What It's Like To Compete On Chopped, According To A Former Contestant

Anyone who has been watching Food Network cooking shows for any length of time knows that "Chopped" is among the greatest success stories this network has to date. Premiering in 2009, this competition show, hosted by Ted Allen, has filmed hundreds of episodes featuring talented chefs from all walks of life. These cooks face off against each other in three rounds, taking on a mystery basket of ingredients and the clock, and the winner stands to take home $10,000, bragging rights, and the potential for jumpstarting their culinary career.

While cooking shows like "Chopped" are a dime a dozen, none are quite as exciting or inspiring as the original, prompting many a chef to wonder how they might get their foot in the door and what competing might be like. To find out, we had the chance to interview "Chopped" alumnus Tatiana Rosana. The Cuban-American chef, who currently helms the Para Maria restaurant at The Envoy Hotel in Boston's Seaport, is a two-time "Chopped" champion. She had some fascinating insight into the behind-the-scenes workings of the Food Network series, from what the audition process was like to how mysterious the ingredients actually are.

Auditioning for any television show is an intense experience, but doing so for a culinary competition is something next level. Prospective contestants are often put through an elaborate vetting process that takes into account not just their cooking abilities, but a host of other factors you might not even consider as being important. While some chefs get selected based on an application process, Tatiana Rosana was among the lucky ones, hand-selected by casting agents based on her presence on social media.

"They initially sent me a request on Instagram ... asking me if I'd be interested in competing on Chopped," Rosana explains. "I said yes, and then the interview process really started." Among the key factors that were considered when conducting interviews with casting directors were culinary background, unique specialties, and, perhaps most importantly, personality. "They knew via my Instagram that I had what it takes on the culinary side," notes Rosana. "I think they just wanted to make sure that I had what it took on the personality side."

These interviews were recorded and submitted to Food Network producers, who took a couple of months to review them before deciding on the candidates that would make the final cut. Once this process was completed, Rosana received an email offering for her to come to New York to compete, and the rest, as they say, was history.

The roster of judges who have appeared on "Chopped" since its debut in 2009 reads like a veritable who's who of some of Food Network's favorite stars. Heavy-hitters like Scott Conant, Alex Guarnaschelli, Aarón Sánchez, Amanda Freitag, Marcus Samuelsson, Marc Murphy, and Geoffrey Zakarian have been splitting duties since the beginning, with others filling in as guest judges along the way.

When Tatiana Rosana first appeared on "Chopped," her judging panel included Maneet Chauhan, Chris Santos, and David Guas. She notes that the first time she met the judges was the moment she stepped out onto the stage. "It is quite intimidating because you don't have that face time beforehand to get the jitters out," she says. "You're seeing them in real time right before you're about to compete." This sets the mood for the whole competition.

When asked if she had a particular chef she was excited to encounter, Rosana quickly responded with Maneet Chauhan. "I think just her cooking philosophy, and how she cooks with her whole heart, and she's very family-oriented, and really linked to her culture really resonated with me," Rosana explained. "So, when I saw her, I was excited, but I was also freaked out because I know that she expects big bold flavors, and wanted really exciting cuisines."

Reality television often makes a spectacle out of the perceived conflict between contestants, particularly in competition-style shows. While things may appear to be heated on set, though, a lot of this cattiness is very much scripted and edited to make things appear more contentious than they really are. Tatiana Rosana distinctly recalls being baited about this during the interview process, where she carefully tried to avoid being mean-spirited, but was aware of the assignment at hand. "They don't want a big kumbaya moment because that just doesn't make good TV," she explains. "You're cooking, but people want to be entertained. So, I understood that side of it."

Once on set, things quickly turned amicable, however. "We all realized very quickly that we had something in common," recalls Rosana. "A lot of them were from Miami ... So, we quickly discerned that it was going to be a Cuban themed episode." Discovering this link made the situation more comfortable, though Rosana notes, "in the back of your head, you're like, I'm competing with these people, so as much as they are family, they're still my competitors." Striking the balance between wanting to win and wanting to stay true to your integrity was a delicate balance that Rosana navigated with grace throughout the process.

Perhaps the single most important character on any episode of "Chopped" is the mystery basket of ingredients. Each challenge is structured around the creation of a complete appetizer, entrée, or dessert using all of the ingredients included in the basket. This poses a unique challenge, particularly when the ingredients seem incredibly unlikely to pair well with one another. When asked if the mystery basket of ingredients was indeed a mystery, chef Tatiana Rosana responded with a resounding yes.

Before beginning the contest, the chefs are given a tour of the facility, ensuring they are familiar with the layout, including their equipment and where to find things like herbs and spices. This sets them up somewhat for success, but they still need some quick thinking to make sure they're able to conceptualize a dish on the spot and execute it in the time allotted.

As for any ingredients that specifically intimidated Rosana, she mentions that while the items included for her challenges were predominantly Cuban in origin, and therefore familiar to her, it was the surprising mismatch of foods that threw her off. "We had snapper and Cuban coffee. I've never thought about pairing fish and coffee before," she recounts, adding, "I didn't know how I was going to do it. So, I think the combinations were what was difficult, not so much the ingredients."

Time constraints and random ingredients aside, perhaps the greatest challenge to competing on "Chopped" is the sheer stress of it. Tatiana Rosana says that as an introvert with anxiety, "putting myself out there for essentially the world to see was very scary." The feeling that she needed to prove herself to everyone, combined with hoping to use the show as a platform, put her under a lot of pressure.

Once she got out of her own way and allowed herself to embrace the experience with open arms, things quickly shifted for Rosana. She subsequently got bitten by the competition bug, and it became a repeat performance. Not only has she appeared three times on "Chopped," but she's also appeared on "Beat Bobby Flay" and "Guy's Grocery Games." Each of these shows offers a distinct setup, but the challenges faced are equally as stressful.

Ultimately, the main reward of competing, beyond the monetary compensation and validation, was the exposure it afforded. As a queer woman with a Cuban background, Rosana saw herself as a beacon of hope for others like her, who are often underrepresented in mainstream media. "Chopped opened up so many opportunities for me," she says. "The number one reason I kept wanting to go back was just to have visibility as the person that I was for people who might not see themselves on TV."

When asked about her secret to success on "Chopped," Tatiana Rosana says, "Don't lose yourself in the process, remember who you are. I think that's the deeper answer ... you're literally competing against yourself and the clock. If you think about the other people, you're probably going to lose." Rosana goes on to reiterate that the time constraints can be a hurdle, but more so because contestants tend to second-guess themselves. "You're going to open the basket, you're going to have the first thing that comes into your mind of what you can do, and you have to stick with that thing," she cautions, "because any sort of hesitation is going to come across in your dish, and you're going to run out of time."

Competing on a show like this has taught Rosana confidence in her skills and her creative impulses, which has translated to a lengthy career. "I was second guessing myself less. It allowed me to move up in my career, and now becoming the regional culinary director," she explains. "I truly don't know if any of that would have happened if I wasn't on Chopped." Rosana advises anyone interested in competing to take advantage of any opportunities that come their way after being on the show. In the meantime, would-be contestants could hone their skills by planning a "Chopped" themed date night or simply re-watching their favorite episodes.