In a celebration of foods from the Veneto region of Italy, famous for its hearty yet elegant cuisine, the chefs showcase what they know about making amazing Venetian dishes. A strikingly strange ingredient in the first basket threatens to throw them off their game, while using polenta to best effect in a half-hour entree round is a tremendous task. After two ambitious chefs set out to leave an impression with their pear and cheese desserts, the judges will have to decide who has secured a spot in the Battle Italiano finale!

Four chefs get inspired by Italy's "olive oil capital" as they create coastal cuisine from Puglia. In the appetizer round, a chef's mistake causes a big stink in the kitchen -- literally, and an imposing protein takes up a lot of space in the entrée basket. In the dessert round, a tough basket that includes cactus creates a prickly situation for the final two chefs.

Four chefs focus on the fabulous food of Tuscany in all its fresh, humble, sensational glory. In the appetizer round, the judges wonder whether the chefs will manage to make good choices while dealing with a super-lean meat in the basket. Then, issues of confidence and competence plague the chefs in round two, and two chefs inspired by an Italian cookie tray -- and their desire to score a spot in the finale -- race to make amazing final plates!

The four winning chefs return for the Battle Italiano finale, where they'll represent their regions and fight to take home the Grande Campione's $25,000 prize! The baskets are anything but standard issue, and the appetizer round features pizza in a tube! Emotions run high in a dramatic entrée round with just three chefs left in the epic tournament. Then, unfamiliar ingredients in the dessert basket promise to keep the two finalists on their toes!

The chefs go overboard when it comes to making gloriously gluttonous food. In the appetizer round, three chefs compete for their time with the fryer. Steak in the second basket is a welcome surprise, but the chefs struggle when the rest of the basket becomes a challenge. Then, the last two competitors pull out all the stops with gummy candy and cinnamon roll desserts.

In an exuberant Pride-filled competition, extra-large personalities and seriously good food are sure to make it a meal to remember. In the first round, the energetic chefs turn PB&J pancakes into fantastic appetizers. Then, a rainbow-themed ingredient in the entrée basket is not a sunny surprise, and ice cream machine drama in the dessert round has the judges on the edge of their seats.

Four chefs will have a nose-to-tail tale to tell after finding a biggie piggy surprise in the appetizer basket and get a bit overzealous pounding pork for their entrée. Then, the final two competitors are tickled pink by the discovery of pink pineapple in their dessert baskets and try to do it justice in their final plates.

Four Southwestern competitors take the reins in the Chopped kitchen, and the baskets are packed full of ingredients from America's most arid and untamed lands. A cactus product and a comfort food casserole stand out in the appetizer basket, while a spicy surprise forces the competitors to bring the heat in the entrée round. Then, a special flour in the dessert basket could prove to be inspiring or intimidating for the chefs.