Chopped

Season 20

The chefs must work their magic in the appetizer round using pesto sauce and chicken. Then in the entree round, a second basket of beautiful ingredients, including spirulina chips, challenges the chefs to get creative. And a treat from Kazakhstan is the most interesting find in the final basket.

Frog leg fest: The chefs open the first basket to find the French delicacy and some fine fungi. Then in the entree round, some little beans and big pork chops cause the competitors difficulties. And one of the finalists decides to take the cheese in the basket and use it in an ice cream. Will it work?

Appetizers are prepared using vegan franks and three other meatless ingredients; and one chef makes a strange decision about what to put in a blender during the entrée round. Finally, a green soda and a Russian sweet are combined when making desserts.

Four women compete to prepare tasty appetizers using banana blossoms. Later, a notoriously stinky ingredient is featured in entrée dishes; and dessert baskets hold a colorful surprise.

The chefs get creative with ramen in the appetizer round; and stress over an offal surprise when making entrées. Also: The dessert basket contains four ingredients, including a New England treat.

A battle featuring chefs from baseball stadiums finds the competitors cooking with Italian sausage, flank steak and blueberries.

Two fishy ingredients are used in the appetizer round. Later, entrées are made with spiny leaves and beef kidneys; and a collision in the kitchen occurs when the two finalists rush to make desserts from figs and lemon verbena.

Sweetbreads and a strong spice blend show up in the first two rounds. For dessert, the final two chefs serve dishes that are chocolaty, salty and fruity.

Falafel mix and date paste are among the mandatory ingredients in the appetizer round. Also: A fish proves puzzling for the competing chefs; and there is hesitation about transforming a cookie.

Appetizers are made with shrimp and chickpeas; entrée ingredients include baklava and salt pearls; and dessert dishes feature booze and cashews.

Every basket has a little bit of an Australian slant to it: Will the competitors think this theme makes for a g'day in the kitchen? In the first round, lamb ribs are the Down Under favorite that the chefs must make their own, and a very alcoholic beverage leads some chefs down a dangerously fiery path. Then in the entree round, fans of emu fan fillets will be happy about what's inside the basket? And in the dessert round, the settings on the ice cream machine trip up one of the finalists, while the judges are on the edge of their seats, wondering if the mistake can be corrected in time.

There are mixed reactions from the chefs when they learn that they will be competing with three baskets of leftovers. When time starts in the first round, the chefs frantically dig in to takeout containers from various types of restaurants. Then in the entree round, some forgotten packets of hot sauce find their way in to the basket and one chef realizes a critical error too late. And who knew there was such thing as leftover bacon, one of the ingredients in the dessert round?

Breakfast, lunch and dinner are made by the competing chefs, who must prepare a morning meal from coffee cake and cream-filled chocolate eggs. Round 2 features fish dishes, and an emergency situation.