3. While there are three judges in each episode, the competing chefs have to prepare four plates.
“We need the fourth plate, because if someone gets chopped I have to have a plate underneath the cloche when I lift it, and you don’t want a plate that’s already been half-eaten, so that’s the main thing,” Ted continued. “Also, we take close-up shots of that fourth plate. By the time we’re done with that fourth plate, it’s about two and a half hours after it was cooked, and it’s been sitting out at room temperature, so no one’s going to eat that.”
4. Even though viewers hear only a few minutes of critiques, the judges actually spend a lot more time deciding who progresses in the competition and who goes home.
“Judging takes probably about 15 minutes per round, 15, 20 minutes, and we film it, but you only see little moments of it,” Ted added. “Sometimes there has been [an] argument about who should win, which is why we have three judges instead of two or four. So, there can’t be a tie, and those arguments have gone on for 30 or 45 minutes, but usually it’s…often very close….I have to say it’s actually really hard.”
5. And no matter how you dice it, it’s a long day of filming.
“A #Chopped episode takes about 9 to 12 hours to shoot,” Ted tweeted in 2024. “Themed episodes take longer than regular ones, and tournament episodes do, as well.”
