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Worst Cooks in America

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Worst Cooks in America
Genre
  • Reality television
  • Cooking show
Judges
Country of originUnited States
No. of seasons27
No. of episodes198
Production
Executive producers
  • Rowena DeLaRosa
  • Bob Kirsh
  • Nicola Moody
  • Pip Wells
Production locationNew York City
Running time60-90 minutes
Production companyOptomen Productions, Inc.
Original release
ReleaseJanuary 3, 2010 (2010-01-03) –
present
Related

Worst Cooks in America is an American reality television series that premiered on January 3, 2010, on Food Network. The show takes 12 to 16 contestants (referred to as "recruits") with very poor cooking skills through a culinary boot camp, to earn a cash prize of $25,000 and a Food Network cooking set. In the celebrity edition of the show, the winning celebrity gets a $50,000 prize to donate to the charity of their choice.[1][2] The recruits are trained on the various basic cooking techniques including baking, knife skills, temperature, seasoning and preparation. The final challenge is to cook a restaurant-quality, three-course meal for three food critics.

History

[edit]

Chef Chart

[edit]
Season Red Team Mentor Blue Team Mentor Number of Contestants Debut Date Finale Date Winner
1 Anne Burrell Beau MacMillan 12 January 3, 2010 February 1, 2010 Anne
2 Robert Irvine 16 January 2, 2011 February 20, 2011
3 Bobby Flay February 12, 2012 April 1, 2012
4 14 February 17, 2013 March 31, 2013 Bobby
5 February 17, 2014 March 31, 2014
6 Tyler Florence January 4, 2015 February 15, 2015 Anne
7/ Celebrity 1 Rachael Ray 7 September 23, 2015 October 28, 2015
8 Tyler Florence 14 January 4, 2016 February 14, 2016
9/ Celebrity 2 Rachael Ray 9 September 14, 2016 November 2, 2016 Rachael
10 16 January 1, 2017 March 5, 2017 Anne
11/ Celebrity 3 8 August 23, 2017 October 11, 2017 Rachael
12 Tyler Florence 16 January 7, 2018 March 11, 2018 Anne
13/ Celebrity 4 7 April 15, 2018 May 20, 2018 Tyler
14 Robert Irvine 14 August 12, 2018 September 24, 2018 Robert
15 Tyler Florence 15 January 6, 2019 March 3, 2019 Anne
16/ Celebrity 5 8 April 21, 2019 June 2, 2019
17 Bobby Flay 14 August 4, 2019 September 22, 2019 Bobby
18 Alton Brown 16 January 5, 2020 March 8, 2020 Anne
19/ Celebrity 6 Tyler Florence 7 May 10, 2020 June 14, 2020
20 Alex Guarnaschelli 14 June 21, 2020 August 2, 2020 Alex
21 Carla Hall January 3, 2021 February 28, 2021[3] Carla
22/ Best of the Worst Michael Symon 8 April 25, 2021 May 30, 2021 Anne
23 Cliff Crooks 12 January 5, 2022 February 23, 2022 Cliff
24/ Celebrity 7, That's So 90's Jeff Mauro 9 April 24, 2022 May 29, 2022 Anne
25/ Viral Sensations Darnell Ferguson 12 January 1, 2023 February 5, 2023
26/ Love at First Bite Jeff Mauro 16 August 6, 2023 September 10, 2023 Jeff
27/ Spoiled Rotten Tiffany Derry 16 January 7, 2024 February 4, 2024 Tiffany

Season 1: 2010

[edit]

Chefs Beau MacMillan and Anne Burrell lead an intense culinary boot camp. They have six recruits each, and every week they must eliminate one recruit from each of their teams until there is only one from each team left. The final two create a three-course meal to fool a panel of restaurant critics into believing that the meal was created by the acclaimed chefs.

Recruits

[edit]

Twelve chefs competed in the first season of Worst Cooks in America. Hometowns and occupations are available from the Food Network website.[4][5] Chef Anne's team was known as the Red Team and Chef Beau's team was known as the Blue Team.

Contestant Age Hometown Occupation Team Status
Rachel Coleman 23 Brooklyn, New York Marketing Website editor Anne/Red Winner
on February 1, 2010
Jennifer "Jenny" Cross 21 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Waitress Beau/Blue Runner-up
on February 1, 2010
Jennifer "Jen" Vecchio 38 Cumberland, Rhode Island Dance Studio Owner Beau/Blue Eliminated
on January 31, 2010
Eddie Chang 32 Jersey City, New Jersey IT project manager Anne/Red
Marque Hernandez 41 Brea, California Director of Clinical Operations Beau/Blue Eliminated
on January 24, 2010
Rebecca Hooper 43 Sandy, Utah Salon Owner Anne/Red
Sophia Gettys 27 Aurora, Colorado Stay-at-home Mom Anne/Red Eliminated
on January 17, 2010
Susie Shoman 53 Georgetown, South Carolina Grants administrator and entrepreneur Beau/Blue
Kelly Johnson 31 Scottsdale, Arizona Corporate litigation attorney Anne/Red Eliminated
on January 10, 2010
David Summey 29 Charlotte, North Carolina Salesman Beau/Blue
Wilhelmina Josephine 29 Aliso Viejo, California Insurance claims adjuster Beau/Blue Eliminated
on January 3, 2010
Hamed Hamad 27 North Hollywood, California Journalist and fashion consultant Anne/Red

Contestant progress and episodes

[edit]
  • Red: Team Anne
  • Blue: Team Beau
Rank Contestant Episode
1 2 3 4 5 6
1 Rachel IN IN IN IN WIN BTM WIN WINNER
2 Jenny* IN IN IN/SWAP WIN IN BTM WIN RUNNER-UP
3 Jen IN IN WIN IN WIN WIN OUT
4 Eddie BTM WIN BTM BTM IN WIN OUT
5 Marque WIN WIN BTM BTM IN OUT
6 Rebecca WIN BTM 2nd WIN IN OUT
7 Sophia* IN IN IN/SWAP OUT
8 Susie IN BTM IN OUT
9 Kelly IN OUT
10 David BTM OUT
11 Wilhelmina OUT
12 Hamed OUT
Key
  (WINNER) This contestant won the competition and was crowned "Best of the Worst".
  (RUNNER-UP) The contestant was the runner-up in the finals of the competition.
  (WIN) The contestant did the best on their team in the week's Main Dish challenge and was considered the winner.
  (BTM) The contestant was selected as one of the bottom entries in the Main Dish challenge, but was not eliminated.
  (OUT) The contestant lost that week's Main Dish challenge and was out of the competition.
* Initially a member of the other team but switched after Chef Beau won the bet on whose team member made the best crepes.

Season 2: 2011

[edit]

Casting for season 2 of Worst Cooks in America was held at the LA Marriott Burbank Airport, Hotel & Convention Center on March 27, 2010.[6] The Food Network also began accepting online video applications for season 2.[7] Food Network's website announced that Robert Irvine would replace Beau MacMillan for season 2. Season 2 debuted on January 2, 2011.[8] In this season the chefs had eight recruits each.

Recruits

[edit]
Contestant Age Hometown Occupation Team Status
Joshua "Joshie" Berger 36 Brooklyn, New York Attorney Anne/Red Winner
on February 20, 2011
Georgann "Georg" Coleman 38 Chicago, Illinois Speech pathologist Robert/Blue Runner-up
on February 20, 2011
Carlos Manuel 28 Atlanta, Georgia Banker Anne/Red Eliminated
on February 13, 2011
Kelsey Milos 22 Kings, Illinois Hair stylist Robert/Blue
Kat Rose 37 Newnan, Georgia Stay-at-home mother Anne/Red Eliminated
on February 6, 2011
Tyrone "Ty" Miller 33 Trenton, New Jersey Property manager Robert/Blue
Jennifer "Jen" MacLean 43 Sparta, New Jersey Operating room nurse Anne/Red Eliminated
on January 30, 2011
Kelly Gray 32 New York City Aerobics instructor Robert/Blue
Erika Rumsey 27 Elgin, Illinois Account manager Anne/Red Eliminated
on January 23, 2011
Anna Altomari 44 Aliso Viejo, California RN Case manager Robert/Blue
Priscilla Harden 60 Sugar Land, Texas Retired teacher Anne/Red Eliminated
on January 16, 2011
Matt Crespi 24 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania PhD Student Robert/Blue
Anthony Scinto 32 Crestwood, Illinois Mechanical engineer Anne/Red Eliminated
on January 9, 2011
Jeff Longcor 25 Somerville, Massachusetts Environmental contractor Robert/Blue
Lina Yu 28 Arcadia, California Production manager Anne/Red Eliminated
on January 2, 2011
Eric Ricupero 34 Quincy, Massachusetts Bar owner Robert/Blue

Contestant progress

[edit]
  • Red: Team Anne
  • Blue: Team Robert
Episode
Rank Contestant 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
1 Joshie IN IN IN WIN WIN 9th IN IN BTM IN WIN WINNER
2 Georg IN WIN IN IN IN WIN IN WIN BTM WIN WIN RUNNER-UP
3 Carlos IN IN WIN WIN IN 6th WIN WIN WIN WIN OUT
4 Kelsey* WIN IN IN WIN BTM 2nd/Swap BTM IN WIN IN OUT
5 Kat* WIN IN BTM IN IN BTM/SWAP BTM BTM OUT
6 Ty IN IN IN IN BTM 3rd IN BTM OUT
7 Jen IN BTM IN WIN IN 7th IN OUT
8 Kelly IN IN IN IN IN 5th WIN OUT
9 Erika BTM WIN IN WIN IN 8th OUT
10 Anna IN IN IN IN WIN 4th OUT
11 Priscilla IN IN BTM WIN OUT
12 Matt BTM IN WIN IN OUT
13 Anthony IN IN OUT
14 Jeff IN BTM OUT
15 Lina OUT
16 Eric OUT
Key
  (WINNER) This contestant won the competition and was crowned "Best of the Worst".
  (RUNNER-UP) The contestant was the runner-up in the finals of the competition.
  (WIN) The contestant did the best on their team in the week's Main Dish challenge and was considered the winner.
  (BTM) The contestant was selected as one of the bottom entries in the Main Dish challenge, but was not eliminated.
  (OUT) The contestant lost that week's Main Dish challenge and was out of the competition.
* Initially a member of the other team but switched after Chef Robert won the bet on whose team member made the best burgers.

Season 3: 2012

[edit]

Anne Burrell hosted season 3 with Bobby Flay, who replaced Robert Irvine.[9][10]

Recruits

[edit]
Contestant Age Hometown Occupation Team Status
Kelli Powers 40 Los Angeles, California Stay-at-home mother Anne/Red Winner
on April 1, 2012
Vinnie Caligiuri 47 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Mortgage broker Bobby/Blue Runner-up
on April 1, 2012
Melissa Rhodes 28 Naples, Florida Nursing Student Bobby/Blue Eliminated
on March 25, 2012
David Shelton 26 Longview, Texas Unemployed Anne/Red
Tiffany Michelle 27 Los Angeles, California Poker player and actress Bobby/Blue Eliminated
on March 18, 2012
Dorothy Strouhal 38 Cove, Texas Make-up artist Anne/Red
Anthony Schiano 33 Massapequa, New York Mechanical engineer Anne/Red Eliminated
on March 11, 2012
Benjamin Dennis 37 Dallas, Texas Stay-at-home father Bobby/Blue Quit
on March 11, 2012
Sean "Bennett" Bennett 36 New York City Automotive Spokesperson Anne/Red Eliminated
on March 4, 2012
Sarina Weeraprajuk 31 West Covina, California Wedding photographer Bobby/Blue
Erica Weidner 53 Long Beach, New York Court Reporter Student Bobby/Blue Eliminated
on February 26, 2012
Robert "Bob" Tamke 44 Massapequa Park, New York DJ Anne/Red
Sherrill Moss-Solomon 55 New York City Fundraiser Bobby/Blue Eliminated
on February 19, 2012
Rachel Margolin 31 New York City Night Club Promoter Anne/Red
Richard Chen 55 Queens, New York Attorney Anne/Red Eliminated
on February 12, 2012
Libby Floyd 46 Eden Prairie, Minnesota ShopNBC host[11] Bobby/Blue

Contestant progress

[edit]
  • Red: Team Anne
  • Blue: Team Bobby
Rank Contestant Episode
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
1 Kelli WIN IN IN IN IN IN BTM WIN BTM WIN WIN WIN WIN WINNER
2 Vinnie IN WIN WIN IN IN IN WIN IN BTM IN WIN WIN WIN RUNNER-UP
3 Melissa1 IN IN IN IN/SWAP IN IN IN WIN WIN IN BTM IN OUT
4 David1 IN IN IN BTM/SWAP IN IN WIN WIN IN WIN BTM IN OUT
5 Tiffany WIN IN IN WIN IN BTM BTM IN BTM IN OUT
6 Dorothy IN IN WIN IN BTM WIN IN WIN WIN WIN OUT
7 Anthony IN IN IN IN IN IN IN WIN OUT
8 Benjamin IN IN IN IN WIN WIN IN IN QUIT
9 Bennett IN IN BTM BTM WIN BTM OUT
10 Sarina BTM IN IN IN BTM IN OUT
11 Erica IN IN BTM IN OUT
12 Bob IN WIN IN IN OUT
13 Sherrill IN BTM OUT
14 Rachel BTM BTM OUT
15 Richard OUT
16 Libby OUT

^Note 1 : In Episode 3, Team Bobby (blue team) won the first challenge; he therefore got to choose one person from Team Anne (red team) to go to his team, and then choose one person from his team to go to the other team. He chose David to go to Team Anne's team and chose Melissa from Team Anne's team to join his team.

Key
  (WINNER) This contestant won the competition and was crowned "Best of the Worst".
  (RUNNER-UP) The contestant was the runner-up in the finals of the competition.
  (WIN) The contestant did the best on their team in the week's Main Dish challenge and was considered the winner.
  (BTM) The contestant was selected as one of the bottom entries in the Main Dish challenge, but was not eliminated.
  (OUT) The contestant lost that week's Main Dish challenge and was out of the competition
  (QUIT) The contestant volunteered to quit

Season 4: 2013

[edit]

Recruits

[edit]
Contestant Age Hometown Occupation Team Status
Alina Bolshakova 28 Riga, Latvia Caretaker/Actress Bobby/Blue Winner March 31
Rasheeda Brown 30 Germantown, Maryland Correctional Officer Anne/Red Runner-up March 31
Chet Pourciau † 40 New Orleans, Louisiana Interior designer Bobby/Blue Eliminated March 24
Suzanne "Sue" Mangogna 42 Northport, New York Salon manager Anne/Red
Carla Johnson 47 Long Beach, California Alcohol & Drug Counselor Bobby/Blue Eliminated March 17
Michael Haydin 25 Rye Brook, New York Accountant Anne/Red
Carrie Lee Riggins 32 Carmel, New York Ballerina/Actress Bobby/Blue Eliminated March 10
Crystal Lonneberg 30 Weehawken, New Jersey Actress/Artist Anne/Red
Aadip Desai 36 Sacramento, California Writer/Musician Anne/Red Eliminated March 3
Alex Stein 26 Dallas, Texas Bail Bondsman Bobby/Blue
Michael "Big Mike" Paul 24 Thomson, Georgia Woodworker Bobby/Blue Eliminated February 24
Robert "Dr. Bob" Schaefer 58 Pleasant Hill, California Chiropractor Anne/Red
Tim Burger 42 Novi, Michigan Former Marine Bobby/Blue Eliminated February 17
Diana De Rosa 62 Huntington, New York Photographer Anne/Red

Contestant progress

[edit]
  • Red: Team Anne
  • Blue: Team Bobby
Rank Contestant Episode
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
1 Alina BTM WIN WIN IN IN IN WIN WIN WIN IN WIN WINNER
2 Rasheeda IN IN BTM IN IN WIN WIN WIN BTM WIN WIN RUNNER-UP
3 Chet † WIN IN IN IN WIN WIN IN WIN BTM IN OUT
4 Sue IN IN WIN BTM BTM IN BTM IN WIN WIN OUT
5 Carla IN IN BTM WIN IN BTM BTM WIN OUT
6 Michael WIN IN IN BTM WIN IN BTM IN OUT
7 Carrie Lee IN IN IN IN BTM IN OUT
8 Crystal IN WIN IN IN IN BTM OUT
9 Aadip IN IN IN IN OUT
10 Alex IN IN IN IN OUT
11 Mike IN BTM OUT
12 Bob BTM BTM OUT
13 Tim OUT
14 Diana OUT
Key
  (WINNER) This contestant won the competition and was crowned "Best of the Worst".
  (RUNNER-UP) The contestant was the runner-up in the finals of the competition.
  (WIN) The contestant did the best on their team in the week's Main Dish challenge and was considered the winner.
  (BTM) The contestant was selected as one of the bottom entries in the Main Dish challenge, but was not eliminated.
  (OUT) The contestant lost that week's Main Dish challenge and was out of the competition.

†: Contestant died after filming.

Season 5: 2014

[edit]

Recruits

[edit]
Contestant Age Hometown Occupation Team Status
Amber Brauner 37 Redlands, California Tattoo Artist Bobby/Blue Winner March 31
Jamie Thomas 41 New York City Flight Attendant Anne/Red Runner-up March 31
Daniel "Danny" Beyda 43 Long Island, New York Radiologist Bobby/Blue Eliminated March 24
Mike Glazer 30 Chicago, Illinois Writer Anne/Red
Carie Pullano-Keller 34 Chester, Virginia Promotional Model Anne/Red Eliminated March 17
Stephanie St. Aubin 26 Washington, DC Secretary Bobby/Blue
Danielle Ruiz-Wiley 25 Staten Island, New York Stay at Home Mom Bobby/Blue Eliminated March 10
Carol Holder 64 New York City Real Estate Broker Anne/Red
Ken Hsu 29 Seattle, Washington Personal Trainer Anne/Red Eliminated March 3
Joe Slaughter 28 Los Angeles, California Actor/Dancer Bobby/Blue
Lance Green 31 New York City Music Producer Bobby/Blue Eliminated February 24
Benjamin "Benji" Hunter Brown III 29 Nashville, Tennessee Live Music Booking Agent Anne/Red
Casey Pentony 26 Hollywood, California Nurse Anne/Red Eliminated February 17
Muneerah Warner 33 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Abstinence Advisor Bobby/Blue

Contestant progress

[edit]
  • Red: Team Anne
  • Blue: Team Bobby
Rank Contestant Episode
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
1 Amber WIN IN IN IN WIN WIN BTM IN WIN IN WIN WINNER
2 Jamie WIN IN WIN BTM IN IN WIN WIN WIN WIN WIN RUNNER-UP
3 Danny IN IN BTM IN IN WIN WIN WIN BTM IN OUT
4 Mike IN IN IN WIN WIN IN IN IN BTM WIN OUT
5 Carie1 IN IN IN IN/SWAP IN IN BTM IN OUT
6 Stephanie1 IN IN BTM IN/SWAP IN WIN IN IN OUT
7 Danielle IN WIN IN IN BTM WIN OUT
8 Carol IN WIN IN BTM BTM IN OUT
9 Ken IN IN IN IN OUT
10 Joe IN IN WIN IN OUT
11 Lance BTM IN OUT
12 Benji BTM IN OUT
13 Casey OUT
14 Muneerah OUT

^Note 1 : In Episode 3, Team Anne (red team) won the first challenge. She was allowed to steal one person from Team Bobby (blue team) and send one person from her own team as a replacement. She decided to steal Carie, and sent Stephanie to Team Bobby.

Key
  (WINNER) This contestant won the competition and was crowned "Best of the Worst".
  (RUNNER-UP) The contestant was the runner-up in the finals of the competition.
  (WIN) The contestant did the best on their team in the week's Main Dish challenge and was considered the winner.
  (BTM) The contestant was selected as one of the bottom entries in the Main Dish challenge but was not eliminated.
  (OUT) The contestant lost that week's Main Dish challenge and was out of the competition.
  (IN) The contestant get switched by the host to the other team. Ex: A member of the red team goes to the blue team, and a member of the blue team goes to the red team.

Season 6: 2015

[edit]

Tyler Florence joined Anne Burrell to host season 6, replacing Bobby Flay after 3 seasons. The season premiered on January 4, 2015, to 2,123,000 viewers.[12] The second episode was lower at 1,456,000 viewers,[13] with the third episode rising to 1,732,000 viewers[14] and the fourth episode reached 1,689,000 viewers.[15] the 5th episode reached 1,634,000 viewers. The sixth episode received 1.55 million viewers.[16]

Recruits

[edit]
Contestant Age Hometown Occupation Team Status
Kristen Redmond 25 Austin, Texas Singer/Songwriter Anne/Red Winner February 15
Genique Freeman 33 Fayetteville, North Carolina Esthetician Tyler/Blue Runner-up February 15
Sarah Bettendorf 33 Los Angeles, California Art Teacher Tyler/Blue Eliminated February 8
Leopold "Leo" Nunan 36 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Performance Artist Anne/Red
Norman Wilson 46 Detroit, Michigan Executive Protection Anne/Red Eliminated February 1
Sharif Dean 27 Los Angeles, California Personal Trainer Tyler/Blue
David Eric Rosenberg 51 Las Vegas, Nevada Theatre Usher Anne/Red Eliminated January 25
Kortni Montgomery 25 New Orleans, Louisiana Customer Service Rep Tyler/Blue
Michael "Six" Muldoon 25 Queens, New York Magician Anne/Red Eliminated January 18
Mike Kennedy 45 Scottsdale, Arizona Private Investigator Tyler/Blue
Susie Babin 61 Bush, Louisiana Retired Anne/Red Eliminated January 11
Stephanie Streisand* 25 Los Angeles, California Writer Tyler/Blue Withdrew January 11
Jason Dixon 30 Chicago, Illinois Artist Tyler/Blue Eliminated January 4
Christina Oster 38 Zion, Illinois Single Mom Anne/Red
  • Contestant Stephanie Streisand was deemed too ill to continue on January 11

Contestant progress

[edit]
  • Red: Team Anne
  • Blue: Team Tyler
Rank Contestant Episode
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
1 Kristen IN WIN WIN IN IN WIN BTM IN WIN WIN WIN WINNER
2 Genique IN IN WIN IN IN WIN IN IN WIN WIN WIN RUNNER-UP
3 Sarah WIN IN IN BTM BTM IN WIN WIN BTM WIN OUT
4 Leo IN IN IN IN IN IN WIN IN BTM WIN OUT
5 Norman WIN IN IN IN BTM IN IN WIN OUT
6 Sharif IN WIN BTM WIN IN IN BTM IN OUT
7 David BTM IN BTM IN WIN BTM OUT
8 Kortni BTM IN BTM BTM WIN BTM OUT
9 Six IN IN IN IN OUT
10 Mike IN BTM IN IN OUT
11 Susie IN BTM OUT
12 Stephanie IN IN WDR
13 Jason OUT
14 Christina OUT
Key
  (WINNER) This contestant won the competition and was crowned "Best of the Worst".
  (RUNNER-UP) The contestant was the runner-up in the finals of the competition.
  (WIN) The contestant did the best on their team in the week's Main Dish challenge or Skill Drill and was considered the winner.
  (BTM) The contestant was selected as one of the bottom entries in the Main Dish challenge, but was not eliminated.
  (OUT) The contestant lost that week's Main Dish challenge and was out of the competition.
  (WDR) The contestant withdrew from the competition due to illness.

Season 7: Celebrity Edition 1

[edit]

Rachael Ray joins Anne Burrell to host season 7. The winner earns a $50,000 donation for their chosen charity. Because this season had only 7 total recruits, each team's worst recruit from that week's Main Dish challenge competed head to head in a quickfire elimination challenge instead of eliminating both recruits each week. This challenge involved more basic cooking techniques (e.g. knife skills) and the winner would be decided by a blind judging from both Anne and Rachael. The winning recruit stayed in the competition while the losing recruit was eliminated.

Recruits

[edit]
Contestant Age Occupation Team Status
Jenni "JWoww" Farley 29 Reality Television Star Anne/Red Winner October 28
Kendra Wilkinson 30 Former Playboy Model & Television Personality Rachel/Blue Runner-up October 28
Ellen Cleghorne 49 Saturday Night Live Actress Rachel/Blue Eliminated October 21
Barry Williams 60 The Brady Bunch Actor Anne/Red Eliminated October 14
Chris Soules 33 The Bachelor Star Anne/Red Eliminated October 7
Jaleel White 38 Actor, Television Host Rachel/Blue Eliminated September 30
Dean Cain 48 Television Actor Eliminated/White Eliminated September 23

Contestant progress

[edit]
  • Red: Team Anne
  • Blue: Team Rachael
Rank Contestant Episode
1 2 3 4 5 6
1 Jenni IN WIN IN WIN WIN WINNER
2 Kendra IN WIN BTM WIN BTM RUNNER-UP
3 Ellen IN IN WIN BTM OUT
4 Barry BTM BTM WIN OUT
5 Chris IN IN OUT
6 Jaleel IN OUT
7 Dean OUT
Key
  (WINNER) This contestant won the competition and was crowned "Best of the Worst".
  (RUNNER-UP) The contestant was the runner-up in the finals of the competition.
  (WIN) The contestant did the best on their team in the week's Main Dish challenge or Skill Drill and was considered the winner.
  (BTM) The contestant was selected as one of the bottom entries in the Main Dish challenge, but was not eliminated.
  (OUT) The contestant lost that week's Main Dish challenge and was out of the competition.

Season 8: 2016

[edit]

Tyler Florence joins Anne Burrell to host season 8.

Recruits

[edit]
Contestant Age Hometown Occupation Team Status
Nick Slater 24 Rancho Cucamonga, California Construction Worker Anne/Red Winner February 14
Lawrence Crawford 26 Deptford Township, New Jersey Army Combat Medic Tyler/Blue Runner-up February 14
Ginny Meerman 50 Millersville, Maryland Project Supervisor Tyler/Blue Eliminated February 7
Taylor Hooper 24 Boston, Massachusetts Marine Veteran Anne/Red
Holgie Forrester 66 Twentynine Palms, California Retired/Actress Tyler/Blue Eliminated January 31
Chanda Havard 36 Chicago, Illinois Real Estate Agent Anne/Red
Rachel Thomas 27 Tampa, Florida Stay-at-Home Wife Tyler/Blue Eliminated January 24
Donna Koen 60 Newburyport, Massachusetts Lunch Lady & Hairdresser Anne/Red
Ernie Adkins 44 Mardela Springs, Maryland Truck driver Tyler/Blue Eliminated January 17
Glenda Galeano 40 Miami, Florida Event Coordinator/Actress Anne/Red
Cindy Nguyen 28 Las Vegas, Nevada Bartender Tyler/Blue Eliminated January 10
Ty Snow 39 Pasadena, California Special Education Teacher Anne/Red
David Fouts 42 Wales, Wisconsin Senior Project Manager Anne/Red Eliminated January 3
Jeni Erdman 51 Dousman, Wisconsin Group Tour Coordinator Tyler/Blue

Contestant progress

[edit]
  • Red: Team Anne
  • Blue: Team Tyler
Rank Contestant Episode
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
1 Nick WIN WIN IN IN IN IN IN IN TIE WIN WINNER
2 Lawrence IN IN IN IN IN IN WIN IN BTM WIN RUNNER-UP
3 Ginny WIN BTM WIN IN BTM TIE IN WIN WIN OUT
4 Taylor IN IN IN IN BTM IN WIN WIN TIE OUT
5 Holgie IN WIN IN IN IN TIE BTM IN OUT
6 Chanda BTM IN IN BTM WIN WIN BTM IN OUT
7 Rachel BTM IN BTM WIN WIN BTM OUT
8 Donna IN BTM WIN IN IN BTM OUT
9 Ernie IN BTM IN IN OUT
10 Glenda IN BTM BTM BTM OUT
11 Cindy IN IN OUT
12 Ty IN IN OUT
13 David OUT
14 Jeni OUT
Key
  (WINNER) This contestant won the competition and was crowned "Best of the Worst".
  (RUNNER-UP) The contestant was the runner-up in the finals of the competition.
  (WIN) The contestant did the best on their team in the week's Main Dish challenge or Skill Drill and was considered the winner.
  (TIE) The contestant tied with another contestant as the best on their team in the week's Main Dish challenge or Skill Drill.
  (BTM) The contestant was selected as one of the bottom entries in the Main Dish challenge, but was not eliminated.
  (OUT) The contestant lost that week's Main Dish challenge and was out of the competition.

Season 9: Celebrity Edition 2

[edit]

Rachael Ray returns with Anne Burrell to host season 2 of the Celebrity Edition. The winner earns a $50,000 donation for their chosen charity. The season premiered on September 14, 2016, to 1,185,000 viewers.[17]

Recruits

[edit]
Contestant Age Occupation Team Status
Loni Love 44 The Real Co-Host & Comedian Rachel/Blue Winner November 2
Nicole Sullivan 46 Former MadTV Star, comedian, & Actress Anne/Red Runner-up November 2
John Henson 49 Former Talk Soup & Wipeout host Rachel/Blue Eliminated October 26
Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino 34 Reality Television Personality Anne/Red
Matt Dallas 33 Television Actor & YouTube Personality Anne/Red Eliminated October 19
Mindy Cohn 50 The Facts of Life & Scooby-Doo Actress Rachel/Blue Eliminated October 12
Tommy Davidson 52 Comedian & Actor Anne/Red Eliminated September 28
Barbara Eden 85 Film & Television Actress (I Dream of Jeannie & Harper Valley P.T.A.) Rachel/Blue Eliminated September 21
Kenya Moore 45 Miss USA 1993 & The Real Housewives of Atlanta Star Eliminated/White Eliminated September 14

Season 10: 2017

[edit]

Rachael Ray joins Anne Burrell to host season 10. The season premiered on January 1, 2017.[18]

Starting this season onward, the skill drill and main dish challenge happen on the same day rather one day and the day after.

Recruits

[edit]
Contestant Age Hometown Occupation Team Status
Daniel Mar 35 Burbank, California Photographer Anne/Red Winner March 5
Ann Odogwu 34 Houston, Texas Flight Attendant Rachel/Blue Runner-up March 5
Laura Docker 36 Fort Worth, Texas Lawyer Rachel/Blue Eliminated February 26
Mandy Thornton 24 Hanover, Massachusetts Medical Assistant Anne/Red
Adam Cooke 32 Rancho Cucamonga, California Auto Mechanic Rachel/Blue Eliminated February 19
Brittany Lenore 27 Chicago, Illinois Spiritual Speaker Anne/Red
Jeff West 36 Douglassville, Pennsylvania Vending Machine President Anne/Red Eliminated February 12
Kayla Kurtz 27 Kent, Ohio Stay-at-Home Mom Anne/Red Eliminated January 29
Maria Marcello 40 Torrance, California Stay-at-Home Mom Rachel/Blue
Matt Josephs 35 Richmond, Virginia Sports Radio Producer Rachel/Blue Eliminated January 22
Jake Michaels 21 Manteno, Illinois Model & Singer Rachel/Blue Eliminated January 15
Jetta Linda Ostrofsky 66 Sacramento, California Retired Anne/Red
Stephen Hawkins 67 Temecula, California Retired Anne/Red Eliminated January 8
Buffy Mykkanen 29 Portland, Oregon Tech Support Rachel/Blue
Cedrick Miller 22 El Paso, Texas Cashier Anne/Red Eliminated January 1
Lester Turchin 65 Fort Lauderdale, Florida Retired Rachel/Blue

Contestant progress

[edit]
  • Red: Team Anne
  • Blue: Team Rachael
Rank Contestant Episode
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1 Daniel IN IN WIN BTM BTM IN IN IN WIN IN IN WIN WINNER
2 Ann WIN IN IN WIN BTM BTM IN BTM IN SAVE IN WIN RUNNER-UP
3 Laura IN WIN IN IN IN WIN BTM BTM WIN WIN IN OUT
4 Mandy IN IN IN TIE IN WIN WIN BTM IN BTM IN OUT
5 Adam IN IN BTM BTM IN IN IN WIN IN IN OUT
6 Brittany WIN IN IN TIE WIN IN IN BTM IN WIN OUT
7 Jeff IN WIN IN IN IN BTM IN WIN IN OUT
8 Kayla IN IN IN TIE SAVE OUT
9 Maria IN IN WIN IN WIN OUT
10 Matt IN IN IN IN OUT
11 Jake BTM IN IN OUT
12 Jetta IN IN BTM OUT
13 Stephen BTM IN OUT
14 Buffy IN IN OUT
15 Cedrick OUT
16 Lester OUT
Key
  (WINNER) This contestant won the competition and was crowned "Best of the Worst".
  (RUNNER-UP) The contestant was the runner-up in the finals of the competition.
  (WIN) The contestant did the best on their team in the week's Main Dish challenge or Skill Drill and was considered the winner.
  (TIE) The contestant tied with another contestant as the best on their team in the week's Main Dish challenge or Skill Drill.
  (BTM) The contestant was selected as one of the bottom entries in the Main Dish challenge, but was not eliminated.
  (OUT) The contestant lost that week's Main Dish challenge and was out of the competition.
  (SAVE) The contestant lost that week's Main Dish challenge but was saved by their respective team mentor.

In Episode 6, Both Chef Anne and Chef Rachael decided not to send anyone from their teams home.

Season 11: Celebrity Edition 3

[edit]

Rachael Ray returns with Anne Burrell to host season 3 of the Celebrity Edition. The season premiered on August 23, 2017.[19][20]

Recruits

[edit]
Contestant Age Occupation Team Status
Perez Hilton 39 Gossip Blogger Rachel/Blue Winner October 11
Melissa Peterman 46 Actress & Comedian Anne/Red Runner-up October 11
Nora Dunn 65 Actress & Comedian Anne/Red Eliminated October 4
Vivica A. Fox* 53 Actress Rachel/Blue
Sean Lowe* 33 Reality Star Rachel/Blue Eliminated September 27
Carmen Electra 45 Model & Actress Rachel/Blue Withdrew September 13
Carson Kressley 47 TV Personality Anne/Red Eliminated September 6
Erik Estrada 68 Star of CHiPs Anne/Red Eliminated August 30
  • Note: Vivica was originally eliminated on September 20. In Episode 7, airing on October 4, both Vivica and Sean returned to the competition for a redemption skill drill. Vivica won the drill, re-entered the competition and was then eliminated for the second time following the main challenge.

Contestant progress

[edit]
  • Red: Team Anne
  • Blue: Team Rachael
Rank Contestant Episode
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
1 Perez WIN IN WIN IN IN WIN IN IN IN WIN IN IN WIN WINNER
2 Melissa WIN WIN IN WIN WIN IN BTM WIN BTM IN IN IN WIN RUNNER-UP
3 Nora BTM WIN IN IN IN IN IN WIN IN IN BTM IN OUT
4 Vivica IN IN IN IN WIN WIN BTM IN OUT RTN OUT
5 Sean IN IN IN IN BTM WIN IN IN IN WIN OUT
6 Carmen BTM IN BTM WIN IN WDR
7 Carson IN WIN WIN IN OUT
8 Erik IN WIN OUT
Key
  (WINNER) This contestant won the competition and was crowned "Best of the Worst".
  (RUNNER-UP) The contestant was the runner-up in the finals of the competition.
  (WIN) The contestant did the best on their team in the week's Main Dish challenge or Skill Drill and was considered the winner.
  (BTM) The contestant was selected as one of the bottom entries in the Main Dish challenge but was not eliminated
  (OUT) The contestant lost that week's Main Dish challenge and was out of the competition.
  (WDR) The contestant withdrew from the competition due to illness or injury.
  (RTN) The contestant won the redemption Skill Drill and returned to the competition.

Season 12: 2018

[edit]

Tyler Florence joins Anne Burrell to host season 12.

Three contestants from this season—runner-up Steven Crowley, Sharon Shvarzman, and Kevin Pettice—would compete in, and win, season 9 of The Great Food Truck Race.

Recruits

[edit]
Contestant Age Hometown Occupation Team Status
Hazell Mckenzie 36 Brooklyn, New York Graduate Student Anne/Red Winner March 11
Steven Crowley 31 New York City Real estate broker Tyler/Blue Runner-up March 11
Asaf Goren 25 Los Angeles, California Dancer Anne/Red Eliminated March 4
Sharon Shvarzman 32 Staten Island, New York Drag Performer Tyler/Blue
Lacey Stout 28 Collinsville, Oklahoma Stay-at-Home Mom Anne/Red Eliminated February 25
Shatima Ruffin 34 Hampton Roads, Virginia Receptionist Tyler/Blue
Robyn Hayden 31 Charleston, South Carolina Balloon Artist Anne/Red Eliminated February 18
Brandon Arroyo 27 Cleveland, Ohio Sports Reporter Anne/Red Eliminated February 11
Spencer Nick 25 Chicago, Illinois Graduate Student Tyler/Blue
Sylvia Jefferies 47 Charleston, South Carolina Stay-at-Home Mom Anne/Red Quit January 28
Lily Frey 63 Anaheim, California Retired Tyler/Blue Eliminated January 28
Skyler Nick 25 Chicago, Illinois Graduate Student Tyler/Blue Eliminated January 21
Kevin Pettice 24 Charlotte, North Carolina Administrative Assistant Tyler/Blue Eliminated January 14
Priscilla Nguyen 26 Hattiesburg, Mississippi Receptionist Anne/Red
Jonathan Farhat 37 Livermore, California Safety Professional Anne/Red Eliminated January 7
Kayrene Curtis 44 Rocky River, Ohio Stay-at-Home Mom Tyler/Blue

Contestant progress

[edit]
  • Red: Team Anne
  • Blue: Team Tyler
Rank Contestant Episode
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1 Hazell WIN IN IN IN IN IN IN WIN WIN WINNER
2 Steven BTM IN WIN IN IN BTM TIE WIN WIN RUNNER-UP
3 Asaf IN IN WIN IN IN WIN IN BTM OUT
4 Sharon WIN IN IN WIN WIN IN TIE BTM OUT
5 Lacey* IN IN IN IN BTM/SWAP IN WIN OUT
6 Shatima IN IN BTM BTM BTM WIN BTM OUT
7 Robyn IN IN IN WIN BTM BTM OUT
8 Brandon IN WIN IN BTM WIN OUT
9 Spencer* BTM IN BTM IN BTM/SWAP OUT
10 Sylvia IN BTM BTM QUIT
11 Lily IN WIN IN OUT
12 Skyler IN BTM OUT
13 Kevin IN OUT
14 Priscilla IN OUT
15 Jonathan OUT
16 Kayrene OUT
Key
  (WINNER) This contestant won the competition and was crowned "Best of the Worst".
  (RUNNER-UP) The contestant was the runner-up in the finals of the competition.
  (WIN) The contestant did the best on their team in the week's Main Dish challenge or Skill Drill and was considered the winner.
  (TIE) The contestant tied with another contestant as the best on their team in the week's Main Dish challenge or Skill Drill.
  (BTM) The contestant was selected as one of the bottom entries in the Main Dish challenge, but was not eliminated.
  (OUT) The contestant lost that week's Main Dish challenge and was out of the competition.
  (QUIT) The contestant volunteered to leave the competition.

In episode 5, contestants Lacey and Spencer switch teams instead of being eliminated, Lacey on Chef Anne's Team and Spencer on Chef Tyler's team.

Season 13: Celebrity Edition 4

[edit]

Tyler Florence returns with Anne Burrell to host season 4 of the Celebrity Edition. This is the first Celebrity Edition to not feature Rachael Ray as a judge. The season premiered on April 15, 2018.[21]

Recruits

[edit]
Contestant Age Occupation Team Status
La Toya Jackson 61 Singer-songwriter Tyler/Blue Winner May 20
Ian Ziering 53 Beverly Hills, 90210 star Anne/Red Runner-up May 20
Oscar Nunez 59 The Office Star Tyler/Blue Eliminated May 13
Catherine Bach 64 The Dukes of Hazzard Star Anne/Red
Maria Bamford 48 Comedian Tyler/Blue Eliminated May 6
Nolan Gould 19 Modern Family Star Anne/Red Eliminated April 29
Bronson Pinchot 58 Perfect Strangers star Anne/Red Eliminated April 22

Contestant progress

[edit]
  • Red: Team Anne
  • Blue: Team Tyler
Rank Contestant Episode
1 2 3 4 5 6
1 La Toya IN WIN WIN WIN WIN WINNER
2 Ian IN IN WIN WIN WIN RUNNER-UP
3 Oscar BTM BTM BTM IN OUT
4 Catherine IN WIN IN BTM OUT
5 Maria IN IN IN OUT
6 Nolan BTM IN OUT
7 Bronson IN OUT
Key
  (WINNER) This contestant won the competition and was crowned "Best of the Worst".
  (RUNNER-UP) The contestant was the runner-up in the finals of the competition.
  (WIN) The contestant did the best on their team in the week's Main Dish challenge or Skill Drill and was considered the winner.
  (BTM) The contestant was selected as one of the bottom entries in the Main Dish challenge but was not eliminated.
  (OUT) The contestant lost that week's Main Dish challenge and was out of the competition.

Season 14: 2018

[edit]

Robert Irvine rejoined Anne Burrell to host season 14.

Recruits

[edit]
Contestant Age Hometown Occupation Team Status
Bradley Garcia 22 Miami, Florida Model Robert/Blue Winner September 24
Sarah Harris 23 Porum, Oklahoma Equine Therapist Anne/Red Runner-up September 24
Timmy Thok 29 New York City Underwear Model, Bartender Robert/Blue Finalist September 24
Janese Henry 30 Spring Lake, North Carolina Stay-at-Home Mom Anne/Red
Carla Waddell 46 Alexandria, Virginia Human Resources Anne/Red Eliminated September 10
Frank Scuderi 40 Maple Shade, New Jersey Operations Manager Robert/Blue
Rudy Rehburg 30 Chicago, Illinois Property Preservation Specialist Anne/Red Eliminated September 3
Jessica Paulson 26 Oakley, California EMT Robert/Blue
Kimberly D. Worthy[A] 33 Atlanta, Georgia Writer Robert/Blue Eliminated August 26
Copan Combs 30 Stillwater, Oklahoma Academic Recruiter Anne/Red
Linda Martin 60 Somerville, Massachusetts Retired Anne/Red Eliminated August 19
Marcus Ellis 51 Queens, New York Mental Health Counselor Robert/Blue
Maryann Rapisarda 67 Valdosta, Georgia Retired Robert/Blue Eliminated August 12
Robbie DeRaffele 30 Hackensack, New Jersey Superman Impersonator Anne/Red

Contestant progress

[edit]
  • Red: Team Anne
  • Blue: Team Robert
Rank Contestant Episode
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
1 Bradley IN IN WIN WIN WIN IN WINNER
2 Sarah WIN WIN IN BTM WIN IN RUNNER-UP
3 Timmy IN WIN BTM IN BTM IN FINALIST
4 Janese IN IN BTM WIN BTM IN
5 Carla IN IN WIN IN OUT
6 Frank WIN IN IN BTM OUT
7 Rudy IN BTM IN OUT
8 Jessica IN IN IN OUT
9 Kimberly IN BTM OUT
10 Copan BTM IN OUT
11 Linda IN OUT
12 Marcus BTM OUT
13 Maryann OUT
14 Robbie OUT
Key
  (WINNER) This contestant won the competition and was crowned "Best of the Worst".
  (RUNNER-UP) The contestant was the runner-up in the finals of the competition.
  (WIN) The contestant did the best on their team in the week's Main Dish challenge or Skill Drill and was considered the winner.
  (BTM) The contestant was selected as one of the bottom entries in the Main Dish challenge, but was not eliminated.
  (OUT) The contestant lost that week's Main Dish challenge and was out of the competition.

Season 15: 2019

[edit]

Tyler Florence joins Anne Burrell to host season 15. Since the number of contestants is odd, one of them is eliminated before getting into the teams.

Recruits

[edit]
Contestant Age Hometown Occupation Team Status
Allison Wolfe 31 Richmond, Texas Stay-at-home Mom Anne/Red Winner March 3
Brittany Carel 23 Fort Lauderdale, Florida Model Tyler/Blue Runner-up March 3
Travele Judon 32 Chicago, Illinois Insurance Sales Tyler/Blue Eliminated February 24
Brett Azar 31 Rahway, New Jersey Arnold Schwarzenegger Body Double Anne/Red
Carmelle Bull 66 Atlanta, Georgia Server Anne/Red Eliminated February 17
Mickey Wentz † 50 Denver, Colorado Math Teacher Tyler/Blue
Katherine "Kat" Schuessler[22] 27 Kent, Ohio Fast Food Employee Anne/Red Eliminated February 3
Cameron Pennington 19 Grayson, Kentucky Sandwich Artist Tyler/Blue
Antoinette Wills 49 Washington D.C. Secretary Tyler/Blue Eliminated January 27
Terry Yu 52 Stockton, California Prison Pharmacist Anne/Red
Alten Poblete 27 San Diego, California Dog Walker Tyler/Blue Eliminated January 20
Sponjetta Parrish 40 Athens, Georgia Online Saleswoman Anne/Red
Cody Medler 24 Los Angeles, California Service Car Driver Tyler/Blue Eliminated January 13
Caitlin Rose 32 Brick, New Jersey Salon Receptionist Anne/Red
Chaz Oakley 53 Ninilchik, Alaska Artist Eliminiated/White Eliminated January 6

Contestant progress

[edit]
  • Red: Team Anne
  • Blue: Team Tyler
Rank Contestant Episode
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
1 Allison IN IN BTM IN BTM WIN WIN WIN WINNER
2 Brittany IN IN IN IN BTM BTM WIN WIN RUNNER-UP
3 Travele IN IN IN WIN WIN WIN BTM OUT
4 Brett IN IN WIN IN WIN BTM BTM OUT
5 Carmelle WIN IN IN WIN IN BTM OUT
6 Mickey IN IN WIN BTM IN BTM OUT
7 Kat IN BTM IN BTM OUT
8 Cameron BTM WIN IN IN OUT
9 Antoinette WIN IN BTM OUT
10 Terry IN WIN IN OUT
11 Alten IN BTM OUT
12 Sponjetta BTM IN OUT
13 Cody BTM OUT
14 Caitlin BTM OUT
15 Chaz OUT
Key
  (WINNER) This contestant won the competition and was crowned "Best of the Worst".
  (RUNNER-UP) The contestant was the runner-up in the finals of the competition.
  (WIN) The contestant did the best on their team in the week's Main Dish challenge or Skill Drill and was considered the winner.
  (BTM) The contestant was selected as one of the bottom entries in the Main Dish challenge, but was not eliminated.
  (OUT) The contestant lost that week's Main Dish challenge and was out of the competition.
  • Chaz was eliminated after the baseline challenge because his dish was the worst.
  • †: Contestant died after filming.

Season 16: Celebrity Edition 5

[edit]

Tyler Florence returns with Anne Burrell to host the fifth run of the Celebrity Edition. The season premiered on April 21, 2019.[23]

Recruits

[edit]
Contestant Age Occupation Team Status
Tonya Harding 48 Retired Figure Skater/Reality TV Personality Anne/Red Winner June 2
Alec Mapa 53 Actor/Comedian/Writer Tyler/Blue Runner-up June 2
Jim J. Bullock 64 Actor/Comedian Anne/Red Eliminated May 26
Kym Whitley 57 Comedian/Actress Tyler/Blue
Jonathan Lipnicki 28 Actor/Producer Anne/Red Eliminated May 12
Morgan Fairchild 69 Actress Tyler/Blue Eliminated May 5
Taryn Manning 40 Actress/Singer Anne/Red Walked off show April 28
Jimmie Walker 71 Actor/Comedian Eliminated/White Eliminated April 21

Contestant progress

[edit]
  • Red: Team Anne
  • Blue: Team Tyler
Rank Contestant Episode
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
1 Tonya IN IN WIN WIN BTM WIN WINNER
2 Alec IN WIN WIN BTM BTM WIN RUNNER-UP
3 Jim WIN WIN IN IN IN OUT
4 Kym WIN BTM IN WIN IN OUT
5 Jonathan BTM BTM BTM OUT
6 Morgan IN IN OUT
7 Taryn IN QUIT
8 Jimmie OUT
Key
  (WINNER) This contestant won the competition and was crowned "Best of the Worst".
  (RUNNER-UP) The contestant was the runner-up in the finals of the competition.
  (WIN) The contestant did the best on their team in the week's Main Dish challenge or Skill Drill and was considered the winner.
  (BTM) The contestant was selected as one of the bottom entries in the Main Dish challenge but was not eliminated
  (OUT) The contestant lost that week's Main Dish challenge and was out of the competition.
  (QUIT) The contestant volunteered to leave the competition.

Season 17: 2019

[edit]

Bobby Flay joins Anne Burrell to host season 17. The season, featuring 14 recruits, debuted on August 4, 2019.[24]

Recruits

[edit]
Contestant Age Hometown Occupation Team Status
Adrian Read 29 Bronx, New York Zumba Instructor for Seniors Bobby/Blue Winner September 22
Juliann Sheldon 28 Charlotte, North Carolina Professional Cheerleader Anne/Red Runner-up September 22
Kayla Longstreth 23 Firestone, Colorado Dance Instructor Bobby/Blue Eliminated September 15
Father Adam Young 34 Cranston, Rhode Island Priest Anne/Red
Gina Lam 28 San Diego, California Banker Bobby/Blue Eliminated September 8
Peter Smerlas 36 Waltham, Massachusetts Construction Worker & Rapper Anne/Red
Laith Wallschleger 26 Tampa, Florida Former Professional Football Player Bobby/Blue Eliminated September 1
Sharon Grant 53 Dallas, Texas Minister Anne/Red
Mercedes "Sadie" Manda 20 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania College Student Bobby/Blue Eliminated August 25
Karma Ann Moody 47 Hayesville, North Carolina Bridal Shop Owner Anne/Red
Jonathan Beyer 37 New York, New York Opera singer Bobby/Blue Eliminated August 11
Terry Grawey 62 Peoria, Illinois Hypnotist Anne/Red
Idriss Allison 30 Bronx, New York Transformational Coach Bobby/Blue Eliminated August 4
Nina Kharoufeh 25 Cliffside Park, New Jersey News Curator Anne/Red

Contestant progress

[edit]
  • Red: Team Anne
  • Blue: Team Bobby
Rank Contestant Episode
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
1 Adrian* WIN IN IN/SWAP WIN IN IN BTM WIN WINNER
2 Juliann IN BTM IN WIN IN WIN BTM WIN RUNNER-UP
3 Kayla BTM WIN IN IN IN WIN WIN OUT
4 Adam IN WIN IN BTM BTM BTM WIN OUT
5 Gina IN IN IN BTM BTM BTM OUT
6 Peter IN IN IN BTM IN IN OUT
7 Laith IN BTM IN BTM WIN OUT
8 Sharon* IN IN IN/SWAP IN WIN OUT
9 Sadie WIN IN IN IN OUT
10 Karma IN IN IN IN OUT
11 Jonathan IN OUT
12 Terry BTM OUT
13 Idriss OUT
14 Nina OUT
  • Since the Red Team won the Ice Cream Skill Drill game in Week 3, Chef Anne had the choice of taking one of the Blue recruits and swapping with one of her own. She chose Adrian from her own team and Sharon from the Blue Team to swap.
Key
  (WINNER) This contestant won the competition and was crowned "Best of the Worst".
  (RUNNER-UP) The contestant was the runner-up in the finals of the competition.
  (WIN) The contestant did the best on their team in the week's Main Dish challenge or Skill Drill and was considered the winner.
  (BTM) The contestant was selected as one of the bottom entries in the Main Dish challenge, but was not eliminated.
  (OUT) The contestant lost that week's Main Dish challenge and was out of the competition.

Season 18: 2020

[edit]

Alton Brown joins Anne Burrell to host season 18. The season, featuring 16 recruits, premiered on January 5, 2020.[25]

Recruits

[edit]
Contestant Age Hometown Occupation Team Status
Shannon Akins 24 Tempe, Arizona Aspiring Cosmetologist Anne/Red Winner March 8
Leo Lech 58 Washington, West Virginia Chemist Alton/Blue Runner-up March 8
Leslie Rivera-Silva 35 Washington, D.C. Hairstylist Anne/Red Eliminated March 1
Kelly Ngoc Mac 55 Pasadena, California Fitness Instructor Alton/Blue
Michael "Mike" Jones-Better 24 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania EMT Alton/Blue Eliminated February 23
Bridget Praytor 41 Colorado Springs, Colorado Volleyball Coach Anne/Red
Monica Colwell 25 Hazard, Kentucky ER Records Coordinator Alton/Blue Eliminated February 9
Dr. Lulu Boykin 67 Pittsboro, North Carolina Teaching Artist Anne/Red
Jefferson Goldie 36 Chicago, Illinois Concierge Alton/Blue Eliminated February 2
Ryan Grovey 30 Phoenix, Arizona Mortician/Fitness Instructor Anne/Red
Jolynn Singh 52 Allen, Texas Nurse Alton/Blue Eliminated January 26
Curtis Long 38 Seneca, South Carolina Plumber Anne/Red
Kevin So 24 Brooklyn, New York Online Marketing Alton/Blue Eliminated January 12
Alexandra "Alex" Tiso 23 Eastchester, New York Radio Promotions Assistant Anne/Red
Joe Deese 30 Fultondale, Alabama Inventory Clerk Alton/Blue Eliminated January 5
Dakota Klaes 30 New York, New York Account Executive Anne/Red

Contestant progress

[edit]
  • Red: Team Anne
  • Blue: Team Alton
Rank Contestant Episode
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1 Shannon IN WIN IN IN WIN WIN BTM WIN WIN WINNER
2 Leo WIN IN IN IN WIN WIN BTM WIN WIN RUNNER-UP
3 Leslie WIN IN IN BTM IN BTM BTM BTM OUT
4 Kelly BTM WIN BTM IN IN BTM WIN BTM OUT
5 Mike IN IN WIN IN IN IN BTM OUT
6 Bridget BTM IN WIN IN IN IN WIN OUT
7 Monica IN IN IN BTM BTM OUT
8 Lulu IN BTM BTM WIN BTM OUT
9 Jefferson IN IN IN IN OUT
10 Ryan IN IN IN IN OUT
11 Jolynn IN BTM BTM OUT
12 Curtis IN IN BTM OUT
13 Kevin IN OUT
14 Alex IN OUT
15 Joe OUT
16 Dakota OUT
Key
  (WINNER) This contestant won the competition and was crowned "Best of the Worst".
  (RUNNER-UP) The contestant was the runner-up in the finals of the competition.
  (WIN) The contestant did the best on their team in the week's Main Dish challenge or Skill Drill and was considered the winner.
  (BTM) The contestant was selected as one of the bottom entries in the Main Dish challenge, but was not eliminated.
  (OUT) The contestant lost that week's Main Dish challenge and was out of the competition.

In episode 4, Chef Alton deemed the recruits' performances in the Main Dish challenge are too flawed to declare a winner in his team.

Season 19: Celebrity Edition 6

[edit]

Tyler Florence returns with Anne Burrell to host the sixth run of the Celebrity Edition. The season premiered on May 10, 2020.

Recruits

[edit]
Contestant Age Occupation Team Status
Wells Adams 35 Bachelor in Paradise Star Anne/Red Winner June 14
Johnny Bananas 37 The Challenge Star Tyler/Blue Runner-up June 14
Dave Coulier 60 Full House Star Tyler/Blue Eliminated June 7
Bridget Everett 47 Comedian & Actress Anne/Red
Robin Givens 55 Actress Anne/Red Eliminated May 31
Sonja Morgan 56 The Real Housewives of New York City Star Anne/Red Eliminated May 24
Brian Posehn 53 Comedian and Actor Tyler/Blue Eliminated May 17

Contestant progress

[edit]
Rank Contestant Episode
1 2 3 4 5 6
1 Wells IN WIN IN IN WIN WINNER
2 Johnny BTM WIN BTM WIN WIN RUNNER-UP
3 Dave WIN IN WIN BTM OUT
4 Bridget IN IN IN WIN OUT
5 Robin WIN IN WIN OUT
6 Sonja BTM BTM OUT
7 Brian IN OUT
Key
  (WINNER) This contestant won the competition and was crowned "Best of the Worst".
  (RUNNER-UP) The contestant was the runner-up in the finals of the competition.
  (WIN) The contestant did the best on their team in the week's Main Dish challenge or Skill Drill and was considered the winner.
  (BTM) The contestant was selected as one of the bottom entries in the Main Dish challenge but was not eliminated.
  (OUT) The contestant lost that week's Main Dish challenge and was out of the competition.

Season 20: 2020

[edit]

Alex Guarnaschelli joins Anne Burrell to host season 20. The season debuted on June 21, 2020.[26]

The entire run of this season, along with text summaries of it, was pulled from all Discovery platforms on January 23, 2021, after the season's champion, Ariel Robinson, was charged with homicide by child abuse with her husband for the murder of her three-year-old adopted daughter.[27][28]

Recruits

[edit]
Contestant Age Hometown Occupation Team Status
Ariel "Ari" Robinson 28 Simpsonville, South Carolina Teacher Alex/Blue Winner August 2
Zack Ignoffo 26 Chicago, Illinois Model Anne/Red Runner-up August 2
Dolores Aguilar-Fernandez 45 Cypress, Texas Recruiter Anne/Red Eliminated July 26
Darian Barnes 40 Rahway, New Jersey Teacher/Ex-Football Player Alex/Blue
Domaine Javier[B] 28 San Gabriel, California Nursing Supervisor/Trans Actress-Writer Anne/Red Eliminated July 19
Eric Smart 59 Los Angeles, California Special Investigator Alex/Blue
Louisa Sharamatyan[C] 30 Glendale, California Social Media Manager Alex/Blue Eliminated July 12
Evan Baker 35 Bismarck, North Dakota Professional Fundraiser Anne/Red
Denise Schroder 47 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Real Estate Agent Anne/Red Eliminated July 5
Johannes "Yo" Phelps 46 Davenport, Iowa Realtor Alex/Blue
Erin Sullivan 38 Mayfield, Kentucky Federal Employee Anne/Red Eliminated June 28
Brianna Weidenbach 24 Martin, Tennessee Caregiver Alex/Blue
Holly Brooks 66 Lancaster, Pennsylvania Intuitive Psychic Counselor Alex/Blue Eliminated June 21
Julie "Jewels" McIlroy 50 Syracuse, New York Community Habilitation Specialist Anne/Red

Contestant progress

[edit]
  • Red: Team Anne
  • Blue: Team Alex
Rank Contestant Episode
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
1 Ari IN WIN WIN IN WIN WIN BTM WIN WINNER
2 Zack WIN IN IN IN WIN IN WIN WIN RUNNER-UP
3 Dolores IN IN WIN WIN IN WIN BTM OUT
4 Darian IN IN IN IN IN IN WIN OUT
5 Domaine IN WIN IN IN BTM WIN OUT
6 Eric IN IN BTM IN BTM IN OUT
7 Louisa IN IN IN BTM OUT
8 Evan IN BTM BTM IN OUT
9 Denise BTM IN OUT
10 Yo WIN BTM OUT
11 Erin IN OUT
12 Brianna BTM OUT
13 Holly OUT
14 Jewels OUT
Key
  (WINNER) This contestant won the competition and was crowned "Best of the Worst".
  (RUNNER-UP) The contestant was the runner-up in the finals of the competition.
  (WIN) The contestant did the best on their team in the week's Main Dish challenge or Skill Drill and was considered the winner.
  (BTM) The contestant was selected as one of the bottom entries in the Main Dish challenge, but was not eliminated.
  (OUT) The contestant lost that week's Main Dish challenge and was out of the competition.

Season 21: 2021

[edit]

Carla Hall joins Anne Burrell to host season 21. The season debut on January 3, 2021, with a 90-minute premiere. Immediately following, spin-off companion series Worst Cooks in America: Dirty Dishes begins its first-ever run.[30] The show sees former boot camp contestants and comedians commenting on past episodes.[31]

An additional twist added this season is the "Danger Zone," in which the worst recruit on each team in the Skill Drill must cook their Main Dish at the stations used by Burrell and Hall in demonstrating the recipe, giving the mentors the ability to keep a close eye on them as they cook.

Recruits

[edit]
Contestant Age Hometown Occupation Team Status
Amber Leverette 37 Banner Elk, North Carolina Bartender Carla/Blue Winner February 28
Cameron Bartlett 20 Norman, Oklahoma Student Anne/Red Runner-up February 28
Jonathan "JJ" Hurt[32] 35 Atlanta, Georgia Tech Support Supervisor Anne/Red Finalist February 28
Chandali Gullick 29 Wichita, Kansas Customer Service Carla/Blue
McKayla Carter 21 Blackshear, Georgia Model Anne/Red Eliminated February 14
Tiffany Billingsly 35 Greenwood, Indiana Music Teacher Carla/Blue
Ayesha Dwyer 43 Wadsworth, Illinois Children's Book Author Carla/Blue Eliminated January 31
Laura Marie Moore 23 Los Angeles, California NHL Cheerleader Anne/Red
Joey Kinsley 26 Rocky River, Ohio Digital Marketing Specialist Carla/Blue Eliminated January 17
Mo Nooreldin Kirkland, Washington Dental Assistant Anne/Red
Stephanie James 40 Chicago, Illinois Postal Clerk Anne/Red Eliminated January 10
Watik Aleem Aurora, Colorado Army Veteran Carla/Blue
Jonathan Hanna New York, New York Hand Model Carla/Blue Eliminated January 3
Joy Blessing 65 Jacksonville, Florida Wedding Officiant Anne/Red

Contestant progress

[edit]
  • Red: Team Anne
  • Blue: Team Carla
Rank Contestant Episode
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
1 Amber WIN IN WIN IN BTM IMM IN WINNER
2 Cameron BTM BTM IN BTM WIN WIN IN RUNNER-UP
3 JJ WIN IN IN WIN BTM BTM IN FINALIST
4 Chandali* IN IN BTM BTM/SWAP IN WIN IN
5 McKayla* BTM WIN BTM BTM/SWAP IN OUT
6 Tiffany IN BTM IN BTM WIN OUT
7 Ayesha IN IN IN WIN OUT
8 Laura IN IN WIN IN OUT
9 Joey IN IN OUT
10 Mo IN WIN OUT
11 Stephanie IN OUT
12 Watik IN OUT
13 Jonathan OUT
14 Joy OUT
Key
  (WINNER) This contestant won the competition and was crowned "Best of the Worst".
  (RUNNER-UP) The contestant was the runner-up in the finals of the competition.
  (WIN) The contestant did the best on their team in the week's Main Dish challenge or Skill Drill and was considered the winner.
  (IMM) The contestant won immunity and was safe from elimination in the week's Main Dish Challenge.
  (BTM) The contestant was selected as one of the bottom entries in the Main Dish challenge, but was not eliminated.
  (OUT) The contestant lost that week's Main Dish challenge and was out of the competition.
* Initially a member of the other team but switched instead of being eliminated.

Season 22: Best of the Worst

[edit]

Michael Symon joins Anne Burrell for the first time to host a new Best of the Worst season where fan-favorite recruits from past seasons return for another chance at redemption. The season premiered on April 25, 2021.[33]

Recruits

[edit]
Contestant Original Season Hometown Occupation Team Status
Mercedes “Sadie” Manda Season 17 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Non-Profit Associate Anne/Red Winner May 30
Domaine Javier Season 20 San Gabriel, California Trans Actress, Writer, Nurse Michael/Blue Runner-up May 30
Stephanie James Season 21 Chicago, Illinois Postal Clerk Anne/Red Finalist May 30
Dr. Lulu Boykin Season 18 Pittsboro, North Carolina Teaching Artist Michael/Blue
Jefferson Goldie Season 18 Chicago, Illinois Musician Michael/Blue Eliminated May 23
Jonathan Beyer Season 17 New York, New York Opera Singer Anne/Red Eliminated May 16
Eric Smart Season 20 Los Angeles, California Special Investigator Michael/Blue Eliminated May 9
Joey Kinsley Season 21 Cleveland, Ohio Digital Marketing Specialist Anne/Red Eliminated May 2

Contestant progress

[edit]
  • Red: Team Anne
  • Blue: Team Michael
Rank Contestant Episode
1 2 3 4 5 6
1 Sadie WIN IN WIN IN WIN WINNER
2 Domaine WIN IN IN IN WIN RUNNER-UP
3 Stephanie IN WIN BTM WIN BTM FINALIST
4 Lulu IN IN WIN WIN IN
5 Jefferson BTM BTM IN BTM OUT
6 Jonathan BTM IN IMM OUT
7 Eric IN WIN OUT
8 Joey IN OUT
Key
  (WINNER) This contestant won the competition and was crowned "Best of the Worst".
  (RUNNER-UP) The contestant was the runner-up in the finals of the competition.
  (IMM) The contestant won immunity and was safe from elimination in the week's Main Dish Challenge.
  (WIN) The contestant did the best on their team in the week's Main Dish challenge or Skill Drill and was considered the winner.
  (BTM) The contestant was selected as one of the bottom entries in the Main Dish challenge but was not eliminated.
  (OUT) The contestant lost that week's Main Dish challenge and was out of the competition.

Season 23: 2022

[edit]

Cliff Crooks joins Anne Burrell to host season 23. The season debuted on January 5, 2022.

This season features two additional twists. First, the cast includes 5 pairs of recruits with previously established relationships: Angie & Cheyenne (long-lost cousins), Bianca & Hector (married), Deneise & Hilda (neighbors), Eddie & Kara (married), and Marti & Peachez (best friends). Second, this season features alternating elimination weeks for each team, with the winning recruit on the non-eliminating team receiving a $1,000 prize each week.

Recruits

[edit]
Contestant Hometown Occupation Team Status
Peachez Iman-Cummings New York City Drag performer Cliff/Blue Winner February 23
Marti Cummings New York City Drag Artist Anne/Red Runner-up February 23
Kara Anderson Leitchfield, Kentucky English Teacher Anne/Red Finalist February 23
Cheyenne Loomis London, Kentucky Case Worker Cliff/Blue
Eddie Anderson Leitchfield, Kentucky Art Teacher Cliff/Blue Eliminated February 16
Hilda Ike Poinciana, Florida Fitness Instructor Anne/Red
Bianca Bencosme York, Pennsylvania Stay-At-Home Mom Cliff/Blue Eliminated February 9
Al Kingswriter Tony, Wisconsin Truck Driver Anne/Red
Angie Hartford-Padilla San Jose, California Executive Assistant Anne/Red Eliminated February 2
Melody Moore Atlanta, Georgia Beauty Bar Owner Cliff/Blue Quit January 26
Hector Peralta York, Pennsylvania Data Analyst Anne/Red Eliminated January 19
Deneise White Poinciana, Florida IT Manager Cliff/Blue Eliminated January 12

Contestant progress

[edit]
  • Red: Team Anne
  • Blue: Team Cliff
Rank Contestant Episode
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
1 Peachez IN WIN IN BTM WIN WIN WIN WINNER
2 Marti IN IN WIN IN IN WIN BTM RUNNER-UP
3 Kara IN BTM IN IN WIN IN WIN FINALIST
4 Cheyenne IN IN IN BTM* IN BTM BTM
5 Eddie IN IN IN WIN IN IN OUT
6 Hilda IN WIN BTM IN IN BTM OUT
7 Bianca IN IN WIN IN IN OUT
8 Al IN IN IN IN BTM OUT
9 Angie WIN IN IN WIN OUT
10 Melody IN IN IN QUIT
11 Hector BTM IN OUT
12 Deneise BTM OUT
Key
  (WINNER) This contestant won the competition and was crowned "Best of the Worst".
  (RUNNER-UP) The contestant was the runner-up in the finals of the competition.
  (WIN) The contestant did the best on their team in the week's Main Dish Challenge and was considered the winner.
  (BTM) The contestant was selected as one of the bottom entries in the Main Dish challenge but was not eliminated.
  (OUT) The contestant lost that week's Main Dish challenge and was out of the competition.
  (QUIT) The contestant volunteered to leave the competition.

In Episode 4, Cheyenne was originally eliminated. Melody, feeling Cheyenne deserved to stay, voluntarily left the competition and gave Cheyenne her spot.

Season 24: Celebrity Edition That's So 90's

[edit]

Jeff Mauro joins Anne Burrell to host the seventh run of the Celebrity Edition. The season premiered on April 24, 2022.[34]

Recruits

[edit]
Contestant Age Occupation Team Status
Tracey Gold 52 Growing Pains star Anne/Red Winner May 29
Jodie Sweetin 40 Full House and Fuller House star Jeff/Blue Runner-up May 29
Elisa Donovan 51 Clueless star Anne/Red Finalist May 29
Matthew Lawrence 42 Mrs. Doubtfire star Jeff/Blue
Mark Long 50 Road Rules star Anne/Red Eliminated May 22
Jennie Kwan 48 California Dreams star Jeff/Blue Eliminated May 15
Lori Beth Denberg 46 All That star Jeff/Blue Eliminated May 15
Nicholle Tom 43 The Nanny star Anne/Red Eliminated May 8
Curtis Williams 34 The Parent 'Hood star Jeff/Blue Eliminated May 1

Contestant progress

[edit]
  • Red: Team Anne
  • Blue: Team Jeff
Rank Contestant Episode
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
1 Tracey IN IN IN IMM WIN IN WINNER
2 Jodie IN IN IN WIN IN WIN RUNNER-UP
3 Elisa BTM WIN IN WIN BTM WIN FINALIST
4 Matthew IN IN WIN IN WIN BTM
5 Mark WIN IN WIN BTM IN OUT
6 Jennie WIN WIN BTM IN OUT
7 Lori Beth IN IN IN OUT
8 Nicholle IN BTM OUT
9 Curtis BTM OUT
Key
  (WINNER) This contestant won the competition and was crowned "Best of the Worst".
  (RUNNER-UP) The contestant was the runner-up in the finals of the competition.
  (IMM) The contestant won immunity and was safe from elimination in the week's Main Dish Challenge.
  (WIN) The contestant did the best on their team in the week's Main Dish Challenge and was considered the winner.
  (BTM) The contestant was selected as one of the bottom entries in the Main Dish challenge but was not eliminated.
  (OUT) The contestant lost that week's Main Dish challenge and was out of the competition.

Season 25: Viral Sensations

[edit]

Darnell Ferguson joins Anne Burrell to host the first run of Viral Sensations. The season premiered on January 1, 2023.[34]

During this season, a new gimmick to the show has been added. It is known as a Chef Like, which is a pin awarded to the winner of the Skill Drill Challenge on both teams and the Main Dish Challenge on both teams. The respective mentor of the team decides the winner. The recruit who accumulates the most will have a game-changing advantage. In episode 5, the recruit with the most Chef Likes on each team was able to choose one team member to switch to the opposite team. Paris, who had the most on the red team, chose Eliza to switch to Blue, whereas Michael, who had the most on the Blue team, chose Rich to switch to red. During this episode, there was no elimination.

Recruits

[edit]
Contestant Hometown Occupation Team Status
Nick Trawick Los Angeles, California Social media influencer Anne/Red Winner February 5
Michael Judson Berry Jersey City, New Jersey Actor Darnell/Blue Runner-up February 5
Paris Nicholson Los Angeles, California Social media influencer Anne/Red Finalist February 5
NaJe' Elmore Texarkana, Texas Social media influencer Darnell/Blue
David Chen Fort Lauderdale, Florida Flight attendant Darnell/Blue Eliminated January 29
Tessica Brown Violet, Louisiana Stay at home mom Anne/Red
Eliza Petersen West Jordan, Utah Amateur paleontologist Darnell/Blue Eliminated January 29
Rich Aronovitch New York City Professional comedian Anne/Red
Mitchell Tyler Ralston Huntington Beach, California Ghost Hunter Anne/Red Eliminated January 22
Sabrina Rios Los Angeles, California Social media influencer Darnell/Blue
Tina Kim Los Angeles, California Social media influencer Darnell/Blue Eliminated January 15
Adam Kreutinger Buffalo, New York Puppeteer Anne/Red Eliminated January 8

Contestant progress

[edit]
  • Red: Team Anne
  • Blue: Team Darnell
Rank Contestant Episode
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
1 Nick IN IN IN IN BTM BTM BTM WINNER
2 Michael IN IN IN WIN WIN BTM BTM RUNNER-UP
3 Paris BTM IN IN WIN WIN IN WIN FINALIST
4 NaJe' IN WIN WIN BTM IN WIN WIN
5 David BTM IN IN IN BTM IN OUT
6 Tessica IN BTM IN BTM BTM WIN OUT
7 Eliza* IN WIN WIN IN IN/Swap OUT
8 Rich* IN IN IN IN BTM/Swap OUT
9 Mitchell IN IN IN OUT
10 Sabrina IN IN BTM OUT
11 Tina IN IN OUT
12 Adam IN OUT
Key
  (WINNER) This contestant won the competition and was crowned "Best of the Worst".
  (RUNNER-UP) The contestant was the runner-up in the finals of the competition.
  (IMM) The contestant won immunity and was safe from elimination in the week's Main Dish Challenge.
  (WIN) The contestant did the best on their team in the week's Main Dish Challenge and was considered the winner.
  (BTM) The contestant was selected as one of the bottom entries in the Main Dish challenge but was not eliminated.
  (OUT) The contestant lost that week's Main Dish challenge and was out of the competition.
*Denotes that this recruit was originally part of a different team but due to a twist element in episode 5, were swapped.

Season 26: Love at First Bite

[edit]

Jeff Mauro joins Anne Burrell to host Love at First Bite. The season premiered on August 6, 2023.[35]

This season features a cast of single recruits eager to learn some cooking skills to impress future dates. As a twist, recruits were selected in pairs to join the Red or Blue Team. Pairs will compete together in all Skill Drills and share a work station for all cooks. The pairs are:

  • Allegra & Michael (Blue Team)
  • Amy & Etherio (Red Team)
  • Jessica & Kermit (Blue Team)
  • Lou & Denz (Red Team)
  • Sami & James (Red Team)
  • Sterling & Matthew (Blue Team)
  • Terri & Charles (Red Team)
  • Toneata & Zach (Blue Team)

The winner of each team's Skill Drill cook receives the power to "recouple" by staying with their current partner or choosing a different one. In Episode 2, Michael was the first to recouple by choosing Sterling as his new partner, while James chose to stay with Sami. In Episode 3, Terri chose Etherio as her new partner, thus leaving Charles in the "Singles Zone", where only one person will occupy a station, while Jessica chose to stay with Kermit. Sterling was automatically paired with Allegra since Michael withdrew in Episode 3. In Episode 4, Etherio chose to be in the "Singles Zone", thus leaving Terri to pair up with Lou, while Kermit chose Toneata as his new partner, thus leaving Jessica to pair up with Zach. In Episode 5, Terri chose to stay with Lou, while Jessica chose to be in the "Singles Zone", thus leaving Zach to pair up with Kermit. From Episode 6 onwards though, there were no more chances to "recouple" after winning a Skill Drill cook.

Though they'll compete in pairs, only one recruit will win the $25,000 grand prize. Eliminations are based on individual performance. Note that there is no Bottom 2 for the Blue Team in Week 3 since Michael withdrew from the competition that week, so Week 3 is elimination week for the Red Team only. There is also no Bottom 2 for the Red Team in Week 4 since Charles withdrew from the competition that week, so Week 4 is elimination week for the Blue Team only.

Recruits

[edit]
Contestant Hometown Occupation Team Status
Jessica Singer Los Angeles, California Comedian/Pet Sitter Jeff/Blue Winner September 10
Samantha "Sami" White[36] Chicago, Illinois Drag King Anne/Red Runner-up September 10
Louisa "Lou" Tocquie Rochester, New York Home Health Aide Anne/Red Finalist September 10
Sterling Quinn New York City Fashion Designer/Content Creator Jeff/Blue
Etherio Noon Chicago, Illinois Model Anne/Red Eliminated September 10
Allegra Melton Jonesboro, Arkansas Personal Trainer Jeff/Blue
Zach Russell New York City Business Development Director Jeff/Blue Eliminated September 3
James Bates Hammond, Louisiana Content Creator Anne/Red
Kermit Moss Jr. Costa Mesa, California Music Producer Jeff/Blue Eliminated August 27
Terri Arcelia Atlanta, Georgia Bartender Anne/Red
Toneata Morgan Los Angeles, California Actress/Model Jeff/Blue Eliminated August 27
Charles Osborne* New York City Actor/Comedian/Writer Anne/Red Withdrew August 27
Denz Mooney Long Island, New York Content Creator Anne/Red Eliminated August 20
Michael Kazakov* Staten Island, New York Demolition Man Jeff/Blue Withdrew August 20
Matthew Militello Los Angeles, California Makeup Artist Jeff/Blue Eliminated August 13
Amy Solomon Las Vegas, Nevada Professional Organizer Anne/Red
  • Contestant Michael Kazakov was deemed too ill to continue on August 20
  • Contestant Charles Osborne was deemed too ill to continue on August 27

Contestant progress

[edit]
  • Red: Team Anne
  • Blue: Team Jeff
Rank Contestant Episode
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
1 Jessica BTM IN IN IN IN WIN BTM WINNER
2 Sami IN IN BTM WIN WIN IN WIN RUNNER-UP
3 Lou BTM IN WIN IN IN WIN BTM FINALIST
4 Sterling IN IN IN WIN IN BTM WIN
5 Etherio IN IN IN IN IN BTM OUT
6 Allegra IN IN IN IN WIN IN OUT
7 Zach IN IN WIN IN BTM OUT
8 James IN IN IN IN BTM OUT
9 Kermit BTM BTM IN BTM OUT
10 Terri IN IN IN IN OUT
11 Toneata IN IN IN OUT
12 Charles IN WIN IN WDR
13 Denz BTM BTM OUT
14 Michael IN WIN WDR
15 Matthew IN OUT
16 Amy IN OUT
Key
  (WINNER) This contestant won the competition and was crowned "Best of the Worst".
  (RUNNER-UP) The contestant was the runner-up in the finals of the competition.
  (WIN) The contestant did the best on their team in the week's Main Dish Challenge and was considered the winner.
  (BTM) The contestant was selected as one of the bottom entries in the Main Dish challenge but was not eliminated.
  (OUT) The contestant lost that week's Main Dish challenge and was out of the competition.
  (WDR) The contestant withdrew from the competition due to illness.

Season 27: Spoiled Rotten

[edit]

Tiffany Derry joins Anne Burrell to host Spoiled Rotten. The season premiered on January 7, 2024.


Recruits

[edit]
Contestant Hometown Occupation Team Status
Stacey Loper Hoover, Alabama Grief Recovery Counselor Tiffany/Blue Winner February 4, 2024
Leona McTaggart-Chapman Cresaptown, Maryland Day Program Manager Anne/Red Runner-up February 4, 2024
Carrington Gilbert Houston, Texas Stay-At-Home Daughter Anne/Red Finalist February 4, 2024
Micaela Minner Akron, Ohio Pro Softball Player Tiffany/Blue
Erika Coleman New Orleans, Louisiana Makeup Artist and Stylist Anne/Red Eliminated
on February 4, 2024
Chelsko Thompson Seattle, Washington Social Media Manager Tiffany/Blue
Jesse Money Malibu, California Singer/Songwriter Anne/Red Eliminated
on January 28, 2024
Serious Williams Chicago, Illinois Psychiatric Assistant Tiffany/Blue
Ebie Wright Los Angeles, California Pop Singer Tiffany/Blue Eliminated
on January 28, 2024
Frankie Cena Burbank, California Public Speaking Academy Manager and former Mr. Canada Anne/Red
Avi Boodram Christiana, Delaware Investment Banker Anne/Red Eliminated
on January 21, 2024
Joel Alvarado Indianapolis, Indiana Goober TV Character Impersonator Tiffany/Blue
Steve Crawford Los Angeles, California Magician Anne/Red Eliminated
on January 14, 2024
Costa Georgopoulos San Pablo, California Maintenance Painter Tiffany/Blue
Elena Catlin Wesley Chapel, Florida Teacher, Piano player and Author Eliminated/White Eliminated
on January 7, 2024
Cathy Jacobson Vernon Hills, Illinois Dance Teacher Eliminated/White

Mentor records

[edit]
Mentor Wins Losses Win Pct.%
Alex Guarnaschelli 1 0 100%
Carla Hall 1 0 100%
Cliff Crooks 1 0 100%
Tiffany Derry 1 0 100%
Bobby Flay 3 1 75%
Anne Burrell 15 12 58%
Rachael Ray 2 2 50%
Jeff Mauro 1 1 50%
Robert Irvine 1 1 50%
Tyler Florence 1 6 14%
Alton Brown 0 1 0%
Beau MacMillan 0 1 0%
Darnell Ferguson 0 1 0%
Michael Symon 0 1 0%

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Kimberly D. Worthy previously competed on the first season of Worst Bakers in America.
  2. ^ Domaine Javier is the first-ever openly transgender woman featured in the history of Food Network.[29]
  3. ^ Louisa Sharamatyan previously competed on the second season of Worst Bakers in America and placed last.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Lynch, Rene (January 2, 2010). "'Worst Cooks in America' isn't just a title: They're horrible". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 14, 2013.
  2. ^ Tucker, Ken (January 4, 2010). "'Worst Cooks in America': Worst thing I watched most of last night". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved February 14, 2013.
  3. ^ "Worst Cooks in America, Dirty Dishes: Food Network Reveals Premiere Dates". canceled + renewed TV shows - TV Series Finale. November 30, 2020. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
  4. ^ "Worst Cooks in America: Red Team (Chef Anne Burrell)". Food Network. Retrieved February 14, 2013.
  5. ^ "Worst Cooks in America: Blue Team (Chef Beau MacMillan)". Food Network. Retrieved February 14, 2013.
  6. ^ Scattergood, Amy (March 16, 2010). "Casting Calls: Season 2 of Worst Cooks in America Wants You!". LA Weekly Blogs. Archived from the original on July 8, 2012. Retrieved August 1, 2012.
  7. ^ "Food Network is currently casting hopeless home cooks!!". Worst Cook Casting. March 8, 2010. Retrieved August 1, 2012.
  8. ^ "Powered by Google Docs". Google. Retrieved August 1, 2012.
  9. ^ "Superstar Chefs Anne Burrell And Bobby Flay Transform Kitchen-Challenged Contestants in Season Three of Primetime Competition Series Worst Cooks in America" (PDF). MultiVu. Retrieved February 14, 2013.
  10. ^ "WORST COOKS IN AMERICA: Season Three – Contestant Overview" (PDF). MultiVu. Retrieved February 14, 2013.
  11. ^ "National Television Host on Shop NBC". Libby Floyd. Retrieved August 1, 2012.
  12. ^ "SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 25 Sunday Cable Originals (& Network Update): 1.4.2015". Showbuzzdaily.com. Archived from the original on January 9, 2015. Retrieved January 30, 2015.
  13. ^ "SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 25 Sunday Cable Originals (& Network Update): 1.11.2015". Showbuzzdaily.com. Archived from the original on January 14, 2015. Retrieved January 30, 2015.
  14. ^ "SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 25 Sunday Cable Originals (& Network Update): 1.18.2015". Showbuzzdaily.com. Archived from the original on January 22, 2015. Retrieved January 30, 2015.
  15. ^ "SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 25 Sunday Cable Originals (& Network Update): 1.25.2015". Showbuzzdaily.com. Archived from the original on January 28, 2015. Retrieved January 30, 2015.
  16. ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (February 10, 2015). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'The Walking Dead' Tops Night + 'Better Call Saul', 'Talking Dead', 'The Real Housewives of Atlanta' & More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on February 10, 2015. Retrieved February 10, 2015.
  17. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (September 15, 2016). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 9.14.2016". ShowBuzzDaily. Archived from the original on September 17, 2016. Retrieved September 17, 2016.
  18. ^ "Anne Burrell and Rachael Ray Kick Off the New Year with Season 10 of Worst Cooks in America | FN Dish – Food Network Blog". FN Dish – Food Network Blog. November 23, 2016. Retrieved December 7, 2016.
  19. ^ "Social Media Food Failures". Food Network.
  20. ^ "Worst Cooks in America, Season 11: Meet the Celebrity Recruits". Food Com.
  21. ^ "A Fresh Batch of Cooking-Challenged Celebrities Enter Boot Camp". Food Network.
  22. ^ Snook, Debbi (January 9, 2019). "Kat Schuessler of Kent adds skills on Food Network's 'Worst Cooks in America' - cleveland.com". Cleveland.com. Advance Publications. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
  23. ^ "Will Food Network Greenlight Worst Cooks in America for Season 26?". premieredate.news.
  24. ^ "Nowhere to Go But Up". Food Network.
  25. ^ "Bottom's Up". Food Network.
  26. ^ "Meet the Recruits". Archived from the original on June 14, 2020. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  27. ^ Gore, Thomas (January 20, 2021). "'Worst Cooks in America' winner and former teacher charged in 3-year-old girl's homicide along with husband". WHNS. Retrieved January 24, 2021.
  28. ^ Caruso, Nick (January 23, 2021). "Worst Cooks in America Season Pulled After Winner's Arrest for Child Murder". TVLine. Retrieved January 24, 2021.
  29. ^ "Worst Cooks in America: Domaine Javier makes history on Food Network". July 6, 2020.
  30. ^ "Worst Cooks in America" – via www.foodnetwork.com.
  31. ^ "Worst Cooks in America, Dirty Dishes: Food Network Reveals Premiere Dates". canceled + renewed my TV shows - TV Series Finale. November 30, 2020. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
  32. ^ "Instagram". Retrieved June 24, 2022.
  33. ^ "Michael Symon Joins Anne Burrell to Mentor Fan-Favorite Recruits Toward A Chance to Redemption Worst Cooks in America: Best of the Worst". Discovery LLC Press Release. March 18, 2021. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  34. ^ a b Knolle, Sharon; Lash, Jolie (March 16, 2022). "Worst Cooks in America Celebrity Edition: That's So 90s Cast". TheWrap. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
  35. ^ "Love at First Bite: Fiery First Date". FoodNetwork.com. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
  36. ^ "Food Network's 'Worst Cooks in America' to feature Fishers' Sami White". The Indianapolis Star. Gannett. July 25, 2023. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
[edit]