Four chefs face a three-round culinary battle where pasta is found on every plate. They start off the carb-tastic competition by making pasta appetizers that include pea tendrils and a fatty, delicious fish. A common vegetable causes some surprising problems in the entree round. Finally, a huge, sweet surprise in the final basket gets the judges excited for dessert.

An ingredient basket containing squab kicks off an action-packed first round in the Chopped kitchen. As the chefs endeavor to make great entrees in round two, they must break down a large fish and figure out what to do with a sweet beverage. Cookie mix in the dessert basket seems like a breeze, but the variety of cookie mix may give the competitors pause.