The Wholesome Fact Behind-The-Scenes Fact Alex Guarnaschelli Revealed About Chopped

Celebrity chef Alex Guarnaschelli is a much-loved chef and TV personality. She's been a part of the popular cooking competition show Chopped for several years and has consistently served as a judge, much to the delight of her fans. The chef has a solid background in TV as well as the culinary industry. According to Food Network, the chef has even won the coveted title of Iron Chef on The Next Iron Chef: Redemption. 

Plus, she's written cookbooks and served as executive chef in several prestigious locations, including New York City restaurants Butter and the Darby. She also takes her job as a Chopped judge rather seriously. She wrote in a Reddit AMA about how intense things can get on set and said, "Deliberations are often heated. We have definitely had a lot of rough moments on the set. Because emotions run strong. And we are all Alpha dogs." Phew, that sounds pretty intense, doesn't it? 

She also reflected on one of her most memorable moments on the show, talking about how a contestant took a major leap of faith and prepared panna cotta in just six minutes. Gulp. She explained, "It defied gravity, and all pastry logic, and was delicious. Not sure if they won. But damn it was good."

A curious fan took to Twitter to ask Alex Guarnaschelli about what happens on Chopped beyond the edited portion shown to viewers. They wrote, "I heard a chef on Chopped say she appreciated the feedback before departing. Do judges give detailed feedback and encouragement to those who are chopped?" Guarnaschelli had a simple but comforting answer: "Always."

This is, of course, extremely useful because it helps chefs work on their skills and improve as opposed to feeling like they were left in the dark while searching for answers on their dish. Another fan expressed their appreciation for the fact that the judges on the show choose to help out contestants with advice and wrote, "Thank you! I know, due to time, all we see is the one minute discussion before the contestant departs. I think it's great you all give great feedback!"

As reported by Insider, Chopped judges can spend as long as 15 minutes while discussing their thoughts with a participant. Ex-contestant John Lewis told Insider that contestants on the show can even discuss their concerns with the judges. "You do have the opportunity to explain yourself if you leave an ingredient off or if something doesn't come out the way you intended," he said.