Worst Cooks in America season 18

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Contents

Worst Cooks in America
Season 18
Judges
No. of contestants16
WinnerShannon Akins
Runner-upLeo Lech
No. of episodes10
Release
Original network Food Network
Original releaseJanuary 5 (2020-01-05) –
March 8, 2020 (2020-03-08)
Season chronology
← Previous
Season 17
Next →
Season 19

Worst Cooks in America 18, is the eighteenth season of the American competitive reality television series Worst Cooks in America . It premiered on Food Network on January 5, 2020 and concluded on March 8, 2020. Shannon Akins was the winner of this season, with Leo Lech 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

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

Recruits

Contestant [6] AgeHometownOccupationTeamStatus
Shannon Akins24 Tempe, Arizona Aspiring CosmetologistAnneWinner
on March 8, 2020
Leo Lech58 Washington, West Virginia Chemist AltonRunner-up
on March 8, 2020
Leslie Rivera-Silva35 Washington, D.C. HairstylistAnneEliminated
on March 1, 2020
Kelly Ngoc Mac55 Pasadena, California Fitness InstructorAlton
Michael "Mike" Jones-Better24 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania EMT AltonEliminated
on February 23, 2020
Bridget Praytor41 Colorado Springs, Colorado Volleyball CoachAnne
Monica Colwell25 Hazard, Kentucky ER Records CoordinatorAltonEliminated
on February 9, 2020
Dr. Lulu Boykin67 Pittsboro, North Carolina Teaching ArtistAnne
Jefferson Goldie36 Chicago, Illinois ConciergeAltonEliminated
on February 2, 2020
Ryan Grovey30 Phoenix, Arizona Mortician/Fitness InstructorAnne
Jolynn Singh52 Allen, Texas Nurse AltonEliminated
on January 26, 2020
Curtis Long38 Seneca, South Carolina Plumber Anne
Kevin So24 Brooklyn, New York Online MarketingAltonEliminated
on January 12, 2020
Alexandra "Alex" Tiso23 Eastchester, New York Radio Promotions AssistantAnne
Joe Deese30 Fultondale, Alabama Inventory ClerkAltonEliminated
on January 5, 2020
Dakota Klaes30 New York, New York Account ExecutiveAnne

Elimination Chart

  Team Anne
  Team Alton
RankContestantEpisode
12345678910
1ShannonINWINININWINWINBTMWINWINWINNER
2LeoWININININWINWINBTMWINWINRUNNER-UP
3LeslieWINININBTMINBTMBTMBTMOUT
4KellyBTMWINBTMININBTMWINBTMOUT
5MikeININWININININBTMOUT
6BridgetBTMINWININININWINOUT
7MonicaINININBTMBTMOUT
8LuluINBTMBTMWINBTMOUT
9JeffersonININININOUT
10RyanININININOUT
11JolynnINBTMBTMOUT
12CurtisININBTMOUT
13KevinINOUT
14AlexINOUT
15JoeOUT
16DakotaOUT
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.

Episodes

No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleOriginal release date  [7]
1301"Bottom's Up"January 5, 2020 (2020-01-05)
1312"Indulge Me"January 12, 2020 (2020-01-12)
1323"Chinese New Year"January 19, 2020 (2020-01-19)
1334"Simple Yet Sophisticated"January 26, 2020 (2020-01-26)
1345"Let's Get Ready to Tailgate"February 2, 2020 (2020-02-02)
1356"Opposites Attract"February 9, 2020 (2020-02-09)
1367"Amore Sucre"February 16, 2020 (2020-02-16)
1378"Incognito Cuisine"February 23, 2020 (2020-02-23)
1389"High Steaks"March 1, 2020 (2020-03-01)
13910"The Final Countdown"March 8, 2020 (2020-03-08)

References

  1. ↑ "Worst Cooks in America, Season 18: 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. ↑ "Bottom's Up". Food Network.
  6. ↑ "Worst Cooks in America, Season 18: 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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