They came... they saw... they conquered the Chopping Block for $10,000, but it's not enough for these champions. Sixteen former champions return to the kitchen to play the "Chopped" game again. The winner of the showdown moves one step closer to the ultimate Chopped payday... $50,000.

Last week, Lauren Gerrie, a dancer who turned her unitard in for a chef's jacket, turned her passion into a spot in the $50,000 final, joining Wade Burch and Danielle Saunders. One more chef will join these three in next week's grand final.

Justin Burdett Atlanta chef de cuisine, Miller Union

Eric Levine executive chef and cancer survivor

Marie-Claude Mendy Boston chef & restauranteur, Teranga

Alan Harding chef

The winner of this match goes on to the final match for $50,000. You know how to do this... On the panel today.

- Latin-Indian fusion expert Maneet Chauhan
- Superstar executive chef Alex Guarnaschelli
- American cuisine expert Geoffrey Zakarian

Round 1: APPETIZER (20 minutes). On the menu today for round 1 are... lamb fries, ras el hanout, blood orange syrup, and hot cross buns.

Who wants 20 minutes? I got'em. You got a dish?

Justin: Ras El Hanout Orange Glazed Lamb Fries
Eric: Pan-Seared Lamb Fries with Orange Crostini
Marie-Claude: Spiced Rice Noodles with Poached Lamb Fries
Alan: Lamb Fry with Grilled Bun Panzanella Salad

Lamb fries... What are they? No beating around the bush. Or maybe there is a little. Lamb fries are lamb testicles. They have a sweetbread-like texture...

Eric uses the lamb fries properly, but there's a bit of acid interplay. Maneet likes it, Geoffrey... notsomuch. Marie-Claude's pasta is addictive and very surprising given the time. The hot cross buns seem forced, and the spice is raw. Alan's dish is all over the place, but in a way, it all comes together. His salad has great flavor, but it's a lot of ingredients. Justin went to another level and made a gastrique out of the lamb fries. But the apple gives it too much of a sweet overtone.

The first chef... to be chopped... is... JUSTIN. The smallest mistake of the apple comes as a heavy price, and some people got burned pieces.

Round 2: ENTREE (30 minutes). For our survivors, we have these ingredients... wreckfish, sabudana poha, green tomatoes, and huitlacoche

... and time starts now.

Eric: Poached Wreckfish with Pureed Huitlacoche
Marie-Claude: Pan-Fried Fish Fillet with Sabudana Puree
Alan: Roasted Wreckfish with Huitlacoche Polenta

Huitlacoche - or corn smut - is a fungus that is poisonous if you don't cook it. Sabudana tastes like a rice cracker. The best way to treat it is to fry it.

Marie-Claude's sauce is great, but the overall dish is too soft. The dish is creative with the butter-poached tomatoes, but it misses the mark on the sabudana being a little too gummy. Alan turns the sabudana into a rice cracker. The polenta was smart, but he needed to plate later. The fish is cooked perfectly, but the dish doesn't work together. It's too dissonant. Eric's entree is floral and summery. The fish is a different take that's refreshing, BUT the cornmeal was raw. The use of tomato juice is very creative, though.

The next person... to be chopped... is... ERIC. There were a few small errors, but the fish had no flavors, and the vegetable salsa was bland.

Round 3: DESSERT (30 minutes). The final place in the final can go to the chef who can turn macaroni & cheese, apples, raw cashews, and cane syrup into a worthy dessert.

We're 30 from a second win... Let's go!

Marie-Claude: Apple & Macaroni Beignets
Alan: Macaroni & Cheese Souffle

Alan is using a sugar caramel to sweeten his apple. Marie-Claude needs a sauce for her beignet... and she's using a chocolate sauce. As for the cashew, Alan uses it for praline, while Marie-Claude uses it to crust her beignets.

Alan's dish is full of harmony, but on the other hand, it's huge for a dessert. The wontons he used were creative, but Alex doesn't like'em. Marie-Claude added a little hot pepper in her chocolate sauce... then ran Alan through the coals for a large dessert. But her dessert... is far too sweet.

The ambassador for Senegalese cuisine lost out to the mad scientist in the opening appetizer in Geoffrey's eyes. Geoffrey remained strong in the others' eyes, but Geoffrey backed off. And the dessert...  and Maneet was pissed to see a sprig of mint. It comes down to one question: who's food would the judges eat again? The answer is worth $50,000 possibly.

The final chef... to be chopped... is...  MARIE-CLAUDE. She had great personal expression, but today, she was technically outcooked.

And Alan Harding has one more Chopped Champion prize, and this one comes with the final spot in the $50,000 Grand Finale.

And that's it. Our finale roster is set. Next week, Wade Burch, Danielle Saunders, Lauren Gerrie, and Alan Harding will compete one more time. The winner gets the cash and the title of Chopped Superchampion. The losers... just get chopped.

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