Chef Dominick Feragola is, as one contestant describes him, “a tornado.” He cuts himself, breaks plates and runs around the kitchen like a mad man trying to outrun his more experienced competitors. But the strangest thing about this Chopped chef has nothing to do with cooking. In his free time, he’s a nude-body painter.

Chef Christopher Coombs is very successful for his age — and he knows it. An arrogant competitor, Chris constantly reiterates that he knows he’s going to win, even referring to himself as “blessed with talent.” But his confidence may be shaken when he goes up against competitor Mackenzie Hilton, as he finds it surprising to “come by a woman in the kitchen … who is so composed.”

Judge Scott Conant describes Chef James Gillespie as “a Tasmanian devil … out of control.” Besides spending most of his cooking time provoking his competitors, he’s chaotic, overly confident and very defensive of his messy cooking style.

When she competed on Food Network Star, Chef Penny Davidi didn’t come out victorious. Despite her loss, she’s confident she’ll win Chopped — and even thinks she’s ready for Iron Chef America. Her big ego rubs her fellow chefs the wrong way, and it even leads her to talk back to judge Scott.