“Chopped” is leaving the kitchen for “Chopped Castaways,” a new Food Network competition series that values a chef’s survival skills as much as their culinary prowess.
Hosted by Ted Allen and featuring judges including Gabe Bertaccini, Maneet Chauhan and Marcus Samuelsson, the eight-episode series will debut May 12 at 9 p.m. with a premiere featuring 12 elite chefs stranded on a remote island.
Per Food Network, “Battling the elements across two grueling cooking rounds each week, competitors must build a working kitchen from basic supplies, earn their signature Chopped ingredient baskets through intense physical challenges, and cook entirely over open fire.”
Each episode of “Chopped Castaways” will open with survival-driven physical challenges (archery, spearfishing, diving in the ocean and digging in the sand) that will help chefs to secure ingredients for round one. The season will begin as a team competition before moving into an individual battle format, “raising the stakes as the chefs fight to outlast their rivals and claim the $100,000 grand prize,” according to the series’ description.
Episodes will first air on Food Network and be available for streaming the next day on HBO Max.
While there’s no formal connection here with CBS’ “Survivor” (just some obvious inspiration), it’s worth noting that Paramount Skydance’s pending acquisition of Food Network parent company Warner Bros. Discovery means “Chopped” and “Survivor” could soon be within the same family of brands.
“’Chopped’ is a series beloved by fans because it consistently delivers the high-stakes competition they crave,” Food Network president Betsy Ayala said. “With ‘Chopped Castaways,’ we take that familiar formula of ingenuity and creativity and push it to the next level, challenging some of the most talented and resourceful chefs to battle the elements and approach the baskets in ways we’ve never seen before—all for an epic $100,000 prize.”
“Chopped Castaways” is produced by Notional LLC for Food Network.
