Chopped Junior

A weird hot dog and a cheese that doesn't want to melt are two of the tricky ingredients that the young competitors face in the appetizer round, then retro candies result in some surprising pops in the entree plates. And the cookie dough in the dessert round is perfectly safe to serve raw, but will the finalists opt to cook it before serving it to judges Monti Carlo, Scott Conant and actress Sarah Michelle Gellar?

The junior chefs are asked to create meals that their moms would love that will also impress judges Maneet Chauhan, Cooking Channel's Haylie Duff, and actress Alison Sweeney. In the first round, the young competitors must figure out how to make escargot go with fruit pops. A pricey cut of meat and a gummy candy are two of the entree basket items, then the dessert round promises to be one of the most unusual in Chopped history.

In the first round featuring rock shrimp and beef tongue, the junior chefs show kindness and help each other out, but someone must still be chopped by a judging panel featuring Maneet Chauhan, actor Rico Rodriguez, and Fabio Viviani. In the second basket, the kids get quail and a variety of tiny foods, and a very groovy cake makes the dessert round extra colorful.

Chefs Kardea Brown and Amanda Freitag are joined by actor Andrew Rannells to judge a very fishy competition! Some sugary items in the first basket have the competitors wondering how to create balanced fish dishes, and time management issues create big problems for one junior chef and a difficult choice for the judges. Canned pasta and an extremely salty veggie are two of the entree round ingredients, then an injury in the dessert round puts one finalist in jeopardy of ruining their dish.

The junior chefs are fired up for a grilling competition, with NFL Hall of Famer Jerome Bettis, chef Amanda Freitag, and Cooking Channel's Ali Khan serving as judges! Rings of meat and donut hybrids find their way to the grill pans in round one. Then, the judges are happy to see a select piece of beef in the second basket, but wonder if the young competitors will know how to treat it right. Finally, fruit on the grill is all but guaranteed in the dessert round.

A new round of talented junior chefs storms the kitchen to win over judges Alex Guarnaschelli, Eddie Jackson and actress Christine Taylor. First, kids heart pasta, but will the competitors love the heart-shaped pasta in the appetizer round? Some shellfish that are still on the shell and a lime unlike any lime the competitors have ever tasted are part of the challenge in round two. Then, a creative take on cookies and milk is discovered in the dessert basket.

Four talented junior chefs are ready to prove their expertise in the kitchen to judges Marc Murphy, actress Debby Ryan, and Geoffrey Zakarian. In the first round, there's a run on tortillas in the pantry as the young competitors figure out what to do with "poor man's lobster" and a sweet surprise. An Indian tea snack and a lean meat are two of the ingredients in play in the second round, and chocolate and vanilla mingle for dessert!

The junior chefs are instructed to make dishes that their dads would really like, to be judged by chefs Scott Conant and Tre Wilcox alongside pro skateboarder Tony Hawk. The mystery basket ingredients include chicken wings and blue cheese in the appetizer round, then enormous sandwiches in the second round and a big surprise for dessert!

A new group of ambitious junior chefs enter the kitchen with hopes of winning over a special panel of judges: chef Alex Guarnaschelli, Cooking Channel's Kelsey Nixon, and food blogger/chef Donal Skehan. The young competitors start by attempting to make a delicious appetizer with both octopus and a tart dessert bar. An equally confounding meat is at the center of the entree basket, then the finalists see what they can do with some strange fruit and some colorful seeds in their desserts.

Food blogger Ayesha Curry, former White House chef Sam Kass and chef Marcus Samuelsson are on hand to judge this round of young competitors, who must deal with some seriously stinky ingredients in the first basket. The second round has the junior chefs wondering what to do with a snack mix and a mix of mini veggies, and a reptilian cake meets a vegan cheese in the dessert basket.

School's out, but it's time to make the grade by cooking for the judges: chef Roble Ali, actress Jennie Garth and chef Marc Murphy. Some funny cookies and a lean meat are part of the appetizer basket puzzle, and burnt bacon becomes a problem in the entree round. Then, some cleverly-decorated cake pops are hardly the toughest ingredient in a dessert basket that also contains a shocking, crunchy snack.

Four fresh-faced junior chefs must give it their all to impress the judges, model Jourdan Dunn and chefs Carla Hall and Chris Santos. In round one, the competitors must confront a soft drink with a wacky flavor, and some grapes in a funny shape and a crunchy healthy snack are required elements in the young chefs' goat entrees. Then, there's big drama in the dessert round as one competitor attempts a last-ditch dash to the ice cream machine.

Actress Ali Larter, Food Network Star contestant Arnold Myint and chef Chris Santos are on the judging panel and are ready to put these junior chefs to the test! The first round has boar and is anything but boring when plans fall apart for one of the competitors in the final seconds. A delectable fish and some colorful tubers are two of the must-use entree ingredients, then a taco theme in the dessert basket promotes a lot of creativity.

When the young chefs must butcher and cook snakes in the appetizer round, will they be too squeamish to let their skills shine through? In the entrée round, a dense oddball of a cake must be worked into lamb shoulder dishes. Then, the last precious seconds of the round are a show of desperation and cooperation as the finalists are challenged to make creative, caffeinated desserts for the judges.