Season 31

1. Smorgastarta Your Engines

October 13, 2016

The chefs learn all about the wonders of savory Swedish layer cake when they get the competition underway with some smorgastarta appetizers. A sweet powder and prickly produce make the entree round more complicated than the competitors wished it would be. And eggplant seems like a doozy for dessert, but preserved in sugar, the veggie is easier for the finalists to incorporate into their sweet plates.

2. Tailgate Greats

October 18, 2016

Four devoted football fans are super proud of their can't-fail tailgating games, but in the Chopped Kitchen, only one can become a champ. Handy sandwiches and sweet popcorn are two of the ingredients the competitors face in the first round. Will a strange take on mimosa be hard for the chefs to swallow in the second round? Then, the two finalists hustle to figure out the correct technique to execute their creative ideas for dessert.

3. Beat Bobby Flay: Battle One

October 20, 2016

First part of a 4-part tournament featuring twelve returning Chopped champions. Each episode's winner progressed to the finale, where the three episode winners competed to determine the tournament finalist. The finalist would choose a dish and compete for $40,000 against Bobby Flay in making a better version of the dish. For the whole tournament, one item in each basket was chosen by Bobby Flay.

4. Midnight Snack Attack

October 25, 2016

The four chefs in this special competition are tasked with making the perfect midnight meal. In the first round, fried foods and a trendy cocktail are creatively reimagined in appetizers. Prized mushrooms and a much-craved street food are part of the basket challenge in the second round. And the finalists hope breakfast flavors wake up the judges' palates in the last round.

5. Beat Bobby Flay: Battle Two

October 27, 2016

Second part of a 4-part tournament. Chef Thomas is the youngest competitor in this tournament, having won the first all-teen episode back in season 13. In round 1, the can of fruit contained peaches, grapes, pears, and cherries. Also, due to the extensive prep time required, the abalone in round 1 was pre-cleaned.

6. Chaudin Chow (aka Hearty Party)

November 1, 2016

The chefs unveil a Cajun specialty in the first basket that is "offal-y" special. A prized protein adds some porky flavor to the chefs' fish entrees. And a drink that you have to chew is certainly the oddest mystery ingredient in the final basket.

7. Beat Bobby Flay: Battle Three

November 3, 2016

Third part of a 4-part tournament. Contestants Matt Romine and Mike Romine previously competed together in a twins' team competition episode, but competed individually in this episode. The "ultimate milkshake" in the third round was reminiscent of "unicorn milkshakes" that are overloaded with rainbow candies, rainbow cereal, and colorful cookies in a large mug.

8. Cheap Eats

November 8, 2016

The chefs are surprised with some thrifty, yet uniquely yummy, finds in the baskets, like pork buns and Mexican street corn in the first round. The competitors must pair a pickled product with a fair favorite in their entrees, then some delectable little cakes and an odd sauce make an appearance in the last basket.

9. Beat Bobby Flay: Finale

November 10, 2016

Final part of a 4-part tournament. The 3 finalists competed over 2 rounds (appetizer and entree) to win a guaranteed $15,000. The winner faced Bobby Flay in a $25,000 wild card round for a chance to increase their winnings to $40,000. This round was played like the second round on Beat Bobby Flay with both chefs making a dish of the winner's choice, which in this case was bibimbap. The chefs had 45 minutes in the 3rd round instead of the usual 30 to accommodate the crossover format.

10. Battle of the Butchers

November 17, 2016

Chopped brings butchers to the stoves to show what practiced protein pros can do! In the appetizer round, the butchers direct their cleavers at a beautiful cut of pork as one of the competitors passes around whiskey shots. A big bird and an unfortunately-named radish mingle in the entree basket, then in the dessert basket, the finalists find an ice cream that only a butcher could love.

11. Beast Feast

November 22, 2016

The competitors face off in a protein-packed battle, even featuring some fierce ingredients that are too big for the baskets. In a fast and loud appetizer round, the blenders are booming as the chefs try to make meaty appetizers with a creative touch. Then, the chefs get to choose what part of an imposing whole animal to use in their second dish. The final chefs must rise to the challenge in order to make marvelously piggy desserts.

12. Back in Time

November 24, 2016

The baskets are filled with retro ingredients, which have the competitors and the judges thinking back on bygone eras and savoring flavor memories. In the first basket, a familiar can and a space-age beverage are two of the foods that transport them back in time. Something frozen in time and something nostalgically spherical are part of the challenge in round two, and a refreshment named for a movie legend is one of the throwback ingredients in the dessert basket.

13. Viewers' Vengeance

November 29, 2016

Extra difficult baskets are guaranteed when four lucky chefs arrive in the Chopped Kitchen for a viewers' choice competition! The fans pick a creepy protein and a bloody soup for the first round, while something hearty and something super-hot are in the second basket. Then, the judges must put a fork to pork in dessert dishes made with offal and atole.

14. Entree Basket Blues

December 1, 2016

Making canned ham tasty and cleaning mussels are a couple of the challenges in round one. In the entree round, some of the chefs attempt to creatively mask the bright blue color of one of the basket ingredients. Then, will the final two chefs' fruit-and-fries creations please the judges?

15. Taco Time!

December 8, 2016

In each round of this competition, the chefs are tasked with showcasing their creative take on the taco. The judges talk tripe and mustard rabe after an exciting appetizer round. Asian sauce and a beautiful protein are in the entree basket, and the finalists bring tortillas to the sweet side with inventive desserts that include Mexican chocolate.

16. Sweet Heat

December 13, 2016

First, it's a pizza puzzle when the chefs open the appetizer basket to find something that's called pizza but doesn't look or taste like the dish they know and love. Two proteins in the second round require the competitors' attention, then the judges expect a hit of heat with their sweets during a dessert round featuring chilies.

17. Betting on the Farm

December 15, 2016

The chefs are treated to some farm-fresh basket ingredients directly from the source! The first round has them rushing to make dishes with poultry and pickled chilies. In the entree round, the judges are eager to eat three lamb dishes, but worry that some fresh greens might be forgotten as the clock ticks down. Then, some odd choices by the finalists in the dessert round keep everyone wondering how the competition will end.

18. Million Dollar Baskets

December 22, 2016

No expense has been spared with these top-notch, top-dollar basket ingredients! The chefs get to work with caviar and a very pricey seafood in the first round. The second million dollar basket features something lavishly sweet and something deliciously rare. And a $100 breakfast item is one of the prize ingredients that the finalists discover in the last basket.

19. Basket Buzz

December 27, 2016

The first basket includes a giant circle of dough with a long history and veggies that look like tiny watermelons, but taste like something else. Chewy candy and sweet cheese must make their way to the chefs' entree plates, and in the dessert round, green leaves and blueberries present a colorful challenge.

20. Wild Times

December 29, 2016

Straight from nature to the chefs' baskets, ingredients in this competition are favorites of hunters and foragers! The first round puts an aquatic wonder and a delicate flower into the hands of the four competitors. An imposing root and a wild beast are part of the entree round challenge. Then, the final wild round is a sweet one featuring berries and butter.