Chopped

- Season 29

(2016)

The chefs take on fried chicken. To start, a weird syrup and savory pancake are among the mandatory appetizer ingredients. Later, peach cobbler must be incorporated into entrees. And finally, the judges prepare for an interesting fried chicken-themed dessert round.

The chefs have just 20 minutes to make snails work with their other appetizer ingredients, including troublesome spouts. Later, garlic knots are easy to use in the entrée round; and a light and airy cake leads to focused and inspired desserts.

The chefs cook with hot dogs. Other mystery basket items include an uncommon condiment in the appetizer round; and a problematic and tiny ingredient in the entrée round.

A seventy-something competes. Included: in the appetizer round, trout dishes must include dill pickle soup as a component. Then, a weirdly spicy beer is one of the entrée basket ingredients. And finally, dough and sugar in the dessert basket give the chefs a false sense of security.

A chili cook-off begins with chocolate and sausage as the mandatory ingredients in the appetizer round. Then, degrees of spice and levels of creativity are big factors, when judging entrees. Finally, the chefs find sweet inspiration.

Part 1 of 5. A teen tournament begins with the challengers having to create an appetizer with a strange hybrid snack and a decadent pork product. Then, in the entrée round, poultry must be combined with a weird casserole; and desserts are made using a spicy nut and a savory green fruit.

Part 2 of 5. In Round 1, nerves and indecision keep everyone guessing whether four teen chefs will finish their sausage appetizers. Later, seafood surprises are discovered in the entrée baskets; and breakfast items are turned into desserts.

Part 3 of 5. Teen chefs put their energy to good use making short rib appetizers. Later, they are puzzled by an already cooked, artificially colored ingredient in the entrée basket. And, for dessert, it's a wonder what to do with a pastry bag of pate a choux.

Teams of twins compete. For the first round, they face some improbable eggs and incomplete crustaceans. Things get interesting when making entrees with a royal-inspired meat product and a soda shop staple. And some surprising choices are made, when pastry dough is found in the dessert basket.

Part 4 of 5. Teen chefs battle it out for the last spot in the $25,000 finale. First, they must deal with a can of something strange and a bottle of something sour, when making appetizers. Later, one competitor decides to deep-fry the entrée round's protein. And finally, the big challenge is how best to re-purpose cake.

Poor time management gets one chef in trouble during the first round, which features naan and blood sausages. Then, a very expensive fish has the judges hoping that it's treated right. Finally, creative juices are flowing when faced with a fruit-filled dessert basket.

Conclusion. A teen tournament ends with one young chef winning $25,000. But first, they face a surf and turf combo in the appetizer round; a test of their butchering skills when making entrees; and one competitor correctly predicts mango as a dessert ingredient.

Anne Burrell helps judge, when former winners and runners-up of Worst Cooks in America (2010) compete. Challenges include frog leg appetizers; cooking steak entrees correctly; and making desserts with ready-made dough, cocoa powder and pears.