While I was at the gym today, I watched a couple of the “Chopped” cooking reality shows. I have watched “Chopped” many times before and find it entertaining to watch the creativity of the contestants. For those of you unfamiliar with it, four contestants compete by making an appetizer in 20 minutes. One contestant is eliminated, then they make an entrée in 30 minutes, and another contestant is eliminated. The final two must make a dessert in 30 minutes. In all rounds, contestants may only use ingredients found only in a mystery basket. I have seen all kinds of things end up in the mystery basket — many things I have never heard of. Today’s show was practical for the home cook. They had to make dishes from leftovers — for the appetizer lo mein noodles, chicken parmesan, kale salad and a brown avocado; for the entrée leftover steak, a picked over veggie platter, flat cola and half a bánh mí sandwich; for the dessert leftover ice cream, concord grapes, a pot of cold coffee and two slices of lemon chess pie. Whew! I don’t know how they do it. The best appetizer was a Sunday dinner pasta in meat sauce, entrée was beef Wellington with blistered tomatoes and dessert was coffee sponge cake with cherry and lemon curd. Could you do that? Not me. That’s why I find it so much fun to watch. Let’s learn more about “Chopped.”
According to Wikipedia, “Chopped” is an American reality-based cooking television game show series created by Michael Krupat, Dave Noll and Linda Lea. It is hosted by Ted Allen. The series pits four chefs against each other as they compete for a chance to win $10,000. New episodes air every Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET on Food Network.
A dessert-themed spin-off titled “Chopped Sweets” premiered on February 3, 2020, with Scott Conant as host.
Format
In each episode, four chefs compete in a three-round contest, where they attempt to incorporate unusual combinations of ingredients into dishes that are later evaluated by a panel of three judges. At the beginning of each round — typically "Appetizer", "Entrée" and "Dessert" but with occasional exceptions — the chefs are each given a basket containing four mystery ingredients and are expected to create dishes that use all of them in some way. Although failing to use an ingredient is not an automatic disqualification, the judges do take such omissions into account when making their decisions. The ingredients are often not commonly prepared together. For example, in the episode "Yucca, Watermelon, Tortillas," the appetizer ingredients consisted of watermelon, canned sardines, pepper jack cheese and zucchini. The chefs are given unlimited access to a pantry and refrigerator stocked with a wide variety of other ingredients, and each chef has his/her own stations for preparing and cooking food. The kitchen also includes a variety of specialized tools and equipment for the chefs' use, such as a deep fryer, a blast chiller and an ice cream machine.
Each round has a time limit, typically 20 minutes for Appetizer and 30 minutes each for Entrée and Dessert. These limits have been extended on occasion for special-format episodes and for rounds in which one or more mystery ingredients require additional preparation/cooking time. The chefs must cook their dishes and complete four platings — three for the judges and one "beauty plate" — before time runs out. Once time has expired, the judges critique the dishes based on presentation, taste and creativity and select one chef to be "chopped" — eliminated from the competition with no winnings. Allen reveals the judges' decision by lifting a cloche on their table to show the eliminated chef's dish, and one judge comments on the reasoning behind the choice. The Appetizer and Entrée rounds are judged independently from one another, while in the Dessert round, the judges consider the chefs' overall performance during the entire competition. The winner receives $10,000, but special competitions and tournaments have featured larger cash prizes.
Medical personnel are on hand to treat any injuries that may occur during the competition and may, at their discretion, disqualify chefs who are unable to continue safely. If the judges deem all or part of a chef's dish unsafe to eat for any reason — contamination by blood or other bodily fluids, improper cooking, inedible items on the plate, etc. — they do not taste the affected portion but can still critique its presentation and creativity. Chefs can also be disqualified for rule violations, such as by bringing and using ingredients of their own.
Production notes
According to host Ted Allen, the show's unaired pilot episode, which was taped at the Culinary School at the Art Institute of New York, was "...originally a lot more elaborate. It was set in a mansion, the host was a butler, the butler held a Chihuahua and when a chef was chopped the losing dish was fed to the Chihuahua." The Food Network found the pilot episode "a little too weird," but decided to keep the general premise of the show in a more straightforward competition format.
An episode of “Chopped” takes approximately 12 hours to tape, with deliberations after each round taking about 20 minutes. Judging is done by consensus among the judges.
While contestants do not know the ingredients ahead of time, they are given a tour of the kitchen prior to taping. Some preliminary tasks, such as preheating ovens and bringing water to a boil, are done in advance of each round.
Chefs must be 19 years or older to appear on the regular show. Teenagers and children are occasionally invited to compete in special episodes.
Chopped Champions
Starting September 8, 2009, Food Network aired a four-episode “Chopped Champions” tournament, in which 13 previous winners were invited to face off again. Four chefs competed per episode; the three losing chefs were eliminated from the tournament, while the winner received $10,000 and faced three new competitors in the next episode.
As of October 2018, the network has aired five additional “Chopped Champions” tournaments, each consisting of four preliminary heats and a finale. Four previous champions compete in each preliminary heat; the winner receives no money but secures a slot in the finale to compete for a $50,000 grand prize.
Chopped All-Stars
Starting March 6, 2011, and continuing for four additional episodes, Food Network aired the "Chopped All-Stars" Tournament. Sixteen chefs competed. The first four episodes featured four types of chef: “The Next Food Network Star” contestants, Food Network celebrities, celebrity chefs, and “Chopped” judges. The winners of those four episodes then competed against each other in the "Grand Finale" where the winner received $50,000 to donate to a charity of his or her choice. Nate Appleman, a celebrity chef, won the competition and donated his $50,000 to Kawasaki Disease research, a disease from which his son suffered.
Starting April 8, 2012, and continuing for four additional episodes, Food Network aired the second "Chopped All-Stars" Tournament. Sixteen new chefs competed, again ranging from four different categories of chef: “Iron Chef America” chefs — the newest of the four categories, Food Network and Cooking Channel celebrities, “The Next Food Network Star” contestants and “Chopped” judges. Celebrity chef and “Chopped” judge Marcus Samuelsson won this second competition, donating the $50,000 grand prize to the Careers Through Culinary Arts Program of New York, which helps under-served youth through culinary arts education and employment.
On April 7, 2013, the third installment of the "Chopped All-Stars" Tournament premiered on Food Network. Over the course of four episodes, sixteen chefs competed in groups of four. There were four different categories of the chefs through the episodes: Food Network vs. Cooking Channel, mega chefs, “Chopped” judges and celebrities, respectively. Winners of each of these rounds went on to compete against each other in the "Grand Finale" episode, where the winner received $50,000 to donate to a charity of his or her choice. Celebrity chef and “Chopped” judge Scott Conant won this competition, donating $50,000 to the Keep Memory Alive Foundation.
On April 28, 2015, the fourth "All-Stars" Tournament began airing, with an increased grand prize of $75,000 to the winner. As before, they were split into groups of four chefs per episode, with the winner of each of the first four episodes competing in the fifth "Grand Finale" episode for the top prize. Unlike previous tournaments, however, the 16 chefs involved were not split into "categories" but were sorted in what seems to be a more random fashion. The winner was Anne Burrell who was playing for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
Chopped Grill Masters
Starting July 22, 2012, and continuing for four additional episodes, Food Network aired the "Chopped Grill Masters" Tournament. Sixteen "pro" grillers competed. The winners of the first four episodes competed against each other in the "Grand Finale" for a $50,000 prize. The "Grill Masters" episodes were taped outdoors at Old Tucson Studios near Tucson, Arizona. The winner was Ernest Servantes, executive chef at Texas Lutheran University and pit boss at Burnt Bean Co.
In the summer of 2015, a second "Grill Masters" Tournament occurred, and was sponsored by Lea & Perrins. Like the previous "Grill Masters" Tournament, it was filmed on location and 16 "pro" grillers competed. The four preliminary heat winners advanced to the finals where they would compete for a $50,000 grand prize. The winner was Angie Mar. The second heat of this particular tournament marked the first time that “Chopped” used a brand name on a basket ingredient, which in this case was the Worcestershire sauce, possibly because the ingredient was a product of tournament sponsor Lea & Perrins.
On July 5, 2016, another 5-part "Grill Masters" Tournament premiered. This tournament was taped at the Beringer Vineyards in Napa Valley, California, and featured 16 "pro" grillers. In contrast to past tournaments, the four finalists each won a guaranteed $10,000 for winning their heat, and the finalists competed to win another $50,000 for a total grand prize of $60,000. The winner of this tournament was Sophina Uong.
Chopped Tournament of Stars
During Season 19, “Chopped” held a five-part "Tournament of Stars." It was identical in format to the "All-Stars" tournaments, with 16 celebrities competing to win $50,000 for charity. The contestants were divided into four categories for the first four episodes — sports stars, “Rachael Vs. Guy” finalists, comedians and actors, respectively. Winner Michael Imperioli, an actor know for his work on “The Sopranos,” donated his winnings to the Pure Land Project, an organization that helps build and maintain schools in rural Tibet.
Chopped Ultimate Champions
During Season 21, a five-part "Ultimate Champions" tournament was held, featuring 16 returning champions — 12 amateurs and 4 professional chefs — competing to win $50,000, plus a new car of the winner’s choice from Buick. Like most celebrity tournaments, the returning champions were divided into four categories for the first four episodes — professionals, amateur champs, heroes and celebrities, respectively. The winner was Philly cop Diana Sabater. The finale of this tournament also marked the first time that both civilian and celebrity contestants competed in the same episode.
Chopped: Impossible
In the fall of 2015, “Chopped” aired a four-part "Chopped: Impossible" tournament in which 12 former champions were invited back to compete for a grand prize of up to $40,000. Each basket contained ingredient combinations that were specifically chosen to be more difficult than usual. Four chefs competed in each of three preliminary heats, with “Restaurant: Impossible” host Robert Irvine as one of the three judges. The winners advanced to a two-round finale — Appetizer and Entree, in which Irvine observed their cooking but did not serve as a judge. The winner of the finale received $15,000 and competed directly against Irvine in a "Wild Card Entree" round; if the chef's dish was judged superior to Irvine's, he/she won an additional $25,000 which would be added with their $15,000 for a total of $40,000.
Chopped Teen Tournament
Three five-part Teen Tournaments have been held to date, in seasons 21, 25 and 29, following the same structure as other tournaments. Four teen chefs competed in each preliminary heat, with the winners advancing to the finale. Prizes were awarded in the finale as follows:
- Season 21: $25,000 cash and a $40,000 culinary school scholarship for the winner; $1,000 FoodNetwork.com gift certificate for each of the other finalists.
- Seasons 25 and 29: $25,000 cash for the winner; $1,000 FoodNetwork.com gift certificate and a show-branded chef's jacket for each of the other finalists.
Chopped After Hours
“Chopped After Hours” is a spin-off series that premiered on September 15, 2015 and airs at 11 p.m. ET on Tuesdays. Episodes consist of three segments, each featuring judges from a different “Chopped” episode as they prepare dishes using one of the mystery ingredient baskets given to the original contestants. The second season premiered on July 5, 2016.
Chopped Canada
Beginning on January 2, 2014, Food Network also aired a Canadian version of “Chopped” called “Chopped Canada,” which features Canadian contestants and judges. That adaptation was originally hosted by Canadian-born actor Dean McDermott for the first two seasons, and was then hosted by former CFL wide receiver Brad Smith. The rules are identical to the U.S counterpart as is the $10,000 prize. The show was cancelled on February 11, 2017, after four seasons.
Chopped South Africa
Beginning July 23, 2014, Food Network South Africa began airing a local adaptation of “Chopped” called “Chopped South Africa.” It is presented by TV presenter and entrepreneur Denvor Phokaners, co-presenter of the SABC2 travelogue program “MooiLoop!” and judges will include South African food celebrities Jenny Morris, Siba Mtongana, David van Staden, Lindsay Venn and Rebecca Hurst.
Chopped تحدي الطبخ
Beginning June 27, 2021, Dubai TV began airing a local adaptation of “Chopped” called ”Chopped تحدي الطبخ."
Comments