Worst Cooks in America
Worst Cooks in America is an American reality television series that premiered on January 3, 2010, on the 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. 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.
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. 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 | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calvin Way | 30 | Greenville, Alabama | Court reporter | Winner on February 1, 2010 |
| Nola Curtis | 41 | Omaha, Nebraska | Stay-at-home mom | Runner-Up on February 1, 2010 |
| Jana Magee | 25 | Pawtucket, Rhode Island | Bartender | Eliminated on January 31, 2010 |
| Simon Ramsey | 37 | White Plains, New York | Antique dealer | |
| Hillary Kimmel | 36 | Baton Rouge, Louisiana | Secretary | Eliminated on January 24, 2010 |
| Melanie Hayes | 26 | Syracuse, New York | Vet tech | |
| Titus Porter | 39 | Austin, Texas | Police officer | Eliminated on January 17, 2010 |
| Michael Cassidy | 26 | San Jose, California | Stand-up comedian | |
| Susan Holmes | 44 | Los Angeles, California | Stenographer | Eliminated on January 10, 2010 |
| Ahmed Sajid | 29 | Boston, Massachusetts | Bank manager | |
| Rebecca Baron | 24 | New York, New York | Graduate student | Eliminated on January 3, 2010 |
| Rich Trail | 56 | Owatonna, Minnesota | High school principal |
Contestant progress[edit]
- Red: Team Anne
- Blue: Team Beau
| Rank | Contestant | Episode | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | ||||
| 1 | Calvin | IN | WIN | IN | BTM | WIN | WIN | WIN | WINNER |
| 2 | Nola | IN | BTM | WIN | BTM | IN | WIN | WIN | RUNNER-UP |
| 3 | Jana | BTM | IN | IN | WIN | IN | BTM | OUT | |
| 4 | Simon | WIN | WIN | IN | IN | WIN | BTM | OUT | |
| 5 | Hillary* | BTM | IN | SWAP | IN | IN | OUT | ||
| 6 | Melanie* | WIN | IN | SWAP | WIN | IN | OUT | ||
| 7 | Titus | IN | IN | BTM | OUT | ||||
| 8 | Michael | IN | BTM | BTM | OUT | ||||
| 9 | Susan | IN | OUT | ||||||
| 10 | Ahmed | IN | OUT | ||||||
| 11 | Rebecca | OUT | |||||||
| 12 | Rich | OUT | |||||||
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. The Food Network also began accepting online video applications for season 2. Food Network's website announced that Robert Irvine would replace Beau MacMillan for season 2. Season 2 debuted on January 2, 2011. In this season the chefs had eight recruits each.
Recruits[edit]
| Contestant | Age | Hometown | Occupation | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heath Holliday | 24 | Miami, Florida | Bartender | Winner on February 20, 2011 |
| Adrienne Marquis | 30 | Raleigh, North Carolina | Makeup artist | Runner-Up on February 20, 2011 |
| Foster Ray | 27 | Belleview, Florida | Nature guide | Eliminated on February 13, 2011 |
| Beverly Allen | 44 | Carmel, Indiana | Preschool teacher | |
| David Mills | 50 | Lanham, Maryland | Electrical engineer | Eliminated on February 6, 2011 |
| Carolyn Spencer | 39 | Tulsa, Oklahoma | HR manager | |
| Cleo Blair | 52 | Salina, Kansas | School bus driver | Eliminated on January 30, 2011 |
| Shannon Frisby | 31 | Westland, Michigan | History professor | |
| Jamison Kerns | 26 | Arlington, Illinois | Miner | Eliminated on January 23, 2011 |
| Grace Pearson | 23 | Louisville, Kentucky | Esthetician | |
| Aleah Joyner | 25 | Chicago, Illinois | Cheerleading coach | Eliminated on January 16, 2011 |
| Christie Norwood | 32 | Henderson, Nevada | Firefighter | |
| Vincent Wolff | 50 | Sherman Oaks, California | Art restorer | Eliminated on January 9, 2011 |
| Wade Grogan | 42 | Woburn, Massachusetts | Car mechanic | |
| Antoine Strack | 37 | Plant City, Florida | Bar owner | Eliminated on January 2, 2011 |
| Kevin Jernigan | 30 | Newark, New Jersey | Landscaper |
Contestant progress[edit]
- Red: Team Anne
- Blue: Team Robert
| Rank | Contestant | Episode | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | ||||||
| 1 | Heath | IN | WIN | IN | WIN | IN | 7th | IN | BTM | WIN | WIN | WIN | WINNER |
| 2 | Adrienne* | WIN | IN | BTM | WIN | IN | 8th | WIN | IN | WIN | IN | WIN | RUNNER-UP |
| 3 | Foster | WIN | IN | IN | IN | WIN | 5th | IN | WIN | BTM | WIN | OUT | |
| 4 | Beverly | IN | BTM | WIN | WIN | IN | 3rd | BTM | IN | BTM | IN | OUT | |
| 5 | David | IN | WIN | WIN | IN | IN | WIN | IN | BTM | OUT | |||
| 6 | Carolyn* | IN | IN | IN | IN | BTM | 6th | WIN | WIN | OUT | |||
| 7 | Cleo | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | 2nd | BTM | OUT | ||||
| 8 | Shannon | IN | IN | IN | WIN | BTM | BTM | IN | OUT | ||||
| 9 | Jamison | IN | IN | BTM | IN | IN | 4th | OUT | |||||
| 10 | Grace | IN | IN | IN | WIN | WIN | 9th | OUT | |||||
| 11 | Aleah | BTM | BTM | IN | IN | OUT | |||||||
| 12 | Christie | IN | IN | IN | WIN | OUT | |||||||
| 13 | Vincent | IN | IN | OUT | |||||||||
| 14 | Wade | BTM | IN | OUT | |||||||||
| 15 | Antoine | OUT | |||||||||||
| 16 | Kevin | OUT | |||||||||||
Season 3: 2012[edit]
Anne Burrell hosted season 3 with Bobby Flay, who replaced Robert Irvine.
Recruits[edit]
| Contestant | Age | Hometown | Occupation | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sara Bolden | 27 | Jacksonville, Florida | Sonographer | Winner on April 1, 2012 |
| Levi Ungar | 27 | Springfield, Massachusetts | Portrait artist | Runner-Up on April 1, 2012 |
| Christopher Elliott | 29 | Houston, Texas | Interpreter | Eliminated on March 25, 2012 |
| Rachel Knight | 30 | Greenville, North Carolina | High school teacher | |
| Corey Grove | 21 | Fairbanks, Alaska | College student | Eliminated on March 18, 2012 |
| Nyasia Ochoa | 30 | Cambridge, Massachusetts | Retail manager | |
| Robert Miller | 54 | Chicago, Illinois | Public relations manager | Eliminated on March 11, 2012 |
| Regina Johnson | 39 | Reston, Virginia | Attorney | |
| Larry Hulett | 49 | Portage, Wisconsin | Insurance adjustor | Eliminated on March 4, 2012 |
| Abram Gray | 31 | Huntington, New York | Mortician | |
| Melissa Hammock | 29 | Youngstown, Ohio | Florist | Eliminated on February 26, 2012 |
| Tracey Wahl | 36 | Euless, Texas | Photographer | |
| Norman Ellis | 60 | Santa Fe, New Mexico | Retired police detective | Eliminated on February 19, 2012 |
| Justin D'Ambrosio | 24 | Atlanta, Georgia | Dancer | |
| Nora Marshall | 28 | Knoxville, Tennessee | Rodeo competitor | Eliminated on February 12, 2012 |
| Sharon Carolan | 62 | Saginaw, Michigan | Grandmother |
Contestant progress[edit]
- Red: Team Anne
- Blue: Team Bobby
| Rank | Contestant | Episode | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | ||||||||
| 1 | Sara | IN | WIN | IN | WIN | BTM | IN | WIN | WIN | IN | WIN | WIN | WIN | WIN | WINNER |
| 2 | Levi | IN | IN | BTM | IN | WIN | WIN | IN | IN | IN | IN | WIN | IN | WIN | RUNNER-UP |
| 3 | Christopher | IN | IN | BTM | BTM | IN | IN | IN | WIN | WIN | WIN | BTM | IN | OUT | |
| 4 | Rachel | BTM | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | WIN | IN | WIN | IN | BTM | WIN | OUT | |
| 5 | Corey* | WIN | IN | IN | IN | IN | WIN | IN | WIN | BTM | WIN | OUT | |||
| 6 | Nyasia | IN | WIN | IN | IN | IN | IN | BTM | IN | BTM | IN | OUT | |||
| 7 | Robert* | IN | IN | IN | IN | BTM | BTM | IN | IN | OUT | |||||
| 8 | Regina | IN | IN | IN | IN | WIN | IN | BTM | WIN | OUT | |||||
| 9 | Larry | IN | IN | IN | BTM | IN | IN | OUT | |||||||
| 10 | Abram | IN | IN | WIN | IN | IN | BTM | OUT | |||||||
| 11 | Melissa | WIN | IN | IN | IN | OUT | |||||||||
| 12 | Tracey | IN | IN | WIN | IN | OUT | |||||||||
| 13 | Norman | BTM | BTM | OUT | |||||||||||
| 14 | Justin | IN | BTM | OUT | |||||||||||
| 15 | Nora | OUT | |||||||||||||
| 16 | Sharon | OUT | |||||||||||||
Season 4: 2013[edit]
Anne Burrell hosted season 3 with Bobby Flay, who replaced Robert Irvine.
Recruits[edit]
| Contestant | Age | Hometown | Occupation | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taryn Peterson | 30 | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | Personal assistant | Winner on March 31, 2013 |
| Ruby Burgess | 40 | Lizella, Georgia | Art teacher | Runner-Up on March 31, 2013 |
| Julissa Young | 28 | Shreveport, Louisiana | Retail manager | Eliminated on March 24, 2013 |
| Jake Scott | 24 | Lewiston, Maine | Photographer | |
| Eric Brooks | 32 | Burlington, Vermont | Hotel manager | Eliminated on March 17, 2013 |
| Seamus Vance | 37 | Norfolk, Virginia | Mortician | |
| Hugh Shaw | 44 | Crafton, Pennsylvania | Physical therapist | Eliminated on March 10, 2013 |
| Tyrese Benjamin | 29 | Dallas, Texas | Football reporter | |
| Sophie Jordan | 23 | Decatur, Alabamaa | Graduate student | Eliminated on March 3, 2013 |
| Matthew Malone | 28 | New York, New York | Police officer | |
| Cherie Hunsacker | 33 | Bondville, Illinois | House cleaner | Eliminated on February 24, 2013 |
| Tommy Mackenzie | 34 | Dayton, Ohio | Factory worker | |
| Leslie Bartlet | 33 | Little Falls, New Jersey | Cosmetologist | Eliminated on February 17, 2013 |
| Rosa Oyola | 37 | Erie, Pennsylvania | Garden designer |
Contestant progress[edit]
- Red: Team Anne
- Blue: Team Bobby
| Rank | Contestant | Episode | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | |||||||||
| 1 | Taryn | IN | BTM | BTM | IN | WIN | IN | BTM | IN | WIN | WIN | WIN | WINNER | ||
| 2 | Ruby | BTM | WIN | IN | IN | IN | BTM | BTM | WIN | WIN | IN | WIN | RUNNER-UP | ||
| 3 | Julissa | IN | IN | WIN | IN | IN | BTM | WIN | IN | BTM | WIN | OUT | |||
| 4 | Jake | WIN | IN | IN | IN | WIN | WIN | IN | WIN | BTM | IN | OUT | |||
| 5 | Eric | WIN | IN | IN | WIN | IN | IN | IN | IN | OUT | |||||
| 6 | Seamus | IN | IN | WIN | IN | BTM | IN | WIN | WIN | OUT | |||||
| 7 | Hugh | BTM | IN | IN | IN | BTM | WIN | OUT | |||||||
| 8 | Tyrese | IN | IN | IN | BTM | IN | IN | OUT | |||||||
| 9 | Sophie | IN | IN | BTM | BTM | OUT | |||||||||
| 10 | Matthew | IN | WIN | IN | IN | OUT | |||||||||
| 11 | Cherie | IN | IN | OUT | |||||||||||
| 12 | Tommy | IN | BTM | OUT | |||||||||||
| 13 | Rosa | OUT | |||||||||||||
| 14 | Leslie | OUT | |||||||||||||
Season 5: 2014[edit]
Recruits[edit]
| Contestant | Age | Hometown | Occupation | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Will Lerch | 26 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Swimming instructor | Winner on March 31, 2014 |
| Rochelle Cooley | 33 | Baltimore, Maryland | Dermatologist | Runner-Up on March 31, 2014 |
| Edgar Lopes | 38 | Smyrna, Georgia | Bank manager | Eliminated on March 24, 2014 |
| Sylvia Coppola | 37 | Birmingham, Alabama | Advice columnist | |
| Teresa Baker | 29 | Mansfield, Ohio | Real estate agent | Eliminated on March 17, 2014 |
| Miracle Wasser | 23 | Cleveland, Tennessee | Graduate student | |
| Violet Barnes | 26 | Binghamton, New York | Jeweler | Eliminated on March 10, 2014 |
| Doyle Goldberg | 35 | Sacramento, California | Retail sales manager | |
| Jamal Lynch | 29 | Appleton, Wisconsin | High school teacher | Eliminated on March 3, 2014 |
| John Woody | 38 | Los Angeles, California | Police detective | |
| Anthony Franco | 32 | Shawnee, Oklahoma | Attorney | Eliminated on February 24, 2014 |
| Donna Jacobs | 59 | Norfolk, Virginia | Grandmother | |
| Mara Curry | 25 | Cheshire, Connecticut | Paralegal | Eliminated on February 17, 2014 |
| Clarence McAuley | 34 | Chicago, Illinois | Maintenance worker |
Contestant progress[edit]
- Red: Team Anne
- Blue: Team Bobby
| Rank | Contestant | Episode | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | |||||||||
| 1 | Will | WIN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | WIN | WIN | BTM | IN | WIN | WINNER | ||
| 2 | Rochelle | WIN | WIN | IN | IN | IN | WIN | BTM | WIN | BTM | WIN | WIN | RUNNER-UP | ||
| 3 | Edgar | BTM | IN | IN | BTM | WIN | IN | IN | IN | WIN | IN | OUT | |||
| 4 | Sylvia* | IN | IN | WIN | IN | IN | WIN | IN | IN | WIN | WIN | OUT | |||
| 5 | Teresa | IN | IN | WIN | IN | BTM | WIN | WIN | IN | OUT | |||||
| 6 | Miracle* | BTM | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | BTM | IN | OUT | |||||
| 7 | Violet | IN | WIN | IN | BTM | BTM | IN | OUT | |||||||
| 8 | Doyle | IN | IN | IN | WIN | WIN | WIN | OUT | |||||||
| 9 | Jamal | IN | IN | BTM | IN | OUT | |||||||||
| 10 | John | IN | IN | BTM | IN | OUT | |||||||||
| 11 | Anthony | IN | IN | OUT | |||||||||||
| 12 | Donna | IN | IN | OUT | |||||||||||
| 13 | Mara | OUT | |||||||||||||
| 14 | Clarence | OUT | |||||||||||||