Rules Chopped Contestants Have To Follow On The Show
Cooking competitions have skyrocketed in popularity over the years, and one of the long-standing favorites on Food Network is "Chopped." Each episode brings four chefs together to compete in three rounds, each containing a box of mystery ingredients. The contestants must prepare an appetizer, an entree, and a dessert over the course of those rounds, and their dish must include those mystery ingredients. And no, the ingredients are usually not your typical chicken and rice pantry staples. Think of more uncommon ingredients like plantains, or unlikely pairings like chocolate and flank steak. Your dish is then presented to a panel of judges, and contestants are eliminated one by one until there is one champion left at the end.
Like any other competition series, there are a series of strict rules every contestant needs to follow, which starts with the application process and continues through the time that the episode finally reaches the air. While some of these rules may seem like no-brainers, there are actually quite a few that the show would prefer to not disclose to keep the mystery alive. Today, however, we are peeling the curtain back to shine some light on strict rules that every single "Chopped" contestant has to follow.
They must go through a tedious application and interview process
Like most television competitions, every potential contestant vying for a spot on "Chopped" must complete an application and interview process. There are certain criteria each applicant must meet that go beyond basic age requirements. The producers of the show are looking for chefs with good background stories that would captivate an audience (because that makes for better television). According to Thrillist, the application is actually quite long and tedious, with all sorts of questions to try and gauge how the individual would perform under pressure in the "Chopped" kitchen.
Once the questionnaire is complete and submitted, the producers will reach out to the chefs who have piqued their interest and will ask them to take part in an on-camera interview. According to Thrillist, the individual who applied to be on "Chopped" is asked another series of questions that have to do with their background, their cooking, and what they would do with the prize money. After that interview comes the worst part in the application process: the waiting. Some applicants are chosen as backup contestants and are still required to report to set, in case something were to happen to one of the regular contestants such as an injury that would prevent them from competing (via Thrillist).
The time limits are real, and there is no stopping
One of the most thrilling components of watching a cooking competition is the timer that the contestants must strictly adhere to when preparing their dishes. But it makes you wonder if, during the heightened drama of producing an entree in just 30 minutes, the timer ever has to pause. After all, "Chopped" is a television show, and surely there are moments when cameras or lighting need to be repositioned, right?
You may be surprised to hear that once that timer begins, there is no stopping, and the contestants are truly under a strict time limit. The contestants must make their dishes using the mystery ingredients in the allotted time, and if they miss any components, there are no do-overs. That said, there are a few things that are manipulated for the contestants' benefit prior to the clock starting. For example, though "Chopped" would never tell you on air, ovens are pre-heated and water is pre-boiled so the contestants do not need to stand around and wait for their tools and appliances to be properly prepared. That way, they can focus solely on the task at hand: assembling the best dish possible.
Contestants must prepare for long filming days
While each "Chopped" episode is one hour long, filming just one of those episodes is an all-day affair. If a chef is selected to compete on the show, they must prepare for filming days that go longer than the standard eight-hour shift. In fact, Host Ted Allen told Food Network that filming days take around 12 hours from start to finish. Call time is also quite early, with one contestant sharing with the AV Club that their filming day began at 6:00 a.m.
While the time limits for each round are real and the exact length that audiences see on television, a lot more goes into filming an episode that can take several additional hours. The production team may need to re-film certain components, such as ingredient or dish reveals. Judging also takes much longer than what you see on television. In each episode, viewers only see a few seconds of the judges' critiques, but in reality, the judges will review every component of the dish, which can add up to well over an hour for each contestant (via Statesman Journal). This all adds up to a very long day on set, so if you are selected to be a contestant on "Chopped," make sure your calendar is clear of any other commitments.
There is no indication prior to filming what the secret ingredients will be
The thing that sets "Chopped" apart from other cooking competitions is the box of mystery ingredients. Each round, contestants receive a different set of four ingredients that must be included in their dish, and oftentimes, the ingredients may not appear to be likely complements of one another. Under a strict time limit, chefs must come up with creative and tasty dishes using those ingredients. But with ingredients that may not seem like they go together, part of the competition is simply coming up with a dish that can work.
In order to keep things fair for everyone, contestants have absolutely no idea what the secret ingredients are prior to arriving on set. Ted Allen shared with Food Network that the surprise element that comes from opening the mystery box is totally legit, and it is an intentional component of the show. Oh, and another thing about that strict timer that the contestants must adhere to: it starts the moment the mystery box is open and the ingredients are revealed, so there is no additional time for the contestants to plan out their dishes. That all must be done on the fly, and the secrecy of the ingredients only adds to the pressure.
Some acting is required
While "Chopped" is an absolutely legitimate competition show with real time limits and level playing fields, it is still a television show that has to excite viewers and draw them in episode after episode. If the contestants were boring and not at all compelling, that would not make for good TV. So the contestants that are selected to be on the show have to have a baseline level of charisma, and acting chops won't hurt, either.
According to Statesman Journal, just the simple act of opening the mystery box can take several different tries, with the ingredients cloaked in secrecy until it is time to actually begin cooking. So, the contestants may be asked to react in shock and awe several times before actually seeing what the ingredients are. In fact, according to an interview with Vice, host Ted Allen discloses that reaction shots of the contestants are done at least a couple of times to get different angles and to capture various emotions that the editors can go back and string together. Contestants are all asked to do various interviews throughout the filming day as well — oftentimes at the end of the day, after the cooking is done — and the interviews may not necessarily go in the same order that you see on television. So the contestants cannot let on how they performed in each round during these interviews.
Expect interruptions while you are cooking
"Chopped" contestants have to be prepared for anything and everything. After all, they have no idea what they are going to be cooking when they arrive on set first thing in the morning. Beyond expecting the unexpected when it comes to ingredients, they also must be open to curveballs being thrown their way while they are preparing their dishes.
One former contestant shared with the AV Club that host Ted Allen would approach the chefs in the middle of rounds to ask about what dishes they were preparing and that he was intentionally trying to see if he could distract the contestants. Another contestant shared that in early seasons, pantry items were moved around after the contestants toured the set to intentionally confuse the chefs in the middle of cooking (though they claim that the practice no longer happens). And, of course, injuries can arise (via Food Network), and the timer is not stopped. So contestants have to be prepared for just about everything in the middle of an already stressful situation, including the fact that there are cameras and production equipment all around them.
Contestants cannot speak to judges before filming
For many chefs, competing on a show like "Chopped" is a huge professional milestone, not to mention an exciting opportunity to be on television. Prominent figures in the culinary and television world are featured in the episodes, including Alex Guarnaschelli, Maneet Chauhan, and even Martha Stewart. As tempting as it may be to talk the judges' ears off while you are on set, there is a very strict rule contestants must follow: They are not allowed to meet the judges prior to the first round (via the AV Club).
As it turns out, keeping the contestants and judges separate prior to the first round of judging is for everyone's benefit, and it is just as much a rule for those three judges as it is for the chefs competing on the show. The judges, after all, have to remain impartial and they cannot pick favorites prior to tasting the food, so the two parties are kept sequestered until the very last moment.
Chefs can bring their own knives
On "Chopped," contestants have an entire professional-grade kitchen and pantry at their disposal, with every kind of appliance and gadget you could imagine. While the chefs need not worry about making sure there are enough pots and pans to go around, the show supplying the equipment is also a way to make sure the competition is as fair as possible.
That said, there is one category of tools that the contestants are allowed to bring from home, and that is a knife set (via the AV Club). Knives are uniquely individual to each chef, with various preferences and time spent getting to know the tools over the course of one's career. It only makes sense that what is arguably the most important piece of cooking equipment can be from your own personal collection when you compete on "Chopped." Beyond that, however, everything is provided by the production, including the workspace itself, with one contestant marveling at how big it was compared to the average size workspace in a restaurant kitchen (via AV Club).
Some of the bigger appliances must be shared
Each "Chopped" contestant is given their own workspace to prepare three rounds of dishes (via the AV Club). At each workstation is all of the equipment — including pots, pans, and an array of tools — a chef may need to cook any possible combination of ingredients. There are also enough large appliances, like ovens, that the contestants do not need to share. However, not all of the appliances are so readily available, and that was an intentional decision when assembling the "Chopped" kitchen.
According to host Ted Allen in an interview with Food Network, there is only one infamous ice cream machine for a very specific reason. The producers of "Chopped" like a little drama, and oftentimes during the dessert round, contestants want to incorporate ice cream into their dishes. Allen claims that one ice cream machine is plenty for two contestants in a single round, but of course, that assumes everything goes smoothly with whoever gets to the machine first (which is not always the case). There is also only one air fryer, and it all adds to the pressure that contestants are under while the clock is ticking.
Contestants have to prepare an extra plate
With three judges to impress, contestants prepare three separate dishes, with each one including the mystery ingredients revealed in every round. In addition to the dishes that the judges will eat and critique, however, there is a fourth plate of food that the chefs are required to prepare (as if three plates were not stressful enough).
The reason for the fourth plate is simple: The "Chopped" team needs a dish that can be photographed and filmed. No one gets to eat the fourth dish, as it can take hours to film all of the B-roll footage needed in each episode. Another detail you may not have noticed is that there needs to be a fourth dish so that when host Ted Allen reveals which contestant has been eliminated, the dish underneath the cloche cannot have any bite marks or have been partially eaten by one of the judges (that would just look bizarre). In an interview with Food Network, Allen also reiterates the fact that by the time the filming of the fourth dish is over, several hours have passed, so it would not necessarily be the best idea to feed that plate of food to anybody, especially the judges.
Contestants must sign a strict nondisclosure agreement
Episodes of "Chopped" are filmed well in advance of the dates when they will actually air, so a considerable amount of time may pass between finding out the results of the episode you are in and the rest of the world learning whether or not you came out victorious. While it may be tempting to spill the beans to your family and friends the moment you leave the set that evening, the show takes extra precautions to make sure no spoilers get out ahead of time.
When you agree to be a contestant on "Chopped," the show has you sign a strict nondisclosure agreement. The fine for violating the NDA could be as high as a cool $75,000 according to E! News. It can take several months before your episode reaches the air, so a contestant's patience is truly tested. However, the cost of breaking a contract is a bit staggering, so you may be better off forgetting the episode even happened and letting your family and friends be surprised during your "Chopped" watch party (everyone has a watch party, right?).