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Kefir and Loathing A basket ingredient with a "secret" history and the fermented milk drink kefir are at the forefront of the appetizer round. The second basket looks to be deceptively simple, except for a strange blue drink. Then, something you wouldn't expect to find in a can is discovered in the dessert basket, and the last two chefs decide to go in a similar direction with their final plates.
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Sweetbread Dread The judges are pleased to see fresh sardines in the first basket, but will the competitors treat these little fish properly? Some pricey basket items, including sweetbreads, add an air of luxury to the second round. Then, both of the final chefs want to make ice cream in the dessert round, but will they have time to pull it off?
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Best Halloween Ever Four one-of-a-kind cooks have dressed up for Halloween in the Chopped Kitchen, and the judges are eager to see what a drag queen, a witch, a medieval re-enactor and a bloody-faced warrior will cook for them using a wild collection of appetizer ingredients! Some frightening sights in the second basket turn out to be pretty nice picks for a pork tenderloin entree, and a spiky fruit and clever cookie-crumb creation are two of the ingredients that the final competitors get to scare up a dessert.
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On the Quack Burner Quack if you love duck tongues! The chefs must make use of this unusual meat in their appetizers, and a seaweed pasta product may be the weirdest item in the second basket. Then, spicy alcohol and a sweet cream are two of the components that the finalists have to work into their desserts.
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Web Stars Competitors with successful online cooking shows arrive in the Chopped Kitchen ready to put their web-honed culinary skills to the test. There are smiley faces all around when the cooks find emoji cookies in the first basket, but round two has the judges monitoring the clock with doubts that all three chefs will be able to get a particular basket ingredient cooked in time. Then, a familiar boxed ingredient is one of the first things the finalists need to tackle for dessert.
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Turkey Day Heroes Four chefs who cook in soup kitchens come to the Chopped Kitchen to face off in this special competition. In the appetizer round, they get creative with some fun bread and orange sauce. Turkey is a given in the entree round, but they also face an epic cake which defies description and is more than meets the eye! Some items in the dessert basket sound pretty healthy, like yogurt and fruit, but will the finalists' Thanksgiving desserts be nutritious or decadent?
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Holiday Reality Check Chopped is hosting a holiday party with four stars of reality television: Les Gold (Hardcore Pawn), Claudia Jordan (The Real Housewives of Atlanta), Jenni Pulos (Flipping Out) and Karina Smirnoff (Dancing With the Stars). In the first round, the larger-than-life celebs must use an edible wreath and festively-shaped bread. In the second round, the judges are surprised to hear that one of the competitors has never eaten a common green veggie found in the basket. Finally, marshmallow men and holiday cocktails make for a celebratory, unpredictable dessert round.
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New Year's Bash It's the first ever Chopped New Year's party and the competitors get the celebration started with an extravagant appetizer basket that includes $50 worth of caviar and other pricy ingredients. The chefs find more premium items in the entree baskets, as well as a traditional southern New Year's legume. The last two chefs in this New Year's fight face some dressed-up ice cream cones and a limited number of grapes for dessert.