Four Southwestern competitors take the reins in the Chopped kitchen, and the baskets are packed full of ingredients from America's most arid and untamed lands. A cactus product and a comfort food casserole stand out in the appetizer basket, while a spicy surprise forces the competitors to bring the heat in the entrée round. Then, a special flour in the dessert basket could prove to be inspiring or intimidating for the chefs.

Shell-shocked, the chefs must crush open crustaceans in every round to make sensational seafood meals that will float the judges' boat. In the appetizer basket, the chefs uncover a royally special seafood surprise, but a more basic ingredient could trip them up. Then, big ambitions in a tight time frame might mean trouble for one of the chefs, and the judges wonder if a risky plan in the dessert round will pan out.