The worst episodes of Chopped
Ranked by viewer rating, lows first. Vote on a placement to back it or contest it.
- 01
Four chefs take on the challenge to create meat-free plates that could win over the palates of even the most die-hard carnivores. Dough and mayo must make it into the chefs' first set of veggie-licious dishes, and the competitors create mushroom entrées with tons of flavor in order to meet the meat-free-but-amazing criteria. Then, a boxed brownie mix seems like a gift in the dessert round, but the 30-minute time limit complicates things.
- 02
The baskets always find a way to shake things up as the chefs get down to business in the Chopped kitchen! The pivotal question for round one: Will anyone have a clue what to do with emu? A savory cake in the entrée basket is just as unfamiliar, but potentially much easier to deal with. Finally, a really weird soda -- and an ice cream machine battle! -- make for an enthralling dessert round.
- 03
Fooled you! Certain ingredients in the baskets are not what they appear to be, and the chefs do a double take to find they've been faked! An ice cream treat in the appetizer basket is not the sweet it's posing as, pigs in a blanket in the entrée basket turn out to be surprisingly vegetarian-friendly, and the red wine in the dessert basket won't get the chefs tipsy, but it might trip them up.
- 04
Four chefs are eager to impress as they race to make appetizers with mizuna and a weird pizza, but first round jitters are a real problem. A deep-fried oddity is part of the challenge for the competitors in the second round. In the dessert round, both chefs get a little bit frazzled attempting to make marvelous last plates that include a breakfast indulgence.
- 05
Love is in the air! In this tournament event, couples in different stages of their romantic journeys compete to see if their relationships are built to withstand the heat of intense culinary competition. For this preliminary battle, pairs who are dating take over the stoves! In the first basket, they find some bubbly and some berries. The entrée round challenges the teams of sweethearts to make great dishes using fondue and a buttery snack. And will a coffee-based dessert in the final basket be the kick the couples need as the battle nears its conclusion? The winning team will advance to the $50,000 Hungry for Love finale!
- 06
Breaking up is hard to do, and staying friends is even harder! Four pairs of exes compete in this preliminary battle of the impassioned Hungry for Love tournament, but when former partners team up in the kitchen, can things stay civil for long? Special dumplings and a thematic treat are two of the ingredients that the teams find in the appetizer basket. In the entrée round, one team starts to panic when a sauce they made is suddenly nowhere to be found. Then, flowers and chocolate make for a romantic dessert basket. The winning team heads to the tournament's $50,000 finale.
- 07
For the love of chocolate! In this battle, the chefs are blessed with an abundance of the so-called food of the gods. In the first round, the competitors attempt to make duck and chocolate fly. Faux deviled eggs are a sweet trick in the entree basket, and by the time the dessert round is done, it might be natural to ask if there's such a thing as too much chocolate. Not for the winner of this chocolate challenge!
- 08
Four chefs tackle a takeout takedown in this thrilling battle. The baskets are packed with go-to, to-go choices like pizza in the first round. In the second round, the chefs must make a Chinese specialty work with an Italian cocktail. Then, a tower of something sweet and a cup of something bubbly are part of the puzzle for the dessert round.
- 09
Baskets open, minds churning! In the first round, a trendy pastry in the basket inspires debate, and as the clock ticks down, the judges worry that not all of the chefs are on pace to finish their appetizers. Getting steaks in the second round seems like a gift, but cooking them perfectly is not a gimme. Then in the final round, the chefs must figure out how to make a hybrid comfort food go with a savory frozen item.
- 10
Just add sea snails! Most of the chefs are shocked and confused when abalone appears in their appetizer baskets. Then, a fusion soup and a colorful veggie are in the mix in the entrée basket, and an unwelcome egg in the dessert basket challenges the competitors to accept their fates and create innovative final plates.
- 11
Battle Italiano: Emilia-Romagna
Four chefs get to the heart of Italian cuisine as they explore the incredible influence that the robust Emilia-Romagna region has on the culinary world. A slithery surprise and a frozen favorite challenge the chefs in the appetizer round, and those who make it to the entrée round have very different ideas for their veal and mushroom dishes. Then, the two competitors who remain for the dessert round endeavor to represent themselves and their region!
- 12
In a celebration of foods from the Veneto region of Italy, famous for its hearty yet elegant cuisine, the chefs showcase what they know about making amazing Venetian dishes. A strikingly strange ingredient in the first basket threatens to throw them off their game, while using polenta to best effect in a half-hour entree round is a tremendous task. After two ambitious chefs set out to leave an impression with their pear and cheese desserts, the judges will have to decide who has secured a spot in the Battle Italiano finale!
- 13
Four chefs focus on the fabulous food of Tuscany in all its fresh, humble, sensational glory. In the appetizer round, the judges wonder whether the chefs will manage to make good choices while dealing with a super-lean meat in the basket. Then, issues of confidence and competence plague the chefs in round two, and two chefs inspired by an Italian cookie tray -- and their desire to score a spot in the finale -- race to make amazing final plates!
- 14
The four winning chefs return for the Battle Italiano finale, where they'll represent their regions and fight to take home the Grande Campione's $25,000 prize! The baskets are anything but standard issue, and the appetizer round features pizza in a tube! Emotions run high in a dramatic entrée round with just three chefs left in the epic tournament. Then, unfamiliar ingredients in the dessert basket promise to keep the two finalists on their toes!
- 15
Four chefs have the green light to go wild for avocados! For all their energy and enthusiasm, the chefs struggle to keep up with the clock in the first round, and the judges are on the edges of their seats. Then, figuring out how to work with a "secret" meat in the second basket might be the key to making delectable main dishes, and the two chefs left for the final round must be creative and conscientious to make avocado work well in their desserts.
- 16
The best of the best face off to see who can emerge victorious in the tournament finale fight to win $25,000 in cash, $25,000 for charity and legendary status! It's a fascinating dynamic as each returning champion has the judge who tapped them for this tournament as their sous chef. Will communication issues cause any problems in the appetizer round as the teams attempt to make amazing first plates that include two interesting pork products? Emotions run high in a frantic second round, as the teams rush to make great duck entrées. Then, an unpopular canned product in the dessert basket is unlikely to be the most difficult obstacle the chefs face in an intense last round.
- 17
Four chefs compete to make a jiggly surprise in the appetizer basket work in their fish dishes. Then in the entrée round, the chefs zip into action to use zhoug -- a tasty Middle Eastern condiment -- correctly in their creations, while an oddly colored citrus fruit meets mooncake in the dessert basket.
- 18
In this Name Your Price tournament, the chefs uncover just three items in their mystery baskets and must bid on their fourth ingredients in a live auction. In round one, a crowded fryer derails one chef's carefully timed plans. Then, in the entrée round auction, a bidding war breaks out over a premium ingredient. In the dessert round, one chef makes ambitious plans to make ice cream, but the judges are skeptical of the approach. Only one talented competitor will move on to the tournament's grand finale.
- 19
Name Your Price: Battle Three!
The chefs get only three items in each basket and must bid in a live auction for a fourth ingredient. In this preliminary competition, the chef who ends up with what seems like the least desirable auction item decides to double down on the level of difficulty by using an unusual technique and flavor. Will they make something great or just make a mess? The entrée round auction includes an unusual protein that gets big bids from more than one chef. Then, in the dessert round, when both competitors decide to bake something, they take on a high risk in hopes of a high reward. The winner advances to the tournament's finale to compete for the title of Chopped Grand Champion and an enormous cash prize!
- 20
Name Your Price: Grand Finale!
Four champions enter the kitchen ready to name their price and fight for every edge as they try to repeat a win by defeating all others! In this high stakes finale, the chefs are given a larger sum of money to bid with, and the auction levels up as the items are revealed one at a time, so the champions have no idea how bad or good each sequential ingredient might be. In an extremely fierce first round, all of the ingredients that the chefs win at auction seem challenging in their own way, and the judges' expectations are sky-high for this group of exceptional chefs. Before the entrée round, one chef's heart seems set on winning the alligator heart at auction. Then, in the decisive dessert round, a clumpy reduction seems to reduce one chef's chances of victory. But after the judges discuss all three courses, who will be the grand champion and walk away with an extraordinary sum of money, and who will be the fifteenth chef of the tournament to be chopped?
- 21
Four chefs aim to create dishes at the highest level as they cook Thai-inspired meals in the culinary tightrope act called Chopped. In the appetizer round, a mishap and a time management issue put the chefs' ability to finish their chicken feet plates in jeopardy. A colorful entrée basket includes some pretty purple dumplings. Then, in the dessert round, a competitor must juggle two simultaneous snafus. Will the last round of this Thai-inspired feast end in disaster?
- 22
Four wildly carnivorous cooks are thrilled to get a bacon theme for their competition, but can they do justice to one of their favorite foods? In the appetizer round, a bold breakfast sandwich joins Berkshire bacon in the basket. Whoever said "an apple a day keeps the doctor away" was not thinking of the bacon-forward apple creation in the entrée basket. Then, as the final round flies by, the chefs are not particularly concerned about how to include bacon in their desserts. The cruel clock, on the other hand, gives them plenty to worry about.
- 23
Tasting the love in every bite is a given when four chefs battle to cook the best soul food meal in the Chopped kitchen! In the appetizer round, a classic mismatched pair is a nice -- already cooked! -- surprise in the basket. Something crunchy and something cheesy are two of the mandatory entrée basket ingredients, and the judges are suitably eager to savor soul food desserts made with fruit and cornbread.
- 24
When the chefs get alligator in the first baskets, they rush to come up with smart ways to utilize it, but they soon learn their gator plans might be difficult to execute. One chef must pivot in the middle of the entrée round to avoid having to sheepishly present undercooked lamb to the judges. In the dessert round, an ice cream machine fiasco spells trouble for one of the competitors.
- 25
This battle is all about indulging wholeheartedly in late-night cravings, with no worries and no regrets. In the first round, tacos and ramen in the basket force fusion plates. A very hot pepper and a beloved potato product are two of the mandatory entrée round ingredients. A risky move in the dessert round makes a baking blunder a distinct possibility.
Shows like Chopped
The closest matches on shared genres, ranked by match strength and popularity.
- 01Food·Drama·ComedyThe worst episodes of The Bear2022–present·Hulu
Carmy, a young fine-dining chef, comes home to Chicago to run his family sandwich shop. - 02FoodThe worst episodes of Hell's Kitchen2005–present·FOX
In Hell's Kitchen, aspiring chefs are put through an intense culinary academy to prove they possess the right combination of ingredients to win a life-changing grand prize. - 03FoodThe worst episodes of Top Chef2006–present·BravoTed Allen also stars·

- 04FoodThe worst episodes of MasterChef2010–present·FOX
Three celebrated food experts put the latest group of contestants through a series of challenging elimination rounds and turn one home cook into a culinary master. - 05FoodThe worst episodes of MasterChef Australia2009–present·Network 10
MasterChef Australia is an Australian competitive cooking game show consisting of a group of hopeful contestants that cook and present food to judges in order to win the title of MasterChef Australia. - 06FoodThe worst episodes of Bar Rescue2011–present·Paramount Network
Bar Rescue follows Jon Taffer, one of the country's top restaurant and bar consultants, will give failing establishments one last chance to succeed.

















