Chopped

Luck is not on the competitors' side as they open the first basket to find not duck breast, but a more formidable foe: duck tongue. A bitter juice and a pretentiously presented American classic challenge the chefs in the entrée round. For the last two chefs battling it out in the dessert round, a peachy final basket is anything but easy.

Shaken, stirred, or Chopped? Cheers to a fabulous first: a Chopped cocktail party! The chefs learn that they'll be preparing small plates as well as creative drinks in every round of this special competition. Tiny, lovely finger limes must end up on the plates or in the cocktails in round one. Scotch whisky and summer truffles keep the party going in the second round, then edible gold in the final basket guarantees the chefs will end on a festive note.

The competitors find a prized member of the onion family in the first basket, ramps! But will the flavorful wild leeks play nicely with the other mandatory ingredients? An organ meat and an Italian treat are in basket two, then the two chefs who make it to the dessert round get a popcorn-flavored candy and a citrus-flavored stalk.

Get ready for some culinary revelry as four New Orleans chefs take on a Mardi Gras competition! The baskets are packed with perennial NOLA favorites, including po' boys in the appetizer round. The judges hope none of the competitors ruin the roux in the second basket, and a traditional cake and a boozy coffee challenge the final two chefs in dessert.

The pastry experts battling it out in the Chopped Kitchen are excited to learn that they'll be making candy, cake and ice cream in this all-desserts challenge. They face three rounds of chocolate, but an unwelcome, squirmy invader in the first basket threatens to dampen their enthusiasm. Round two has the chefs making ambitious baking plans that must include hummus, and some savory finds in the final basket challenge the remaining competitors to strike a flavor balance or risk being chopped.

Four fit chefs take on the challenge to cook creative, healthy dishes that are light on calories but big on flavor. A faux noodle and a beautiful fish fillet are two of the round one mystery ingredients, and the second round revolves around a diet drink and a protein-packed snack box. When both remaining chefs plan to use the ice cream machine for their acai berry powder desserts, there's a chance someone will be left out in the cold when time runs out.

In an indisputably indulgent competition, the chefs find that every basket contains at least one epic ingredient -- an extreme example of something completely craveable. The appetizer basket brings them a big, bold marriage of two classic American comfort foods, and a savory cake is the showstopper in the entree round. A puzzling dessert basket reveals something gummy and something over-the-top yummy.

Pop goes the basket as the chefs must make bubblegum-flavored candy balance with hot and sour soup in their appetizer plates. Classic Cantonese dim sum is a yummy surprise in basket two. Then, the competitors who make it to the dessert round wind up working with something out-of-the-ordinary in a can plus a pink paste.

The chefs have the good fortune to get treats from Ireland in every round, beginning with an iconic stout in the appetizer basket. One chef doesn't hide their distaste for a certain Irish delicacy in the entrée round. Finally, the two remaining chefs hustle to make plates with a favorite Irish ice cream treat and some booze for the third round.

Everyone goes hog wild in the Chopped Kitchen as the chefs take on a pork-themed competition. The first basket threatens to contain too much of a good thing, and a beautiful cut of heritage-breed pork is juxtaposed with a questionable canned product in the entrée round, sending the chefs in some creative directions with their dishes. While they would have welcomed bacon in round three, the finalists must make use of more unusual porky items in their desserts.

The appetizer round prompts a couple of critical questions -- namely, what in the world is a narutomaki, and what are you supposed to do with it? The judges are astonished when one of the chefs takes an extremely unusual approach with the fish from the entrée basket that also includes caul fat. Finally, the last two chefs attempt to make scrumptious dishes in the dessert round with Swedish syrup and a classic cookie.

The competitors are in for some wild times after they learn they'll be working with game meat in every round, starting with wild boar in the first basket. Two wild proteins then make for a crowded entrée basket. Finally, Black Forest cake is the sweetest of the woodsy treasures that the two remaining chefs are up against in the dessert round.

The judges are excited by the prospect of beautiful octopus appetizers in the first round as the four chefs scramble to create dishes featuring mollusk morsels. The canned product in the second round threatens to throw the competitors off their game and leaves one chef in an unusual predicament. The two remaining chefs choose the same format for their Gorgonzola dolce desserts in the final round, leaving the judges to thoroughly compare the two dishes.

The competitors are called upon to rescue foods that would normally be thrown out in a special leftovers competition. Some unfinished Chinese takeout and something remaining from a meal at an Italian restaurant make for some fusion cooking in round one. Half of a sandwich and a bottle of sweet liquid are two of the leftover surprises in the second basket. Then the chefs face a confounding culinary puzzle when they find coffee and grapes in the dessert basket.

The chefs get revved up for a sensational sandwich battle that begins with a mound of meat and some colorful potatoes in round one. Everyone's favorite hybrid bird makes an appearance in the second basket. And sandwiches for dessert? You bet! The final two chefs take on a salty-and-sweet basket in the last round.