Worst Cooks in America poster

TV series

Worst Cooks in America

2010TV-G30 seasons6.6 / 10

12 to 16 contestants with poor cooking skills are taken through an eight-week culinary boot camp, to earn a cash prize of $25,000. 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.

Streaming, rental and purchase options

Where to watch in United States

Checked Jul 22, 2026

Worst Cooks in America is available to stream on DirecTV On Demand, Discovery+, Discovery+ (Via Amazon Prime), Disney+, HBO (Via Hulu), HBO Max, Hulu, Max (Via Amazon Prime), Philo, YouTube TV, Plex, Spectrum On Demand, and The Roku Channel in United States. You can also buy it from Amazon, Apple TV, and Fandango at Home. Use the direct links below to open the provider.

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Synopsis

12 to 16 contestants with poor cooking skills are taken through an eight-week culinary boot camp, to earn a cash prize of $25,000. 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 26 episodes

Choose an episode, then use the watch options above for the show.

← Season 25

Episode 1

Fiery First Date

1h 3m

Chef Anne Burrell and returning mentor, Jeff Mauro, welcome the newest batch of recruits to culinary boot camp. These 16 fun-loving singles are disasters in the kitchen, but they're eager to learn some cooking skills and impress future dates. Before picking teams, Anne and Jeff kick off the competition by having the recruits make their signature "seal the deal" meals to show off their skills, or lack thereof, in the kitchen. Then in the Main Dish challenge, the recruits learn how to make duck paired with a fruit sauce. After assessing everyone's skills, Anne and Jeff reveal a unique twist when choosing their teams.

Episode credits

Guest stars Toneata Morgan

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Episode 2

That's Amore

1h 3m

Chefs Anne Burrell and Jeff Mauro introduce the recruits to the classic flavors and dishes of Italy. They start off with a fast-paced game where recruits answer trivia and ride gondolas, followed by an outrageous cooking relay where they must work in pairs to create a romantic Italian picnic basket. In the Skill Drill challenge, the singles take on sausage and pepper sandwiches, which includes making sausages from scratch! Then in the Main Dish cook, Anne and Jeff demonstrate classic meatballs with sauce and polenta. The recruits that successfully replicate their chefs' dishes continue on in boot camp, and the least successful bid "arrivederci" to boot camp.

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Episode 3

Double Dish of Love

1h 3m

Anne Burrell and Jeff Mauro have their teams face off in boot camp's very first date night showdown, The Cupid Games. The recruits pair up for multiple rounds of first date-inspired physical food challenges. After that, the chefs teach their teams how to make the ultimate date night meal: sushi. In the Main Dish challenge, the recruits learn how to make fresh hand-pulled noodles with lobster and seafood broth. The chefs are smitten with some recruits, but the recruits with the worst dishes are sent packing.

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Episode 4

Flavor of Love

45m

Anne Burrell and Jeff Mauro test the recruits' taste buds with an outrageous game, The Bagelorette. Blindfolded and with their hands tied behind their backs, the singles must taste flavored bagels with cream cheese dangling in front of them. Then, the chefs challenge their teams to create their own decadent breakfast sandwiches. In the Main Dish challenge, the recruits make fried chicken and slaw, and while some recruits start to find their groove in the kitchen, the least successful is eliminated.

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Episode 5

Some Like It Hot

45m

It's halfway through the competition, and it's time to turn up the heat! Anne Burrell and Jeff Mauro start by having teams compete in a game called The Inferno Zone, where recruits must taste spicy ribs, find ingredient balls hidden in a hot tub and play catch with their Velcro suits! Then, the recruits create their own spicy wontons before Anne and Jeff teach their teams how to make spice-rubbed steaks and sides. The recruits with the most successful dishes live another week in boot camp, but the ones who can't take the heat are sent home.

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Episode 6

If the Choux Fits

45m

Boot camp transforms into a Parisian patisserie, and the singles learn they'll be making desserts in a fast-paced game called Dessert Dash. Recruit pairs taste and recreate pastries by wheeling their "bistro mobiles" to different stations in the middle of boot camp. Desserts continue in the Skill Drill challenge when Anne and Jeff task their teams with making their own flavored profiteroles. The training wheels come off for the Main Dish challenge as the recruits cook a romantic dinner for two on their own. While some recruits manage to sweep their chefs off their feet, those with the worst dishes are eliminated before the second date.

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Episode 7

What Happens in Boot Camp

45m

Chefs Anne Burrell and Jeff Mauro are fresh from a wild night of partying as boot camp transforms into the Las Vegas strip, and the teams play a game where they must piece together clues to retrace the chefs' steps and locate a missing dish. After recreating the dish without a recipe, the singles learn how to make a showstopping fish dish that focuses on plating and presentation. The winning streak continues for some recruits, but the buck stops here for the ones with the worst dishes.

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Episode 8

All Is Fair in Love and Cooking

45m

It's down to the final four recruits, so Anne Burrell and Jeff Mauro test all their skills by challenging them to create a composed dish using ingredients in specially curated meal kits. The two recruits with the best dishes continue on to the final cook. Later, Anne and Jeff teach their recruits a three-course, restaurant-quality meal, and the finalists must put all their newfound skills to work in order to impress a panel of culinary experts, despite a huge twist thrown at them by a surprise special guest. Judges Chris Scott, Christian Petroni and Hawa Hassan taste the recruits' dishes in a blind taste test and determine the winner of the $25,000 prize.

Where to watch Worst Cooks in America

Episode information updated Jul 24, 2026

More about Worst Cooks in America

Cast

Anne BurrellSelf - Host
Beau MacMillanHimself - Host
Robert IrvineSelf - Host
Rachael RaySelf - Host
Tyler FlorenceSelf - Host
Alton BrownSelf - Host
Alex GuarnaschelliSelf - Host
Darnell FergusonSelf - Co Host

Production details

Status
Returning Series
Series type
Reality
Episodes
226
Original language
English

Networks & production

  • Food NetworkUnited States
  • Optomen ProductionsUnited States
  • All3Media AmericaUnited States
  • Objective Media GroupUnited States
  • Optomen TelevisionUnited Kingdom

Themes

competitioncookingcooking competitionculinary artsunskilled