Chopped is one of television's more popular food competition shows, and one of my favorites that I recently rediscovered. I found myself down and out with sickness recently and threw on a marathon on Food Network and thought to myself, "This is awesome. Why did I ever stop watching this show?" It took a few episodes to sink in, and slowly but surely, I realized how often this show makes me want to scream at my television.
Not every episode of Chopped is the same, but there are recurring issues that spring up again and again across episodes that can make a viewer want to rip their hair out. There are few shows on television that can captivate and frustrate me in a way that Chopped can, and as impressive as that is, I probably won't be binging it with my Max subscription anytime soon.
I Hate When Mystery Ingredients Are The Primary Gripe Of Judges
The mystery ingredients of Chopped are one of my biggest pet peeves whenever they come out. I get cooking with a rogue ingredient and how that keeps a talented cook on their toes. What I don't understand is when I'm watching the top chefs of Mexican food compete, and they have to work an ear of gummi corn or a duck testicle into their appetizer.
And then we get to the judging, and they're like, "Oh, this salad is great, except for one thing." Of course, their gripe is going to be the pieces of gummi corn that are scattered amongst the arugula and balsamic. It's like, the show needs to either choose an ingredient that can be controversial but viable in the theme of the episode, or give the judges a bit of understanding that it'll be hard to incorporate that ingredient. When stuff like that happens, it truly makes me question if the baskets really are made with purpose, as Ted Allen has suggested.
The Chefs Talking To Each Other In The Room Between Rounds Is Painfully Awkward
I have a lot of gripes when it comes to Chopped, but if there's one part of the show that I absolutely cannot stand, it's the deliberation round. While I'm fine with hearing what the judges have to say about the dishes, I wish we could leave the segment with the chefs talking out of the segment. Nine times out of ten it's just one chef being self-deprecating over some big error they made, and everyone just sitting in silence not knowing what to say.
I don't blame them in the slightest! If I was in an episode of Chopped and a guy is upset because his wonton filling completely drained out of the wrapper ahead of serving, I'm doing cartwheels on the inside because I might've gotten a free round of advancement over it. Thankfully, this is really only a problem when it comes to most of the older episodes in rotation, as it seems like it's been phased out of most of the newer episodes.
No One Ever Gets Enough Time
The restaurant business thrives on expedience, so it tracks that Chopped would require the chefs to whip something up within twenty minutes. With that being said, in a restaurant, people don't come in and hand the chef three quality ingredients and one random ingredient and start the timer. Part of the reason chefs are able to work fast is because there's a menu, and they know how to prepare everything on it.
Even for an experienced chef, it's absolute madness to ask Chopped contestants to create something quality in twenty minutes. Personally, I would even be fine if maybe cooks could have five minutes to ponder what they're going to do with the dish. I think the result is we'd see a lot more inventive stuff from round to round, and maybe even a higher quality of presentation than we already see.
I Don't Like When Contestants Try To Get Cute With Ted Allen
Let's get one thing straight right now. Ted Allen is the absolute king of cooking competition presenters, even if Guy Fieri's massive contracts may say otherwise. He's the glue that holds this show together and the guy who keeps things moving. I have great respect for Allen and what he does, which is why I get so mad at the beginning if I hear a chef try to get cute with him.
If Ted Allen tells you to be careful because you might get chopped, and your response is, "Sure, Ted," I'm swinging at my screen. This man is not here for banter and playful jabs! He has a job to do, and it's captaining the chaos that is an episode of Chopped. Work on your meal, and leave Ted out of it.
The Camera Cuts Are So Chaotic
Chopped is not the only cooking show that jumps the camera around and does frantic cuts when chefs are on the clock, but I feel like it takes things to another level. Tell me why this is the only cooking competition that I watch in which I feel like there's just as much pressure on me as there is with the people competing? I legit get anxious watching meals be prepared, and I've even winced when a mistake is made.
I blame the chaotic camera cuts for this. It gets my heart rate up, and all of a sudden, I'm on the verge of an anxiety attack in the third round. Chopped doesn't need to change a thing about this. It's probably more of a personal problem that I have. With that said, if anyone out there has ever found themselves in the same situation, you have my deepest condolences.
Winning Feels Like A Mix Of Luck And Skill
You need to be a damn good chef to be on Chopped. This isn't a competition for casual cooks, and at the speed that they're asked to compete, it wouldn't be safe for some untrained average Joe to hop in there and mix things up like they're Bobby Flay. With that said, when everyone participating is a professional, a lot of episodes seem to fall down to the winner succeeding through luck.
Ultimately you have to make it to the final round of Chopped without making any major mistakes, outplaying three other talented chefs, and winning the favor of the judges. You can be the most talented chef in the world, but ultimately this competition has a bit of luck injected into it due to the nature of how it is. All that to say, not all Chopped champions are built the same, and the quality of wins may vary from episode to episode.
Chopped airs on Food Network pretty regularly, or you can binge it at any time over on Max. It's one of many cooking shows on streaming, though not one I'd suggest for people looking to improve their cooking. Those looking for that should definitely check out our list of food shows if you're trying to cook more.
