Chopped Junior

When the young chefs must butcher and cook snakes in the appetizer round, will they be too squeamish to let their skills shine through?

The junior chefs encounter pigs' ears and potatoes as they strive to impress chefs Katie Lee and Chris Santos and actor Alan Thicke. Then, soup and truffles make for strange basket fellows in the entree round.

The young chefs have a chance to get messy with sloppy joes in round one, red pesto and white turnips and the entree round, then finish up with a yummy bacon apple pie in the final round.

A serious seafood challenge plus a healthy frozen dessert are two of the ingredients that the young chefs face out of the gate. Major setbacks in the dessert round keep the finalists working furiously on their dishes.

Hot dog pasta is the most peculiar find in the junior chefs' appetizer baskets. The odd combos continue in the second round with s'mores French fries, plus a difficult-to-prepare protein that is definitely new to the young cooks.

Orange noodles and a red paste are among the colorful ingredients that the young chefs must address in the entree round. The two finalists must find ways to turn Italian pudding and sushi-shaped sandwiches into original desserts.

The young cooks get some expensive seafood in the first basket and struggle to make the most of valuable time. Then, figs and fancy peaches must make it to the dessert plates.

The young chefs set out to make pleasant pheasant dishes in the appetizer round, then the entree basket features something gummy and some yummy ducks. For dessert, one of the competitors must quickly come up with a backup plan.

The young chefs get 30 minutes to cook minute steak in the appetizer round. Breaking down a bird is part of the challenge in round two, along with figuring out what to do with some cool ketchup.

Some cheese and a spreadable protein are part of the round one challenge. A strange pink pickle keeps the kids on their toes in the entree round, and in the dessert round, a marshmallow mishap makes the judges want to help.

The young chefs find odd gifts from the sea in the appetizer basket. In the entree round, something sweet and something bitter make for a balancing act. Then, chocolate ravioli desserts are a challenge in a hectic final round.

In round one, the junior chefs have to do their best with duck and some wild-flavored cupcakes. They all take different routes with the snapper in the entree basket, then the finalists find a playful pie in the dessert round.

With gory surprises in every basket, the costumed competitors have much to fear and $10,000 to gain in this Halloween showdown.