Chopped - Season 7 / Year 2015

In this competition, the mystery basket ingredients were suggested by fans on social media. The chefs open the first basket and find a frightfully difficult protein. In the second round, boxed macaroni and cheese returns to the Chopped Kitchen! And a giant egg and some mushy fruit are at play in the dessert round.

The chefs learn that there is a "money saver" theme for this special competition: Ingredients in each basket will not exceed $10, but the chefs' dishes are still expected to look and taste like a million bucks. In the first round, a meatless basket has some of the chefs searching for protein in the pantry. Then various levels of creativity are one of the factors that the judges consider while analyzing three ham-steak entrees. And the dessert basket, including chocolate chips, seems deceptively simple.

Guest judge Andrew Zimmern is on hand in this competition filled with bizarre surprises in all the baskets. The chefs have to contend with an offbeat ice cream flavor and an unusual meat in the appetizer round. In the entree round, a shocking-looking protein must be combined with a pink veggie. And the dessert basket contains some odd eggs and a peculiar Turkish treat.

It's a second chance at victory for four losing chefs seeking redemption. After the chefs make skate and pomegranate molasses appetizers, one chef must endure the indignity of being the first chef re-chopped. In the entree round, the competitors work with a boozy ice cream and an amusingly-named British pudding. In the dessert round, a German tart is a good start.

Cheese is not just a key ingredient for many comfort food classics, it's also the theme for this competition. In the first round, the chefs must make creative use of blue cheese and goats cheese in their appetizer plates. In the entree round, two French cheeses must be used with chicken thighs and garlic scapes. Two ferocious competitors fight the final cheesy course to the very end.

A surge of excitement is felt in the Chopped Kitchen when the chefs find out that every mystery basket will contain chocolate! In the first round, the chefs must figure out how to make chocolate ingredients work with pork chops. The baskets in the entree round contain beef along with dark chocolate. The two lucky, talented finalists aim to amaze the judges with their milk chocolate and graham cracker desserts.

Reality stars Renee Graziano (Mob Wives), Travis Lofland (Deadliest Catch), Amy Roloff (Little People, Big World) and Kathy Wakile (Real Housewives of New Jersey) are ready for battle in the Chopped Kitchen. They'll have to tackle biscuit dough, vegetable cream cheese and cherry pie filling if they're going to take home $10,000 for their favorite charity.

It's a night owls' nosh-fest, when the chefs learn that they will be preparing decadent dishes best enjoyed in the late-night hours. For the first course, the chefs must work with a carb-heavy Canadian snack and an Italian sausage. In the entree round, the chefs find themselves taking apart tiny burgers in an effort to creatively transform a midnight snack. Things get really "loco" in the dessert round with burritos in the basket.

Eight chefs comprised of cooking duos have been invited to the Chopped Kitchen to compete in pairs. In the first round, the couples learn to navigate the space together as they make appetizers that include date vinegar and chili garlic coated peas. For the entree round, there is a lively sea critter in the basket as well as some sweet potato patties. And the two cooking couples who make it to the dessert round must come up with some fresh ideas for creme fraiche and port wine.

It's fry-day in the Chopped Kitchen and the judges will be expecting deep-fried deliciousness on every plate. In the first round, the competitors work with hot dogs and taro root. During judging on the entree round, featuring cookies and cube steak, the judges must debate whether a repeated mistake should warrant one chef's elimination. And an ooey, gooey cake and salted caramel make for some sweet creations in the final round.

It takes a very brave home cook to take on Chopped once, and these amateurs are courageous enough to come back for a second time. In the first round, vegan roast is an ingredient to be reckoned with. In the second round, a small bird and a sugary breakfast item are part of the vexing entree puzzle that the amateurs must solve. Some sweet-and-savory candies and a special spice blend keep the last two competitors on their toes, as they fight to be the last one standing tall as the Chopped Champion.

In this competition, the usual rounds are replaced with breakfast, lunch and dinner. The morning meal must include tiny eggs and fancy coffee. In the second round, the chefs have to make midday meals featuring lunchbox favorite peanut butter and jelly. A strange turn of events in the dinner round finds one of the competitors searching frantically for an ingredient that has mysteriously vanished from sight.

It's a great fake out, when all the basket ingredients are in disguise. Everyone should taste the "chicken wings" in the first basket, which are a secretly sweet item. The "cake" in the second round and "tomato soup" in the dessert basket also require a close inspection. The duplicitous ingredients lead to trouble for all and even more potential for trickery lurks in the pantry.

Four fearless home cooks put their pride on the line in the Chopped Kitchen. In the first basket, this group of awesome amateurs must transform spinach vinaigrette and chicken truffle sausages. Then in the entree round, will the chefs endeavor to be wildly creative with wild boar roast? And the finalists utilize some interesting techniques to makes something new from marshmallow chocolate cookies.

Police officers and paramedics with culinary chops are in the Chopped Kitchen. In the first round, the contestants respond to a basket with hummus chips and ground bison. In the second round, they must jump into action and figure out how to make fiery jawbreakers work with rotisserie chicken. And angel food cake in the final basket is apropos.

You can put all your bread on a bet that a baker is going to take the $10,000 prize in this competition. In the first round, the competitors must bake focaccia and figure out how to make a rich fish work with rice pudding. The ingredients in the second basket strongly hint at a particular recipe: Is it a trap? The two bakers to make it to the dessert round consider themselves lucky, until they are stymied by an alarming candied ingredient.

All-Star chefs Madison Cowan, Eric Greenspan, Brian Malarkey and Art Smith converge in the Chopped Kitchen to fight it out for a spot in the $75,000 finale. In the first round, a slimy ingredient provokes some disgusted reactions from the competitors and judges. In the entree round, the beautiful fish in the basket leads the chefs to make some surprising mistakes. And when the two finalists go in totally different directions with their desserts, it's up in the air which approach will be more pleasing to the judges.

The second group of All-Star chefs, Anne Burrell, Hung Huynh, Mary Sue Milliken and Dale Talde, come out swinging for the fences with appetizer baskets containing a soup and a sour surprise. In the entree round, a cheesy party food must be matched with some expensive offal. The two star chefs who make it to the dessert round are challenged to make delicious dishes with a refreshing drink and some airy cookies.

Four new All-Stars (Cat Cora, Antonia Lofaso, Michael Psilakis and Marcel Vigneron) strut into the Chopped Kitchen, sights set on the Grand Finale. In the first round, a special Spanish meat must be paired with an airy cookie. The chefs who make it to the second round face a huge ingredient to butcher and some tiny, sour fruits to tame. Flavored water and clarified butter are part of the culinary puzzle that the final two chefs have to solve in their desserts.

There's just one more spot in the Grand Finale up for grabs, and Rocco DiSpirito, Jet Tila, Fabio Viviani and Lee Anne Wong all want it. The All-Stars open the appetizer baskets and find a succulent seafood and an Asian pastry. In the entree round, the chefs will need to get creative in order to cook a perfect piece of beef in time. And some fish-shaped snacks meet crystals that pop in the dessert round.

With four winning All-Stars returning to the Chopped Kitchen, and $75,000 on the line for someone's favorite charity, the judges are set to enjoy a masterful meal. The competitors find something purple and something fishy in the appetizer basket. In a tense entree round, a seafood tower threatens to topple the competitors' cool. Before being awarded the largest charitable prize in Chopped history, the final two All-Star chefs must handle a very hot pepper and conquer a cookie cake in the dessert round.

Will the chefs think the "chilified" baskets in this special competition are too hot to handle? In the first round the heat is on with habanero peppers. In the entree round, the competitors must work with one of the hottest peppers known to man, in beef jerky form. And the finalists must find a way to balance spice and sugar in their desserts.

It's a friendly competition between friends, when the Chopped judges face off with baskets containing leftover ingredients. In the appetizer round, the chefs must turn tuna noodle casserole into something new. Rice left in a pan and soup saved for later are two of the ingredients in the entree basket. In the dessert round, leftover cake must be turned into something innovative and delicious.

It's a battle for all the carnivores, celebrating the art of barbecue in the Chopped Kitchen. In the first basket, the chefs find a regional barbecue sauce and jumbo shrimp. In round two, the chefs scramble to make delicious pork spare ribs entree. After two savory barbecue courses, the last two chefs must make sweet and hearty desserts with bananas and coconuts.

The chefs learn that they must grill something in each round of this competition. For their appetizers, the chefs discover watermelon and wine coolers in the basket. A beautiful cut of beef and tedious-to-prep beans await the chefs who make it to the second round. A cone of sugar and a pitcher of lemonade are two of the fun items found in the dessert basket.

It's an ice cream dream come true with an entire Chopped competition devoted to everyone's favorite sweet, cold treat. In the first round, the chefs find some beautiful gourmet scoops in cones, which they must find a way to make work with halibut. In the entree round, another ice cream surprise awaits the competitors, as well as some premium cuts of beef. When the two finalists move on to the dessert round, they'll have two ice cream machines and one goal: frozen perfection.

The chefs get beef tendon balls in the appetizer basket, a very tough ingredient — literally. In the entree round, fresh vermicelli noodles seem to get the best of some smart competitors. And caramelized onions don't scream dessert, but shouting out for more time in the final round is not an option for the last two chefs.

Four rock stars with a passion for cooking (Lita Ford, Kelly Hansen, Eddie Ojeda and Dweezil Zappa) take over the Chopped Kitchen in hopes of winning $10,000 for a favorite cause. In the first round the cooks attempt to make harmonious appetizers with a bubbly drink and a "punny" protein. In the entree round, lamb is the jam. The final rock 'n' roll-themed round has the competitors cooking with rock candy and lemon rolls.

In the first preliminary competition of the Chopped Teen Tournament, a strangely fuzzy ingredient is one of the surprises awaiting the young chefs in the appetizer round. Then in the entree round, a challenging protein must be paired with a processed cheese. And the judges become increasingly concerned for the last two teens, who encounter a number of problems combining chips and candies into yummy final dishes.

Four new whiz kids battle it out in this second competition of the Teen Tournament. Expensive crustaceans are a bit of a shocker in the appetizer baskets, while nerves and mishaps plague round two, and one of the competitors gets flustered with the sharpness of the knives and the scarcity of time allotted to complete creative lamb entrees. The two teen chefs who make it to the dessert round must create yummy, sweet dishes with a frozen treat and an Indian spice.

The new group of teen chefs must grapple with vegan chicken in the first basket. The entree round finds the teens daringly slicing into big butternut squashes and working out their mixed feelings about okra. There's a special delivery in the dessert basket — a box of assorted cookies — which the teen chefs are tasked with repurposing into dishes that also include walnuts and plums.

Four ambitious teens set their sights on the last remaining place in the Teen Tournament Grand Finale! The heat is on in the appetizer round with a spicy protein and a strong pepper in the basket. The judges find it difficult to watch without offering help as the young chefs tackle an entree basket that includes thick veal chops and beautiful heirloom tomatoes. Then a classic candy bar and a sweet fruit juice are two of the ingredients at play in a very competitive dessert round.

Four returning teen winners come back to compete for $25,000 and the title of Chopped Grand Champion! Excitement is at an all-time high, as the young cooks open the first baskets and find a pasta, some jarred seafood, a candy, and a veggie. Breaking down a giant fish is a daunting way to begin the entree round, and scant use of a certain other basket ingredient could mean elimination for one young champ. Then in an intense final round, the two remaining teens turn a mocktail and a festive cake into a $25,000 dessert.

Four teen chefs return to the Chopped Kitchen with victory -- and redemption -- on their minds. With lump meat crab and mayo in the first basket, crab cake seems like the safe route, but will they surprise the judges with something more creative? In the entree round, one of the teens seems particularly unhappy to see a nostalgic candy, and a lovely vegetable is a novel ingredient for the young cooks. And the two teenagers who make it to the dessert round hustle to make sweet creations from Italian cookies and peanut butter toast.

Four funny women (Tichina Arnold, Jackee Harry, JoMarie Payton and Betsy Randle) who are best known for playing mothers on TV, take on the role of Chopped competitor! The actresses have a hard time coming up with solid ideas for what to do with the mushrooms and frozen TV dinners in the appetizer basket. In the entree round, the cooks have 30 minutes to deal with minute steak, and the judges worry they might get served overcooked meat. In the final hilarious round, the two sitcom moms remaining are asked to get creative with tiramisu and strawberry sauce.

The chefs are sure to be spooked when they see the Halloween-themed ingredients in the baskets. In the first round, real blood and fake eyeballs are some of the freaky surprises. In the second round, a coffin-shaped seafood creation prompts the competitors to get dead serious about making outstanding Halloween entrees. And there's plenty of fright packed into the dessert basket, in the form of a ghostly drink and some chocolate creepy crawlies.

Four chefs who are also fashion models strut their stuff in the Chopped Kitchen, where they find tuna and kale chips in the appetizer basket. In the second round, the chefs must make fish and seeds work in their dishes. Something frozen and something crunchy are found in the dessert basket.

The Chopped Kitchen is taken over by food truck chefs, steering toward success! The first basket contains ingredients from Chinese and Greek cuisines, while a classic American street food meets a fun-to-say Korean dish in the entree basket. The two food truck chefs facing off in the dessert round work with unripe fruit and a much-loved sweet spread.

Veterans of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard face off in the Chopped Kitchen. In the first round, one of the chefs stumbles upon a brilliant way to treat scalloped potatoes. What to do with a precooked meatloaf is the big challenge in the second round. And the two final chefs go all out in the dessert round, making very clever sweet treats from a crispy snack and a sweet and tart drink.

The normal Chopped rounds have been replaced with chocolate, candy and cake for this special competition, featuring four pastry chefs. In the first round, the judges are drawn in as they watch the competitors make delicious chocolate dishes that include Mississippi mud pie and cherries. Then in the second round, the chefs have to incorporate something bubbly and something crispy into their candy creations. And the finalists have an hour to mix, bake and decorate cakes that contain rice and avocadoes.

They're family by marriage, and teammates in this competition: Pairs of mothers and daughters-in-law are taking over the Chopped Kitchen. In the appetizer round, a boozy accessory and a standard leftover are part of the challenge. In the entree round, the remaining teams find odd eggs and mashed potatoes in the baskets. And a subtropical fruit and a gooey bread are two of the surprise ingredients that the final teams must conquer in their desserts.

A mom, dad, son and aunt who work in the same restaurant meet in the Chopped Kitchen, where it's every chef for themselves. In the first round, one family member's grill pan gets taken over by two relatives. In the entree round, chicken breasts seem like an easy protein to work with, but how will the chefs fare with the other mystery ingredients? The final two family members make desserts using dried fruit and a very sweet cake.

Four beloved grandfathers fight it out in the Chopped Kitchen in hopes of making their families proud. In the first round, a breakfast starch and a classic soda fountain choice are two of the mystery basket ingredients. Then in the entree round, beef and peanut butter taffy bites are what's for dinner. And in the final round, featuring a homey pie and a fresh fruit, one of the granddads experiences a moment of confusion, resulting in a potentially costly mishap.