Chopped - Season 3 (2009)

A chef decides to take a familiar route with beef but is challenged by an unfamiliar mystery ingredient. Will it work?

Just how the graham cracker crumbles in the Appetizer Round depends on how the chefs can recover from setbacks. One contestant struggles to plate after suffering a cut. Then in the Entrée Round one chef breaks a plate.

Tis the season to shake things up. The chefs learn that as an added challenge, their dishes must have a holiday theme. The mystery ingredients include venison and marshmallows.

Contestants find ways to incorporate zucchini blossoms into their appetizers. The judges are disturbed by how one chef disrespects the kitchen in the Entree Round. In the Dessert Round fresh chickpeas are in the mystery basket.

In this must-watch, unprecedented event four previous runners-up return to see who can save face and finally become the Chopped Champion.

The chefs race to get chicken wings cooked in time. Then in the Entree Round, the chefs have caught a break with catfish in the basket. For the Dessert Round they work with cherry tomatoes.

When the chefs make some unusual choices in composing soft-shell crab appetizers, the judges give them a chance to defend their dishes or graciously accept criticism.

The stoves are underutilized as the chefs show their raw enthusiasm for oysters. The entrées have the judges debating who successfully incorporated a funky-flavored fruit.

The chefs find themselves swimming against the tide when they have to combine fish with chocolate in the Appetizer Round. Then for the entrée course, the remaining contestants pull from their cultural backgrounds.

Calves' livers and ranch dressing begin the battle between the chefs.