Chopped: Alton's Challenge - Season 1

Alton Brown is taking over the Chopped Kitchen for an epic, five-part tournament! To kick off the appetizer basket, Alton demonstrates the mad science of champagne and the competitors embrace a fermentation theme. A strange, stringy Japanese specialty is the talk of the entrée round, and an unusual cake inspires some unusual choices in the dessert round.

On a quest for $50,000, four new, bold chefs take on the Alton's Challenge baskets. The first four chefs bravely take on his challenge, where Alton demonstrates the science behind smoking foods, and the chefs are encouraged to infuse every dish with smoky flavor. Tiny radishes and a strange savory cookie are in the mix for the appetizer basket. Alton then whips up a signature smoked item for the second basket, and an exotic drink is the smoky component in the dessert basket.

Dried and true! In this third Alton's Challenge battle, there's a dehydration theme for the baskets and Alton demonstrates a home hack that makes removing moisture from food a breeze. The first basket has the chefs making quick use of instant mashed potatoes. Then, an Alton specialty is one of the mandatory ingredients for the entrée round. In the dessert basket, diabolical ingredients have the chefs scrambling to make dehydrated eggs work in their final plates.

Modern magic! Four new chefs explore the wonders of molecular gastronomy in Alton's Challenge battle. Making a powder from a fat and clearing up the problem with transparent ravioli are some of the struggles in the appetizer basket. In the entrée round, the chefs get lamb cooked via a modernist method and some new age noodles. And a "cake" that looks like a drop of water -- and tastes like one too -- gives the last pair of chefs a perplexing puzzle to solve for dessert.

Expect the ultimate in brainy, zany baskets from Alton Brown, as four Challenge champions return to battle it out for $50,000! Ingredients harken back to the themes of preliminary battles: molecular gastronomy, smoke, dehydration, and fermentation. In the appetizer basket, a small fish and a strange condiment puzzle the champs. A stunningly-presented protein and a jar of something stinky are in the entrée basket, and Alton makes a grand entrance in the dessert round to demonstrate the science of one of the ingredients, before an unprecedented turn of events unfolds.