Ep 1. Web Stars

In Chopped season 31 episode 1, titled "Web Stars," four internet culinary stars compete for a chance to win $10,000 and the title of Chopped champion.

The competitors are Marianna Hewitt, a lifestyle influencer and founder of Summer Fridays skincare; Amanda Frederickson, a cookbook author and recipe developer with over 150k Instagram followers; Justin Taylor, a chef and content creator with nearly 1 million TikTok followers; and Tahira Hayes, a food blogger and recipe developer with over 50k Instagram followers.

In the first round, the chefs must use cotton candy, baby kale, smoked salmon, and rainbow chard in their dishes. Judges Scott Conant, Amanda Freitag, and Maneet Chauhan are impressed with the creativity and flavor combinations, but one chef's dish falls short and they are eliminated.

For the entree round, the remaining chefs must work with bone-in pork chops, green garbanzo beans, preserved lemon, and Japanese eggplant. The judges are looking for dishes that showcase the pork chop while incorporating all of the required ingredients. One competitor's dish is too salty, and they are sent home.

In the final round, the two remaining chefs must create desserts using cinnamon rolls, black cherry soda, creme fraiche, and raw honeycomb. The judges are impressed with the unique flavor combinations and presentation of both dishes, making it a difficult decision to choose the winner.

Tune in to Chopped season 31 episode 1 to find out which web star will come out on top and take home the $10,000 prize.