Chopped: Volume 1

The chefs are alarmed to see one of the ingredients in the appetizer basket staring back at them. Yet, that "heady" ingredient isn't the challenge. In the entree round, one chef finds himself unexpectedly playing with fire.

Chopped fans logged onto Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter to suggest the ingredients for this Viewers' Choice competition, resulting in possibly the cruelest baskets ever that prove to be quite a challenge for the competitors.

The chefs open the first basket to find ingredients inspired by Australia, including one that has everyone's jaw dropping. In the entree round, one chef makes ambitious plans. Will everything come together before time runs out?

With a pre-grilled protein and dried fruit in the first basket, the chefs attempt to make a great first impression. Jitters in the second round cause one chef to drop something on the floor. Will she be able to pull it together?

Four talented moms who are not professional chefs take on the Chopped Kitchen. In the first round, the competitors have to break down an uncommon protein and figuring out how to make coffee a key part of their appetizers.

Amateur chefs yearning to compete in Will they be sorry when they open up the first basket and find a daunting sea creature? Then in the entree round, an unfamiliar tuber challenges the competitors.

The usual rounds of appetizer, entree and dessert are replaced with breakfast, lunch and dinner, and the judges are hoping for pure decadence! Will the competitors rise to the occasion and make plates that the judges will adore?

Hup, two, three ... four chefs who have served in the Army or Navy compete in the Chopped Kitchen. In the appetizer round, a freeze-dried surprise in the basket has the chefs scrambling to add much-needed flavor to their plates.

Four chefs with incredible weight-loss stories charge into competition. In the first mystery basket they find a fatty protein that challenges them to stick to their healthier-food philosophies.

Chefs show off in the appetizer round by creating four unique interpretations of mussels with saffron. In the entree round, the baskets contain a particularly daunting protein. Will they have the knowledge to treat it correctly?

In the first round, the chefs discover various creative ways to combine peppers and pork. The judges wonder why one chef makes a strange, last-minute decision. Then in the entree round, they wrestle with a heart-stopping protein.

From dried mushrooms and golden beets to wheatgrass and cranberries, meatless ingredients are the order of the day for vegetarian and carnivore chefs. But will honey wreak havoc with a vegan chef's dessert?

Energetic chefs hit the ground running in the appetizer round, but one chef runs into the worst trouble with their currywurst dish and must be chopped. Berries and oats meet up in the final basket.