Chopped Junior

With a healthy fast food theme in effect, a new group of kid cooks must make appetizers using a popular condiment and seafood. An ancient grain bread is paired with poultry in the entree basket, and the dessert basket contains a frozen fruity Italian treat. Chefs Alex Guarnaschelli, Stephanie Izard and Marcus Samuelsson serve as judges.

When the junior chefs encounter alarmingly outlandish surprises in every basket, will working with weird ingredients stop them from cooking at their best? A swamp special must be combined with a spicy frozen dessert in the appetizer round. Peppers and puffer fish tails are in the entree basket. Finally, the kid chefs get a Scandinavian pancake for a dessert-round shocker. Food Network Star finalist Martita Jara guest judges with chefs Marcus Samuelsson and George Mendes.

Caribbean flavors rule in this tropical competition, presided over by judges Scott Conant, Amanda Freitag and musician Ziggy Marley. The competitors come out strong in the appetizer round when they must cook with a classic Caribbean spice blend. Then, the junior chefs must pair fish with fruit in the entree round. The two finalists open the dessert basket to find a green fruit and citrus cookies.

Chefs and brothers Bryan and Michael Voltaggio join Marcus Samuelsson on the judging panel for a family feud! Two sets of siblings compete individually for $10,000, and must pair pancetta and pasta in the first round. Some adorable food animals must make their way into entrees, then a dessert tower excites the finalists in the last round.

The kid cooks learn that they'll be making the most fun cuisine, foods on sticks, for judges Sunny Anderson, Marcus Samuelsson and Dale Talde. Their skewered appetizers must include a fair classic and some stuffed pasta. Cake pops are a whimsical treat for the entree round. Finally, there's a super sweet collection of ingredients in the dessert basket.

The heat is on in this spicy competition, judged by YouTube personality Tyler Oakley and chefs Ching-He Huang and Geoffrey Zakarian. In the appetizer round, the kids must put on their goggles when they tackle hot peppers. The entree round reveals a milder chili, but the junior chefs are left wishing they had practiced cooking goat! Then, in the dessert round, the two finalists must cook with a spicy jam that leaves a tingling sensation.

The junior chefs come out strong in the appetizer round, when they are tasked with pairing a baby vegetable with pickled fruit. In round two, the junior chefs must figure out how to work mushroom-flavored snacks into their entree courses. Then, the two finalists find creative ways to make desserts with a never-melting ice cream snack and marshmallows. Chef and restaurateur Shannon Allen joins Chris Santos and Marcus Samuelsson on the judging panel.