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A new pool of competitors.
Season 29 doesn't bring back past winners — it opens the basket to a different contestant pool entirely, teenage cooks competing across a five-part tournament stretch. New territory for the format, not a rerun of an old swing.
A rhythm worth tracking.
Thirteen episodes weave a five-part Teen Tournament through the standard format, swapping the usual pool of adult chefs for teenage cooks across that stretch. It's a different kind of departure than a returning-champions block — a change to who competes, not just who's already won. The locked basket, three-round structure, and Ted Allen's hosting hold steady underneath. Its finale lands just days before the next season's premiere.
The #06 slot.
Slot #06 of 36 in the Chopped Editor's Canon. Season 29 earns its slot for trying something genuinely new rather than repeating an old success. The Teen Tournament doesn't reuse the returning-champions formula — it changes who gets to compete at all, testing the format against a younger contestant pool for five episodes. That's a real swing, distinct from anything Season 2's lineage has already proven, and it lands on an almost entirely clean calendar, with only a brief five-day overlap at its own finale. The standard episodes around the tournament run exactly as the format always has, so the departure reads as an addition rather than a disruption. It ranks just below Season 28's bigger, more familiar swing.
4 moments, no spoilers.
- Teen Tournament episodes · a different cast
Five episodes swap the usual adult-chef pool for teenage cooks, a genuine change to who's standing at the station. Watch how the format holds up against competitors this age.
- Standard episodes · the format, unchanged
The non-tournament hours run exactly as the format always has — new adult chefs, closed-door pressure, no history with the basket. Watch how the two contestant pools sit side by side.
- Basket reveal · the same four ingredients
The mystery basket doesn't loosen its rules for the younger cast. Watch the reveal for the same four-ingredient constraint the format has held since Season 4.
- Season close · late September 2016
Season 29 closes out in late September 2016, just days before the next season premieres. Watch this run as the format's first real experiment with who gets to compete.