Food Network Announces New Show CHOPPED: SWEETS SHOWDOWN

Ted Allen hosts this new high-stakes dessert tournament for the ages in the five-episode stunt, Chopped: Sweets Showdown, premiering Tuesday, October 1st at 9pm ET/PT on Food Network. In each episode four chefs have a sweet-themed ingredient in their mystery baskets that they must use through three rounds to create different dessert iterations with a limited amount of time. A rotating panel of Chopped and special guest judges, including Florian Bellanger, Valerie Bertinelli, Maneet Chauhan, Scott Conant, Amanda Freitag, Alex Guarnaschelli, Marc Murphy, Chris Santos, Martha Stewart, Sylvia Weinstock and Zac Young, determine which chefs from each heat will move on to the finale for a shot at the $50,000 grand prize!

"When thinking of decadent items such as cake, chocolate, doughnuts and ice cream, an enjoyable and indulgent dessert comes to mind, but having these items added into each rounds' mystery baskets that the competitors must seamlessly incorporate into their dishes makes for an epic showdown that pushes the chefs outside their comfort zones to solve this sweet-themed culinary puzzle," said Courtney White, President, Food Network.

In the premiere episode the chefs must work with chocolate as the main sweet ingredient in each round. Spicy booze and a book filled with bonbons are in the mix for the first round. An oversized beverage meets a stinky cheese in the second basket, and the third round features a can of something that could give the competitors reason for concern, as they seek to make chocolatey showpieces that will get them to the finale. Additional featured sweet ingredients include cakes, doughnuts and ice cream, where in a Chopped first, all four competitors have their own ice cream machine to work with during each round, as milkshakes, ice cream sandwiches and sundaes are on the menu. The four winners from the preliminary rounds face off in the grand finale with the last chef standing walking away with sweet bragging rights and $50,000.

Fans can get an exclusive look at Chopped: Sweets Showdown at FoodNetwork.com/Chopped. Get a behind-the-scenes look at the competition, learn more about the Chopped judges, and follow the competition using #Chopped and tell us what your sweet tooth is craving.

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