Chopped

- Season 34

(2017)

Ted Allen, Jeff Mauro, Jet Tila and Chris Santos compete with their moms; the teams strive to carefully crack quail eggs; a large fish and some lemons make up the second basket; the final two duos find ways to use blood oranges and walnuts.

Contestants make sausage appetizers that must also include a fruity beverage; an open-faced sandwich meets a diminutive veggie in the entrée basket; the two competitors left to grill dessert face a boozy marshmallow and a bag of nuts.

The chefs work with a potato theme, with spuds of some kind in every basket; chefs must incorporate two tater products into their appetizers; in round two, chili fries find their way to a blender; sweet potato pie meets toffee in the dessert basket.

Four fathers join forces with their grown-up kids to make their families proud with collaborative dishes. A cookie in the first basket gets a laugh, but the salmon in the entree basket creates problems for the duos; an unusual flavor of gelato presents a challenge in the third round.

The chefs take on seafood and boozy veggies in the first round, goat chops in the second round and then finish off with cheese and vegetables in the dessert round.

Chefs must make lamb appetizers that include a trendy toast; poultry and snap peas are part of the round two challenge; competitors do their best with fruits and a fermented beverage in the dessert round.

The chefs imagine they're making a memorable meal for a backyard party. Burger fixings, minus the beef, force the competitors to get creative in the entree round. Then, a clever centerpiece meets a crunchy snack for dessert.

A dough typically used for flatbreads and a strong-tasting melon in round one; a different dough is at the center of the second basket, prompting the competitors to bake again; the final basket features a marshmallow spread and lemon balm.

In the first battle, Alton demonstrates the science behind smoking foods, and the chefs are encouraged to infuse every dish with smoky flavor; tiny radishes and a strangely savory cookie are in the mix for round one.

Dehydration is the theme for the second battle in Alton's Challenge series. Chefs must make quick use of instant mashed potatoes in the first round; and scramble to make dehydrated eggs work in their final plates, in the diabolical dessert basket challenge.

The wonders of molecular gastronomy; making a powder from a fat, the problem with transparent ravioli; lamb cooked with a modernist method and new age noodles; a cake that looks and tastes like a drop of water for dessert.

To kick off round 1, Alton demonstrates the mad science of champagne and the competitors embrace a fermentation theme; a Japanese specialty is the talk of the entrée round; an unusual cake inspires some unusual choices in the dessert round.

Four champions return to fight for $50,000; in the first round, a small fish and a strange condiment puzzle the champs; a stunningly presented protein and a jar of something stinky are in the entrée basket.