Ep 13. Star Power: The Last Laugh!

In this exciting episode of Chopped, titled "Star Power: The Last Laugh!", four celebrity contestants compete for the chance to win $10,000 for their chosen charity. The celebrities for this season are actors Tommy Davidson, Melissa Peterman, Kate Flannery, and Jarrod Spector.

As the episode begins, the contestants are greeted by host Ted Allen and judges Maneet Chauhan, Aarón Sánchez, and Geoffrey Zakarian. The judges explain that in each round, the celebrities will have 30 minutes to create a dish using four mystery ingredients, with one chef being eliminated after each round. The judges will evaluate the dishes based on taste, presentation, and creativity.

For the first round, the contestants are tasked with creating an appetizer using tofu skin, salmon roe, fiddlehead ferns, and an Italian liqueur called Aperol. The celebrities use their culinary skills to create unique and delicious dishes, with some opting for a more traditional approach while others take risks with bold flavor combinations.

After the judges taste and evaluate the dishes, one celebrity is eliminated, leaving three contestants to move on to the main course round. The remaining celebrities are surprised to find that they must use a special ingredient for this round - beef tenderloin specially flown in from Japan.

The celebrity chefs quickly get to work, incorporating the tenderloin into dishes along with blue cornmeal, litchi fruit, and a spicy condiment called zhug. Again, the judges evaluate each dish based on taste, presentation, and creativity.

As one more celebrity is eliminated, the final two contestants move on to the dessert round. Here, they must use corn nuts, lychee syrup, fresh figs, and a surprise ingredient - edible gold leaf.

The remaining contestants work hard to create stunning and unique desserts, using the gold leaf to add extra flair and drama to their plates. The judges taste each dessert, evaluating them based on taste, presentation, and creativity.

Finally, the winner of the $10,000 prize for their chosen charity is announced, and the remaining celebrities cheer on their fellow contestants. With great food and exciting competition, "Star Power: The Last Laugh!" is a thrilling and entertaining episode of Chopped.