Off Topic: Chopped and one of the secrets of creativity Eurogamer.net If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy. Off Topic: Chopped and one of the secrets of creativity Octopus. Feature by Christian Donlan Features Editor Published on 29 Mar 2022 If you've ever wondered what the best channel on TV is, let me help you: it's the Food Network. I can be parked on the Food Network for days, idling from Diners, Drive-ins and Dives to the Barefoot Contessa. The Food Network is generally star-based, which means that it's weirdly class-based TV. And I mean class-based in the RPG sense: Guy Fieri is a sort of Ed Hardy tank, Ina Garten, the smiler with the knife, is a classic rogue. How great is that? But there are places where this falls apart. Places like Chopped. Chopped is not class-based or RPG-like at all, although the presenter, Ted Allen, who is a bona fide national treasure, does possess the courtly manners of someone who is about to set you a riddle outside a tavern. "Brothers and sisters I have none..." Ted is a prince. And Chopped is his realm. Chopped is absolutely brilliant - and actually, having watched approximately one thousand episodes of it, I now suspect it's more than brilliant. I've come to understand that there is a secret to Chopped - a secret in Chopped. And it's one of the big ones. One of the secrets of creativity! Testify! Subscribe to Eurogamer to read this article Get your first month for £1 (normally £3.99) when you buy a Standard Eurogamer subscription. Enjoy ad-free browsing, merch discounts, our monthly letter from the editor, and show your support with a supporter-exclusive comment flair! Support us View supporter archive More Features Feature What games get wrong about horses And what they could do about it. 27 Feature Shout out to all the Overwatch supports - where would we be without you? Merci. 55 Feature From abandoned board game to birthing a genre: Football Manager at 40 Kick off. 21 Feature How I became an Elden Ring detective It started with a save game... 26 Latest Articles Genshin Impact Path of Gleaming Jade dates, login event rewards Including other anniversary rewards and how to claim them. Atari will hold RollerCoaster Tycoon rights for another decade Ups and downs. 7 Jelly Deals Logitech's G Pro X gaming headset is its lowest-ever price during Amazon's Early Access sale Prime Members can get it for just £52. Jelly Deals Save over £500 off the retail price on this beefy ASUS TUF Dash gaming laptop from Amazon Under £1080 for an RTX 3070 laptop. Supporters Only Premium only Off Topic: Take a minute to appreciate Cookin' with Coolio's incredible scallops recipe. What a great book. Premium only Off Topic: Reading City of Glass in comic form "Where exactly am I going?" Premium only Off Topic: Il Buco is a transporting film about a really big hole Underlands. Off-Topic Netflix handled Sandman brilliantly It was Dreamy. 9 Buy things with globes on them And other lovely Eurogamer merch in our official store! Explore our store