mike Perseo, Executive Chef from Albuquerque, NM (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Ype Von Hengst, Chef & Restaurateur from Rockville, MD (winner)

Episode notes: The theme of this episode is diner-style food. All four contestants are diner chefs.

399 8 "Chefs in a Pickle" February 21, 2017

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: sliced pickled pork, brussels sprouts, pickleback, clotted cream
  • Entrée: flank steak, half-sour pickles, perilla leaves, rainbow carrots
  • Dessert: bread-and-butter pickles, pretzel croissants, chunky peanut butter, cherries

Judges:

  • Geoffrey Zakarian
  • Alex Guarnaschelli
  • Chris Santos

Contestants:

  • Mandla Nkiwane, Executive Chef from New York, NY (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Brian Hohl, Sous Chef from Annapolis, MD (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Jaclyn Beasley, Executive Sous Chef from Washington, D.C (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Dave Hadley, Sous Chef from Denver, CO (winner)

Episode notes: This episode had pickled ingredients in every basket.

400 9 "Raw Deal" February 28, 2017

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: sushi burgers, fresh wasabi, longan berries, pork floss
  • Entrée: buffalo top sirloin steaks, porcini mushrooms, ají dulce, sea buckthorn juice
  • Dessert: polenta cake, béchamel sauce, plums, pink Himalayan sea salt

Judges:

  • Chris Santos
  • Amanda Freitag
  • Maneet Chauhan

Contestants:

  • Steven Londoño, Sous Chef from Brooklyn, NY (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • MiKala Brennan, Chef and Owner from Arlington, VA (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Timothy Walker, Executive Chef from New York, NY (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Marie Yniguez, Chef and Restaurateur, Bocadillos, Albuquerque, NM (winner)

Episode notes: The buffalo steaks in round 2 were given to the chefs as a whole sirloin roast.

401 10 "Something Dumpling" March 7, 2017

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: pork belly, savoy cabbage, black walnuts in syrup, red yuzu kosho
  • Entrée: ground lamb, mashed potatoes, swiss chard, dried kiwi
  • Dessert: sriracha potato chips, farmer's cheese, rambutan, ginger shrub

Judges:

  • Chris Santos
  • Geoffrey Zakarian
  • Aarón Sánchez

Contestants:

  • Mauro Maccioni, Chef and Co-Owner from New York, NY (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Naji Boustany, Executive Chef from New York, NY (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Jackie Jeong, Chef de Cuisine from New York, NY (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Andrew Riccatelli, Chef de Cuisine from New York, NY (winner)

Episode notes: The chefs were required to make dumplings of any form in each round. To accommodate the theme, each chef was provided with a preheated pot of oil, and the pantry was stocked with assorted dumpling wrappers. In the appetizer round, Chef Maccioni didn't get any food onto his plates and though the judges tried the food in his pans, he was chopped (making this the second time in the series that a contestant didn't plate anything before time ran out.)

402 11 "Latin Cuisine Dream" March 14, 2017

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: sancocho, lulo, blue masa dough, chicharrón de cerdo
  • Entrée: stewing hens, pinto beans, alfajores, yuca
  • Dessert: yellow rice, candy-covered peanuts, mangos, coquito

Judges:

Contestants:

  • Miguel Samanez, Sous Chef from New York, NY (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Val Wasilewski, Executive Pastry Chef from Briarcliff Manor, NY (eliminated after the entrée)
  • George Rodrigues, Executive Chef from Washington D.C. (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Adriana Urbina, Chef and Owner from New York, NY (winner)

Episode notes: This episode features chefs from different Latin American countries who emigrated to the United States. There were also Latin American ingredients in each basket.

403 12 "Jump for Bok Choy" May 2, 2017

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: toybox eggplant, mission figs, sweetened condensed milk, matambre
  • Entrée: hamachi collar, bok choy, grass jelly drink, watermelon feta salad
  • Dessert: tofu sheets, baked lemon ricotta, blackberries, lavender salt

Judges:

  • Scott Conant
  • Alex Guarnaschelli
  • Chris Santos

Contestants:

  • T.J. Ingraham, Chef & Restaurateur from Boulder, CO (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Judee Obcena, Chef de Partie from New York, NY (eliminated after the entrée)
  • James Horn, Director of Operations from New York, NY (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Frida Karani, Executive Chef from Washington D.C. (winner)

Season 33 (2017)

Series
No.
Season
No.
Title Original airdate
404 1 "Best Laid Pans" March 21, 2017

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: duck and armagnac sausage, mixed berry applesauce, leeks, okra
  • Entrée: spaghetti pie, tomatillos, coulotte steak, burrata cheese
  • Dessert: trifle, Thai chili peppers, orange blossom water, anjou pears

Judges:

  • Marcus Samuelsson
  • Maneet Chauhan
  • Geoffrey Zakarian

Contestants:

  • Jennifer Lopez, Executive Chef from Washington D.C (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Carolina Saavedra, Sous Chef from Bronx, New York (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Sophia Manatakis, Executive Chef from New York, NY (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Heather Carr, Sous Chef from Denver, CO (winner)

Episode notes: All four of the contestants were women.

405 2 "Star Power: Web Stars!" March 28, 2017

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: blood sausage, shishito peppers, Japanese mayonnaise, dates
  • Entrée: duck breast, broccoli rabe, mashed potato pancakes, Thai iced tea
  • Dessert: mango mochi ice cream, quince paste, instant oatmeal packets, dragon fruit

Judges:

  • Geoffrey Zakarian
  • Amanda Freitag
  • Scott Conant

Contestants:

  • Justine Ezarik (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Hilah Johnson (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Josh Elkin (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Lazarus Lynch (winner)

Episode notes: Part 1 of a 5-part celebrity tournament featuring 16 celebrities competing to win $50,000 for charity. Contestants in this heat were internet personalities with a considerable online following.

406 3 "Star Power: Culinary Muscle!" April 4, 2017

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: wagyu ground beef, Swiss chard, eggplant rollatini, ranch dressing soda
  • Entrée: lamb noisette roast, avocados, za’atar bread, frozen mint lemonade
  • Dessert: rice pudding-stuffed brioche, blood oranges, protein powder balls, strawberry rock candy

Judges:

  • Scott Conant
  • Alex Guarnaschelli
  • Eddie Jackson

Contestants:

Episode notes: Part 2 of a 5-part celebrity tournament. Contestants in this heat were current and former athletes.

407 4 "Star Power: The Last Laugh!" April 11, 2017

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: Jonah crab claws, sweet piquante peppers, asparagus, arepas
  • Entrée: New York strip steaks, Brussel sprouts, marshmallows, potato tot poutine
  • Dessert: smoked chili honey, cinnamon roll dough, strawberries, White Russian

Judges:

  • Scott Conant
  • Amanda Freitag
  • Marc Murphy

Contestants:

Episode notes: Part 3 of a 5-part celebrity tournament. Contestants in this heat were all comedians.

408 5 "Star Power: Screen Sensations!" April 18, 2017

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: striped bass fillets, squash purée, microgreens, passion fruit ice pops
  • Entrée: chicken kebobs, pickled gooseberries, purple cauliflower, truffle popcorn
  • Dessert: financiers, blueberries, candied fruit slices, statuette lollipops

Judges:

  • Marcus Samuelsson
  • Amanda Freitag
  • Scott Conant

Contestants:

Episode notes: Part 4 of a 5-part celebrity tournament. Contestants in this heat were film and television actors. This episode marks Alan Thicke's final television appearance before his death.

409 6 "Star Power: Grand Finale" April 25, 2017

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: lobster tails, leaf lettuce iceberg, star fruit, cinnamon toaster pastries
  • Entrée: yuca chips, bitter melon, brandy, swineapple
  • Dessert: macarons, soursop, drinkable yogurt, pistachios

Judges:

  • Geoffrey Zakarian
  • Alex Guarnaschelli
  • Scott Conant

Contestants:

Episode notes: Part 5 of a 5-part celebrity tournament. The swineapple in the second round was a pineapple stuffed with ribs and covered in bacon.

410 7 "The Newlywed Game" May 16, 2017

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: manila clams, romanesco, lamb merguez, champagne toast
  • Entrée: pork tenderloin, piccalilli, cranberry shelling beans, wedding rice
  • Dessert: port wine cheese, sweet flakes cereal, plumcots, wedding cake top

Judges:

  • Marc Murphy
  • Amanda Freitag
  • Geoffrey Zakarian

Contestants:

  • Ralph Ferrara and Toni Ferrara from Brick, NJ (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Henry Hynoski and Laura Hynoski from Secaucus NJ (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Jhonathan Fennell and Corry Fennell from Philadelphia, PA (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Kam Khazai and Karen Khazai from Gaithersburg, MD (winner)

Episode notes: This was a team competition with newlyweds (home cooks) competing in the Chopped kitchen.

411 8 "An Ugly Turn" May 30, 2017

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: shrimp heads and shells, stale bagels, black velvet tomatoes, gnarled carrots
  • Entrée: dogfish, radish tops, beef tallow candles, twisted cucumbers
  • Dessert: whipped aquafaba, burnt chocolate chip cookies, cacao beans with pulp, brown bananas

Judges:

  • Marc Murphy
  • Amanda Freitag
  • Jonathon Sawyer

Contestants:

  • Mauricio Nunez, Chef de Cuisine from Mount Kisco, NY (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Miranda Rosenfelt, Chef de Cuisine from Washington, DC (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Jordan Lloyd, Executive Chef & Restaurateur from Easton, MD (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Nicolas Ferreira, Private Chef from New York, NY (winner)

Episode notes: The chefs had to work with ugly ingredients in each basket. Guest judge Saywer was a finalist in Chopped: Grill Masters Napa.

Season 34 (2017)

Series
No.
Season
No.
Title Original airdate
412 1 "Thanks, Mom!" May 9, 2017

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: duck breast, baby turnips, quail eggs, rose bud tea
  • Entrée: red snapper, guanciale, sunflower seeds, sorrento lemons
  • Dessert: rhubarb, walnuts, madeleines, blood oranges

Judges:

  • Marc Murphy
  • Amanda Freitag
  • Marcus Samuelsson

Contestants:

  • Jeff and Pam Mauro (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Ted and Donna Allen (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Jet and Mary Tila (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Chris and Mary Lou Santos (winner)

Episode notes: The contestants were Food Network chefs competing alongside their mothers for a select charity. Ted Allen was one of the contestants, and the judges took turns performing his hosting duties. The chefs had 30 minutes in the appetizer round instead of the usual 20.

413 2 "Grill Game" May 23, 2017

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: longaniza, grilled stuffed onions, asparagus, frozen cherry daiquiri
  • Entrée: venison rib rack, charred caprese sandwich, baby corn, meat sauce
  • Dessert: roasted marshmallow shots, figs, almonds, grilled peaches and cream cake

Judges:

  • Marc Murphy
  • Amanda Freitag
  • Maneet Chauhan

Contestants:

  • Erin Campbell, Competitive BBQ Champ from Yazoo City, MS (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Shane Vidovic, Chef and Restaurateur from Lakewood, OH (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Eusebio Gongora, Culinary Director from Baton Rouge, LA (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Tanya Cauthen, Butcher from Richmond, VA (winner)

Episode notes: This was a grilling-themed episode. The ovens were turned off and the stovetops were outfitted with grill pans and griddles. While Chopped normally obscures brand names, the meat sauce in the entree basket was A1 Steak Sauce, a product of a Chopped sponsor. Chef Campbell is the daughter of Leslie Roark Scott, a finalist in the second season of Chopped Grill Masters.

414 3 "Greater Tater" June 6, 2017

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: purple potatoes, potato tots, garlic chives, Canadian bacon
  • Entrée: Kennebec potatoes, chili cheese fries, porterhouse steaks, fresh wasabi
  • Dessert: loaded baked potatoes, sweet potato pie, dried cranberries, English toffee

Judges:

  • Marcus Samuelsson
  • Amanda Freitag
  • Ali Khan

Contestants:

  • Bea Rocchetti, Sous Chef from Farmington Hills, MI (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Miguel Franco, Executive Chef from New York, NY (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Michael Chatman, Line Cook from New York, NY (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Shacafrica Simmons, Caterer from Tallahassee, FL (winner)

Episode notes: The theme of this episode was potatoes, which were featured in two forms in every basket. Chef Chatman is a line cook for Chopped judge Alex Guarneschelli.

415 4 "Father's Day" June 13, 2017

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: ground beef, Japanese eggplant, date syrup, remote control cookie
  • Entrée: salmon fillet, candy cane beets, cassava sticks, fava beans
  • Dessert: bacon gelato, Belgian ale, cactus pear, pretzel bark

Judges:

  • Scott Conant
  • Amanda Freitag
  • Marc Murphy

Contestants:

  • Mike Hannah and Melissa Hannah from Cleveland, OH (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Mark Sheridan and Kevin Sheridan from Cleveland, OH (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Johnny Hall and Yahaira Hall from Brooklyn, NY (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Sabi Bivas and Daniel Bivas from Hillsborough, NJ (winner)

Episode notes: This was a home cook, team competition: four fathers paired up with their adult children. The teams were given 30 minutes in the appetizer round instead of 20.

416 5 "Got Your Goat?" June 20, 2017

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: crawfish tails, peas, processed cheese, vegetable-infused vodka
  • Entrée: goat chops, petite garlic with greens, pickled string beans, root beer barrel candy
  • Dessert: zucchini, caramel popcorn with peanuts, yuzu juice, manchego cheese

Judges:

  • Scott Conant
  • Amanda Freitag
  • Alex Guarnaschelli

Contestants:

  • Greg Power, Executive Chef from New York, NY (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Ashley Jonique, Private Chef from New Orleans, LA (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Felix Castro, Executive Pastry Chef from New York, NY (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Scott Maki, Executive Chef from New Orleans, LA (winner)
417 6 "Snap Pea to It!" June 27, 2017

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: lamb kebabs, pomegranate juice, Chinese broccoli, avocado toast
  • Entrée: Cornish hens, black rice, snap peas, watermelon radish
  • Dessert: olive oil cake, papaya, kiwi, kefir

Judges:

  • Scott Conant
  • Alex Guarnaschelli
  • Marcus Samuelsson

Contestants:

  • Jimmie Rondon, Sous Chef from New York, NY (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Allie Lyttle, Chef from Detroit, MI (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Willy Anderson, Caterer from Brooklyn, NY (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Charly Pierre, Chef and Co-Owner from New Orleans, LA (winner)

Episode notes: While Chopped normally obscures brand names, the pomegranate juice in the appetizer round was POM Wonderful, a product of a Chopped sponsor.

418 7 "Bangin' Backyard Cookout" July 4, 2017

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: burger-wrapped hot dogs, half-sour pickles, kasundi, macaroni salad
  • Entrée: beer-can chicken, eggplant, double-smoked bacon, classic burger fixings
  • Dessert: watermelon grill, corn chips, strawberry shortcake, sweet tea vodka

Judges:

  • Scott Conant
  • Alex Guarnaschelli
  • Elizabeth Heiskell

Contestants:

  • Jessica Johnson, Chef and Restaurateur from Cleveland, OH (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Craig Walker, Chef and Restaurateur from New Orleans, LA (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Greg Beckham, Chef and Restaurateur from Cleveland, OH (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Christine Wendland, Executive Chef from Chesterfield, NJ (winner)

Episode notes: The theme of this episode was backyard barbecuing. The classic burger fixings in the second round contained onions, tomatoes, and lettuce. The watermelon grill in the third round was half a hollowed out watermelon with fruit skewers on top placed to resemble grill grates.

419 8 "Flour Power" July 11, 2017

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: piadina dough, skirt steak, bitter melon, vegetable gratin
  • Entrée: pâte à choux dough, chicken breast, kale, roasted mushrooms
  • Dessert: lemon balm, oven-roasted grapes, marshmallow spread, pastry flour

Judges:

Contestants:

  • Tracy Wilk, Executive Pastry Chef from New York, NY (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Sophie Jaeger, Pastry Chef and Restaurateur from Brooklyn, NY (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Anna Fitting, Executive Pastry Chef from New York, NY (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Crystal Smith, Pastry Chef from Detroit, MI (winner)

Episode notes: This episode had all female pastry chefs. They were required to bake something in each round. The chefs were given 30 minutes in the appetizer round and 45 minutes in the dessert round to showcase their pastry talents.

420 9 "Alton's Challenge, Part 1" October 10, 2017

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: smoked salmon macarons, black garlic, micro radishes, Chilean sea bass
  • Entrée: hard smoked eggs, cardoons, red shishito peppers, smoked meatballs
  • Dessert: pig skin, Anjou pears, mozzarella, suanmeitang

Judges:

Contestants:

  • Leah Gourlie, Pastry Chef and Owner from Cleveland, OH (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Jamal Bland, Executive Chef from New York, NY (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Jessica Chaney, Pastry Chef from Detroit, MI (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Gavin Jobe, Chef and Restaurateur from Baton Rouge, LA (winner)

Episode notes: This is part 1 of a 5-part tournament where Alton Brown picks the baskets with specific scientific, gastronomic techniques in mind. The theme of this episode is smoke and the contestants are required to infuse smoke into each dish. A basket ingredient in the entree round (the meatballs) was smoked by Alton himself.

421 10 "Alton's Challenge, Part 2" October 17, 2017

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: instant mashed potatoes, tuna floss, cucumbers with blooms, bacalao
  • Entrée: clams, tomato crisps, olives, beef jerky
  • Dessert: space ice dream, Sharon fruit, dried pomegranate seeds, dehydrated scrambled eggs

Judges:

  • Alton Brown
  • Amanda Freitag
  • Marcus Samuelsson

Contestants:

  • Lisa Pucci Delgado, Private Chef from Cleveland, OH (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Vinnie Cimino, Chef de Cuisine from Cleveland, OH (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Ben Bebenroth, Chef and Restaurateur from Cleveland, OH (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Nick Wallace, Executive Chef from Jackson, MS (winner)

Episode notes: This is part 2 of a 5-part tournament where Alton Brown picks the baskets with specific scientific, gastronomic techniques in mind. The theme of this episode is dehydration, with at least one dehydrated ingredient in each round. A basket ingredient in the entree round (the beef jerky) was made by Alton from brined, dehydrated flank steak.

422 11 "Alton's Challenge, Part 3" October 24, 2017

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: transparent ravioli, rainbow carrots, crab legs, tapioca maltodextrin
  • Entrée: zucchini blossoms, arugula noodles, poached pears, lamb rib roast
  • Dessert: raindrop cake, blood oranges, popping sorghum, cookie dough ice cream sandwiches

Judges:

Contestants:

  • Tiffany Schleigh, Pastry Chef from New York, NY (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Louis Goral, Executive Chef from New York, NY (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Andrea Anom, Line Cook from New York, NY (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Chris Holland, Executive Chef from Sparkill, NY (winner)

Episode notes: This is part 3 of a 5-part tournament where Alton Brown picks the baskets with specific scientific, gastronomic techniques in mind. The theme of this episode is molecular gastronomy, with at least one modernist ingredient in each round. A basket ingredient in the entree round (lamb rib roast) was set aside on a separate table. It was cooked sous-vide inside an immersion circulator.

423 12 "Alton's Challenge, Part 4" October 31, 2017

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: mutton chops, kimchi, cocoa nibs, champagne
  • Entrée: red snapper, sourdough bread, purple cauliflower, natto
  • Dessert: sauerkraut cake, pickled green strawberries, beer, passion fruit

Judges:

  • Alton Brown
  • Amanda Freitag
  • Alex Guarnaschelli

Contestants:

  • Jason Rodriguez, Executive Chef and Owner from New York, NY (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Regan Reik, Executive Chef from Cleveland, OH (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Kashi Smith, Chef Tournant from New York, NY (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Michael Nelson, Executive Chef from New Orleans, LA (winner)

Episode notes: This is part 4 of a 5-part tournament where Alton Brown picks the baskets with specific scientific, gastronomic techniques in mind. The theme of this episode is fermentation, with at least one fermented/pickled ingredient in each round. A basket ingredient in the appetizer round (champagne) was initially unveiled as a champagne flute, and the chefs were treated to a small lesson from Alton on how fermentation of grapes results in alcohol.

424 13 "Alton's Challenge, Grand Finale" November 7, 2017

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: smoked chubs, baby beets, curry ketchup, microwave fried herbs
  • Entrée: pork crown roast, baby artichokes, smen, dried myrtle berries
  • Dessert: dried tarantulas, whole coconut, marzipan fruit, cherry cola sorbet

Judges:

Contestants:

  • Michael Nelson, Executive Chef from New Orleans, LA (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Nick Wallace, Executive Chef from Jackson, MS (chopped 1st in dessert)* (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Gavin Jobe, Chef and Restaurateur from Baton Rouge, LA (chopped 2nd in dessert)* (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Chris Holland, Executive Chef from Sparkill, NY (winner)

Episode notes: This is the final part of a 5-part tournament where Alton Brown picks the baskets with specific scientific, gastronomic techniques in mind. There is no specific theme for the finale. A basket ingredient in the dessert round (sorbet) was shown as created by Alton via a dry ice fire extinguisher and sorbet mixture combined in a food processor. *For the first time in Chopped history, three competitors moved into the dessert round.

Season 35 (2017-18)

Series
No.
Season
No.
Title Original airdate
425 1 "Clam Clash" July 18, 2017

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: little neck clams, ultra mizuna, vadouvan, banana chips
  • Entrée: red grouper, candy-coated licorice, squid ink, petite purple broccoli
  • Dessert: navy bean pie, guava, cherry spoon fruit, sgroppino al limone

Judges:

  • Scott Conant
  • Amanda Freitag
  • Jordan Andino

Contestants:

  • Kristina Mellegard, Private Chef from New York, NY (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • William Gauger, Chef and Co-Owner from Long Island City, NY (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Kimani Hines, Executive Chef from New Rochelle, NY (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Julie Cole, Executive Chef from Brooklyn, NY (winner)

Episode notes: Guest judge Jordan Andino was a contestant from the Chopped season 15 episode, Heads Up!

426 2 "Clock Shock" July 25, 2017

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: tiger prawns, pea tendrils, corzetti pasta, duck salami
  • Entrée: pork strip steaks, morel mushrooms, artichoke paste, crunchy pizza snacks
  • Dessert: music paper bread, gala apples, bitters, mini cherry lollipops

Judges:

  • Scott Conant
  • Amanda Freitag
  • Maneet Chauhan

Contestants:

  • Omar Mitchell, Chef and Owner from Detroit, MI (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Jen Scher, Executive Chef from New York, NY (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Giorgio Giacinto, Chef and Owner from New Rochelle, NY (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Marcus Woodham, Chef de Cuisine from New Orleans, LA (winner)
427 3 "Food Truck Luck" September 5, 2017

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: goat barbacoa tacos, Asian long beans, spring roll wrappers, chicken souvlaki
  • Entrée: lobster rolls, bok choy, ramen noodles, chile de arbol
  • Dessert: tropical fruit pops, candied nuts, chocolate covered bananas, dessert nachos

Judges:

  • Scott Conant
  • Amanda Freitag
  • Marcus Samuelsson

Contestants:

  • Suzette Montalvo, Food Truck Owner ('A New Yorican Thing') from Long Island, NY (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Andrew Zurica, Food Truck Owner ('Hard Times Sundaes') from New York, NY (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Hassan Musselmani, Food Truck Owner ('The Drunken Rooster') from Detroit, MI (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Caitlyn Napolitano, Food Truck Co-owner ('Los Viajeros') from New York, NY (winner)

Episode notes: All the contestants competing were food truck owners. Chef Musselmani has also competed on the 15th season of Hell's Kitchen.

428 4 "Waffles for the Win" September 12, 2017

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: waffle batter, chicken tenders, chiles de arbol, Lay's Classic potato chips
  • Entrée: liege waffle dough, sliced beef shanks in soy sauce, kumquats, mustard greens
  • Dessert: waffle cookies, buttermilk, creamy organic peanut butter, dried strawberries

Judges:

  • Maneet Chauhan
  • Amanda Freitag
  • Joseph “JJ” Johnson

Contestants:

  • Bryan Lindsay, Executive Chef from Brooklyn, NY (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Brandi Marter, Chef and Restaurateur from Memphis, TN (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Juan Carlos Gonzalez, Executive Chef from New Orleans, LA (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Adam Bostwick, Chef and Restaurateur from Cleveland, OH (winner)

Episode notes: Contestants were tasked to cook dishes paired with waffles.

429 5 "Comfort Zone" September 19, 2017

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: fried chicken, rainbow chard, fingerling potatoes, bacon grease
  • Entrée: meatloaf mix, heirloom tomatoes, chanterelle, mushrooms, boxed mac & cheese
  • Dessert: peanut butter & jelly sandwiches, strawberries, vanilla wafers, chocolate milk

Judges:

  • Marc Murphy
  • Amanda Freitag
  • Geoffrey Zakarian

Contestants:

  • Jayda Atkinson, Catering Chef from New Orleans, LA (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Darwell Yeager III, Executive Chef and Owner from Pearl, MS (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Jess Dunne, Chef and Owner from Southold, NY (eliminated after the dessert)
  • John Powali, Chef from New York, NY (winner)

Episode notes: The theme of this episode was comfort food in every basket.

430 6 "The Beets Go On" September 26, 2017

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: sosis bandari, mostarda, crescent roll dough, corn of the cob
  • Entrée: lobster, mâche, rose petals, Mexican chorizo
  • Dessert: crème brûlée, blackberries, rainbow beets, Italian almond wafers

Judges:

  • Marcus Samuelsson
  • Maneet Chauhan
  • Amanda Freitag

Contestants:

  • Melissa Araujo, Caterer from New Orleans, LA (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • George Georgiades, Chef and Owner from New York, NY (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Chase Sanders, Executive Chef from New York, NY (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Eric Arboleda, Chef from Colombia (winner)
431 7 "Spooked" October 3, 2017

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: scary skull platter, barmbrack, Halloween party punch, asparagus
  • Entrée: spooky egg eyeballs, blood shots, gory brain, avocados
  • Dessert: Halloween candy cake, vampire's kiss martini, freaky brie, mixed berries

Judges:

  • Geoffrey Zakarian
  • Maneet Chauhan
  • Amanda Freitag

Contestants:

  • Michael Monzon, Teppanyaki Chef from Los Angeles, CA (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Dani Macchia, Private Chef from New York, NY (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Kimberly "Kim" Gibson, Chef & Restaurateur from Chagrin Falls, OH (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Dustine Gonsalves, Chef de Cusine from Los Angeles, CA (winner)

Episode notes: This was a Halloween themed episode. In the appetizer round the "skull platter" was prosciutto arranged on a prop skull to look like skin. In the entree round, the "egg eyeballs" are poached eggs in a pan, the blood shots are decorative syringes filled with a red syrup, and the "gory brain" is a glazed turkey meatloaf loaf shaped like a brain. In the dessert round the "Halloween candy cake" was a chocolate cake decorated with various Halloween candies. The "freaky brie" was a brie cheese wheel wrapped in puff pastry strips to look like a mummy face.

432 8 "Feel the Burn" October 19, 2017

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: spicy chicken feet, Persian cucumbers, mandarins, buffalo cauliflower dip
  • Entrée: five-alarm chili, cinnamon rolls, lamb shoulder, horseradish root
  • Dessert: sriracha lollipops, jalapeño-blueberry cornbread, baby pineapples, white chocolate

Judges:

  • Scott Conant
  • Amanda Freitag
  • Maneet Chauhan

Contestants:

  • Iliana Negron, Executive Chef from Nyack, NY (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Alex Diaz, Executive Chef from New York, NY (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Ken Hatfield, Chef & Restaurateur from Cleveland, OH (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Airis Johnson, Private Chef from Brooklyn, NY (winner)

Episode notes: This was a competition revolving around the use of spices in every dish. Chef Hatfield is an actual descendant of the Hatfield family of the famous Hatfield–McCoy feud.

433 9 "Gimme Gator" October 26, 2017

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: king crab legs, fresh cut whole kernel corn, black garlic, coconut vinegar
  • Entrée: alligator, carrot jam, green almonds, calvados
  • Dessert: persian chickpea cookies, strawberry gelatin, bananas, cherimoya

Judges:

Contestants:

  • Rudy Straker, Private Chef from Queens, NY (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Ben Bruckenthal, Sous Chef from Brooklyn, NY (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Tiffany Senin, Chef and Owner from Brooklyn, NY (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Jacob Bensley, Sous Chef from New York (winner)
434 10 "Flavor Savor" November 2, 2017

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: rice-stuffed grape leaves, baby octopus, cured olives, bresaola
  • Entrée: dorade, stinging nettles, watermelon radish, village salad
  • Dessert: rosewater syrup, figs, pistachio cream, angel food cake

Judges:

Contestants:

  • Cosmo Bisticas, Executive Chef from Brooklyn, NY (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • George Kringas, Chef and Owner from White Plains, NY (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Tara Cianella, Chef and Owner from Nyack, NY (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Gabriel Israel, Chef de Cuisine from New York, NY (winner)

Episode notes: Mediterranean ingredients were featured in each basket. Both guest judges, Einat and Michael, were past Chopped winners. .

435 11 "Pie Jinks" November 9, 2017

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: Honeycrisp apples, sour gummies, pumpkin pie, Merguez sausage
  • Entrée: Whipped topping, baby kale blend, pancetta, shepherd’s pie
  • Dessert: Key lime pie, rhubarb, candied ginger, spiced rum

Judges:

  • Geoffrey Zakarian
  • Amanda Freitag
  • Scott Conant

Contestants:

  • James Graham, Executive Chef from Staten Island, NY (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Zack Stapelman, Executive Chef from Brooklyn, NY (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Natalie Colledge, Owner & Cullinary Director from Montclair, NJ (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Kenneth Temple, Private Chef from New Orleans, LA (winner)

Episode notes: Each basket contained a pie and the chefs were required to make a pie in every round. The chefs were given 30 minutes in the appetizer round and 45 minutes in both the entree and dessert round in order to properly cook their pies.

436 12 "An Iron Chef Thanksgiving" November 14, 2017

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: turkey confit, brussels sprouts, Thanksgiving cider cocktail, turkey offal
  • Entrée: cornish hens, haricots verts, Thanksgiving gravy flavored candy, cranberry pomegranate terrine
  • Dessert: sweet potato casserole, pears, port wine cheese, Thanksgiving waffle sandwich

Judges:

Contestants:

  • Roxanne Spruance, Executive Chef and Owner from New York, NY (charity: American Farmland Trust) (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Giorgio Rapicavoli, Executive Chef, from Miami, FL (charity: Our Pride Academy) (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Hugh Mangum, Executive Chef and Owner from New York, NY (charity: Share Our Strength) (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Emily Chapman, Sous Chef from New York, NY (charity: Shepherd's Circle Foundation) (winner)

Episode notes: This was a Thanksgiving themed episode. All four contestants were Chopped Champions returning to win money for their charity of choice. Judging them were three Iron Chefs from Iron Chef America (with Alex also being a regular Chopped judge). By winning this episode, Chef Chapman becomes the first four-time Chopped champion.

437 13 "Espresso Express" November 21, 2017

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: cobia, fennel, honeydew melon, ground espresso
  • Entrée: veal sweetbreads, napini, pierogies, black mint paste
  • Dessert: sesame seed candy, mangoes, blackstrap molasses, raspberry snack cakes

Judges:

  • Scott Conant
  • Maneet Chauhan
  • Amanda Freitag

Contestants:

  • Cybille St. Aude, Sous Chef from Long Island, NY (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Brandon Williams, Chef de Cuisine from Cleveland, OH (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Lawrence Ofori, Executive Chef from New York, NY (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Michael Castellon, Sous Chef from New York, NY (winner)
438 14 "Weird Twist" November 28, 2017

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: babbouche, conehead cabbage, pig's head terrine, black rice ramen
  • Entrée: stuffed lamb intestines, cured tuna heart, garlic ice cream, red runner bean blooms
  • Dessert: queen weaver ants, tang yuan, sweet avocado (cream), szechuan buttons

Judges:

  • Scott Conant
  • Amanda Freitag
  • Geoffrey Zakarian

Contestants:

  • Jay Reifel, Executive Chef from New York, NY (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Tom Coughlan, Executive Chef from Brooklyn, NY (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Ana Gonzales, Executive Chef from Memphis, TN (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Nick Testa, Executive Chef from New York, NY (winner)

Episode notes: The theme of the baskets was "weird food". (The babbouche in the appetizer round is a Moroccan snail dish.)

439 15 "Chopped Grand Holiday" December 5, 2017

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: goose breast, peppermint bark vodka, Christmas tree veggie plate, Hanukkah gelt cookie cake
  • Entrée: deckle of beef, kugel, porcini mushrooms (in olive oil), hard boiled egg snowmen
  • Dessert: chestnut tree honey, festive pretzels, Santa Claus melon, springerle cookies

Judges:

  • Marc Murphy
  • Maneet Chauhan
  • Amanda Freitag

Contestants:

  • Diana Sabater, Chef from Philadelphia, PA (charity: Esperanza) (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Darius Peacock, Executive Chef from Trenton, NJ (charity: Good Shepherd Services) (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Sophina Uong, Executive Chef from Oakland, CA (charity: Camp Okizu) (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Adam Greenberg, Executive Chef from Norwalk, CT (charity: Mowat-Wilson Syndrome) (winner)

Episode notes: This was a holiday themed episode. All four contestants were Chopped Grand Champions returning to win money for their charity of choice. The chefs were given 30 minutes in the appetizer round instead of the usual 20 to allow time to properly butcher and cook the goose breast. The veggie plate in the appetizer round mainly consisted of broccoli, cauliflower, and cherry tomatoes, arranged to look like a Christmas tree. The festive pretzels in the dessert round were pretzel sticks dipped in green candy coating and sprinkled with silver nonpareils. With his victory in this episode, chef Greenberg is the first male Chopped champion to win four times, as well as the second overall winner to do so.

440 16 "True Grits" December 7, 2017

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: collard greens, pickled watermelon rind, head-on shrimp, hominy grits
  • Entrée: polenta, spiral ham, green beans, pimento cheese
  • Dessert: blue grits, blackberries, lemon oil, boiled peanuts

Judges:

  • Scott Conant
  • Amanda Freitag
  • Marc Murphy

Contestants:

  • B.J. Chester-Tamayo, Chef & Owner from Memphis, TN (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Jean Gabriel, Chef & Co-Owner from Stamford, CT (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Tres Barnard, Chef from New Orleans, LA (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Steve Costanzo, Chef & Owner from Stamford, CT (winner)

Episode notes: Each basket contained a form of grits. Chef Chester-Tamayo cut herself in the last seconds of the appetizer round, leaving enough blood on her station and plates to deem her dish unsafe to eat. The judges allowed her to bring over her non-contaminated components from her station for them to taste after the other chefs granted her permission to do so.

441 17 "Cocktail Party" December 19, 2017

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: tuna, crab meat cocktail, finger limes, vodka
  • Entrée: filet mignon, cocktail onions, summer truffles, single malt scotch whiskey
  • Dessert: marshmallow spread, fruit cocktail, gold leaf, gin

Judges:

  • Scott Conant
  • Amanda Freitag
  • Lauren Gerrie

Contestants:

  • Josh Moore, Executive Chef from New York, NY (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Catt Rolland, Pastry Chef & Sous Chef from New Orleans, LA (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Charles Disa, Chef & Caterer from New York, NY (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Dave Martin, Chef Consultant from New York, NY (winner)

Episode notes: The theme of the episode was cocktail food, with each contestant having to make small dishes suited for a cocktail party. They also had to prepare an alcoholic drink to pair with each dish. The rounds were extended by an extra 10 minutes to account for cocktail preparation (30 minutes in the first round and 40 minutes in the second and third rounds). The guest judge, Lauren Gerrie, was a previous Chopped winner from season 6 ('A Cornish Mess') and part 3 in the 2011 Chopped Champions tournament.

442 18 "Amped for Ramps" December 26, 2017

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: calamari, ramps, cherry peppers, liverwurst
  • Entrée: beef kidneys, purple butterfly sorrel, pignoli cookies, ginger beer
  • Dessert: lemongrass, papaya, goat's milk, popcorn jelly beans

Judges:

  • Marc Murphy
  • Tiffani Faison
  • Dale Talde

Contestants:

  • Rochelle Honeygan, Sous Chef from Brooklyn, NY (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Dallas Martinez, Executive Chef from Cleveland, OH (eliminated after the entrée)
  • John Brennan, Chef and Owner from New Haven, CT (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Tristen Epps, Executive Chef from Brooklyn, NY (winner)
443 19 "Mardi Gras Goals" February 6, 2018

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: shrimp po'boys, tasso ham, kohlrabi, milk punch
  • Entrée: crawfish, Cajun caramel corn, okra, dark roux
  • Dessert: king cake, cherries, café brûlot, praline

Judges:

  • Marc Murphy
  • Maneet Chauhan
  • David Guas

Contestants:

  • Byron Bradley, Chef de Cuisine from New Orleans, LA (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Brandon Green, Executive Chef from New Orleans, LA (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Austin Kirzner, Executive Chef from New Orleans, LA (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Syrena Johnson, Private Chef & Caterer from New Orleans, LA (winner)

Episode notes: All the contestants were from New Orleans and the theme of the baskets centered around Mardi Gras.

444 20 "Dim Sum Yum" March 6, 2018

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: hot & sour soup, Tokyo scallions, bubble gum flavored candy, ground pork
  • Entrée: Korean-style short ribs, galangal, sorghum wine, dim sum
  • Dessert: puffed rice cereal treats, mangosteen, cherry blossom paste, hard-boiled quail eggs

Judges:

  • Scott Conant
  • Chris Santos
  • Marc Murphy

Contestants:

  • Adam Sherris, Sushi Chef from Denver, CO (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Caitlin Salisbury, Chef from Kingston, NY (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Lina Lynn, Chef and Owner from Jackson, MS (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Chris Paulikas, Executive Sous Chef from Philadelphia, PA (winner)

Season 36 (2017-18)

Series
No.
Season
No.
Title Original airdate
445 1 "Better Duck Next Time" December 12, 2017

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: tiered cheese tower, cavatelli, frozen lima beans, duck tongues
  • Entrée: frankfurter crown roast, small graffiti eggplant, karela juice, goat leg
  • Dessert: moose ears, Saturn peaches, hard cider, Jordan almonds

Judges:

  • Scott Conant
  • Amanda Freitag
  • Jonathon Sawyer

Contestants:

  • Jonathan Scinto, Private Chef from Long Island, NY (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Amanda Henson, Chef and Owner from Las Vegas, NV (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Andrew Welenken, Executive Chef from Louisville, KY (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Jamaal Taherzadeh, Executive Chef from Las Vegas, NV (winner)

Episode notes: The 'frankfurter crown roast' in the entrée round was a bunch of hotdogs bundled together in a standing ring to resemble a "crown roast" of meat. The 'moose ears' in the dessert round were pieces of fried, sugary dough drizzled with caramel sauce. Guest judge Jonathan Sawyer has previously been a contestant on Chopped (Grill Masters Napa).

446 2 "Gold Medal Games: Frying" January 2, 2018

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: Alligator, lotus root, deep-fried cherry punch, pesto sauce
  • Entrée: Skate wings, dill pickles, funnel cakes, haggis in a can
  • Dessert: Deep-fried bacon-wrapped chocolate bars, strawberries, matcha powder, purple sweet potato ravioli

Judges:

  • Geoffrey Zakarian
  • Alex Guarnaschelli
  • Scott Conant

Contestants:

  • Abel Gonzales, Chef and Partner from Dallas, TX (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Anthony Serrano, Executive Chef and Owner from Chandler, AZ (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Allen Nguyen, Chef and Partner from New Orleans, LA (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Sarah Wade, Executive Chef from Boston, MA (winner)

Episode notes: Part 1 of a 5-part tournament. Each heat features chefs with a particular specialty, and their specialties would be the theme for their respective heat. Winner of this episode moves on to compete for $50,000 in the grand finale. In this episode, all four chefs are known for their expertise in frying and were required to fry something in every round. Unlike past frying episodes, there was an extra deep fryer in the kitchen instead of providing each chef a preheated pot of oil.

447 3 "Gold Medal Games: Grilling" January 9, 2018

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: White BBQ sauce, pie crust, mangoes, bone-in strip steaks
  • Entrée: Spatchcocked chickens, cucumber kimchi, red cabbage, cheese puffs
  • Dessert: Mini marshmallows, grilled lemon lemonade, zucchini, pig pickin’ cake

Judges:

  • Chris Santos
  • Amanda Freitag
  • Marc Murphy

Contestants:

  • Maria Mazon, Executive Chef and Owner from Tucson, AZ (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Jay Ducote, Chef and Restaurateur from Baton Rouge, LA (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Eric Thomas, Chef and Pitmaster from Atlanta, GA (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Lynnae Oxley-Loupe, Chef and Pitmaster from Portland, OR (winner)

Episode notes: Part 2 of a 5-part tournament. The winner of this episode moves on to compete for $50,000 in the grand finale. In this episode, all four contestants are known for their skill on the grill and were required to grill something in every round. The stove tops were outfitted with grill sheets, but the chefs were permitted to use the ovens.

448 4 "Gold Medal Games: Fast!" January 16, 2018

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: Torch lollipops, edamame, neonata, raw oysters
  • Entrée: Dover sole, grilled corn on the cob, poblanos, sandia loca
  • Dessert: Whole coconut, duck fat upside-down cake, cheddar cheese ice cream, nopales

Judges:

  • Geoffrey Zakarian
  • Alex Guarnaschelli
  • Marc Murphy

Contestants:

  • Manny Slomovitz, Executive Chef from Cincinnati, OH (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Joe Passanante, Chef de Cuisine from Queens, NY (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Griffin Paulin, Chef and Owner from Louisville, KY (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Ken Harvey, Executive Chef from Tucson, AZ (winner)

Episode notes: Part 3 of a 5-part tournament. The winner of this episode moves on to compete for $50,000 in the grand finale. In this episode, all four competitors are known for their speed in the kitchen. Keeping in line with this theme, each round was 5 minutes shorter than normal (the appetizer round was 15 minutes, while the entrée and dessert rounds were 25 minutes each).

449 5 "Gold Medal Games: Baking" January 23, 2018

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: Lamb noisette roast, ginger liqueur, forelle pears, cinnamon roll dough
  • Entrée: Smoked turkey legs, roasted head of cauliflower, spaghetti rings, shredded phyllo dough
  • Dessert: Banana curd, caneles, freeze-dried blueberries, hot chocolate

Judges:

  • Scott Conant
  • Marc Murphy
  • Geoffrey Zakarian

Contestants:

  • Jeremy Fogg, Pastry Chef from New Orleans, LA (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Keris Kuwana, Executive Pastry Chef from Las Vegas, NV (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Michael Gillet, Executive Pastry Chef from Las Vegas, NV (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Winnette McIntosh Ambrose, Pastry Chef and Owner from Washington, D.C (winner)

Episode notes: Part 4 of a 5-part tournament. The winner of this episode moves on to compete for $50,000 in the grand finale. In this episode, all four contestants were pastry chefs who specialized in desserts and baking, and were required to bake something in every round. The roasted head of cauliflower was topped with pomegranate seeds and mint. In the dessert round, Chef Gillet failed to bake anything in his dish. This led to his elimination.

450 6 "Gold Medal Games: Grand Finale" January 30, 2018

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: Rattlesnake, pomelo, golden snack cakes, grilled avocado
  • Entrée: Lamb ribs, red currants, hard-boiled quail eggs, far far
  • Dessert: Confetti frosting, soft shell almonds, deep-fried champagne, rambutan

Judges:

  • Chris Santos
  • Alex Guarnaschelli
  • Scott Conant

Contestants:

  • Ken Harvey, Executive Chef from Tucson, AZ (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Winnette McIntosh Ambrose, Pastry Chef and Owner from Washington, D.C (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Lynnae Oxley-Loupe, Chef and Pitmaster from Portland, OR (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Sarah Wade, Executive Chef from Boston, MA (winner)

Episode notes: Final part of the gold medal tournament. The winner gets $50,000. Unlike the previous episodes, there's no set theme for the finale (though different ingredients seem to represent the past four themes; something grilled, something fried, something baked etc.)

451 7 "Chocolate, Chocolate, Chocolate!" February 13, 2018

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: (candy round) dark chocolate superworms, chocolate pudding mix, animal crackers, candy cane beets
  • Entrée: (cake round) cookie and caramel chocolate bars, chocolate hummus, habanero peppers, lamb tallow
  • Dessert: (ice cream round) white chocolate chunks, love potion cocktail, taleggio cheese, Spanish chorizo

Judges:

  • Scott Conant
  • Alex Guarnaschelli
  • Zac Young

Contestants:

  • Josip Franc, Executive Pastry Chef from Bernardsville, NJ (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Philippe Fallait, Chef and Owner from Astoria, NY (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Marissa Delgado, Executive Pastry Chef from Phoenix, AZ (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Melanie Moss, Pastry Chef and Owner from Brooklyn, NY (winner)

Episode notes: The theme of the episode is making chocolate desserts in every round; specifically candy in the first round, cake in the second, and ice cream in the third. The first round was extended to 30 minutes, the second round was extended to 60 minutes, and the third round was the usual 30 minutes (with an extra ice cream machine so each contestant could make ice cream easily in the allotted time). The love potion liquor in the third round was composed of white chocolate liqueur, vodka, pomegranate juice, and strawberries.

452 8 "The Light Stuff" February 20, 2018

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: wild salmon fillets, cottage cheese, zucchini noodles, vegan bacon
  • Entrée: pork chops, cauliflower rice, protein-packed snack box, lemon cayenne drink
  • Dessert: citrus salad, acai berry powder, 'dumbbell' cookies, rice cakes

Judges:

  • Scott Conant
  • Alex Guarnaschelli
  • Jason Kieffer

Contestants:

  • Joshua Wiggins, Sous Chef from Red Bank, NJ (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Isaac Rios, Chef and Cafe Manager from Chandler, AZ (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Mattia Meneghetti, Chef from New York, NY (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Celeste Rogers, Chef and Instructor from New York, NY (winner)

Episode notes: The theme of the episode is "healthy eats" with relatively healthy/light ingredients in every basket. The snack box in the entree round consisted of two eggs, cheese, apple slices, grapes, peanut butter, and bread.

453 9 "Epic Eats" February 27, 2018

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: mac & cheese mega burger, buffalo chicken soda, Brussels sprouts, everything bagel seasoning
  • Entrée: gravy mashed potato cake, tomahawk steak, red noodle beans, cold brew ice pops
  • Dessert: cookie bowl ice cream sundae, gummy worm, finger grapes, huitlacoche

Judges:

  • Chris Santos
  • Amanda Freitag
  • Marcus Samuelsson

Contestants:

  • C.J. Hamm, Executive Chef from Tucson, AZ (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Joseph Yoon, Private Chef from Brooklyn, NY (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Jennifer Russo, Chef and Owner from Phoenix, AZ (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Jillian Moskites, Food Truck Chef from Middletown, CT (winner)

Episode notes: The theme of the episode is at least one "epic", indulgent ingredient in every basket.

454 10 "Pork on the Brain" March 20, 2018

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: pig face roulade, Berkshire pork chops, pork chop cocktail, fish peppers
  • Entrée: canned pork brains, Iberico collar, salsify, huckleberries
  • Dessert: sanguinaccio dolce, mangalitsa lardo, peppermint pig, tiger figs

Judges:

  • Adam Sobel
  • Amanda Freitag
  • Chris Santos

Contestants:

  • Donald Hawk, Sous Chef, The Gladly, Phoenix, AZ (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Laura Licona, Culinary Director, Emma's Torch, Brooklyn, NY (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Ryan Andre, Executive Chef, City Pork Brassierie & Bar, Baton Rouge, LA (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Christian Hayes, Chef and Owner, Dandelion Catering, Yarmouth, ME (winner)

Episode notes: The theme of this episode is pork in every basket. The pork chops in the first basket were given to the chefs as a whole rib roast.

455 11 "Fat Chance" March 27, 2018

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: duck confit, baby turnips, basket of biscuits, narutomaki
  • Entrée: watermelon curry, acorn squash, kalekale, caul fat
  • Dessert: lingonberry syrup, papaya, Greek yogurt, vanilla sandwich cookies

Judges:

  • Scott Conant
  • Amanda Freitag
  • Chris Santos

Contestants:

  • Marco Barrila, Chef and Owner from Southampton, NY (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Tami Treadwell, Chef and Owner from Harlem, NY (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Christopher Harris, Executive Chef and Owner from Portland, ME (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Jennifer Caraway, Chef and Founder from Phoenix, AZ (winner)
456 12 "You've Been Canned" April 10, 2018

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: baby octopus, calamondin limes, crumpets, cream cheese
  • Entrée: tilefish, canned steamed beef, Asian long beans, fideo pasta
  • Dessert: Persian love cake, lychee, strawberry milk powder, gorgonzola dolce

Judges:

  • Chris Santos
  • Maneet Chauhan
  • Marc Murphy

Contestants:

  • Sunshine Flagg, Chef & Owner from Louisville, KY (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Dave Sclarow, Chef & Co-Owner from Brooklyn, NY (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Christopher Zabita, Executive Chef from New York, NY (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Hannah Wong, Sous Chef from New York, NY (winner)
457 13 "Million-Dollar Meals" June 5, 2018

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: toro tartare with caviar, high-roller bagel, Ibérico ham, petite snow peas
  • Entrée: Wagyu double cheeseburger with gold chocolate bacon, 20 year old bourbon, arugula blossoms, white Alba truffle
  • Dessert: geode cake, etrog citron, fruit pops in champagne, camel milk chocolate bars

Judges:

Contestants:

  • Jonathan Scallion, Private Chef, Las Vegas, NV (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Madeleine Dee, Executive Chef & Owner from Louisville, KY (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Chris Brugman, Executive Sous Chef from Scottsdale, AZ (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Johnny Church, Executive Chef from Las Vegas, NV (winner)

Episode notes: Each basket had high-end, expensive ingredients. This was the first episode that touted Martha Stewart as a new Chopped judge (though she has guest judged on Chopped Junior in the past). The high-roller bagel was topped with cream cheese, Riesling gelee, and gold leaf. The Wagyu bacon cheeseburger was topped with lettuce and goose pate. The camel milk chocolate was provided by Martha Stewart from her trip to Dubai. Chef Scallion has competed on the 11th season of Hell's Kitchen and placed 3rd.

Season 37 (2018-19)

Series
No.
Season
No.
Title Original airdate
458 1 "Luck of the Irish" March 13, 2018

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: black radishes, dry stout, mushy peas, blood pudding
  • Entrée: crubeens, cabbage, farmhouse Irish cheddar, Irish champ
  • Dessert: granny smith apples, 99, Irish whiskey, plum pudding

Judges:

  • Stuart O'Keeffe
  • Amanda Freitag
  • Scott Conant

Contestants:

  • Andrei Enikeev, Executive Chef from Boston, MA (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Alex Galvis, Sous Chef from Boston, MA (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Scott Hynes, Executive Chef from New York, NY (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Kathleen O'Brien-Price, Private Chef from New York, NY (winner)

Episode notes: Each basket in this episode has at least one food from Ireland.

459 2 "Wild Game Plan" April 3, 2018

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: rack of wild boar, alligator jerky, burgundy truffle, bison grass vodka
  • Entrée: antelope strip loin, elk heart, bear claws, dandelion greens
  • Dessert: venison sausage, moose milk cocktail, honeycomb, black forest cake

Judges:

  • Angie Mar
  • Marc Murphy
  • Marcus Samuelsson

Contestants:

  • John Chambers, Company Chef from Phoenix, AZ (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Tandy Peterson, Chef de Cuisine from Scottsdale, AZ (eliminated after the entrée)
  • James Richards, Chef de Cuisine from Las Vegas, NV (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Noam Bilitzer, Sous Chef from Louisville, KY (winner)

Episode notes: Every basket featured wild game in some form. Guest judge Angie Mar was the winner of the second Chopped: Grill Masters tournament.

460 3 "A Frog Leg Up" April 17, 2018

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: sushi doughnuts, purple spinach, littleneck clams, toasted corn nuts
  • Entrée: frog legs, green peppers, shirataki noodles, cricket bolognese
  • Dessert: Chinese steamed buns, grapefruit, coffee jelly, rosemary

Judges:

  • Scott Conant
  • Amanda Freitag
  • Geoffrey Zakarian

Contestants:

  • Paco Cortes, Executive Chef from Las Vegas, NV (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Frank Bilotti, Sous Chef from Staten Island, NY (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Austin Miller, Chef & Owner from Portland, ME (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Aerin Zavory, Corporate Chef from Hamden, CT (winner)

Episode notes: Chef Bilotti has also competed on the 13 season of reality cooking competition Hell's Kitchen.

461 4 "Sensational Sandwiches" April 24, 2018

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: roast beef sandwich, rainbow fingerling potatoes, fresh wasabi, chile con queso
  • Entrée: turducken, broccoli rabe, pickleback shots, deep-fried mayo
  • Dessert: ham & cheese lunch kit, soursop, salt & vinegar potato chips, ice cream sandwich cake

Judges:

  • Jeff Mauro
  • Alex Guarnaschelli
  • Geoffrey Zakarian

Contestants:

  • Danielle Leoni, Chef & Owner from Phoenix, AZ (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Adam Burress, Chef & Co-Owner from Louisville, KY (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Justin Beckett, Chef & Owner from Phoenix, AZ (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Matt Storch, Chef & Owner from Norwalk, CT, (winner)

Episode notes: The chefs were required to make sandwiches in every round.

462 5 "Leftover Takeover" May 1, 2018

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: chicken parmesan, kale salad, brown avocado, leftover lo mein
  • Entrée: leftover steak, veggie platter, flat cola, half of a bánh mì
  • Dessert: leftover ice cream, concord grapes, cold coffee, lemon chess pie

Judges:

  • Scott Conant
  • Alex Guarnaschelli
  • Marcus Samuelsson

Contestants:

  • Michael Compean, Executive Chef from Scottsdale, AZ (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Ashley Goddard, Sous Chef from Phoenix, AZ (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Rich Hinojosa, Executive Chef & Co-Owner from Phoenix, AZ (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Evan Hennessey, Executive Chef & Owner from Dover, NH (winner)

Episode notes: All basket ingredients were leftovers. The leftover steak was bone-in strip steak cooked to rare. The veggie platter contained celery sticks, cherry tomatoes, and romanesco cauliflower.

463 6 "Hush Puppy Love" May 8, 2018

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: catfish, black-eyed peas, jalapeño hush puppy batter, bananas
  • Entrée: fried chicken, purple sweet potatoes, green tomatoes, peach cobbler
  • Dessert: creamed corn, blackberries, biscuit dough, butter pecan ice cream

Judges:

  • Scott Conant
  • Maneet Chauhan
  • Marcus Samuelsson

Contestants:

  • Kelli Thompson, Executive Chef from Portland, ME (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Greg Nalley, Chef & Owner from Baltimore, MD (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Julian Elfedayni-Connell, Sous Chef from Mystic, CT (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Rachel LeGloahec, Executive Chef from Las Vegas, NV (winner)

Episode notes: All basket ingredients in this episode featured southern ingredients. The fried chicken in the second round was Kentucky Fried Chicken, still in its bucket (presumably marking it as a sponsor of the show because most name brand ingredients are usually obscured).

464 7 "Surf and Turf" May 29, 2018

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: gooseneck barnacles, Korean-style short ribs, ramen beer, mache
  • Entrée: whole lobsters, chateaubriand, frozen creamed spinach, almond chocolate bars
  • Dessert: candied crabs, brownie t-bones, bananas foster, passion fruit

Judges:

  • Scott Conant
  • Amanda Freitag
  • Geoffrey Zakarian

Contestants:

  • Alexis Trolf, Chef & Owner from Long Beach, NY (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Sasha Grumman, Chef de Cuisine from Los Angeles, CA (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Jason Daly, Executive Chef from Vinalhaven, ME (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Franco Robazetti, Executive Chef from Jersey City, NJ (winner)

Episode notes: This episode featured some form of seafood and meat ("surf and turf") in every basket.

465 8 "Under the Cuban Sun" September 11, 2018

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: red snapper, Cuban coffee, bok choy, yuca
  • Entrée: pork shoulder, buñuelos, pineapple, sofrito
  • Dessert: guava and cheese skewers, Cuba libre cocktail, plantains, black bean brownies

Judges:

  • Maneet Chauhan
  • Chris Santos
  • David Guas

Contestants:

  • Louie Estrada, Chef and Owner from Brooklyn, NY (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Ricardo Barreras, Chef and Owner from Brooklyn, NY (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Claudia Muñiz, Sous Chef from Brooklyn, NY (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Tatiana Rosana, Executive Chef from Boston, MA (winner)

Episode notes: The theme of the episode was Cuban ingredients in every basket with Cuban-born chefs participating.

466 9 "Tacos and Tequila" September 25, 2018

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: chayote, hot sauce packets, tequila blanco, beef tongue
  • Entrée: pork shoulder, chile rellenos, refried beans, reposado tequila
  • Dessert: flan, guava, cinnamon sugar taco shells, mezcal

Judges:

  • Marc Murphy
  • Chris Santos
  • Jordan Andino

Contestants:

  • Samantha Roberts, Corporate Chef from Scottsdale, AZ (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Jake McPeck, Food Truck Chef/Owner from Orange County, CA (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Eric Tran, Private Chef from New York, NY (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Tommy D'Ambrosio, Executive Chef and Owner from Phoenix, AZ (winner)

Episode notes: Each basket contains taco ingredients and a certain type of tequila.

467 10 "Rocky Mountain Masters" December 25, 2018

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: radicchio la rosa, noni toki, spinach dip, rocky mountain oysters
  • Entrée: striped bass, green chile pickle, couscous, root beer float
  • Dessert: baba al limoncello, blueberry jam, pepitas, jackfruit

Judges:

  • Chris Santos
  • Alex Guarnaschelli
  • Scott Conant

Contestants:

  • Dylan Boepple, Lead Line Cook from Portland, ME (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Cedric Gayon, Chef Tournant from Las Vegas, NV (eliminated after the entrée)
  • James Trees, Chef and Owner from Las Vegas, NV (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Tara Khattar, Caterer and Food Consultant from New York, NY (winner)
468 11 "Chicken Challenge" February 19, 2019

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: escarole. egg drop soup, dumpling mix, confit black chicken
  • Entrée: poussin, shakshuka, pea tendrils, whipped cream vodka
  • Dessert: chicken fried rice, cream-filled chocolate eggs, dried apricots, chili oil

Judges:

Contestants:

  • Christian Souvenir, Chef de Tournant from Brooklyn, NY (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Peng Looi, Executive Chef from Louisville, KY (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Erica Lent, Executive Sous Chef from Greenwich, CT (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Dallas McGarity, Chef & Owner from Louisville, KY (winner)

Episode notes: The theme of this episode was chicken in every round.

469 12 "Beer and Brats" February 26, 2019

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: Thuringian bratwurst, beer cheese dip, beer potato chips, baby leeks
  • Entrée: smoked bratwurst, rutabaga, beer flight, zwiebelkuchen
  • Dessert: cake brats, Bavarian cream, beer caramel, gooseberries

Judges:

  • Chris Santos
  • Alex Guarnaschelli
  • Hans Röckenwagner

Contestants:

  • Meghan Levins, Executive Chef from Louisville, KY (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Marc Lamash, Chef from Garrison, NY (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Ian Ray, Private Chef from Phoenix, AZ (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Lanny Chin, Executive Chef from Las Vegas, NV (winner)

Episode notes: This episode had a German slant (and a German judge) by having every basket feature beer and bratwurst. The "beer flight" in the second round consisted of two sour ales, an IPA, and a Scottish ale.

470 13 "Team Ice Cream" June 11, 2019

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: ice cream cheeseburger, mizuna, lasagna noodles, enchilada sauce
  • Entrée: duck breast, savory ice cream salad, maraschino cherries, delicata squash
  • Dessert: goat's milk, chocolate shell coating, fruit pizza, horseradish

Judges:

Contestants:

  • Brant Dadaleares, Chef and Owner from Portland, ME (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Alycia Harrington, Line Cook from New York, NY (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Sakari Smithwick, Chef de Partie from New York, NY (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Jessica Quinn, Pastry Sous Chef from Brooklyn, NY (winner)

Episode notes: The theme of this episode was ice cream in every round, with the chefs having to make ice cream in the dessert round. The cheeseburger in round 1 had a fried ice cream ball as one of the toppings (along with lettuce, cheese and tomato). Chef Brant forgot one of his ingredients which led to his elimination. A second ice cream machine was brought in for the dessert round.

Season 38 (2018-19)

Series
No.
Season
No.
Title Original airdate
471 1 "Plum Luck" May 15, 2018

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: pad thai pancakes, frozen peas, plums, duck sausage
  • Entrée: sirlion tip center roast, cinamon toaster pastries, upland cress, salad cream
  • Dessert: cereal cake, coconut jam, persimmons, almond butter

Judges:

  • Geoffrey Zakarian
  • Tiffani Faison
  • Chris Santos

Contestants:

  • Alejandro Perez, Executive Chef (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Anthony Brynildsen, Chef de Partie (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Dalia David, Private Chef (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Adam Allison, Chef and Owner (winner)
472 2 "Hot Off the Grill!" May 22, 2018

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: corn on the cob milkshake, zucchini ribbon skewers, camel ribeye, smoked butter
  • Entrée: brook trout, candy apples, fermented kale slaw, hickory smoked sausage
  • Dessert: frozen s'mores, whiskey-smoked sugar, fennel, charcoal burger buns

Judges:

  • Scott Conant
  • Marcus Samuelsson
  • James Briscione

Contestants:

  • Matthew Katakis from Queens, NY (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Jacob Styburski from Irvington, NY (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Elizabeth Bova from Point Pleasant Beach, NJ (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Lynette Mosher from Danvers, MA (winner)
473 3 "Bowled Over" June 12, 2018

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: tuna loin, finger radishes, soy cooked eggs, seven layer dip
  • Entrée: canned cheese ravioli, broccoli rabe, lime pickle, pork secreto
  • Dessert: halo-halo, vincotto, blondies, candy-glazed kettle corn

Judges:

Contestants:

  • Jeff Kraus, Chef and Owner from Tempe, AZ (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Chris Castro, Chef de Cuisine from Scottsdale, AZ (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Carinna Acevedo, Executive Chef from New York, NY (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Yuri Szarzewski, Executive Chef and Owner from Las Vegas, NV (winner)

Episode notes: The theme of this episode was presenting every dish in a bowl.

474 4 "Doughnut Dash" June 19, 2018

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: a dozen doughnuts, corned beef brisket, Chinese celery, mostarda
  • Entrée: three ring doughnut, ground bison, rainbow carrots, pastry cream
  • Dessert: Martha's sour cream doughnut dough, beet chips, raclette, yuzu

Judges:

Contestants:

  • Francis Legge, Executive Pastry Chef from Queens, NY (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Lindsey Farr, Pastry Chef from New York, NY (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Huascar Aquino, Pastry Chef & Owner from New York, NY (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Joyce Bucad, Assistant Pastry Chef from Las Vegas, NV (winner)

Episode notes: The theme of this episode was doughnuts in every basket, and making doughnuts in the final round. The dough in the third round basket was made by Martha Stewart.

475 5 "Room for 'Shrooms" July 10, 2018

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: mushroom cocktail, winter melon, snow pea tips, monkfish liver
  • Entrée: porcini creme brulee, veal chops, purple asparagus, bacon shell mac & cheese tacos
  • Dessert: mushroom jerky, grenadine, granola, lemon meringue pie

Judges:

Contestants:

  • Richard Daniel Meissner, Line Cook from South Brooklyn, NY (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Enzo Pezone, Chef & Owner from Manhattan, NY (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Emily Brubaker, Chef from Las Vegas, NV (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Matthew Ginn, Executive Chef from Portland, ME (winner)

Episode notes: This was a mushroom-centric competition with mushrooms found in every basket and a wide variety of mushrooms stocked in the pantry. The chefs had to feature mushrooms in every dish (in addition to the basket ingredients).

476 6 "Beach Bites" July 24, 2018

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: deluxe seafood platter, coconut chutney, coleslaw mix, deviled egg boats
  • Entrée: whole red snapper, sweet starfish, arugula, clam bake
  • Dessert: rum runners, bucket of sand pudding, salt water taffy, watermelon

Judges:

  • Marc Murphy
  • Amanda Freitag
  • Marcus Samuelsson

Contestants:

  • Sean Collins, Chef de Cuisine from Las Vegas, NV (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • David Belknap, Executive Chef & Co-Founder from New York, NY (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Paul Castro, Chef de Cuisine from New York, NY (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Rachael Polhill, Executive Chef from New York, NY (winner)

Episode notes: This episode had beach and sea-themed ingredients in each basket (which means seafood as well as picnic-type items that people might take and eat at the beach). The sweet starfish in round 2 were rice crispy treats shaped like stars. The rum runner in round 3 was a cocktail consisting of dark and light rums, pineapple juice, banana liqueur, and cranberry juice.

477 7 "Bar Fight" January 1, 2019

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: fried chicken Bloody Mary, bubble blossoms, star pasta, kola nut syrup
  • Entrée: lamb chops, shishito peppers, peppermint shot glasses, pommes Anna
  • Dessert: strawberry rhubarb pie, worm salt, empanada wrappers, frozen rosé

Judges:

  • Maneet Chauhan
  • Chris Santos
  • Amanda Freitag

Contestants:

  • Juyoung Kang, Lead Bartender from Las Vegas, NV (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Moses Laboy, Beverage Manager from New York, NY (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Jeremy Ross, Beverage Director from Ashburn, VA (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Jason Asher, Owner & Mixologist from Phoenix, AZ (winner)

Episode notes: Each basket had at least one bar food/ingredient and all four contestants were bartenders. Though it was not mandatory, some contestants made cocktails to pair with their dishes.

478 8 "Nourish and Flourish" January 8, 2019

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: sardines, Jew's mallow, bone broth, turmeric ice cream
  • Entrée: radicchio, savory oatmeal, beef tenderloin, chocolate with chili
  • Dessert: blueberries, walnuts in the shell, white bean cookie dough dip, ginger tonic

Judges:

  • Scott Conant
  • Alex Guarnaschelli
  • Seamus Mullen

Contestants:

  • Danielle Ennesser-Quirino, Chef & Owner from Scottsdale, AZ (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Lex Grant, Private Chef & Owner from Newark, NJ (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Jacob Pitts, Executive Sous Chef from Manassas, VA (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Jermain Edwards, Executive Chef from New York, NY (winner)

Episode notes: The theme of this episode was "good food that's good for you", meaning lighter and healthier ingredients in every basket and every dish.

479 9 "Deadly Catch" January 15, 2019

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: Alaska king crab, kelp jerky, saltwater & finger limes
  • Entrée: Striped marlin loin, jellyfish salad, sea beans & cracked freekeh
  • Dessert: Tidal wave cake, Indian blackberries, water caltrops & sea urchin

Judges:

  • Scott Conant
  • Amanda Freitag
  • Geoffrey Zakarian

Contestants:

  • Ken Arneson, Executive chef from Scottsdale, AZ (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Sarah Wong, Butcher & Catering Chef from Philadelphia, PA (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Will Gilson, Chef & owner from Cambridge, MA (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Joshua Moore, Executive chef & co-owner from Louisville, KY (winner)

Episode notes: Each basket had seafood ingredients that are dangerous to obtain. In the dessert round, hammers were provided to help the chefs crack open the caltrops, and Ted warned the chefs that the caltrops were toxic if not cooked.

480 10 "Wonton Wonder" February 12, 2019

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: scallions, water chestnuts, wonton wrappers, hot dog éclairs
  • Entrée: pheasant, green tomatoes, tepache liqueur, trash can nachos
  • Dessert: moon grapes, apricot paste, bagel chips, pickle cupcakes

Judges:

  • Geoffrey Zakarian
  • Maneet Chauhan
  • Chris Santos

Contestants:

  • Nicole Palazzolo, Chef & Co-Owner from Malden, MA (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Tarun Kapoor, Chef & Owner from Las Vegas, NV (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Patrick Carter, Executive Chef from New Albany, IN (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Kristina Wisneski, Executive Chef from Bryn Mawr, PA (winner)
481 11 "Meat Your Match" March 5, 2019

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: ambrosia salad, dandelion greens, charcuterie cone, beef short loin
  • Entrée: Moroccan mint tea, fresh chickpeas, pâté en croûte, lamb shoulder
  • Dessert: Asian pears, steamed buns, 'nduja, pork leg

Judges:

  • Alex Guarnaschelli
  • Marc Murphy
  • Kari Underly

Contestants:

  • Samantha Naomi, Butcher from Brooklyn, NY (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Judy Yao, Butcher from Cambridge, MA (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Erin Hockey, Butcher from Worcester, MA (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Elise Miller, Butcher from Portland, ME (winner)

Episode notes: All four chefs were female butchers. All rounds were entree rounds consisting of 45 minutes to allow enough time to butcher the proteins. The meat in each basket were pieces so large that they had to be grabbed from the pantry.

482 12 "Gefilte Dish" March 12, 2019

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: gefilte fish, margarita cotton candy, rainbow beets, jumbo pretzels
  • Entrée: lomo Ibérico de Bellota, black rice congee, circus peanuts, moringa drumsticks
  • Dessert: cheese tea, chocolate-covered corn, Bing cherries, fried peanut butter & jelly balls

Judges:

  • Scott Conant
  • Amanda Freitag
  • Marcus Samuelsson

Contestants:

  • J. Amonson, Executive Chef from Scottsdale, AZ (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Carolina Curtin, Executive Chef from Cambridge, MA (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Justin Kingsley Hall, Chef de Cuisine from Las Vegas, NV (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Claude Lewis, Chef de Cuisine from Jersey City, NJ (winner)
483 13 "Dill Dilemma" May 28, 2019

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: Arctic char fillets, shiso leaves, chicken liver pâté, dill pickle lollipops
  • Entrée: pork crown roast, sundried tomatoes, hotdish, marsala wine
  • Dessert: banana pudding, gjetost cheese, watermelon, candy-coated fennel seeds

Judges:

  • Marc Murphy
  • Amanda Freitag
  • Jordan Andino

Contestants:

  • John "Doc" Dougherty, Chef de Cuisine from Asbury Park, NJ (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Melissa O'Shea, Head Chef from Point Pleasant, NJ (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Liz Kwon, Chef & Co-Owner from Brooklyn, NY (eliminated after the dessert)
  • John Courtney, Culinary Director from Las Vegas, NV (winner)

Season 39 (2018-19)

Series
No.
Season
No.
Title Original airdate
484 1 "Think Small!" June 26, 2018

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: baby eggplant, pickled daikon, lamb merguez, grilled cheese & tomato soup dumplings
  • Entrée: patatas bravas, tzatziki, quail eggs, raw pork sandwiches
  • Dessert: chocolate-dipped churros, roasted chick peas, satsuma mandarins, caramel budino

Judges:

Contestants:

  • Tavis Rockwell, Executive Chef from Louisville, KY (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Adam Pusateri, Chef and Owner from Las Vegas, NV (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Paula Alencar, Sous Chef from Philadelphia, PA (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Thomas Tapat, Sous Chef from Las Vegas, NV (winner)

Episode notes: For every course/round, the chefs in this episode had to create at least two, different small plates for the judges to share.

485 2 "Lamb Slam" July 3, 2018

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: spring onions, porgy, nori, french fry-crusted corn dogs
  • Entrée: lamb sirloin, sunchokes, grasshopper pie, anchovies in brine
  • Dessert: brigadeiro, panettone, bergamot, butter coffee

Judges:

Contestants:

  • Elliot Williams, Director of Culinary from Westford, MA (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Asia Mei, Chef & Owner from South Boston, MA (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Zach Pratt, Chef & Owner from Lewiston, ME (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Nicholas Poulmentis, Executive Chef from New York, NY (winner)
486 3 "Wellington Woes" September 18, 2018

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: beef wellington pops, kohlrabi, herbed spaetzle, canned spiced ham
  • Entrée: halibut cheeks, hot dog broth, preserved lemons, zucchini blossoms
  • Dessert: chocoflan, fruit bouquet, peanut brittle, mamajuana

Judges:

Contestants:

  • Justin Woodard, Corporate Executive Chef from Phoenix, AZ (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Landen Garcia, Executive Chef from New York, NY (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Elyssa Kaplan, Sous Chef from Cambridge, MA (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Laura Gonzalez, Chef de Cusine from Paradise Valley, AZ (winner)
487 4 "Breakfast Battle" December 18, 2018

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: breakfast in bread, orange juice, frozen hash browns, kale sprouts
  • Entrée: beghrir, skirt steak, spicy candies, farm fresh eggs
  • Dessert: breakfast sausage, maple syrup cheese, congee, french toast

Judges:

Contestants:

  • Teerawong "Yo" Nanthavatsiri, Chef and Owner from Manhattan, NY (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Nick Dixon, Executive Chef from Boston, MA (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Brianna Bowering, Sous Chef from Boston, MA (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Eric Felitto, Chef and Owner from Fairfield, CT (winner)

Episode notes: The theme of this episode was making breakfast versions of each round's dish with at least one breakfast ingredient in each basket. The round 1 "breakfast in bread" ingredient was eggs and bacon in a sourdough breadbowl.

488 5 "Pizza Poetry" March 19, 2019

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: mac & cheese, escarole, New York-style dough, pig's head
  • Entrée: oxtail, cola slushie, banana blossoms in brine, Detroit-style dough
  • Dessert: dulce de leche, preserved green olives, mini chocolate bars. Neopolitan-style dough

Judges:

  • Chris Santos
  • Alex Guarnaschelli
  • Geoffrey Zakarian

Contestants:

  • Giulio Adriani, Restaurateur and Pizzaiolo from Atlanta, GA (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Vincent Rotolo, Owner and Head Pizzaiolo from Las Vegas, NV (eliminated after the entrée)
  • John Arena, Owner and Co-founder from Las Vegas, NV (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Nino Coniglio, Chef and Owner from Brooklyn, NY (winner)

Episode notes: The chefs competing were "pizzaiolos" ‒ chefs specializing in making pizza. The theme reflected that; they had to make pizza in every round. Round 1 was extended to 30 minutes to allow the chefs enough time to cook their pizzas.

489 6 "Dollar Dishes" March 26, 2019

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: frozen taquitos, dozen eggs, frozen corn, home grown basil
  • Entrée: beef tripe stew, chicken legs, broccoli, instant mashed potatoes
  • Dessert: blueberry muffin mix, cream cheese, carrots, white wine ice cubes

Judges:

  • Scott Conant
  • Alex Guarnaschelli
  • Tiffani Faison

Contestants:

  • Stephan Brezinsky, Chef and Owner from New York, NY (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Allen Fisher, Executive Sous Chef from Woodstock, NY (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Sebastian Wijata, Chef from Scottsdale, AZ (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Figgy DiBenedetto, Chef and Owner from Portland, ME (winner)

Episode notes: The theme of this episode was "budget baskets" with every round having low-cost ingredients.

490 7 "Pasta Possibilities" April 2, 2019

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: hamachi collar, bone marrow, pea tendrils, pickled pork skins
  • Entrée: braised lamb shanks, artichokes, Jordan almonds, tomato mozzarella salad
  • Dessert: giant cannoli, strawberry toaster pastries, chamomile grappa, kumquats

Judges:

  • Scott Conant
  • Amanda Freitag
  • Evan Funke

Contestants:

  • Massimiliano Eandi, Executive Chef from New York, NY (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Allison Fasano, Chef from New York, NY (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Andy Richmer, Chef and Owner from Madison, IN (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Pawan Pinisetti, Executive Chef from Las Vegas, NV (winner)

Episode notes: The chefs were required to make pasta in every round. There was an entire counter in the pantry filled with various types of pastas that the chefs could use.

491 8 "You've Got Snail" April 9, 2019

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: whelks, carbonated candy, Fresno chiles, baby fennel
  • Entrée: scallops in the shell, mortadella, purple Brussels sprouts, stuffed croissants
  • Dessert: pig's feet, blood oranges, salted honey custard pie, blackstrap molasses

Judges:

  • Scott Conant
  • Amanda Freitag
  • Maneet Chauhan

Contestants:

  • Ilson Goncalves, Chef and Owner from Montclair, NJ (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Darius Chase, Sous Chef from Louisville, KY (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Aless Mac Carthy, Owner/Caterer from New York, NY (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Anna Vocaturo, Chef Partner from Washington, D.C (winner)

Episode notes: The stuffed croissant in the second round was matcha tea flavored and stuffed with lemon curd. At the end of the second round, Darius discovered he cut himself, and as a result his dishes couldn't be tasted due to contamination. In the third round, Anna also cut herself but caught the injury in time.

492 9 "Squab Goals" April 16, 2019

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: squab, canned peanut soup, mustard greens, salted peaches
  • Entrée: jumbo fluke, roasted spaghetti squash, tropical punch, octopus balls
  • Dessert: cricket cookie mix, mountain rose apples, almond vegan yogurt, jerk seasoning

Judges:

  • Marc Murphy
  • Alex Guarnaschelli
  • Chris Santos

Contestants:

  • Chris Moore, Chef from Memphis, TN (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Coco Kim, Sous Chef from New York, NY (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Janene Holig, Executive Chef and Co-Founder from Minneapolis, MN (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Nick LaRosa, Executive Chef and Owner from Phoenix, AZ (winner)
493 10 "Viewers Rule" April 23, 2019

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: rainbow gelatin, frozen pizza, horseradish root, creamed beef in a can
  • Entrée: burger buddy meal mix, bitter melon, raspberry vinaigrette, balut
  • Dessert: cocktail onions, pumpkin spice latte, salmon ice cream, apple pie filling

Judges:

  • Chris Santos
  • Maneet Chauhan
  • Marcus Samuelsson

Contestants:

  • Lex Taylor, Chef and Owner from Ossining, NY (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Stavros Karipides, Chef and Owner from Greenwich, CT (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Aziza 'Z' Young, Executive Chef from Philadelphia, PA (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Eyhab 'Happy' Hatab, Executive Chef from Mount Laurel, NJ (winner)

Episode notes: All of the basket ingredients were chosen by the fans via social media: Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Chef Z competed in the 16th season of Hell's Kitchen.

494 11 "Belly of the Beast" April 30, 2019

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: tuna belly, black trumpet mushrooms, pickled ramps, fish pâté
  • Entrée: lamb belly, lamb's lettuce, rice-vermicelli mix, prairie chicken cocktail
  • Dessert: pork belly, crystalized ginger, lady gala apples, piggy dumplings

Judges:

  • Chris Santos
  • Alex Guarnaschelli
  • Marc Murphy

Contestants:

  • Justin Loo, Executive Chef from Las Vegas, NV (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Mac Jarvis, Chef de Cuisine from Jackson Hole, WY (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Lucas Billheimer, Executive Chef from New York, NY (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Matt Migliore, Sous Chef from Brooklyn, NY (winner)

Episode notes: Different types of belly meat was featured in each basket. The chicken cocktail in round 2 contained gin, salt, pepper, and a raw chicken egg. The piggy dumpling in round 3 was a steamed bun that looked like a pig (with edible nose, eyes, and ears) and was filled with custard. All 4 chefs were men.

495 12 "Brunch Brilliance" May 7, 2019

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: duck bacon, chicken & waffles ice cream, tomatillos, corn tortillas
  • Entrée: deep-fried poached eggs, smoked black cod, watermelon radish, onion snack rings
  • Dessert: boozy cereal, pink grapefruit, ostrich egg, red velvet pancakes

Judges:

  • Chris Santos
  • Alex Guarnaschelli
  • Maneet Chauhaun

Contestants:

  • Matt Drummond, Executive Chef from South Boston, MA (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Jamie Landers, Chef and Owner from Philadelphia, PA (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Bahr Rapaport, Chef and Owner from New York, NY (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Gregory Headen, Sous Chef from Philadelphia, PA (winner)

Episode notes: The theme of this episode was brunch, with every basket containing ingredients associated with brunch. The boozy cereal in round 3 was cinnamon squares in a cup of cream and Caribbean rum.

496 13 "Eat Your Veggies" May 14, 2019

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: green bean pops, assorted cauliflower, turnips, dinosaur kale
  • Entrée: rose radicchio, kabocha squash, avocado toast, baby artichokes
  • Dessert: chocolate-covered crickets, baby spinach, rhubarb, lemon zucchini bread

Judges:

  • Martha Stewart
  • Alex Guarnaschelli
  • Marcus Samuelsson

Contestants:

  • Joe Cadina, Executive Sous Chef from Las Vegas, NV (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Tamara Stanger, Executive Chef from Phoenix, AZ (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Mike Joyce, Chef de Cuisine from Philadelphia, PA (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Cory Oppold, Executive Chef from Scottsdale, AZ (winner)

Episode notes: This was a vegetable-centric episode with vegetables in every basket.

Season 40 (2018-19)

Series
No.
Season
No.
Title Original airdate
497 1 "Fire it Up!" July 17, 2018

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: chicken wings, jicama, spicy cheese puffs, Kosher dill pickles
  • Entrée: chuck strip steaks, chili, dinosaur kale, jalapeño cheesecake ice cream
  • Dessert: cherries jubilee, sriracha mayonnaise, mango, smoked chocolate chips

Judges:

  • Geoffrey Zakarian
  • Alex Guarnaschelli
  • Marcus Samuelsson

Contestants:

  • Marissa Bergen, Firefighter & Paramedic from Trenton, NJ (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Nick Triscari, Firefighter & Chef Owner from New Rochelle, NY (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Monkonjay Gray, Firefighter & Cheesecake Chef from Greensboro, NC (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Daniel Brelsford, Firefighter & Cooking Instructor from Bridgeport, CT (winner)

Episode notes: All the contestants were firefighters. Firehouse Subs sponsored this episode and donated $25,000 to the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation in honor of the competitors. A second deep-fryer was provided in the appetizer round to help ensure all the chefs managed to cook the chicken wings. The cherries jubilee in the third round was presented in a pan and on fire, inside the basket, surprising the competitors. This episode was dedicated to Keith Young, an FDNY firefighter and Chopped Champion who died on March 17, 2018.

498 2 "Whiz Kid Cooks" September 4, 2018

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: ground chicken, rapini, lemon sorbet, tahini paste
  • Entrée: flat iron steak, sprouting cauliflower, waffle fries, dates
  • Dessert: Linzer cookies, baby kiwis, cherry kombucha, candy dispenser

Judges:

  • Marc Murphy
  • Amanda Freitag
  • Geoffrey Zakarian

Contestants:

  • Ryan Greenberg (age 12) from Livingston, NJ (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Django Santalis (age 10) from Patterson, NY (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Pipa Hardin (age 12) from Campbell, CA (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Rachel Goldzal (age 12) from Staten Island, NY (winner)

Episode notes: The contestants were all children. Instead of the usual 20 minutes, the first round was extended to 30 minutes. In the third round, the kids were given miniature gumball machines filled with candy, and a roll of quarters to get the candy out.

499 3 "Halloween Hijinks" October 2, 2018

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: spooky baked rat meatballs, Swiss chard, mac o'lanterns & cheese, eye-tini
  • Entrée: bloody brain shrimp cocktail, green Romano beans, spider web mashed potatoes, cauldron curry
  • Dessert: haunted gingerbread house, prickly pears, chocolate stuffed creepy crawlies, meringue bones

Judges:

Contestants:

  • Edwin Anthony Rodriguez, Chef from Brooklyn, NY (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Samantha Sanz, Chef de Cuisine from Scottsdale, AZ (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Marino Rosato, Executive Chef from New York, NY (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Christine Hazel, Traveling Chef from Philadelphia, PA (winner)

Episode notes: This was a Halloween themed episode with Halloween themed basket ingredients. In the first round: the "rat" meatballs were just regular meatballs with edible fake rat ears and eyes on it, the "mac o'lanterns" were orange bell peppers carved into jack o'lantern faces and filled with mac and cheese, and the eye-tini was a martini with a fake eyeball (lychee with blueberry) stuck in it. In the second round: the shrimp cocktail was served in chilled gelatin inside a prop head bust, and the loaded mashed potatoes had a spider web design piped on with sour cream. In the third round: the "creepy crawlies" were dates cut to resemble bugs, and the meringue was in the shape of bones. Chef Hazel also appeared on Season 14 of Hell's Kitchen.

500 4 "Chopped Champs Throwdown: Battle 1" October 9, 2018

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: smelt, rainbow carrots, pork sticks, turmeric tea
  • Entrée: rack of venison, salty licorice, green tomatoes, blueberry pie filling
  • Dessert: cotton candy burrito, mangoes, macadamia nuts, milk jam

Judges:

  • Chris Santos
  • Alex Guarnaschelli
  • Marc Murphy

Contestants:

Episode notes: This was the first of a five-part tournament, where sixteen past champions competed. The winner of each preliminary round advanced to the finale, where they competed for $50,000. In the appetizer round, Chef Johnson did not cook her smelt. The judges did not eat her dish as a result, citing the risks of parasites from freshwater fish.

501 5 "Chopped Champs Throwdown: Battle 2" October 16, 2018

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: fermented rice pudding, grape jelly meatballs, swiss chard, black garlic
  • Entrée: tri-tip, kohlrabi, giant jawbreaker, pesto sauce
  • Dessert: popcorn bowl of treats, cherries, pinot noir, ground coffee

Judges:

  • Marc Murphy
  • Maneet Chauhan
  • Chris Santos

Contestants:

Episode notes: This is the second part of a five-part tournament.

502 6 "Chopped Champs Throwdown: Battle 3" October 23, 2018

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: uni, pea shoots, cucumber potato chips, imitation crab
  • Entrée: vanilla milkshake, boneless beef shank, eggplants, xo sauce
  • Dessert: coconut curry simmering sauce, papaya, tamarind pods, giant peanut butter cup

Judges:

  • Scott Conant
  • Amanda Freitag
  • Geoffrey Zakarian

Contestants:

Episode notes: This is the third part of a five-part tournament.

503 7 "Chopped Champs Throwdown: Battle 4" October 30, 2018

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: pickled turnips, sweet potatoes, quail eggs, Moroccan dried beef
  • Entrée: red snapper, watermelon, zucchini blossoms, pandan pancakes
  • Dessert: sfogliatelle, raspberries, black walnuts in syrup, matcha pops

Judges:

  • Scott Conant
  • Alex Guarnaschelli
  • Marc Murphy

Contestants:

Episode notes: This is the fourth part of a five-part tournament.

504 8 "Chopped Champs Throwdown: Finale" November 6, 2018

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: shad roe, coffee creamers, watermelon radishes, pork belly
  • Entrée: goat head, merguez sausage, pignoli cookies, spruce tips
  • Dessert: honeycomb, peaches, mosaic gelatin, smoked duck

Judges:

  • Scott Conant
  • Amanda Freitag
  • Marc Murphy

Contestants:

Episode notes: This is the final part of a five-part tournament.

505 9 "Thankful Siblings" November 13, 2018

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: pork tenderloin, baby kale, turkey jerky, onion rings casserole
  • Entrée: rainbow chard, vegducken, pumpkin dinner rolls, leg of lamb
  • Dessert: candied yam latte, popcorn on the cob, unbaked cinnamon roll pie, figs

Judges:

  • Scott Conant
  • Tiffani Faison
  • Chris Santos

Contestants:

  • Ted and Lisa Allen (charity: Reach Higher) (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Marc and Paul Murphy (charity: No Kid Hungry) (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Maneet and Reeti Chauhan (charity: March of Dimes) (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Amanda and Jason Freitag (charity: God's Love We Deliver) (winner)

Episode notes: This was a Thanksgiving themed episode where three Chopped judges, and Ted Allen, were joined by their siblings to compete for their charities of choice. Since Ted was competing, the judges took turns performing his hosting duties, and unveiling who got chopped each round (Scott presented the first round, Tiffani presented the second round, and Chris presented the third round).

506 10 "Tea Eggs and Sympathy" November 27, 2018

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: yu choy, chicken schmaltz, Chinese tea eggs, quahog clams
  • Entrée: arctic char, pig ears, pizza hamantaschen, rhubarb
  • Dessert: eggplants in syrup, wafer sheets, Mexican chocolates, durian

Judges:

  • Marcus Samuelsson
  • Martha Stewart
  • Maneet Chauhan

Contestants:

  • Leah Eubanks, Sous Chef from Nashville, TE (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Nicole Poirier, Private Chef/Caterer from San Francisco, CA (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Pujan Sarkar, Chef De Cuisine from San Francisco, CA (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Eli Dunn, Chef and Owner from Warren, RI (winner)
507 11 "Holly Jolly Grandmas" December 4, 2018

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: buffalo tenderloin, chicken candy canes, frozen peas, latke tower
  • Entrée: golden goose, spiked egg nog, purple asparagus, jelly doughnut bites
  • Dessert: holiday cookies, pomegranate seeds, cream cheese, hot cocoa mix ornament

Judges:

  • Scott Conant
  • Amanda Freitag
  • Maneet Chauhan

Contestants:

  • Altina Lester, Retired Chef from Boston, MA (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Charisse Chavers, Head Chef from Brooklyn, NY (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Norma Knepp, Chef & Owner from Lancaster, PA (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Ceil Vardar, Retired Caterer from Norwich, CT (winner)

Episode notes: This was a holiday-themed episode where grandmothers competed, all of them working or having worked in the kitchen professionally. The first round was increased to 30 minutes instead of the usual 20 minutes.

508 12 "It's a Sibling Thing" January 22, 2019

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: jumbo shrimp, mustard greens, whipped cream, ramen pizza
  • Entrée: goat chops, chayote squash, labne, cookies & cream popcorn
  • Dessert: Japanese cheesecake, rambutan, strawberry banana juice, fruit rings cereal

Judges:

  • Marc Murphy
  • Amanda Freitag
  • Geoffrey Zakarian

Contestants:

  • Quinn Walmer (age 11) & Lyla Walmer (age 9) from Bridgewater, NJ (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Jackson Rockmel (age 14) & Skyler Rockmel (age 12) from Berkeley, CA (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Sara Bonic (age 14) & Sammy Bonic (age 12) from Cantonsville, MD (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Arielle Wayner (age 13) & Alfie Wayner (age 9) from New Rochelle, NY (winner)

Episode notes: This was a team cook episode where the duos were young siblings. As with most other child-themed Chopped episodes, the first round was extended to 30 minutes.

509 13 "Hotdog Hotshots" July 16, 2019

Ingredients:

  • Appetizer: hot dog cake, mâche, mangos, onion snack ring
  • Entrée: pickle corn dogs, shishito peppers, canned whipped cream, caviar
  • Dessert: wieners in a quilt, frozen sour cherries, caramel popcorn, lemon curd

Judges:

  • Chris Santos
  • Amanda Freitag
  • Geoffrey Zakarian

Contestants:

  • Ricardo Arias, Executive Chef from New York, NY (eliminated after the appetizer)
  • Steven Oliver, Chef & Owner from San Diego, CA (eliminated after the entrée)
  • Britni Nelson, Sous Chef from Philadelphia, PA (eliminated after the dessert)
  • Jeff Martino, Chef de Cuisine from Boston, MA (winner)

Episode notes: Every basket in this episode featured hot dogs and there were several different types of hot dogs in the pantry (from venison sausage to cocktail weenies). The "wieners in a quilt" in the third round were just hot dogs rolled in crescent dough.

See also

  • List of Chopped: Canada episodes

References

  1. Chou, Jessica (2012-07-10). "The Best 'Chopped' Application You'll Read All Day". The Daily Meal. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.