Four chefs, three courses, only one winner...

Jeremy Duclut orig. France executive chef, Georges' in Philadelphia French

Peter Karpanagiotis Philadelphia executive chef, Prive controlled, composed

Barbara Esmonde Wynnewood, PA chef, Mediterranean Catering Mediterranean

Jeffrey Baruch New York City executive chef, London Lennie's seafood

You know the rules, you know the lifelines, let's meet the judges...

- Master of dynamic American cooking Geoffrey Zarkarian
- Gifted Italian cooking Jody Williams
- Modern Latin cuisine expert Aaron Sanchez

Round 1: APPETIZER (20 minutes). Your starter must have these ingredients... peas, peaches, and eel.

You have twenty minutes to put something together... Let's go!

Jeremy: Pan-Seared Eel with Braised Peas
Peter: Peaches & Cream Soup with Eel Essence
Barbara: Grilled Eel Filet with Peach Compote
Jeffrey: Asian Eel with Pea Salad

Jeremy's composing something French. Jeffrey's peach is NOT of the high quality, so he uses it as a vessel. Peter takes his eel out of the soup and then realizes... "What the heck am I doing? I'm going to get chopped." Barbara spends way too much time getting freaky with her eel. She has to get the eel on the grill. And she... loses her fourth piece. Jeremy and Jeffrey's dishes are coming along on schedule.

And... TIME! Step away. "GLADLY."

Jeremy's eel goes over well with the judges, but the eel is underdone. It's a little spicy with the chipotle inside.

Peter's soup is velvety and rich, but there's a monotony... BUT there's no eel essence in it.

Barbara seemed frazzled, but the eel filet was pretty well done with the peach. The peas worked better incorporated instead of on the side.

Jeffrey's dish is visually arresting, but the eel is cooked through. Jody, though, calls it amateurish.

Rough first round. The eel was a curveball. All of the chefs made some serious mistakes. One eel was raw. One was underdone, but fairly well, and one didn't have any eel at all. The first chef... to be chopped... is .... JEFFREY. He did had the tastiest eel, but the other ingredients were ill conceived. It lacked sophistication.

Round 2: ENTREE (30 minutes). Got through the appetizer. But now we need to unlock the potential of the dinner by unlocking the boxes of... shrimp... oatmeal... butternut squash... and umeboshi, a Japanese pickled plum.

Half an hour to get it right... Go!

Jeremy: Miso-Marinated Shrimp with Squash Risotto
Peter: Oatmeal Crusted Shrimp with Shrimp Sauce
Barbara: Oatmeal Crusted Shrimp with Squash Mash

Umeboshi is very salty, very tart, and a great accent. Peter decides to replace salt with it, and he thinks... could this round get any worse? He gets a nick on his finger. Barbara also nicks herself. Safety first, chefs.  Jeremy is adding umeboshi to his marinate.

Barbara decides that the glove is a hindrance, so she whips it off and tosses her salad... by hand. And did we mention that she hasn't cleaned her shrimp yet? With a minute left to service, Peter decides to make a salad.

And... TIME! On a photo finish, no less.

Peter's melange of oatmeal and squash is interesting. A lot of great things happen with the plate, but there's no sauce. When you have something breaded, you need a sauce. But it's a good departure from the first dish.

Barbara's shrimp is lovely. The look is rustic. The squash is perfect. But they couldn't overlook the cut on her finger and decide to wisely pass on the salad.

Jeremy's dish is "excellent" and "full of flavor". Aaron thought there was a lot of risotto in comparison to the shrimp.

Barbara thinks that she's toast, and she thinks that the finger would've done it. The second person... to be chopped... is... BARBARA. It was a good enough dish, and they loved her enthusiasm, but the judges could've been endangered.

Round 3: DESSERT (30 minutes). You're one chef and one box away from $10,000. In the box: parsnips, limoncello, soda crackers, and sharp cheddar cheese.

This is for money... Let's go!

Jeremy: Stuffed Crepe with Ricotta & Cheddar Cheese
Peter: Based Cheese with Cracker Breading and Parsnip Limoncello Puree

Parsnip is really woody and hard to work with as a dessert, but that won't stop the two chefs remaining. Peter decides to incorporate the cheddar into a meringue, and incorporate caramel into a parsnip puree. Jeremy's in advance of his plan, and even has some time for some small talk with the competition. The judges are worried that Peter may not produce a dish.

And... TIME! Is it a done deal for Jeremy, or will Peter's hail Mary result in 10 large? 

Jeremy's crepe is a bit eggy, but for 30 minutes, it's well done. He did two things that were familiar to him: crepe and French toast.

Peter's dessert looks a little odd, but it's delicious according to the judges. He used sophisticated ingredients, but only a few of them. Peter's words: "Less is more."

So now we're going from the dessert AND from the overall meal. Peter was the comeback kid from start to finish. Jeremy was very safe from start to finish. Jeremy's a classicist. Peter's an innovator. It's a close one.

BUT... the final person... to be chopped... is... PETER. His mistakes cost him the game. But even though he didn't win, he is a winner.

As for winners within the Chopped Kitchen, there would just be one... Jeremy Duclut, now $10,000 richer.

One chef will follow in Jeremy's footsteps next time. The other three... they're just gonna be chopped.

To see this episode in its entirety, or to apply to be a contestant on "Chopped", visit the official website at www.foodnetwork.com/chopped.