From the front lines to the Chopped kitchen, sixteen military chefs are ready to put their culinary skills to the test in the new five-part tournament Chopped: Military Salute hosted by Ted Allen and premiering Tuesday, April 25 at 8|7c on Food Network. With precision, speed, and persistence, chefs from the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines will cook their hearts out in preliminary heats as they vie for the chance to compete in the final showdown. The chefs must bring their culinary arsenal as they showcase their cooking knowledge and techniques over three rounds – appetizer, entrée, and dessert - while using the mandatory basket of mystery ingredients to create delicious dishes to impress a rotating panel of judges, including Air Force veteran Sunny Anderson, Scott Conant, Cliff Crooks, Alex Guarnaschelli and Marc Murphy. Then, it’s a twist in the grand finale, as the finalists, each representing their branch of the military, join forces as a team to cook against a different Chopped judge in every round including, Eric Adjepong, Tiffani Faison and Amanda Freitag, for a chance to win up to $75,000 for a charitable cause and the title of Chopped Champion. Commemorating this spectacular final showdown, a special VIP guest visits the Chopped kitchen to surprise and celebrate the competitors.

Over the course of the tournament, the chefs bring their fighting spirit and elite cooking techniques they have learned from traveling the world. During the Marines preliminary battle, the competitors must figure out how to make something that’s normally, “ready to eat,” ready for the judges. Other episodes feature the Air Force chefs attempting to make delicious meals with a tangy sauce and a snappy vegetable, Navy chefs getting creative to make French fries work with pineapple, and Army competitors incorporating festive shakes into hopefully winning desserts.

Get a sneak peek each week at some of the mystery basket ingredients, learn the judges' ultimate tips and tricks for mastering the Chopped kitchen and meet the new competitors at FoodNetwork.com/Chopped. Follow along with the competition on social media using #Chopped.