Another has their standard eggs swapped for one, huge ostrich egg. Yep, first they have to sculpt a make-shift knife and spoon before they can even start prepping.

One rival is given Reynolds Wrap in place of utensils. Other times these items just throw metaphorical arsenic into a foe’s recipe for success. For example, the highest bidder can purchase “the sole right to taste” or “the only chef allowed to fry.” Sometimes these items provide one chef with an advantage while adding injury to his or her opponents. Before and during the show’s three rounds, the competitors are given opportunities to use this money to purchase what I like to call “specialty items” at auction. These stacks of cash are intended for that-less-than-friendly purpose I mentioned. If you aren’t familiar with this series, it’s where “sabotage isn’t only encouraged, it’s for sale.”Īt the start of each episode, super-host Alton Brown hands four chefs $25,000 each. Whether it’s Chopped or Cupcake Wars, I love to see what chefs will prepare under pressure with less-than-ideal ingredients. For me, culinary artistry paired with some sort of outlandish rivalry is the perfect mix.