MARTHA STEWART JOINS FOOD NETWORK AS NEWEST "CHOPPED" JUDGE

Culinary and Lifestyle Expert Joins as Recurring Guest Judge Beginning Tuesday, June 5th at 9:00pm ET/PT

NEW YORK - April 23, 2018 - Emmy(R) Award-winning television personality, acclaimed cookbook author and trusted lifestyle expert, Martha Stewart, joins Food Network as a recurring guest judge on Chopped, beginning Tuesday, June 5th at 9:00pm ET/PT. Joining host Ted Allen, and series regulars Maneet Chauhan, Scott Conant, Amanda Freitag, Alex Guarnaschelli, Marc Murphy, Marcus Samuelsson, Chris Santos and Geoffrey Zakarian, Martha will bring her culinary expertise to the judges' table as chefs from across the country battle it out each episode over three rounds - appetizer, entrée and dessert - to create dishes utilizing the mystery basket of ingredients with a finite amount of time. These culinary contenders will need to bring their 'A' game if they are going to impress Martha and the judges for a chance to walk away as the winner and earn $10,000.

"As a lifestyle expert and bestselling author with millions of devoted followers and fans, Martha Stewart's name is synonymous with perfection," said Courtney White, Executive Vice President, Programming, Food Network and HGTV. "Having Martha's expertise within the newest season of Chopped further reinforces why the series has long been one of the toughest culinary competitions on television."

On the episode premiering on June 5th, four competitors learn that they will be treated to high-end, top-dollar ingredients in their mystery baskets; but can they do justice to the culinary treasures they receive while handling the added pressure of cooking for judge Martha Stewart? A prized pork product and a spruced up baked good are some of the wonders that the chefs discover in the appetizer basket. In the entrée round, an extraordinary burger and a fancy adult beverage are part of the basket riddle. And an unusual chocolate treat and a special cake up the "wow" factor in the dessert round. More surprises await in upcoming episodes with Martha, including surprising basket ingredients such as porcini cr�me br�lée and wagyu cheeseburgers with gold chocolate bacon, along with unique themes and even holiday-inspired challenges that will keep competitors on their toes and the audience on the edge of their seats.

Martha Stewart is an Emmy(R) Award-winning television show host, entrepreneur, bestselling author of 90 books, and America's most trusted lifestyle expert and teacher. Millions of people rely on Martha Stewart as a source of useful "how-to" information for all aspects of everyday living - cooking, entertaining, gardening, home renovating, collecting, organizing, crafting, healthy living, holidays, weddings, and pet care. The Martha Stewart brand reaches approximately 100 million consumers across all media and merchandising platforms each month. In 2015, Martha merged her company with Sequential Brands Group, Inc., one of the world's leading brand management companies with a portfolio of consumer brands in the home, fashion and active categories. While continuing to oversee the brand she founded, Martha also now serves as Chief Creative Officer and a member of the Board of Directors at Sequential.

Check out Food Network's Instagram Stories to get a sneak peek of Martha on Chopped. Plus, go behind the scenes to learn more about Chopped's newest judge in exclusive interviews at FoodNetwork.com/Chopped, and view social content, including photos and video highlights from each episode and ask us everything you've ever wanted to know about the show using the hashtag #Chopped!

FOOD NETWORK (www.foodnetwork.com) is a unique lifestyle network, website and magazine that connects viewers to the power and joy of food. The network strives to be viewers' best friend in food and is committed to leading by teaching, inspiring, empowering and entertaining through its talent and expertise. Food Network is distributed to nearly 100 million U.S. households and draws over 46 million unique web users monthly. Since launching in 2009, Food Network Magazine's rate base has grown 13 times and is the No. 2 best-selling monthly magazine on the newsstand, with 13.5 million readers. Food Network is owned by Discovery, Inc., a global leader in real life entertainment whose portfolio also includes Discovery Channel, HGTV, TLC, Investigation Discovery, and OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network.