We're calling in the Chopped fanatics.
-What? -Open your baskets.
I am the, literally...
-Come on, come on, come on, come on, come on, come on -...Chopped- biggest-fan.
We're giving Chopped super-fans the chance of a lifetime
to jump into action in the Chopped kitchen.
Stop!
My heart's, like, beating like crazy.
-I'm definitely a super-fan. -I've learned to love to cook through watching Chopped.
I've seen, probably, every episode.
It's one thing to say you've watched it all...
What are we supposed to do with these?
[Scott] Literally, it's a tough thing to swallow.
Do they truly understand what they're in for?
I'm 100% ready to compete.
-[doorbell rings] -I love Chopped so much,
I even named my cat after Ted Allen.
Out of the thousands of people who've applied,
all the videos that we've gone through...
-Was hard. -...we're down to this final four.
-[Amanda] I'm excited. -I'm actually surprised.
-Absolutely. -Let's do it.
[doorbell rings]
-[Ted] Hi, Jem! -Hi, Jem! [laughs softly]
My heart's, like, beating like crazy.
-Hi, Kristie! -[laughing]
-We hear you're a Chopped fanatic? -Oh, my God.
I'm sweating.
We're gonna have you come compete on Chopped.
Oh, my God. It's Chopped. No way!
I would love to.
-[laughing] -Are you sure?
Are they sure?
-I think we're gonna invite you to come cook here. -Yes, we are.
Oh, my gosh, stop!
So, we will see you on the chopping block.
This is my moment.
[laughing]
[man] All right, and chefs, you're ready?
-[all agreeing] Yes! -[man whooping]
-[Jem] Wow! -Ay! [laughs]
-[Jem] Oh, my God, we're here. -Holy crap.
[Kenan] My name is Kenan Holland,
-[Kenan voiceover] I'm a medical assistant... -Yes...
-[Kenan voiceover] ...from Atlanta, Georgia. -...dog.
I've got no culinary training
but I did graduate, um, summa cum laude, from Chopped University.
[laughs]
It's real! [laughs in delight]
Working in advertising, I moved around a lot after college
and Chopped was always there, Chopped was always Ted, the baskets, the food.
[Matt] You know, it's a lot bigger in person...
-Oh, my gosh. -...you know, than it is on TV.
I'm 100% one of Chopped's biggest fans,
I've been watching since day one.
-One, hands up. -[Matt] I played Chopped with my siblings
and just being in the Chopped kitchen is a dream come true.
I'm ready to be here and compete.
-Bro, this table is bigger than I... -I know, it's big!
[Jem] Hi, my name is Jem Iwatsubo,
I am 28-years-old from Charlottesville, Virginia.
Oh, my gosh.
I am so excited to meet Ted!
I swear, he's a vampire.
I've been watching him every single season
and, does not age.
-Well, what have we here? -[Matt] Hey!
[all cheering]
-Hi! -How are you?
-You're so close to me, I love it! -I know.
-[screams in joy] Oh, my God. -[all laughing]
Welcome, fanatics.
Are you ready to show the judges that we've chosen the right fans?
-[Kenan] Absolutely. -[Jem] Yes!
Yes!
Speaking of which, you wanna meet them?
-[gasps] -[all] Yes!
-[Kristie] Keep 'em in good moods. -We were just having coffee.
-Hi, guys! -[all cheering]
-[Jem] Oh, my God! -Stop!
[cheering]
My nickname for Geoffrey is Zaddy Zakarian.
-[Kenan] Hi. -[all laughing]
-I'll leave you two alone. -Hi.
I mean, I'm happily married. [laughs]
Oh.
All right, fanatics, here are the rules,
there will be three rounds, mandatory mystery ingredients,
if your dish doesn't cut it...
[all] You will be chopped.
That's right, thank you, very well done.
My favorite thing about Chopped
is the anticipation of what's gonna be in the basket.
[Ted] Please, open up your Chopped mystery baskets.
[Matt] Whoo!
-[Kenan laughing nervously] -[gasps]
-[Jem] Oh! -[Kenan] Okay.
Oh.
[Ted] For you appetizer basket, you've got...
[Ted and Matt] Dried squid.
Oh, my God, okay, interesting.
I don't know what this is.
This is jemeca?
-Ted, Teddy, what is this? -Jicama.
-Lime gelatin cups. -[Ted] Lime gelatin cups.
Oh, shots! [laughs] Just kidding.
-[Ted] And shrimp. -Shrimps.
Ooh, shrimp, there we go.
Shrimp, I can do, girl. Jeez.
30 minutes to make appetizers.
Time starts now, let's go.
-[Geoffrey] Let's go, fanatics! -[Scott] Here we go.
[Kenan] Behind.
Can't carry all this. [chuckles]
[Ted] Judges, can you feel their energy?
Chopped super fans living their dream in the kitchen.
How many hands you guys got?
-[Kenan] Uh... -[Matt] You got enough hands?
-[Kenan] Bam, phew! -[Matt laughing]
They're amateurs but they've watched,
as I understand, all the episodes.
They've seen all the mistakes, they've seen all the successes,
they know what to do.
-[Kenan] Ah. -[Scott] This is gonna be a challenging basket.
That dried squid, you don't wanna just cook it and serve it,
think of it as a flavoring agent.
You could grate it, you could make a, a broth out of it.
All right, dried squid, jeez.
Watching Chopped has been like my own version of culinary school at home.
I've learned, you know, so many great techniques
like "julienne" and "chiffonade"
I'm sure I butchered that, holy crap.
All right, so I got oil, vegetable stock going in the pan
with a little bit of the dried squid.
[Kenan voiceover] I'm making a shrimp salad
with a lime, jicama, pancetta vinaigrette.
-I want the pancetta to add a nice smokiness... -[Kenan] Ooh!
[Kenan voiceover] ...the lime gelatin to add a little bit of acidity,
jicama to add body
and the dried squid will add some saltiness and depth.
Okay, that doesn't smell bad.
[Kenan and Kristie laughing]
[Kristie] Hey, that's a good start.
Okay, take a breath.
Good place to start.
Anytime I'm watching Chopped with friends or family,
we always like to pause it as soon as they open the basket
and, kind of, be like, "Okay, what would we do?"
This is so strange.
[Kristie voiceover] I've learned a lot about balance
and, kind of, making sure everybody bite has salt, fat, acid, heat notes.
So, for my appetizer, I am making sautéed shrimp
with spicy cilantro, lime yogurt sauce.
I am making an absolute nightmare of this.
Are you a clean cook or not,
-that's the question. [laughs] -Oh, absolutely not.
-I try to learn, like, "Clean as you go." But, like... -[Matt laughing]
What is clean as you go?
-[Kristie] No, no. -[Matt] Yeah, right.
That's what my husband is for.
Just get prep... everything prepped and start cooking.
I have definitely expanded my culinary horizons because of Chopped.
They got a lot of cool gadgets in the kitchen,
they also use a lot of ingredients
you don't typically see at the store in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
I've actually played around with dried squid at home before.
I've used it in broth, so, I'm making a squid, soy broth
with seared shrimp and rice noodles.
[Scott] That lime gelatin, it's really sweet,
it has a funny texture to it.
They should tamper down the sweetness,
adjust it with fresh lime or fresh acidity.
[Matt] I think I'm gonna use the lime gelatin to make a pickling liquid.
The reason I love Chopped is deep down I'm really competitive
I am confident that I can win the competition,
I've thrown many dinner parties for a lot of people,
so, the obsession for cooking is real.
-Come on, guys, we're the best fans, we can do this. -[Kristie laughs]
-[Matt laughs] -I mean, we've seen
-enough of the show. [laughs] -[Matt] We've seen the show enough. [laughs]
Jem, is this a surreal moment for you?
It's insane, I still can't believe it.
Still processing.
On one hand, I'm really, really excited,
on the other hand, I'm really, really stressed.
Cooking here is insane.
I've skydived before
and the adrenaline is nothing compared to competing in the Chopped kitchen.
One thing I learned from Chopped
is how acid is really, really important in your dish.
So, I actually started pickling because of Chopped.
So, normally, pickling takes hours, or even days,
but I know I can quickly pickle the jicama with a sous vide.
-All right, chefs, here we go. -[Kenan] Let's go!
Oh, my God, he's coming over here?
-[Kenan laughing] -What the... [laughs]
-Whoo! -What do we got going on here, Jem?
I am making shrimp tacos
-with pickled jicamas... -Shrimp tacos.
[all whooping]
-Okay. -What are you gonna do with the squid, chef?
I am going to make it a, uh, Chicharrónes.
-So, you're gonna deep-fry it? -Yes.
Do you feel like that's gonna be able to create
-a great... that is very... -Yes.
...assertive, that dried squid, my goodness.
Yeah, I can smell it from here.
What are you doing with the gelatin?
[Matt] The gelatin, I'm, uh--
-That's another challenging ingredient for you. -I'm reducing it down,
I'm just gonna pickle the jemeca in some thin slices.
-Jicama. -Jicama.
-What was I saying? -Jemeca.
Jemeca?
[Ted] Fanatics, 15 minutes to go.
Oh, my God, 15 minutes, I'm good.
-Hi. -Hi.
-How you doing today? -[Kristie voiceover] You know,
I knew I was gonna be a little flustered, definitely swooning.
So, what are you doing with the dried squid,
-you're just... -Um... I'm bake--
-Roasting it? -Roasting it to get it real crispy
and then I'm gonna buzz it and make...
-Got it. -...a seasoning salt out of it
-and add some some other flavors in there. -Oh, wow, that's a great idea.
-Thank you so much. -Oh, I like that idea, that's a good one.
-Oh, my God, I can't believe you said that. -So you add some,
-you add some green. [laughs] -[laughs]
I think she needs to get out a little more often
-that's what... [laughs] -[laughs]
-Oh, my gosh. [laughs] -So sweet.
-[Scott] Kenan... -[Kenan] Yeah.
-How are you? -[Jem] Behind,
-behind, behind, behind, behind. -So, right now, I'm just gonna
grate up a little bit of the...
-[Scott] Jicama? -Kristie, what is it?
-Jicama? -Uh, yeah, jicama.
-Jicama? -Yes...
-I'm standing right here, you could ask me, we can talk. -You totally are.
-Yeah, it's all good. -Stop, you're so...
-Hey, Scott, you gonna publish a bio down there? -[Kristie laughing]
He's very distracting. [laughs]
-Fanatics! -Yes.
-All the best luck. -You're kinda flustered a little bit,
you guys doing okay over there?
-[Kristie] Yeah, all good. -[Kenan] Yeah.
-[Kenan] Ah. -[laughs]
[Kenan] What?
Kristie, you don't think I'm gonna let you upstage me with the shrimp, right, honey?
We're almost at the 10 minute mark.
This lime is so sweet.
I'm making lime gelatin crema,
but the lime gelatin is so sweet,
so, I put a little bit adobo inside it just to give it a little spice.
I'm a little worried that the dried squid is not drying out in the oven.
Just in case, I reserved one.
Behind, behind.
Going to the fryer.
-Kristie has a whole thing. -[Scott] She's gonna fry that whole thing?
Dried squid is incredibly powerful,
the flavor, so you have to use just a little bit.
-I can grab mine. -[Matt] Oh, here, sorry,
-I'm a little-- I should be done with mine. -No, all good, all good.
Everybody's in the fryer!
-[Scott] I gotta see this. -[Matt] You going in?
-Yeah. -Oh, wait, the whole thing?
-Yeah. -Oh, wow.
I got a plan.
-[Kristie] Going to the fryer. -I can grab mine.
-[Matt] Oh, here, sorry. -Everybody's in the fryer!
-[Scott] I gotta see this. -[Matt] You going in?
-Yeah. -Oh, wait, the whole thing?
-Yeah. -Oh, wow.
I got a plan.
[Kristie] So, what I'm hoping to create,
is that salt and pepper kind of taste,
knowing that the squid is super, super salty.
I throw some black and pink peppercorns in the spice grinder
with the dried squid and pulse all that together.
[gasps] It's working.
I don't actually need the one in the fryer. [laughs]
I just wanted a backup, just in case.
[Kenan] Behind you, behind you.
Behind you.
Hi, Ted.
-[Ted] You got it under control, Kenan? -I got it under control.
[Ted] Okay, everybody, four minutes on the clock, four minutes.
-All right, go. -Kenan, how ya feeling?
I feel really good, I got the cutest dishes in the house,
-thank you. -Oh, nice.
-[all laughing] -[Amanda] Presentation.
Okay.
All four ingredients, chefs.
[Ted] Dried squid.
Jemeca.
-Jemeca. -[Amanda] Jemeca.
-[all laughing] -Jemeca.
Don't forget the jemeca.
-[Matt] Jemeca. -That jemeca is awesome.
Jemeca.
-[Ted] All right, let's go fanatics. -[Geoffrey] Let's go fanatics!
Two minute warning right now.
-[Scott] You crazy fanatics. -[Geoffrey] You got this.
-[Ted] Let's get it done. -[Geoffrey] You all look like you got it.
[Amanda] They're not professional chefs
but I think they've got the hustle.
I see them moving around, I see them tasting.
-Mmm, that's so good, okay. -They're each making something completely different
from the other.
As the clock ticks down,
I think they're getting more serious and more speedy because they need to.
[Amanda] You're making us food.
-We're gonna eat your food! -Whoo!
[Amanda] Make it pretty.
-Taste, presentation... -[Scott] 15 seconds!
-[Amanda] ...creativity. -[Geoffrey] 15 seconds. Get it done!
-[Ted] Chopped fans... -[Amanda] Come on Kenan, finish up!
[Ted] ...seconds left for you to shine here.
-It really does come down to the wire. -[Ted] Ten, nine...
-Eight... -[Scott] Let's go.
-...seven, six... -[Scott] Come on, fanatics!
-Come on! -[Ted] ...five...
-[Scott] Get it done! -[Ted] ...four...
-[Amanda] Kenan, finish up! -[Ted] ...three...
-Done. -[Ted] ...two...
-[Amanda] Come on, Matt! -[Ted] ...one.
[Ted] Time's up!
-Please, step back. -[all cheering]
-Nice try, good job. -Oh, we're in hell, man.
-[Kenan] Yeah. -Oh, wow...
-Good job. Oh, man. -Good job, good job!
-Oh, gorgeous, honey. -[Matt] Good job.
-Great work, great work. -[Kristie] Wow.
That looks insanely good.
-[Jem] Wow. -[Matt] Oh, thank you, yeah, you guys--
All your dishes look great, guys, seriously.
[Matt] The Chopping Block's a lot scarier and a lot bigger in person.
They're getting ready to judge your dishes, so, it's a little intimidating.
Chopped fans, you have arrived at the Chopping Block,
how crazy is that?
-Crazy and amazing. -Yeah.
-Crazy and amazing. -All the emotions.
In your appetizer basket, you got dried squid,
jicama, lime gelatin cups and shrimp.
Jem, what have you made?
I have made for you shrimp tacos
with gelatin lime and poblano crema and squid chicharrónes on top.
Really nice job with the first course.
What I love about this is that the shrimp is really good,
it's braised nicely.
You need a bit more shrimp, the stuffing is lacking, you need more radicchio.
and I would have loved some cilantro and some, like, jalapeno.
[Amanda] I love that you cooked the tortilla,
Even professional chefs sometimes forget to do that.
I saw that on Chopped.
-[Geoffrey] That's where you got it? -Yes. [laughs]
[Amanda] The only negative thing...
I would say is some parts of that dried squid were crunchy,
but some were a little bit on the chewy side.
[Scott] Amanda's right.
So, I think what you needed to do is,
maybe fry it and then grate it over the top.
So that we didn't get these really big
bursts of funky dried squid.
I think your usage of the lime gelatin is really smart.
It's really well done.
Thank you so much, chef.
Next up, Matt.
Chefs, I have for you a
soy squid broth,
with some noodles some seared shrimp,
and a little bit of pickled jicama.
I've been watching since the beginning,
uh, you know, I was not somebody who cooked.
[Ted] There's nothing I'm happier to hear,
-that watching this inspired someone to take up cooking. -Yeah.
And so, at the end there, when you were plating,
-you were like, this is real. -Yeah.
You know, I was not expecting
it to come down to the clock like that.
-I really did come down... -It's real.
...to the clock. This was real for sure.
You know what's real?
-The flavors you put inside here. -Oh, great.
-This is delicious. -Great. Thank you.
-This is really, really well done. -[Matt] Appreciate it.
[Scott] I think the pickled jicama is borderline genius.
It's like bright acidity in texture of the jicama,
comes out of nowhere.
Yeah, the acid I've learned from the show too.
It just, you know, livens up any dish.
[Geoffrey] It's smart, it's sophisticated.
Did you put the squid, chunks of it?
-Is that the fried squid? -[Geoffrey] It's chewy.
-Yeah, I know, I did. -[Geoffrey] It's chewy, I mean,
That was the one clunker in here.
Yeah, thank you.
Let's see what you've made, Kristie.
Uh, today I've made a
sauteed shrimp
with a jicama, green apple and radicchio salad,
with a spicy yogurt-cilantro sauce,
and then a dried squid seasoning salt.
[Ted] Now before they get into the food, Kristie,
who's your favorite judge.
[laughs]
He winked at me earlier, and I almost passed out.
[all laughing]
-Scott Conant's still got it. -Yes.
-[Scott] Thank you so much. -[all laughing]
There's a lot to like on this plate.
The sauce that you have is wonderful.
I love the idea of that squid salt.
The challenge is, when you eat the shrimp,
you want to take the shell off.
And that's where the salt and pepper is.
-You know, I want it really on the shrimp. - [Kristie] Mmm-hmm.
You did a great job with the lime gelatin with the sauce.
You have a lot of acid in there.
The yogurt really brought out the tanginess. I love that.
[Geoffrey] The plate is full of flavor,
which I really appreciate it.
And it's your turn, Kenan.
Hi, so...
I made a warm salt and pepper shrimp salad,
with a vinegarette of jicama,
the dried squid, lime gelatin,
and pancetta.
And, yeah, that's what I made for you guys today.
[all laughing]
I'm sorry. I'm in awe. I can't.
Look, I just can't.
[Scott] Go ahead, Zaddy.
[all laugh]
-All of you, really cooked the shrimp... well. -Well.
[Geoffrey] Usually, people take shrimp and they murder it.
So, really good job on the seasoning and the spices.
I love the presentation. It's definitely you.
Definitely vibrant.
[Scott] The tomatoes, kind of...
it's not adding a lot to the plate.
But overall, really nice texture,
-perfect cook on the shrimp. -Yeah.
-Thank you. Thank you. -[Scott] Good job.
-Very impressive round, chefs. -Yes.
-I'll say. Yeah really. -[all exclaiming]
[Scott] I mean, we've had professional chefs,
-who've been doing this for years... -[Amanda] Do it again.
-[Kenan] Thank you. -...come into this kitchen and not,
-perform as well as all of you did. -[Amanda] Yeah.
We've learned from all their mistakes. [chuckles]
Being judged by Scott was, I think, a dream come true.
Obviously, he's my favorite judge, so...
having him say anything positive about it is,
you know, highlight moment.
[Matt] This is a roller coaster of emotions,
being on Chopped right now.
Obviously taking home the W would be
the ultimate.
[man] Oh.
We're loving every minute with our Chopped fanatics,
but someone's time with us is ending.
So, whose dish is on the chopping block?
[Kenan] Oh.
Kenan, you've been chopped.
Judges?
Zaddy has some bad news for you, Kenan.
Your shrimp was perfect and it was seasoned lovely.
However, an unseasoned, unloved, unadorned tomato,
is a no-no.
And so, we had to chop you.
Thank you, guys.
It may not have gone the way that I wanted it to...
[laughs]
But, it's been a dream come true.
From day one of getting the phone call,
-to you know, the day of filming. -Amazing.
Everybody back home is proud of me and I'm proud of myself.
Thank you.
-Bye. Love you guys. -[applause and cheering]
-Thank you. -Knock them dead, you guys.
You guys got this.
Kristie, Matt, Jem.
you have made it to the entrée round.
[whooping triumphantly]
Now, back into the fire you go.
This second basket might be even tougher than the first.
[sighing impatiently]
Open it up.
Ah, jeez. [laughs]
[gasps]
What is that?
[Ted] It's a giant gummy bear.
Oh, my gosh.
[Jem] Oh, my gosh.
-Oh, God. -[Ted] Pork crown roast.
[chuckles softly]
[Matt] It's a really tough one.
Oh, my God.
[Ted] Broccolini?
Broccolini.
Oh, my God.
[Ted] And cheese puff mac and cheese.
Bold and cheesy.
[Jem] Oh, my God.
I am feeling scared.
Thirty minutes will start counting down on the clock,
right about now.
[all exclaiming]
Show us what you got in this round.
[Matt laughing]
[Ted] Judges, all these competitors have been
gung-ho to cook on Chopped.
But, you just have no idea what it's like,
until you're living it.
[Amanda] And you don't know what's gonna come in the basket.
Make sure I do these nice and evenly, so everyone's getting the same cut.
[Amanda] The pork crown roast, 20 chops,
it's two rib racks put together, it's beautiful.
These home cooks do not butcher their own rib racks.
[Kristie] Lots of flavor in there.
I'm not the best at butchering meat.
As a student of Chopped, I know that,
doing this whole pork roast,
is definitely out of the question.
I've seen a lot of chefs in the past,
leave the pork too big and it just doesn't cook all the way.
I'm gonna chop it up and,
I think I'm gonna make like, a ragout with it.
[machine whirring]
[Jem] Cheese puff mac and cheese, not the worst.
And then I see that beautiful pork crown roast.
Not happy.
I'm really shocked that we got this because,
quite difficult.
But Chopped taught me, never be afraid of
any ingredient and just go for it.
Chef Jem, what is happening?
Are you struggling? Are you okay?
I am nervous. This pork is large.
I think I'm gonna just drench it with flour,
and then coat it with my beautiful, um...
-You're coating with that. -[Jem] Yes, yes.
[Amanda] So, you're good, okay. Take a breath.
You got this.
-Thank you. -Okay.
-Also, you're my favorite. -[Amanda laughs]
-Just saying. -Now, I'm her new favorite.
-[Jem] But, you've always been my favorite. -[Amanda] Oh, I've always...
Yeah.
-Oh, neat. -[Amanda chuckles]
[Kristie] Sticky.
If you've seen Chopped, you have seen Mr. Gummy Bear,
Was kinda hoping not to meet him,
but I've gotta balance that level of sweetness
in the red wine reduction.
Kristie, what's happening down here?
[Kristie] Hello. So much.
Okay, so what's the title?
[Kristie] Uh, the title would be I think, a pork chop
with like, your regular kind of starch and vegetables.
[Amanda] So, weeknight pork chop dinner.
[Kristie] Weeknight pork chop, yeah, that's what we're going for.
So, what part of the mac and cheese are you using?
I'm using the noodles
and I'm gonna still do mac and cheese but with fresh cheese
and some bacon and some parsley.
All right, just be careful with that pasta,
because you know, we have the pasta king over there.
[Kristie] Yeah.
I feel pretty confident.
I can specifically recall Alex Botticelli talking about
adding a scoop of that pasta water,
when you add the pasta the sauce.
Us super fans definitely have some
tips and tricks up our sleeves that we have from,
you know, watching so much Chopped.
-[Amanda] Hey, Matt. -How are you doing, chef?
-I'm good. How are you? -Doin' all right.
I love the way you work, so meticulous, so detailed...
-[Matt] Thank you. -[Amanda] ...clean.
Do you want to give us a brief
description of what you're making?
I think I'm gonna make a ragout.
-Ragout. -So, I got the pork ground up.
-[Amanda] Okay. -[Matt] With some pancetta, to get some fat in there.
[Amanda] Pork, pancetta.
[Matt] And then, I'm probably gonna try to get that over some polenta.
[Amanda exclaims]
[Matt] I'm gonna put the cheese sauce inside the polenta,
and I'll use the gummy bear inside the sauce.
-Yeah, so. -[Amanda] Okay.
Good luck. Behind you, behind you.
All right, chefs, coming up on 10 minutes here.
[Geoffrey] Chef Kristie, how you feeling?
Oh, you know, I feel like this round's goin' a lot faster.
I see you temped your pork. Are you okay with that?
[Kristie] Yeah, I think so. I'm giving a little bit of time to rest.
I'm so impressed with these home cooks because,
they are cooking and working,
the way professional chefs do in this kitchen.
[Amanda] I mean, these are truly, students of Chopped.
It's a masterclass in cooking.
It's a masterclass in what not to do,
and in funky, weird ingredients.
[Matt] One thing I've learned from watching Chopped
through the years is, making sure you have
a textural component on the dish.
I'm gonna make a herb gremolata.
-I'mma steal some of that from ya. -[Matt] Yeah, that's fine.
So, I started off by toasting some bread crumbs,
added a little Parmesan,
lemon zest, salt and pepper.
Where's the Parmesan?
[Ted] All right, chefs, you have five minutes to get it done.
That went fast.
[Geoffrey] Five minutes. Make sure the temps are right.
[Matt] You guys doin' all right?
-[Kristie] No. [chuckles] -That's a rough one.
[Kristie] To say the least, no.
I make broccolini at home, pretty often.
I know, I'm up against the clock, so I'm just gonna
saute it in the pan with some butter, garlic
and red pepper flakes.
[Ted] Two-minute warning, chefs.
-Red pepper flakes. -I got it.
Dang girl, we using the same stuff.
-Are you surprised? -No. [laughing]
[Jem] I'm gonna turn this gummy bear into a sauce for my pork.
It's super sweet.
So, I'm gonna balance that out with vinegar.
And also, a little spice.
[Ted] One minute to go, chefs.
[Geoffrey] All right, Matt, how you doin'?
I'm gonna be cutting it really close.
I'm rushing again.
I can hear the judges yelling,
I gotta go, I gotta go, I gotta go.
[Scott] All four ingredients, all four ingredients.
[Amanda exclaiming]
This is it.
-[Kristie] Towels? -[Ted] All right, clean up those plates
-and make 'em pretty, chefs. -[Kristie] Paper towels are under the fryer also.
[Ted] Ten... nine...
eight... seven...
Oh, my gosh.
-[Amanda] Five... four... -[Geoffrey] No, no, no. Sign the painting.
-three... -Sign the painting.
[Ted] Two... one.
Time's up!
Whoo!
-Guys, we did it. -Yeah.
-Good job. -Yeah.
[sobbing]
Being here is so much harder than I've ever imagined.
I'm hoping the judges will see my creativity shine.
You know, I put a lot of like, acid, heat, salt all over.
[Matt] The thing I'm worried about my dish,
is the ragout didn't get as thick as I wanted.
It needed to cook a little bit longer.
But I think this will be hopefully enough
to me through the next round.
Chopped fanatics, your entree round ingredients,
a giant gummy bear, pork crown roast,
broccolini and cheese puff mac and cheese.
All right, Kristie, please tell us what you made.
Today, I made a
grilled pork chop,
with a sweet and savory broccolini,
and a three-cheese mac and cheese.
When did you start cooking, Kristie?
I have a big Greek family on my dad's side,
Irish on my mom's side, so.
I definitely have memories of sitting on the counter,
stuffing grape leaves with yiayia
as far back as I can remember.
Can I just say one thing.
Oh, God.
-Money. -[exhales]
Whoa!
Look at that. Look at that.
Forget about it.
[laughing]
That is gorgeous.
-Thank you. -You know how many professional chefs
we get in this kitchen, and they cannot do this.
-Seriously. -Thank you.
[Scott] When you cooked this mac and cheese,
the pasta itself,
-did you put salt in the water? -Yes, I did.
[Scott] I think you needed more.
-More, okay. -[Scott] Yeah.
Because it permeates the pasta and in this case,
you have a lack of salt on the pork chop,
lack of salt on the pasta itself.
This is just screaming for salt.
I'm wondering though, why you took your red wine reduction
and put it on your broccolini.
-I was hoping it would be over here with the pork chop. -[Kristie] Mmm-hmm.
Because that sweetness would've gone really well
with the char from the grill.
Sure. Okay.
[Ted] All right. Next up, Matt.
Chefs, I made a...
pork and pancetta ragout,
with cheesy puff polenta
and then herb gremolada on top.
Who's your favorite judge, Matt?
So, my favorite judge is, uh, Chef Geoffrey Zakarian.
-So, uh, you know, I've been a big fan. I love his style. -[Scott] All right.
My wife has a thing for silver foxes.
-So... -Whoa.
I'm just hoping my hair comes in just like that.
I'll tell ya. I'll give you some tips how to do that.
I love polenta. One of my first dishes
at a restaurant I owned,
was polenta with wild mushrooms.
And I had to be taught how to make polenta,
'cause I really didn't know how to make it.
And I think it got a little gummy here.
Uh, and it needs more cheese, more butter,
so it reads polenta.
[Matt] Right, thank you, chef.
[Scott] So, I think you did a lot of good things.
I think the usage of the broccolini with the ragout
I think is really nice.
We're judging you like you're pro chefs,
-because that's how you're cooking right now. -[Matt] Mmm-hmm.
-That gummy bear has such a distinct flavor... -[Matt] Yeah.
...and I think adding it with the ragout that has,
strange gummy bear flavor, tomato paste...
-Yeah. -[Amanda] ...and then lemon zest.
-They just feel like they don't belong. -Yeah.
It's what's happening in my palate.
-That's what I'm getting. -[Matt] Yeah, yeah.
Makes sense. Thanks, chef.
Finally, Jem.
Hi, chef, um, today I made for you,
Katsudon-inspired cutlet with a pasta coating,
and then the broccolini with gummy bear glaze.
If you were to win here, what would you do with that 10k?
[Jem] I'm gonna start a food truck--
-Oh, wow. -[Jem] ...um, because I'm
a huge believer that fast food doesn't have to be,
um, unhealthy.
It could be home-cooked. Um, and I know, in Charlottesville,
we really need a Filipino food truck.
I saw you being flustered by that gigantic crown roast pork,
and you actually butchered it well.
They're very even cuts.
I love the idea of the macaroni that you took
and you ground down to a powder.
[Amanda] But if you had put it
through a strainer, you would have had something that isn't raw.
Like, I don't know if you've ever eaten raw spaghetti.
I used to do it when I was a kid.
-[chuckling] I would take the spaghetti-- -All the time.
-Just chew on it, right? -All the time.
But that's... What's happening here is
these raw pieces of pasta are not really edible.
But I love the broccolini.
It's cooked perfectly,
I wanna eat it all.
Thank you, chef.
I feel, really,
a little discouraged.
The whole pork crown just completely threw me off.
But I think
I should totally move in the next round,
because I can grow from my mistakes.
[Matt] I'm not feeling as comfortable as the appetizer round.
There's definitely a lot more critiques and criticisms this time around.
There's gonna be some tough decisions
that the judges will have to make.
So, um, hopefully I'm the one that isn't on the chopping block.
[Ted] Only two Chopped fanatics
get to make dessert.
So, whose dish is on the chopping block?
Chef Jem,
you've been chopped. Judges.
[Amanda] Jem... [exhales]
You took that cheese puff mac and cheese pasta,
coat your pork crown roast,
and it just wasn't cooked enough.
And so, we had to chop you.
Thank you so much for having me.
I know I didn't win, but it's...
I feel like a million bucks for being in my favorite show.
-Yes, you should feel good about it. -[Jem] And competing
-alongside you guys. -[chuckling]
[Ted] It's been a real treat for us.
I cooked my heart out tonight.
Thank you.
I'm gonna keep watching Chopped,
and keep rooting for
the next Chopped Champion.
Thanks for doing this with us, Jem.
-[applauding] -[Jem] Bye, guys.
[Scott] I hope you guys know how to make desserts.
-[Matt laughing] -[Scott] Yeah?
-We'll figure it out. -What don't we want?
Bread pudding.
-Bread pudding, yeah. -We want desserts.
I feel like it's head to head with me and Kristie.
We both have made great dishes.
She cooked that pork chop to a T,
so I think, uh, this round's gonna be the one that determines it all.
I have a feeling I'm gonna win.
I've been a fan for a long time,
and I've got my eyes on that prize.
[Ted] All right, well, may the best fan win.
Open 'em up.
-Oh. [chuckles] -[exclaims]
-[both laugh] -[Ted] And you'll be
rocking out desserts, using an epic milkshake.
[Kristie] Oh, there's all kinds of treats on there.
-[Ted] Strawberry carbonated candy. -Carbonated candy. Oh.
Love a little pop, that's gonna be difficult.
Or really fun, you never know.
-[Ted] Cricket flour. -Cricket flour.
[chuckles] What?
I love crickets.
-Oh, my gosh, it is-- -[Ted] And durian.
[Kristie] Oh, no.
-[Matt] It's, like, known for for smelling really bad? -[Kristie] Yeah, it smells--
-Yeah. -[Kristie] ...like feet or something bad.
They didn't take it easy on us at all.
-Uh, no, no. -[laughs]
-Come on. -This was way worse
-than I was expecting. -[laughs]
-This is awful. -[Kristie laughs]
Thirty minutes once again on the clock.
Time starts now.
-[clapping] -[Amanda] Go, chefs!
-Fanatics! -This is it!
-[Geoffrey] Fanatic finale! -[Amanda] Show us what you got!
Finale fanatics.
Right behind you.
[Ted] Well, judges, one ingredient smells like feet.
Argh. [chuckles] Spiky.
[Ted] And the other's made of ground up insects.
Ew. [laughs]
What could possibly go wrong?
[laughing]
[Amanda] Durian is a classic Chopped kitchen trap.
Oh... [retches]
-It's already open. -Man, the texture of it is just
-nasty, though, yeah. -[Kristie] The texture is the worst part for sure.
[Amanda] It does taste cheesy, though. It does have
a aged cheese vibe.
That's not nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be, to be fair.
[Geoffrey] My advice is
use as little as possible to get the point across,
and bury it in as much fat and sugar
as humanly possible.
[Kristie] I don't hate that.
The texture is definitely very bizarre. That creaminess,
but also kind of stringiness is, is a little off putting.
So, I'm thinking of, like, a cheese cake filling.
I take all of these crazy things
off of this epic milkshake,
and just get that milkshake base out of there.
Watching the show,
always make a little bit more than you need, in case you make a mistake
and you need to go back and redo something.
I'm making a durian and apple cheesecake empanada.
Trying to move very quickly, there's a lot going on here.
[Matt] Do we have a, like, a grater?
-Yeah, it's up there. -[Matt] It's up there? Oh, I see.
Why am I helping you?
-[laughing] -Thank you, thank you so much.
Now that I'm into the dessert round,
I am so determined to be the next Chopped champion,
I'm bringing it all in this round.
Being a super fan of Chopped,
I know that you wanna get to that ice cream machine first,
and you wanna get your ice cream in as soon as possible.
I mixed together the epic milkshake ice cream
with some more heavy cream and milk, to get a larger base.
Oh. [laughs] There we go.
I'm making a strawberry carbonated candy ice cream
with cricket funnel cake,
and an apple-durian crumble.
I put way too much butter in.
[Kristie laughs] You can never have too much butter.
[Matt] Yeah, actually put way too much in here.
[Ted] 15 minutes on the clock, chefs. Halfway in.
[Kristie] I'm freaking out. [chuckles]
Dessert is what we call "the great equalizer."
-Your worst-- -[Matt] How's it going?
-Wow. [laughs] -Your worst nightmare just arrived.
Oh, actually, you have another nightmare. Durian.
-Dare I say? -[Matt] Uh, I put in an apple crumble
-inside the oven right here. -You have an apple crumble going?
[Matt] Apple crumble. I thought the apple might help mask up
-the flavor, just a little bit. -Oh, my God.
-And the cricket flour? -[Matt] I'm gonna make a funnel cake.
So, I'm gonna do a little bit of the cricket flour inside of a funnel cake,
-just with, uh-- -You're making an apple crumble
and a funnel cake?
-[Matt] Yeah, yeah, trying to-- -You better get going.
-Why are you talking to me? -[Matt] I...
[laughs]
[Amanda] So, the cricket flour
is high in protein,
but it does have an aftertaste.
So,
I think, to make it work in a baked good,
- you need to mix it with flour, or sugar. -[Geoffrey] Chef!
-[Katie] Hi. -How you doing?
[Katie] I'm good.
-What's in here? -[Katie] Brown sugar.
-Brown sugar. -[Katie] Butter.
-[Geoffrey] Butter. -[Katie] Apples.
-[Geoffrey] Apples. -Teeny bit of balsamic.
-[Geoffrey] Balsamic. I love the taste-- -[Katie] Sugar.
-Durian -You have durian in there.
-Everyone's favorite, yeah. -My advice to you
is to hurry up.
[Ted] All right, chefs, coming up on 10 minutes here.
[Katie] So, I know I need a sauce for my empanadas.
I'm thinking of a strawberry sauce.
I can definitely work with
the strawberry carbonated candies with that.
[exclaims, laughs]
Expectations are high here, right?
This is their last round in the Chopped kitchen.
-Kristie... -Great taste,
-Kristie has. -[Amanda] Kristie has great taste.
-Huge fan of yours. -[Scott] Yes.
[Amanda] But she moves around the kitchen, like a pro chef.
And Matt,
he really didn't know how to cook, and he started cooking
after becoming a huge Chopped fanatic.
[Ted] And they're killing it.
[Katie] Argh. [laughs] Panicking.
Four minutes on the clock. Four minutes.
[Katie] Will these stay together?
Kristie, check your caramel on the stove.
[Kristie] Ah. Thank you.
Kristie added the strawberry carbonated candy into that and it looks like it burnt.
It is burnt.
Very burnt.
Definitely gonna have to redo that.
Kristie, check your caramel on the stove.
[Kristie] Thank you.
Definitely gonna have to redo that.
As soon as that burnt flavor's in there,
it's really hard to get rid of, so I know I just need
to pitch that and start over.
Gotta get these in, first though.
[Scott] So, Kristie is a little behind.
She burned her caramel
with the strawberries,
with the basket ingredient of the carbonated, uh, candy.
Kristie, you have to get those pies in the pan.
[Kristie] It's definitely not hot enough.
-[Ted] All right, let's go, fanatics. -[Scott] Let's go, fanatics.
[Ted] Two minute warning, right now.
[Matt] I'm starting to panic a little bit.
I wanna add some extra sweetness to my dish,
so I'm using the strawberry carbonated candy to make a syrup.
There's a lot on the line, right now.
I need to make sure I bring this home.
[Scott] Let's go, chefs, let's go.
[Geoffrey] One minute. One minute.
[Matt] One minute, heard.
Let's go, chefs, let's go. Get it done.
-[Amanda] Kris, Kristie, are you done? -[Scott] Let's go, fans.
[Ted] Kristie's still doing some final touches.
Oh, God, I'm so shaky.
I need to use this cricket flour,
and it's like a flour or powdered sugar,
so I immediately think cinnamon sugar.
Hey, that's not that bad.
[Ted] Here we go, chefs. Final seconds of the final round.
Ten.
Nine.
Eight, seven.
Six.
Five.
-Let's go, fans. -[Ted] Four.
-Fanatics. -[Ted] Three.
Two, one.
-Time's up. -Whoo!
-[Geoffrey] Wow. -Good job.
What a nice round.
It is what it is.
-[Matt] Yeah, good work. -[Kristie laughs]
-That looks awesome. -Looks great.
Kristie and Matt, three courses finished.
Appetizers, entrees, and now desserts,
made from an epic milkshake,
strawberry carbonated candy,
cricket flour,
and durian.
So, Matt, where did those ingredients take you?
What I made for you today, is a cricket flour funnel cake.
On top is a ice cream made with strawberry carbonated candy
and the milkshake.
And then also, a apple-durian crumble.
You made a funnel cake, a crumble, an ice cream, and a sauce.
-That's a lot for a dessert round. -Yeah.
[Amanda] I think it's really fun and whimsical.
So, the funnel cake is good. I don't detect the cricket as much.
I'm glad I'm missing the durian,
but am I... Is it in there?
It's, it's not much. I didn't wanna
overdo it.
[Geoffrey] When you rechurn ice cream... So, in this case,
you added milk, which changed the proportion of sugar...
-[Matt] Yeah. -...uh, to fat.
So, what happens is it gets icy.
I think you have some really good touches here.
And I think your sauce, also, is really good.
But I do think it needs a little bit more sugar
-across the board here. -Yeah.
Thank you, Matt. And finally, Kristie.
Uh, judges, today I made for you
a durian and apple cheesecake dessert empanada,
with a strawberry-basil sauce
and a cricket cinnamon sugar dust.
That durian is clearly in here.
Right? It is, it is in here.
But you tampered it down
with the sugar, with the bourbon,
with the butter, the cream cheese, and the apple,
has made it all really palatable. Good job.
-I like it. -Thank you.
[Amanda] I really like the sauce.
I like the fact that you brought basil into it
with the strawberry carbonated candy,
to, you know, bring some freshness in.
I would have loved if you'd just had that apple-durian mixture,
keep letting it go down, go down and down.
At the very end, throw a bunch of chopped fresh apples and stop it.
-Stuff it with that. -[Kristie] Oh.
Sure. Makes sense. Thank you.
Please give the judges a few minutes. Thanks.
Judges, those Chopped fans were determined to cook like pros.
How did it go?
Today was one of the most enjoyable days I've had.
-[Amanda] Yes! -They cooked like pros. They really did.
Kristie, she came out of the box really strong
with a nice slaw-like apple jicama radicchio
in a lime green goddess dressing,
and then this shrimp, that she coated
in dried squid salt and pepper.
Which I thought was really smart.
[Scott] I agree with you, Geoffrey,
but I feel like Chef Kristie should have peeled those shrimp
in order to make it stand up a little bit better.
Matt just excelled in the first round.
I mean, he made that beautiful vermicelli noodle with the broth.
The broth had a lot of flavor from the dried squid.
[Geoffrey] He actually made a mistake
by putting the dried squid in the broth.
So by the time you pull 'em out, like, you're chewing, like,
very rubbery dried squid.
I feel like Kristie's cook on that pork...
It was as good, if not better,
than any professional chef who's walked through this kitchen.
[Geoffrey] Yeah, I would agree. It's too bad,
'cause it didn't have any salt.
I'm on the fence with Matt's dish,
because the polenta needed so much more liquid and dairy in it.
[Geoffrey] But it was good and it was creative.
You look at the basket ingredients
and you figure out in all three courses,
who sort of came through with all the ingredients,
in a way that was more successful than the other.
[Kristie] I do think I could be the next Chopped champion.
I do feel like I might have edged Matt out, just a little bit.
[Matt] The dessert maybe was a little under sweet,
but overall, I was really happy with what I put up there.
This is gonna be very slim margin of who wins this one.
[Ted] So, whose dish
is on the chopping block?
[sighs]
[Ted] Kristie, you've been chopped.
-Judges? -[Scott] Kristie, I am
-so sorry-- -[Kristie chuckles]
...to have to deliver this news to you.
In your appetizer round,
the shrimp, uh, was cooked beautifully,
but you left the shell on,
and we lost that amazing dried squid salt.
In your main course round,
you had the best cooked pork. It was money.
But unfortunately, you didn't have a lot of seasoning on that pork.
And so, we had to chop you.
Awesome, thank you guys so much.
This has been such a dream come true.
-Amazing, amazing opportunity. -[Amanda] Thank you.
-[Kristie] Thank you, guys. -It's just so fun having you here--
-[chuckles] -[Scott] Thank you.
-I'd do it any time. -[all laughing]
-[Scott] Let's hug it out. Come on. -[Kristie] Oh, my goodness.
-[chuckles] Thank you so much. -[Scott] Thank you.
[Kristie] I mean, being a Chopped super fan, making it
into the dessert round in itself, is amazing.
As a chef today,
I feel extremely accomplished.
Chef Kristie.
Oh, that has a nice ring to it. [laughs]
-[Matt] You did great. -Thanks, man.
-Aw. -[Amanda] Congratulations.
[both chuckle]
-[all applauding] -[Amanda] Yeah!
Thanks, guys.
[Ted] And that means, Matt Houck, you are
the Chopped Champion,
and all your years of Chopped fandom
have paid off in a big way, $10,000.
-Congratulations. -Thank you guys so much.
-Whoo! I can't believe it. -[all applauding]
-[laughs] -[Matt] Dream come true. Thank you so much. Wow.
Whoo! I can't believe I'm the new Chopped champion.
[Scott] Great work.
[Matt] This win shows that you can learn a lot from watching Chopped.
To everybody watching at home, you really never know what you can do
until you get in there and try it.
And I think Chopped' s the epitome of that.
[all applauding, cheering]