Chopped

Season 45 was a disappointment to be honest. So unfair to the chefs that are trying to win. I understand the judges work with each other but when they do a versus show with the judges, there needs to be unknown judges that judge the meal. 2 episodes back to back and I feel like the chefs got railroaded. Scott won against Michael which is BS and the one before that was BS. She dropped her sorbet and burnt her cookies but still won. Stop playing favorites with your friends and judge it honestly. You guys harp on the basket ingredients being noticed and Scott's ranch could t be tasted but he still won. I just feel that it was very unfair to the contestants. Just my 2 cents.

ONE ICE CREAM FREEZER!!!!!

Totally unfair. I watched this today at 5:00. Jen absolutely should have won. Alex dropped her ice cream burnt her cookies and Jen didn't set out to do Panna Cotta.... she was doing ice cream, bit you only have one machine?????? Don't get me wrong. I am a huge fan of Alex. You can tell on The Kitchen that the other chefs have almost a reverence for her. But in this case, especially, she got to the ice cream freezer first, but what did she do with that advantage? Absolutely nothing. If you had two ice cream freezers like you should, then you have a level playing field.

Shame on you!

In a world of fake reality television shows the simple idea of pairing 4 people up against each other competing for $10,000 while cooking offers more than most.

Being a bit of a foodie myself I really enjoy the mystery basket approach of secret ingredients. I find this show much more "real" than say Iron Chef America. The strict time limit and need to produce all 4 plates single handedly makes for more intense buzzer beater endings to each round.

The quick personal stories of each competitor in the beginning of the program set up each episode to give the viewer a sense of their expertise (or lack there of) as well as occupation. There have been teen chefs, stay at home moms, and military personnel.

The recent episode of accepting suggestions from social media sites was also a fantastic idea that I enjoyed as well.

My only suggestions to improve the show might be to add fan of the show to guest judge along side the professional judges from time to time. I would also like to see less "sob story" during the cooking portion of the show and focus more on the techniques and commentary from the judges. Also for those strange mystery basket ingredients I would like to hear more from the judges about what they know about it and how they might integrate the ingredient if they were competing.

Overall one of my top shows to watch each and every week.

1. If you appreciate creativity, you'll enjoy this show. 2. To think that you have twenty minutes to plan, prepare, execute and present an appetizer; thirty minutes each to do the same for an entrée and desert? 3. It makes me wonder, how many episodes were not aired because of the numerous contestants who could not finish. 4. Oh! and did I mention the mystery basket ingredients, usually one to a few of those have not been used before by the contestants. 5. Why not use liquid Nitrogen when making ice cream? It's so much quicker. 6. For special showings like the championship series, why not award the winners of each of the four episodes the usual $10,000 like the regular showings? Their prize shouldn't just be a spot in the final championship round. 7. I suspect the judges are bored and closed-minded, how about revamping the judging panel occasionally? 8. The judges inform contestants that they can use as little or as much of the mystery ingredients as they wish, yet when the cooks do that, judges have a problem with it. Where is the consistency?

A classic cooking show. They come up with some pretty creative basket ingredients, and I love theme days. If you like cooking competitions, this is a must watch!