S12 Episode 1
Sunny Side Apps
The chefs get an unusual wake-up call in the appetizer basket: gummy fried eggs. Will they be able to successfully transform this novelty candy into something that tastes good with corned beef? Then a sweet-and-sour surprise in the entree round sends the chefs running to the pantry to find suitable complementary ingredients. The two chefs who make it to a fiercely competitive dessert round must make do with knodel and almond flour.
Tue, 5 Jun 2012
S12 Episode 2
A Guts Reaction
The chefs need to have guts when they discover poultry intestines and red miso in the first basket. The ingredients are less daunting for the entree round, but some big technical flaws are disappointing to the judges. And two talented competitors advance to the dessert round with something to prove with candied nuts and kombucha as mystery ingredients.
Tue, 12 Jun 2012
S12 Episode 3
Chocolate Challenge
It's a chocolate lover's dream competition: Chocolate in every course! Will the chefs take well to this sweet challenge? The appetizer round is a heart-stopping affair with a romantic gift as the centerpiece of the basket. The three chefs who advance to cook the second course have a love/hate response to the thematic ingredient. And when the chefs are given a molded chocolate novelty item in the dessert round, they battle to prove who can finish strong.
Tue, 19 Jun 2012
S12 Episode 4
Pride of New Orleans
Four chefs from the Big Easy take on the big challenge of excelling in the Chopped Kitchen. In the first basket, half of the ingredients are very familiar, while the other mystery items just might throw the competitors off their game. In the entree round, the chefs make some very original choices with chai tea powder, and a judge makes a very surprising discovery on one of the plates. When both finalists take similar approaches to the dessert course, whose dish will the judges prefer?
Tue, 26 Jun 2012
S12 Episode 5
All-American Competition
It's a special all-American Chopped! Fierce competition is a matter of national and personal pride, as four chefs face off to see who will be the champ. From apple pie in the appetizer basket to bourbon for dessert, the patriotic theme makes for some yummy, original dishes. And 10,000 American dollars will go to the one chef who bests the others.
Tue, 3 Jul 2012
S12 Episode 6
Orzo It Seemed
Three of the chefs go in a very similar direction with the first course, and yet the judges find creativity in the variety of flavors in their seafood sausage appetizers. In the entree round, the chefs must integrate tiny pasta and a powerful liqueur into their dishes. In the dessert round, when one competitor's plans fall apart, will there be enough time to redirect?
Tue, 17 Jul 2012
S12 Episode 7
Belly Dance!
When the chefs confront the first basket, their degrees of expertise with tuna belly come into play. Lamb top round is round two's mystery protein, and it's a mystery whose dish the judge like least, until the cloche is lifted. With cayenne pepper and canned pumpkin desserts in the works, one chef has some serious difficulties and races to get everything onto the plate.
Tue, 31 Jul 2012
S12 Episode 8
Cake Walk!
The chefs find carrot cake in the first basket, along with an unusual seafood product: Will they be able to pull together cohesive appetizers? In the entree round, the competitors take three different approaches with a familiar protein, but the judges are disappointed by the chefs' scant usage of a prized ingredient. Pop goes the dessert round, with caramel corn in the basket.
Tue, 7 Aug 2012
S12 Episode 9
Oui, Oui, Confit
The judges are pleased to see duck confit in the first basket. But when it comes time to taste, they're disappointed that they must consider a competitor's very minimal use of one of the other ingredients. Then in the entree round, a jar of peanut butter and a can of shrimp are two of the puzzling items that the chefs discover in the baskets. As the competition wraps up, will wonton wrappers and grape jelly beans stump the finalists?
Tue, 14 Aug 2012
S12 Episode 10
Drawing a Flank
When the first basket contains licorice, licking the competition on creativity becomes the chefs' main challenge in the appetizer round. The competitors get a jolt of energy in the form of espresso powder, which they must match with flank steak for their entree dish. When it becomes clear that neither finalist's polenta and sherry dessert is a sure thing, who will become the Chopped Champion?
Tue, 21 Aug 2012
S12 Episode 11
A Bunny Thing Happened
A pink candy surprise in the appetizer basket prompts the chefs to make some very creative choices. Then in the entree round, the chefs have to hop to it with a chocolate bunny and an imposing cut of meat as ingredients. A sweet baked good seems like a good start for some delicious desserts, but will the chefs' final dishes be inventive enough to impress the judges?
Tue, 11 Sep 2012
S12 Episode 12
Charge!
With pluck aplenty, four chefs charge into the competition. But will spaghetti in a can spell trouble for them in the first round? In the entree course, everybody raids the pantry for potatoes that they think will complement the tile fish from the basket. A very tough final basket, which includes cocktail franks, has the two final chefs puzzled. Can they come up with creative, delicious desserts?
Tue, 9 Oct 2012
S12 Episode 13
For Sake's Sake
Ostrich tenderloin appetizers are on the menu for the judges after a dramatic first round of cooking. And then, for creativity's sake, the chefs must work hard to make terrific entrees with sable fish and sake. When one of the final competitors uses a rolling pin to compress hot dog buns, the judges wonder what kind of dessert they will get.
Tue, 20 Nov 2012
S12 Episode 14
Grill Masters: Part One
In this first-of-its-kind Chopped tournament event, the competition goes west for a fierce five-part showdown, where the greatest griller of them all will walk away with $50,000. In the appetizer round, what will the first four grill masters make for the judges with cookies and yak steaks? A giant surprise awaits the competitors in the entree basket, as one chef must muster up the confidence to create a dish using an ingredient he has never prepared and another ingredient he cannot stand. Chocolate meets fruit in a desert dessert duel; will everything go peachy for the competitors?
S12 Episode 15
Grill Masters: Part Two
Four new master grillers step up to the challenge, fighting for a chance to compete in the $50,000 finale. But who will be able to hatch a successful plan in the first round with hatch chile taffy and Hawaiian blue prawns in the basket? Then, after the remaining competitors serve up their rack of boar entrees, the judges debate the relative complexity of flavors in the three dishes. Some delicious Italian surprises await the finalists, but perfect desserts will be difficult to execute in a windy, intense final round.
S12 Episode 16
Grill Masters: Part Three
Four masters of the open flame compete for a chance to make it to the $50,000 finale fight. Advancing past the first round will require a lot of hard work in just 20 minutes, including opening oysters and defrosting blocks of creamed spinach. A tropical fruit lightens things up in the entree basket. Then with marshmallows in the dessert basket, s'mores come to mind for one of the last two chefs. Will the judges enjoy the campfire-inspired creation?
S12 Episode 17
Grill Masters: Part Four
Four grill masters face off for the last slot in the $50,000 finale. Will anybody lose their cool when they spy something called speculoos in the first basket? During the entree round, the competitors strive to make kick-butt pork butt dishes, which also include fruit leather. Can the two remaining chefs grill up some terrific desserts using every meat lover's worst nightmare?
S12 Episode 18
Grill Masters: Finale
The champions of the first four Chopped Grill Masters competitions return to compete for $50,000. The fierce fight to the finish begins with an appetizer basket of sardines and canned Sloppy Joe filling. Steaks are served up in the entree course, but the chefs' success with the other ingredients gives the judges much to think about. The final two chefs draw from family memories when they open up the last basket of the tournament and must grill some do-or-die desserts.
