Chopped

- Season 28

(2016)

Part 1 of 5. The Chopped Champions tournament begins with four defending champs taking on pig ears in the appetizer round; the combo of fish and cheese, when cooking entrees; and artichokes as a mandatory ingredient, when making desserts.

Part 2 of 5. Returning champions compete. Included: the appetizer basket features a deceptively simple sausage and cabbage; entrée dishes center around an organ meat; and the final two chefs face an extremely challenging dessert round.

Part 3 of 5. Four returning champions compete. Included: the appetizer baskets contain a hard-to-melt candy and a difficult-to-prep veggie; a seemingly chaffy protein proves difficult to handle in the entrée round; and bison jerky must be used in desserts.

Part 4 of 5. A husband and wife are among the returning champions. Challenges include making appetizers with crab claws and vanilla frosting; and entrees with wild boar. Also: a savory mousse must be used in the dessert round.

Conclusion. Returning champions compete for $50,000. Appetizer ingredients include unusual clams and a decadent meat; a protein that takes up almost the entire basket is used in the entrée round; and onions pose a challenge when making desserts.

A Cinco de Mayo theme takes the chefs by surprise, especially when a green pie and a big fish fillet are revealed in the appetizer baskets. For entrees, a cheese blend and Mexican barbecue specialty are combined; and black beans and chocolate come to play in the dessert round.

The competing chefs have difficulty getting creative with pasta in the appetizer round. Later, the judges worry about how a chocolate-covered ingredient will be handled in the entrée round; and desserts are made with a tropical fruit and an extremely savory jarred product.

Eight singles are paired up on blind cooking dates in this battle. Ingredients for Round 1 include scallops in the shell and a strange citrus; all six competitors choose to grind their entrée protein; and crème anglaise seems like a gift when it comes time to make desserts.

Seasonal summer foods are in the baskets, including lobsters and cocktails in Round 1. Later, entrees are made using seafood and potato chips; and a refreshing beverage and indulgent frozen treat are among the dessert ingredients.

Ingredients, that are actually dangerous, are found in the baskets, beginning with poisonous seeds and rattlesnakes in Round 1. Later, a potent alcohol and shellfish put fear in the chefs; and some ugly fungus and deadly fruit keep the finalists on their toes, when making desserts. Judges: Aarón Sánchez; Marc Murphy and Marcus Samuelsson.

The perfect pub Scotch egg offers a bit of a challenge to the chefs in the appetizer round; big fish and a black liquid need taxing when making entrees; and an extremely sugary kids' cereal goes into the finalists' desserts.

Four chefs from San Francisco battle. In the first round, a midnight snack poses a creative challenge. Later, a beer and a bird are familiar entrée ingredients; and premium chocolate bars and Irish coffee are found in the dessert baskets.

A priest, a nun-in-training, a rabbi and a pastor compete. In the first round, one of the cooks shocks the judges, by admitting they have never worked with the basket ingredient of salmon -- or for that matter any fish -- before. Later, fruit and wine must be incorporated into entrée dishes; and yummy desserts represent the heritages of the finalists.

Part 1 of 5. A Grill Masters Napa tournament begins with appetizer ingredients that include a sea creature and colorful veggie. Later, a ballpark snack could be seen as a curve-ball in the entrée round; and chilies make the judges happy as a dessert component.

Part 2 of 5. Outdoor grilling in Napa Valley, California, begins with baked beans and lamb belly. Later, a seafood-heavy basket requires a lot of work and creative thinking for the competing chefs; and in the dessert round, one of the mystery ingredients shows a tendency to char quickly.

Part 3 of 5. Grillers compete in California's Napa Valley. In the first round, they pound away at a seafood protein. Later, a beautiful rib-eye could distract the contestants from the other basket ingredients; and sweet surprises should make for some yummy desserts.

Part 4 of 5. Four grillers compete for the final spot in the grand finale. Ingredients in the appetizer round include beautiful mushrooms and a strong jam; fish butchery and flavor balancing come into play, when making entrees; and a yummy cake needs to be reworked for a winning dessert.

Conclusion. The grilling tournament ends with a porky surprise in the appetizer round; a surf and turf combo when making entrees; and bananas and wine as tricky dessert ingredients.