Series synopsis
Chopped Junior is an American reality family television series that premiered on Food Network on October 27, 2015. It ended on December 10, 2019. It was created by Linda Lea. It stars Ted Allen.
Just like the grown-up version Chopped Junior is hosted by Ted Allen and features a high energy, fast paced cooking competition. Instead of chefs however kids will be competing to turn a selection of everyday ingredients into an extraordinary three-course meal. After each course, a contestant gets "chopped" by our panel of esteemed culinary luminaries until the last boy or girl left standing claims victory.
Premise
Just like the grown-up version Chopped Junior is hosted by Ted Allen and features a high energy, fast paced cooking competition. Instead of chefs however kids will be competing to turn a selection of everyday ingredients into an extraordinary three-course meal. After each course, a contestant gets "chopped" by our panel of esteemed culinary luminaries until the last boy or girl left standing claims victory.
Cast and characters
Leading cast
- Ted Allen as Self - Host
Guest cast
- Debbie Matenopoulos
- Dale Talde
- Chris Santos
- Amanda Freitag
- David Alan Grier
- Brandi Milloy
- Maia Mitchell as Self - Judge
- Marc Murphy
- Luke Thomas
- Laura Vitale
- Austin Mahone as Self - Judge
- Raquel Pelzel as Self - Judge
Episodes
This series spans 10 seasons with 88 episodes.
| Season | Episodes | First aired | Last aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | 13 | October 27, 2015 | January 19, 2016 |
| Season 2 | 13 | April 26, 2016 | July 19, 2016 |
| Season 3 | 15 | July 26, 2016 | October 25, 2016 |
| Season 4 | 12 | November 1, 2016 | January 17, 2017 |
| Season 5 | 16 | January 30, 2017 | May 16, 2017 |
| Season 6 | 7 | May 23, 2017 | October 17, 2017 |
| Season 7 | 5 | May 30, 2017 | July 4, 2017 |
| Season 8 | 2 | June 25, 2019 | July 9, 2019 |
| Season 9 | 5 | November 12, 2019 | December 10, 2019 |
| Season 10 | 0 | November 12, 2019 | December 17, 2019 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Curd Is the Word Full of energy and precocious abilities, four aspiring chefs take over the Chopped Kitchen and face a judging panel featuring actor Billy Gardell and The Kitchen's Marcela Valladolid and Geoffrey Zakarian. In the first round, they must tame the sweetness of some basket items. Pizza is a fine surprise in the entree round, but lamb loins stump some of the young competitors. Then, lemon curd and a fun retro candy get a spin for dessert. |
October 27, 2015 |
| 2 |
Chasing Rainbow Bagals Strange bagels, a strong paste and an injury make for an exciting appetizer round. Later, the chefs get to cook with fresh pasta sheets and gooey marshmallows. |
November 3, 2015 |
| 3 |
Shake It Up Beet hummus and head-on shrimp are found in the appetizer basket; a giant milkshake gives the kid chefs something to get excited about, when making entrées; and desserts are created using fruit and yogurt. |
November 10, 2015 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Dough Business Season 2 begins with junior chefs having to transform a weird hot dog and a cheese, that doesn't want to melt, in the appetizer round. Later, retro candies make entrees pop; and raw cookie dough present a quandary, when making desserts. Sarah Michelle Gellar, Scott Conant and Monti Carlo are the judges. |
April 26, 2016 |
| 2 |
Love You, Mom! Mother's Day is celebrated when the junior chefs cook with their moms in mind. Ingredients in the appetizer round include escargot and fruit pops. Later, a pricey cut of meat and gummy candy are used to make entrees; and desserts lean toward the unusual. |
May 3, 2016 |
| 3 |
Quail Quest The junior chefs show kindness and help each other cut during an appetizer round featuring rock shrimp and beef tongue; quail and a variety of tiny foods in the entrée round; groovy cake in the dessert round. The judging panel includes Maneet Chauhan, Rico Rodriguez and Fabio Viviani. |
May 10, 2016 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Sloppy Apps Sloppy joes must be transformed in the appetizer round; a red pesto and white turnips make for some interesting entrée ingredients; and the junior chefs work with a yummy bacon-apple pie, when making desserts. |
July 26, 2016 |
| 2 |
Rattled The young chefs deal with squeamishness, when they are forced to butcher and cook shakes in the appetizer round. In the entrée round, a dense oddball of a cake must be worked into lamb shoulder dishes. And finally, the finalists make creative, caffeinated desserts for the judges, who include Chris Colfer, Raiza Costa and Amanda Freitag. |
August 2, 2016 |
| 3 |
Cup of Glee Chefs Maneet Chauhan and Andrew Gruel and actress Meghan Markle preside over a competition that begins with a three and a half-pound peanut butter cup and a too-hot griddle that creates problems for one of the young chefs. |
August 9, 2016 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Bug Bites Creepy crawly kabobs pose a challenge for the junior chefs; cooks are happy with fish fillets and a colorful cereal; chefs must get creative with little sprinkles and a giant egg; David Arquette Jake Smollett and chef Scott Conant are the judges. |
November 1, 2016 |
| 2 |
S'more Determination A peculiar hot dog pasta shows up in the appetizer baskets; chefs face s'more French fries and a difficult-to-prepare protein that is new to them; dumplings and some fancy fruit for dessert. Judges are Tiffany Derry, Alex Guarnaschelli and Jennette McCurdy. |
November 8, 2016 |
| 3 |
Thanks Kidding Pumpkin pie is one of the mystery ingredients for the appetizer round; traditional Thanksgiving flavors minus the turkey in the entrée round; cupcakes are at the center of the final basket. Judges are Alex Guarnaschelli, Sandra Lee and Laura Vitale. |
November 15, 2016 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Pizza Party Chef Amanda Freitag, YouTube star Harley Morenstein and actress Anika Noni Rose preside over an all-pizza competition! Three courses of pizza begin with appetizers comprised of exotic looking mushrooms and a creamy Italian sauce. The fun continues as the junior chefs battle against some challenging dough and more sauce in the entree round. Then, the finalists tackle pizza dessert using cheese with a funny name and a wild assortment of fruit! |
January 31, 2017 |
| 2 |
Chicken and Do-Nots Chefs Daniel Churchill and Marcus Samuelsson and actress Allison Williams serve as the judges for a new group of junior chefs, who are thrilled when the appetizer basket reveals an exciting twist on chicken and waffles. In the entree round, a sweet, tropical icing must be paired with pork, and in the dessert round, it's a race to the ice cream machine when both finalists are inspired by a coconut beverage |
January 31, 2017 |
| 3 |
Chocoholics A lucky batch of junior chefs gets to cook with chocolate in all three rounds to win over the judges: chef Scott Conant, model Ashley Graham and Food Network Star contestant Jernard Wells. It starts with a fancy boxed assortment in the appetizer round, then the kids must figure out how to pair chocolate with a stinky cheese for their entrees. And in the dessert round, the finalists are startled by what they think are chocolate-covered bugs. |
February 7, 2017 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Grillin' and Chillin' Junior chefs must use a classic cornmeal dish in their appetizer; kids combine a marshmallow treat with white barbecue sauce in round two; a cake must be incorporated in the dessert round; Jessie James Decker, Jed Portman and Geoffrey Zakarian are the judges. |
May 23, 2017 |
| 2 |
Cookin' for a Cookout in this competition packed with backyard barbecue ingredients, the judges -- actress and singer Jana Kramer and chefs Marc Murphy and Geoffrey Zakarian -- are on the lookout for a Chopped cookout champion! The appetizer round reveals a popular potato dish and a protein meant for grilling. The junior chefs get some more cookout classics in the entree round when they find a saucy side dish and burgers. Then, the finalists get to work with a very sweet pie and a sour dairy product. |
July 4, 2017 |
| 3 |
Sibling Showdown Two set of siblings compete and must pair pancetta and pasta in the first round; some adorable food animals must make their way into entrees; a dessert tower excites the finalists in the last round. |
September 5, 2017 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Champions: Part 1 Sixteen astonishingly skilled young winners return to compete for a grand prize of $25,000. In the first battle of this five-part tournament, the champs get a French delicacy and a crunchy snack for the appetizer round. One competitor has never cooked pork tenderloin before, but finds it in the second basket. Finally, the champs' pantry picks in the dessert impact the judges' critiques. |
May 30, 2017 |
| 2 |
Champions: Part 2 A new group of four champs compete to see who will advance to the $25,000 grand finale. An infamous “Chopped” ingredient appears in the appetizer basket, then steak could be a gift or a challenge for the kid cooks who make it to the entree round. Finally, the two young cooks who get to make dessert must use a tangy fruit and a deep-fried treat. |
June 6, 2017 |
| 3 |
Champions: Part 3 In this third preliminary battle, the youngest group of champions yet gets a delicate seafood and a tasty pork product in the appetizer round. Chocolates in disguise cause the junior chefs to do a double take when they open the entree basket. Then, coffee with dessert makes sense, but where will the competitors use chili flakes in their final, sweet dishes? |
June 13, 2017 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Smoothie Operators Four young cooking dynamos try to impress the judges, including guest judge Jessica Alba, with appetizers that include beef tongue; a sweet orange cream smoothie in the entree basket; a giant lollipop and an odd sandwich in the dessert round. |
June 25, 2019 |
| 2 |
Weird, Feared When the junior chefs encounter alarmingly outlandish surprises in every basket, will working with weird ingredients stop them from cooking at their best? A swamp special must be combined with a spicy frozen dessert in the appetizer round. Peppers and puffer fish tails are in the entree basket. Finally, the kid chefs get a Scandinavian pancake for a dessert-round shocker. Food Network Star finalist Martita Jara guest judges with chefs Marcus Samuelsson and George Mendes. |
September 19, 2017 |
| 3 |
Tropical Vibes Caribbean flavors rule in this tropical competition, presided over by judges Scott Conant, Amanda Freitag and musician Ziggy Marley. The competitors come out strong in the appetizer round when they must cook with a classic Caribbean spice blend. Then, the junior chefs must pair fish with fruit in the entree round. The two finalists open the dessert basket to find a green fruit and citrus cookies. |
September 26, 2017 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Turkey Day! Hooray! Turkey-themed baskets keep the kid chefs in the right state of mind as they try to make a meal that guest judge David Dobrik will gobble up, starting with a bucket of turkey meatballs; a rare form of mashed potatoes makes for a hearty hurdle. |
November 12, 2019 |
| 2 |
Thanksgiving Leftovers The kid cooks give new life to Thanksgiving leftovers, beginning in Round 1 with a puree that the preteens haven't eaten in years; two classics must be repurposed in the entree round. |
November 19, 2019 |
| 3 |
Playing Ketchup Starting with ketchup soda in round one, the young chefs seek to learn from their mistakes and roll with weird ingredients to impress guest judges Gina Torres and Daniel Breaker. |
November 26, 2019 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Turkey Day! Hooray! Turkey-themed baskets keep the kid chefs in the right state of mind as they try to make a meal that guest judge David Dobrik will gobble up, starting with a bucket of turkey meatballs in round one. A rare form of mashed potatoes makes for a hearty hurdle in the entree round, but will the two remaining kids be thankful for or fearful of the dessert goodie in the third basket? |
November 12, 2019 |
| 2 |
Playing Ketchup Starting with ketchup soda in round one, the young chefs seek to learn from their mistakes and roll with weird ingredients to impress guest judges Gina Torres and Daniel Breaker. A fancy food and a frozen drink are among the ingredients in the second round, and pork rinds in the dessert basket challenge the last two kid cooks to get creative. |
November 19, 2019 |
| 3 |
Thanksgiving Leftovers The kid cooks give new life to Thanksgiving leftovers, beginning in round one with a puree that the preteens haven't eaten in years. Two classics must be repurposed in the entree round, and cranberry sauce desserts are in store for guest judge Alanna Masterson as the last two junior chefs finish out the competition. |
November 19, 2019 |
Production
Release
| Original network/platform | Food Network |
|---|---|
| First aired | October 27, 2015 |
| Last aired | December 10, 2019 |
| Runtime | 60 minutes |
| Status | canceled |
| Schedule | Tuesday at 20:00:00 |