Worst Cooks in America season 17

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Contents

Worst Cooks in America
Season 17
Judges
No. of contestants14
WinnerAdrian Read
Runner-upJuliann Sheldon
No. of episodes8
Release
Original network Food Network
Original releaseAugust 4 (2019-08-04) –
September 22, 2019 (2019-09-22)
Season chronology
← Previous
Season 16
Next →
Season 18

Worst Cooks in America 17 is the seventeenth season of the American competitive reality television series Worst Cooks in America . It premiered on Food Network on August 4, 2019 and concluded on September 22, 2019. Adrian Read was the winner of this season, with Juliann Sheldon as the runner-up. [1]

Format

Worst Cooks in America is an American reality television series in which contestants (referred to as "recruits") with poor cooking skills undergo a culinary boot camp for the chance to win $25,000 and a Food Network cooking set. [2] [3] The recruits are trained on the various basic cooking techniques including baking, knife skills, temperature, seasoning and preparation. Each episode features two core challenges: the Skills Drill, which tests their grasp of basic techniques demonstrated by the chef mentors, and the Main Dish Challenge, where they must apply those skills to recreate or invent a more complex dish under specific guidelines. The weakest performer is eliminated at the end of each episode. The final two contestants prepare a restaurant-quality, three-course meal for a panel of food critics, who evaluate the dishes based on taste, presentation, and overall improvement. [4]

Judges

Bobby Flay joins Anne Burrell to host season 17. The season, featuring 14 recruits, debuted on August 4, 2019. [5]

Recruits

Contestant [6] AgeHometownOccupationTeamStatus
Adrian Read29 Bronx, New York Zumba Instructor for SeniorsBobbyWinner
on September 22, 2019
Juliann Sheldon28 Charlotte, North Carolina Professional CheerleaderAnneRunner-up
on September 22, 2019
Kayla Longstreth23 Firestone, Colorado Dance InstructorBobbyEliminated
on September 15, 2019
Father Adam Young34 Cranston, Rhode Island PriestAnne
Gina Lam28 San Diego, California BankerBobbyEliminated
on September 8, 2019
Peter Smerlas36 Waltham, Massachusetts Construction Worker & Rapper Anne
Laith Wallschleger 26 Tampa, Florida Former Professional Football PlayerBobbyEliminated
on September 1, 2019
Sharon Grant53 Dallas, Texas Minister Anne
Mercedes "Sadie" Manda20 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania College StudentBobbyEliminated
on August 25, 2019
Karma Ann Moody47 Hayesville, North Carolina Bridal Shop OwnerAnne
Jonathan Beyer37 New York, New York Opera singer BobbyEliminated
on August 11, 2019
Terry Grawey62 Peoria, Illinois HypnotistAnne
Idriss Allison30 Bronx, New York Transformational CoachBobbyEliminated
on August 4, 2019
Nina Kharoufeh25 Cliffside Park, New Jersey News CuratorAnne

Elimination Chart

  Team Anne
  Team Bobby
* Initially a member of the other team
RankContestantEpisode
12345678
1Adrian*WININSWAPWINININBTMWINWINNER
2JuliannINBTMINWININWINBTMWINRUNNER-UP
3KaylaBTMWININININWINWINOUT
4 AdamINWININBTMBTMBTMWINOUT
5GinaINININBTMBTMBTMOUT
6PeterINININBTMININOUT
7LaithINBTMINBTMWINOUT
8Sharon*ININSWAPINWINOUT
9SadieWININININOUT
10KarmaININININOUT
11JonathanINOUT
12TerryBTMOUT
13IdrissOUT
14NinaOUT
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.
  (SWAP) The contestant get switched by a mentor to the other team.
  (OUT) The contestant lost that week's Main Dish challenge and was out of the competition.

Episodes

No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleOriginal release date  [7]
1221"Nowhere to Go But Up"August 4, 2019 (2019-08-04)
1232"My Big Fat Greek..."August 11, 2019 (2019-08-11)
1243"Summer Catch, Summer Heat"August 18, 2019 (2019-08-18)
1254"The Bird Is the Word"August 25, 2019 (2019-08-25)
1265"Viva Mexico!"September 1, 2019 (2019-09-01)
1276"A Very Brady Brunch"September 8, 2019 (2019-09-08)
1287"A Little Goes a Long Way"September 15, 2019 (2019-09-15)
1298"Two Cooks, One Prize"September 22, 2019 (2019-09-22)

References

  1. ↑ "Worst Cooks in America, Season 17: Craziest Moments". Food Network. Retrieved July 27, 2025.
  2. ↑ Lynch, Rene (January 2, 2010). "'Worst Cooks in America' isn't just a title: They're horrible". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved February 14, 2013.
  3. ↑ Tucker, Ken (January 4, 2010). "'Worst Cooks in America': Worst thing I watched most of last night". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved February 14, 2013.
  4. ↑ Worst Cooks in America (Comedy, Game-Show, Reality-TV), Anne Burrell, Tyler Florence, Bobby Flay, Optomen Productions, January 3, 2010, retrieved July 24, 2025{{citation}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  5. ↑ "Nowhere to Go But Up". Food Network.
  6. ↑ "Worst Cooks in America, Season 17: Meet the Recruits". Food Network. Retrieved July 27, 2025.
  7. ↑ "Shows A-Z - worst cooks in america on foodnetwork". The Futon Critic . Retrieved July 27, 2025.

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