Ep 2. Cleaver Fever

In episode 2 of season 16 of Chopped, titled "Cleaver Fever," four new chefs enter the kitchen ready to compete for a chance at the $10,000 prize. The contestants are challenged with creating three courses using a basket of mystery ingredients, which include items like sea urchin roe, Froot Loops cereal, and pig head. The judges for this episode are Marc Murphy, Maneet Chauhan, and Scott Conant.

After the chefs open their baskets and assess their ingredients, they get right to work. Some of the chefs are confident in their plan while others are scrambling to come up with ideas. As they begin cooking, one chef's dish quickly goes awry, leaving them with limited time to salvage their creation.

As the chefs race against the clock to finish their dishes, they face a number of challenges including one chef who risks overcooking their fish and another who has to come up with a creative use for a particularly unusual ingredient. As the clock ticks down to the final seconds, the chefs plate their dishes and present them to the judges.

The judges are impressed with many of the dishes, which include a uni and dashi-infused pasta, a Froot Loops and bacon crusted lamb chop, and a unique take on a PB & J dessert. However, the judges do not hold back when they critique the dishes that fall short. In one instance, a chef's dish is deemed too sweet, while another chef is called out for overcooking their fish.

After evaluating all three courses, the judges must select the chef who will be chopped. In this episode, the decision is a difficult one, as all of the chefs put forth strong efforts. Ultimately, however, one chef's dish is deemed the weakest, and they are sent home.

As the remaining chefs move on to the dessert course, tensions are high as they compete for the final elimination in hopes of making it to the end and being named the winner of Chopped season 16.

Overall, "Cleaver Fever" is another exciting and suspenseful episode of Chopped that will keep viewers on the edge of their seats. The mystery ingredients and time constraints add an element of surprise, while the judges' critiques offer valuable insight into what it takes to create a successful dish.