Chopped Season 54, Episode 16: Fiesta Mexicana

Noodle-palooza

Four chefs who specialize in all things noodles compete in a delicious battle to make a beloved food out of this world. A spicy surprise means the noodle appetizers might come with a kick, and an extra special coffee makes an appearance for dessert.

42 min

Casino Royale XL: Battle One

The chefs tempt fate when they are given the risky option to switch out their ingredients, and everyone is shocked when one competitor decides to keep an extra strange one. A wild turn of events leaves a chef with an ingredient nobody saw coming.

42 min

Casino Royale XL: Battle Two

Four more culinary gamblers have high hopes as they arrive for a preliminary battle of an extraordinary tournament event. The chefs unanimously agree to give one appetizer ingredient the boot and debate on using an odd cotton candy creation in the entrée.

42 min

Casino Royale XL: Battle Three

In the first basket, something super-sweet seems super problematic, so more than one chef decides to ditch it. Once the cooking gets started, some of the chefs find it difficult to stay focused while the clock ticks down. The chefs open the entrée basket to find a cured piece of seafood that doesn't seem like a piece of cake. When two passionate chefs make it to the third round, their fate in the casino has major ramifications in their desserts.

42 min

Casino Royale XL: Battle Four

With a spot in the tournament's grand finale at stake, the four chefs in this preliminary battle open their first basket to find something called "goat water." Then, a squirmy sea creature in the second basket doesn't seem like a keeper, but a risky switch could land something even worse. In the dessert round, an unpredictable moment leaves one chef awestruck, but it's anybody's guess how the competition will shake out after the last dishes are served.

42 min

Casino Royale XL: Grand Finale

The champs open up the final appetizer basket and come eye-to-eye with a shocking ingredient. Then, only one chef chooses to gamble away their finale entrée basket and are forced to deal with the consequences. Champagne in the dessert basket foreshadows the celebration that lies ahead for one of the competitors. With life-changing money on the line, every move matters and every mistake could mean the difference between becoming the grand champion or leaving as the runner-up.

42 min

Pig Candy

A pork theme is a true treat! The chefs get basket ingredients that make them feel like they've died and gone to hog heaven. Round-by-round, the competitor who's able to celebrate the pig the best in their dishes is bound to be the champ. A prized cut of meat is a nice head start for the chefs in the appetizer round, but they'll need to cook it perfectly to do it justice. Then in the entrée round, an offal surprise in the baskets leaves some chefs spooked. Donuts and an unusual nose-to-tail offering keep the chefs on their toes in the dessert round.

42 min

Blind Date Night

Meeting a blind date at a coffee shop is so passé! The Chopped Kitchen is the place to go when looking for love and the experience of a lifetime. Four pairs of chefs are set up on teams to compete against other lovelorn duos in an epic showdown, where sparks could fly in the heat of battle. Heart-shaped pasta and a flirty cocktail get things going in the appetizer round. As they cook up chateaubriand entrees, the couples find ways to connect, like doing shots in the pantry and discovering matching tattoos. A race to the ice cream machine in the final round adds some stress to the blind dates and has everyone wondering which duo can persevere under pressure and win.

42 min

Good Ole Creole Cookin'

An amazing blend of cultures, Creole cuisine is as comforting as it is complex. Four chefs who specialize in this cooking style are challenged to be creatively inspired by the basket ingredients. The judges are excited to chomp down on alligator meat in their appetizers, but the chefs seem overwhelmed by an imposing protein in the entrée basket. Then in the dessert round, the final two chefs struggle to settle on clear plans for the ingredients.

42 min

Gluten for Punishment

A fried ingredient is a bit of a head-scratcher for the chefs in round one

Flamin' Hot

With powerful peppers in every basket, four chefs learn that they'll get chilies increasing in heat for every round. After balancing hot and cold components in the entree, they'll have to use finesse to add one of the hottest peppers to their desserts

A Bunch of Abalone!

Four chefs with distinct personalities enter the Chopped kitchen on a quest to show the judges who they are and what they can do. In the first basket, they're not too thrilled to see a sea creature nobody has worked with before, and a fryer battle ensues. Steak in the entrée basket seems like a luckier draw, but the chefs will have to ace the doneness under pressure. Finally, a condiment made with worms is a squirmy surprise in the dessert basket

Uncommon Ramen

Four determined chefs may think that combining ramen with fruity cereal is their biggest challenge, but a serious injury leaves one competitor stunned. Then, the chefs must deal with a strange frozen food and show their point of view with meaty desserts

Wanna Pizza Me?

It's a pizza style showdown as four pizza pros race the clock in a battle for $10,000. In the appetizer round, the chefs discover that a notorious pizza topping is a mandatory ingredient, and dessert deals them one of the most controversial toppings ever

Fry of the Beholder

The chefs must fry and fly as they use the deep fryer or air fryer to make crispy, creative cuisine. First round jitters affect the chefs as they rush to fry up appetizers, and it's unclear whether everyone will remember to plate every basket ingredient

Ribeye on the Prize

When four competitors feast their eyes on the thinly sliced ribeye in the basket, they each take their appetizers in very different directions; in the entrée round, the chefs must incorporate a movie snack and a piece of poultry into their dishes