Chopped: Volume 1

Things get prickly when the competitors open up the appetizer baskets to discover a spiny surprise. In the entree round, the judges sympathize when one chef faces a serious snapper snafu after everything literally falls apart. And when one of the finalists takes liberty with the rules when finishing up a complex dessert, the transgression could mean the difference between victory and disgrace.

An unusually salty vegetable presents the chefs with a quandary in the appetizer round. Then a red-hot battle ensues in the entree round, where Thai chilies threaten to overpower the dishes. And when two finalists with very different cooking methods take on Mexican-inspired desserts, the judges face one of their most difficult decisions ever.

The judges have high hopes for this group of up-and-coming chefs, but there is some sloppy work in the appetizer round when the contestants must work with whole calamari. In the entree round, the three remaining chefs have various degrees of success with bison meat. And in the last round, the two finalists make ambitious plans to create difficult ancho chile desserts within the 30-minute time limit.

A challenging cut of meat in the mystery basket ups the level of difficulty in the appetizer round. For the entree course the chefs must devise big plans for some miniature produce and a whole flounder. Then, in the dessert round, the finalists wrestle with the do's and don'ts of combining doughnuts and tomatillos.

Pride is on the plate as the chefs seek to represent their cultural heritage through distinctive duck appetizers. Then in the entree round, when one chef invents a very creative use for Serrano ham, will it be outstanding enough to get the judges to forgive a serious mistake?

For the appetizer course, the judges get an earful of philosophy and a mouthful of piquillo peppers. In the entree round two of the three remaining chefs make an amateur mistake with snap peas. And when the finalists open up the dessert basket and find an Indian sugar product they have never seen before, they scramble to make it work.

In the appetizer round, the chefs are challenged by edamame, shrimp and problems with time management. Then, when the three remaining chefs put their signature styles into flank steak entrees, the judges have a difficult choice to make.

The judges are impressed when one of the contestants falters in the appetizer round but, nonetheless, sticks to a bold plan for a Merquez sausage dish. With liquor in the entree basket, the flames fly high, but when the adrenaline rush is over, it's the artful presentations that garner attention. Then in the final round, finding a way to make a dessert with honeydew would be no problem, except that the three other items in the mystery basket make it one of the most difficult challenges in Chopped history.

After unpacking a challenging appetizer basket, the chefs get creative using buckwheat flour to make crepes, crusts and fritters. Then, in the entree round, the judges are troubled when one chef successfully incorporates an exotic fruit from the basket but takes another mandatory item and simply places it on the plate. And the two final chefs tackle black olives in dessert with no fear, but the judges are disappointed when one of the competitors fails to learn from an earlier mistake.

Don't miss this ultimate face-off! In this first installment in a special four-part series, previous Chopped champions return to compete again. When a Southern seafood specialty appears in the appetizer basket, two of the returning chefs have the added pressure of skillfully representing their roots. Then, in the entree course, leafy greens meet Japanese noodles, but not every chef's dish meets the mark in terms of portion size. And in the dessert round the finalists have to work with one of the world's most expensive spices, but will their efforts be priceless or careless?

Gotta tune-in to find out who has the chops to be the Chopped Champion again! In this second installment in a special series, four winners return to battle for superiority in the kitchen. When the chefs present their cockles appetizers, the judges must do some investigating; one of the chefs may or may not have gotten every mystery item into the dish. Then, for the entree course, along with ground chicken and apples, the judges find a disgusting shocker on one of the chefs' plates. And when The Big Cheese of La Mancha finds its way into the Dessert Basket, who will be the Big Winner? One of the finalists makes a napoleon, while the other chef takes a more avant-garde approach.

In this must-watch third installment in a special four-part series, the reigning Chopped champion and three other previous winners return to compete. In the appetizer round, the judges are baffled, but curious, when one of the chefs chooses a very unusual method of cooking squab. And in the entree round, one contestant struggles to stay calm after discovering that three of the four items in the mystery basket are unfamiliar. Then, in the dessert round, the chefs are dumbfounded by what they must combine with grapefruit. But the judges can't wait to taste the intriguing results!

You won't believe what happens in the final competition in the all-stars series, when four Chopped champions face off for a chance to reclaim the title and bank another $10,000. But when the chefs open up the appetizer basket and find bananas, endives and a whopper of a surprise, it becomes clear that to win it, these champs will have to bring it! Then, in the entree round, a melon mishap has the judges wondering how forgiving they should be. And in the dessert round, the finalists know if they are as slow as the molasses in the mystery basket they don't stand a chance!