Chopped Junior

- Season 7

(2017)

In the first battle, the champs get a French delicacy and a crunchy snack; one competitor, who never cooked pork tenderloin before, finds it in the second basket; the champs' pantry picks in the dessert impact the judges' critiques.

A new group competes to see who will advance; an infamous ingredient appears in the appetizer basket, then steak could be a gift or a challenge for the cooks; the two young cooks, who get to make dessert, must use a tangy fruit and deep-fried treat.

The youngest group of champions get seafood and pork in the appetizer round; chocolates in disguise throw the junior chefs for a loop in the entrée basket; coffee with dessert makes sense, but they must also use chili flakes in their desserts.

Four young cooks compete for the last spot in the grand finale; slender peppers and some rolls are part of the appetizer round; chefs make a guilty pleasure snack work in their venison entrees; the dessert round leaves much to consider.

The first basket includes a rather wild jerky and a protein that most Americans have never eaten; the second basket has cream puffs and a strange ketchup; the final round of the tournament calls for some kid-friendly bubbly.

When the junior chefs encounter alarmingly outlandish surprises in every basket, will working with weird ingredients stop them from cooking at their best? A swamp special must be combined with a spicy frozen dessert in the appetizer round. Peppers and puffer fish tails are in the entree basket. Finally, the kid chefs get a Scandinavian pancake for a dessert-round shocker. Food Network Star finalist Martita Jara guest judges with chefs Marcus Samuelsson and George Mendes.