With 40 seasons under its belt, its no wonder that Chopped is one of the most popular shows on Food Network. Its a fast-paced cooking show, with a ton of drama, lots of interesting characters, and a bunch of octopuses, all rolled into a neat, one-hour package. But, nothing is quite what it seems on the surface, especially when were talking about a TV show. As you probably guessed, Chopped isnt as free-flowing as it seems — and a lot of the things that seem to make it extra challenging, dont happen that way at all. Lets take a deep look at how Chopped, and what its really like, both for the judges and the hopeful contestants.
In the same interview with Tasting Tables, Vignola said that the competition is completely real. They don’t stop and start throughout the rounds to try to look for the perfect shots. “It’s very much like real kitchen life, and you have to just make it happen,” he said.
It takes 14 hours or more to film an episode
Just watching Chopped can be a bit exhausting, especially when you start sympathizing with the chefs on screen. But its even more intense than you think, and according to former contestant Kathy Fang (via Delish), chefs are in for a non-stop, 14-hour day that starts when they get to the set at 5:45 am. Theyve already been up and at em for a while, too, as they have to be ready to go on camera — there are no stylists waiting for them.
Of course, how long the day is depends on how far you make it. If youre chopped early, youre still there until the afternoon. Fang says those that make it to the final round are filming until around 8 or 9 p.m., and then, there are still those interview segments to film. That can take another hour to an hour and a half, meaning theres a good reason they might look exhausted.
The judges aren’t as bad as they seem
Some of the critiques can be so brutal youre cringing from the safety of your couch, but according to the judges themselves, its not all hammer-of-judgement type stuff on set.
“I get totally edited,” Amanda Freitag told POPSUGAR. “Im funny behind the scenes. Im funny sometimes with the chefs. I think they capture those moments when Im being stern.”
She says its hard to be intimidating and hard to keep a serious face on through the judging, and that side of her is only about 20 percent of her personality. She also says the judging isnt always about being, well, judgmental, and she has plenty of fond memories of the stories that moved everyone to tears, and the food that blew everyone away. The judges know how tough Chopped really is: Freitag has competed, and says its harder than Iron Chef.
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FAQ
How much of Chopped is staged?
Is the show Chopped rigged?
Do Chopped contestants get paid if they lose?
Do the contestants on Chopped know the ingredients beforehand?