Chopped

An over-reduced sauce and undercooked venison are potential problems in the first round. Then, with Mexican chocolate in the dessert basket, it seems like the judges are in for a treat, but one of the chef's time management woes are worrying.

Four chefs with a connection to the rich culinary history of Africa cook with passion in this special competition. Ambition abounds in the first round as the chefs endeavor to hammer out exceptional saltfish appetizers. Goat chops test the chefs' chops in the entrée round, and a final basket that skews more savory than sweet presents a unique challenge for the final two competitors.

The chef who cracks the code on this special competition's egg-centric baskets will win $10,000! Three others will leave with egg on their faces. Delicate eggs and smoked seafood are part of the appetizer round challenge. A strange syrup and bold greens must be included in the competitors' entrée plates, and breaking open a giant egg should be the first item on the finalists' to-do list in the dessert round.

For this special competition, Native American chefs who revere indigenous culinary traditions compete in a first-of-its-kind battle. Every basket is packed with ingredients known and loved in native communities, like sumac and whitefish for the first round. The judges look forward to tasting entrées featuring a lean, tasty protein. Then, when the dessert round turns into a baking battle, will both chefs have enough time to complete their dishes as planned?

Ready, set, cook! In the appetizer round, a super salty veggie and a dried fruit make up half of the chefs' basket riddle. In the entrée round, a carnival treat meets a Tex-Mex staple in the form of a strange mashup basket ingredient. Then, when a tight competition culminates in the dessert round, both chefs come up with ideas for creative cakes, but will they both be able to execute them?