TEENS HEAD INTO THE KITCHEN TO COMPETE IN SPECIAL "CHOPPED" TEEN TOURNAMENT

Premieres Tuesday, July 15th at 10pm ET/PT on Food Network

NEW YORK - June 5, 2014 - Sixteen talented teenagers bring their extreme energy and ambition to the Chopped kitchen, with Chopped Teen Tournament premiering Tuesday, July 15th at 10pm ET/PT on Food Network. In this special, five-part stunt, sixteen culinary whiz kids are aiming for perfect appetizers, entrées, and desserts, as they navigate through three rounds. The teen cooks are given ingredients that could stump even top professionals, with a rotating panel of the Chopped judges, including Amanda Freitag, Alex Guarnaschelli, Marc Murphy, Chris Santos, Geoffrey Zakarian and special guest judge Alex Stupak determining who gets chopped each round. The winners from each episode will head to the finale on Tuesday, August 12th, with a chance at winning the grand prize of $25,000 plus a culinary school scholarship. In the end, only one will be named the first-ever Teen Chopped Grand Champion!

Don't miss all the action after the premiere on July 15th, as Chopped After Hours returns for a special Teen-themed webisode on FoodNetwork.com. Join in on the fun as Chopped judges Scott Conant, Amanda Freitagand Aarón Sánchez head into the Chopped kitchen to see if they can tackle the appetizer round ingredients from the first round of the Chopped Teen Tournament.

Episodes include:

Premiering Tuesday, July 15th at 10pm ET/PT - PREMIERE! "Teen Tournament: Part 1" Four very talented young cooks compete for a chance to move on to the finale and win $25,000 and a culinary school scholarship. The Chopped kitchen has never before been filled with this much raw talent, unbridled energy, or wide-eyed enthusiasm! In the appetizer round, the first group of cooks must work with lamb loin chops and kale chips. Perhaps surprisingly, the teen chefs seem less than happy to get French fries and cookies in the entrée round, with one competitor on edge about whether a special addition to her plate will get cooked in time. And when the final two kids open the dessert baskets to find a frozen treat, will they meet the challenge and transform the ingredient into something new and delicious? Competitors: Alexandria Brooks, Ashley Dudley, Jason Khaytin, Jay Urena Judges: Amanda Freitag, Marc Murphy, Geoffrey Zakarian

Premiering Tuesday, July 22nd at 10pm ET/PT "Teen Tournament: Part 2" Intensity and energy abounds in the second part of the Teen Tournament! The judges are sure to be impressed by this fresh group of young competitors. Cleaning shrimp and slicing jalapeños are the first order of business in the appetizer round. Then the teen chefs have to hop to it when they find out they have to cook frog-leg entrees in 30 minutes for the entrée. And in the dessert round, an iconic New York cookie must be combined with a popular nut. Competitors: Lucy Felong, Dante Foggy, Eyan Goldman, Mikayla Layng Judges: Amanda Freitag, Marc Murphy, Geoffrey Zakarian

Premiering Tuesday, July 29th at 10pm ET/PT "Teen Tournament: Part 3" The Teen Tournament excitement continues with this thrilling third part! Four new teens enter the Chopped kitchen with their sights set on becoming a champ and winning a spot in the Finale. Will they think dandelion greens are a dandy ingredient for the first round? The fryer is in high-demand in the entrée round, featuring Cornish hens. And in the dessert round, the ice cream machine is the kitchen toy of choice. Competitors: Max Aronson, Hannah Bukzin, Tommi Rae Fowler, Brandon Medley Judges: Alex Guarnaschelli, Chris Santos, Alex Stupak

Premiering Tuesday, August 5th at 10pm ET/PT "Teen Tournament: Part 4" Four more very skilled teen cooks fight it out in the Chopped kitchen for the last remaining place in the Finale. In the appetizer round, salsa verde is a very fresh surprise. Then in an intense entrée round, the competitors do their best with cous cous and buffalo, and one teen chef must stay strong as she attempts to complete her plates after a big set-back. And popcorn balls and gummy fish are paired up in a sweet dessert round. Competitors: Jake Diamond, Morgan Goldstein, Antonio Jubela Gordon, Sequoia Pranger Judges: Alex Guarnaschelli, Chris Santos, Alex Stupak

Premiering Tuesday, August 12th at 10pm ET/PT "Teen Tournament: Part 5" In this finale of the first ever Chopped Teen Tournament, four amazing champs from the previous competitions return to see which one will take the tournament and the grand prize: $25,000 and a culinary school scholarship! In the first round, there's a spectacular sea creature shocker in the basket. For the entrée round, a classic kids' snack adds some fun to basket. And when the last two remaining teens face-off in the dessert round, the ice cream maker stirs up an interesting encounter between the competitors. Judges: Amanda Freitag, Alex Guarnaschelli, Alex Stupak

# # #

FOOD NETWORK (www.foodnetwork.com) is a unique lifestyle network, website and magazine that connects viewers to the power and joy of food. The network strives to be viewers' best friend in food and is committed to leading by teaching, inspiring, empowering and entertaining through its talent and expertise. Food Network is distributed to more than 100 million U.S. households and up to 35 million unique web users monthly. Since launching in 2009, Food Network Magazine's rate base has grown tenfold and is now the second largest monthly magazine on the newsstand, with over 11.6 million readers. Headquartered in New York, Food Network has a growing international presence with programming in more than 150 countries, including 24-hour networks in the United Kingdom, Asia, and the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region. Scripps Networks Interactive (NYSE: SNI), which also owns and operates Cooking Channel (www.cookingchanneltv.com), HGTV (www.hgtv.com), DIY Network (www.diynetwork.com), Travel Channel (www.travelchannel.com) and Great American Country (www.gactv.com), is the manager and general partner.