Worst Cooks in America season 20

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Contents

Worst Cooks in America
Season 20
Judges
No. of contestants14
WinnerAriel "Ari" Robinson
Runner-upZack Ignoffo
No. of episodes7
Release
Original network Food Network
Original releaseJune 21 (2020-06-21) –
August 2, 2020 (2020-08-02)
Season chronology
← Previous
Season 19
Next →
Season 21

Worst Cooks in America 20, is the twentieth season of the American competitive reality television series Worst Cooks in America . It premiered on Food Network on June 21, 2020 and concluded on August 2, 2020. Ariel "Ari" Robinson was the winner of this season, with Zack Ignoffo as the runner-up.

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. [1] [2] 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. [3]

Judges

Alex Guarnaschelli joins Anne Burrell to host season 20. The season debuted on June 21, 2020. [4]

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. [5] [6] [7] Robinson was subsequently convicted. [8]

Recruits

ContestantAgeHometownOccupationTeamStatus
Ariel "Ari" Robinson28Simpsonville, South CarolinaTeacherAlexWinner
on August 2, 2020
Zack Ignoffo26Chicago, IllinoisModelAnneRunner-up
on August 2, 2020
Dolores Aguilar-Fernandez45Cypress, TexasRecruiterAnneEliminated
on July 26, 2020
Darian Barnes 40Rahway, New JerseyTeacher/Ex-Football PlayerAlex
Domaine Javier [a] 28San Gabriel, CaliforniaNursing Supervisor/Trans Actress-WriterAnneEliminated
on July 19, 2020
Eric Smart59Los Angeles, CaliforniaSpecial InvestigatorAlex
Louisa Sharamatyan [b] 30Glendale, CaliforniaSocial Media ManagerAlexEliminated
on July 12, 2020
Evan Baker35Bismarck, North DakotaProfessional FundraiserAnne
Denise Schroder47Oklahoma City, OklahomaReal Estate AgentAnneEliminated
on July 5, 2020
Johannes "Yo" Phelps46Davenport, IowaRealtorAlex
Erin Sullivan38Mayfield, KentuckyFederal EmployeeAnneEliminated
on June 28, 2020
Brianna Weidenbach24Martin, TennesseeCaregiverAlex
Holly Brooks66Lancaster, PennsylvaniaIntuitive Psychic CounselorAlexEliminated
on June 21, 2020
Julie "Jewels" McIlroy50Syracuse, New YorkCommunity Habilitation SpecialistAnne
Notes
  1. ↑ Domaine Javier is the first-ever openly transgender woman featured in the history of Food Network . [9]
  2. ↑ Louisa Sharamatyan previously competed on the second season of Worst Bakers in America and placed last.

Elimination Chart

  Team Anne
  Team Alex
RankContestantEpisode
1234567
1AriINWINWININWINWINBTMWINWINNER
2ZackWININININWININWINWINRUNNER-UP
3DoloresININWINWININWINBTMOUT
4DarianININININININWINOUT
5DomaineINWINININBTMWINOUT
6EricININBTMINBTMINOUT
7LouisaINININBTMOUT
8EvanINBTMBTMINOUT
9DeniseBTMINOUT
10YoWINBTMOUT
11ErinINOUT
12BriannaBTMOUT
13HollyOUT
14JewelsOUT
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  [10]
1461"Doomed Dinners"June 21, 2020 (2020-06-21)
1472"Culinary Games"June 28, 2020 (2020-06-28)
1483"When in Boot Camp"July 5, 2020 (2020-07-05)
1494"Boardwalk Bites"July 12, 2020 (2020-07-12)
1505"The Cost of Cooking"July 19, 2020 (2020-07-19)
1516"Eat Your Heart Out"July 26, 2020 (2020-07-26)
1527"Fight for Food Fame"August 2, 2020 (2020-08-02)

References

  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 (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)
  4. ↑ "Meet the Recruits". Archived from the original on June 14, 2020. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  5. ↑ Haskoor, Michael (January 24, 2021). "'Food Network Removes 'Worst Cooks In America' Season 20 Following Winner's Child Murder Arrest'". Decider . Retrieved January 24, 2021.
  6. ↑ 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.
  7. ↑ Caruso, Nick (January 23, 2021). "Worst Cooks in America Season Pulled After Winner's Arrest for Child Murder". TVLine . Retrieved January 24, 2021.
  8. ↑ "Worst Cooks' winner convicted of beating 3-year-old to death". nbcnews. May 13, 2022. Retrieved May 13, 2022.
  9. ↑ "Worst Cooks in America: Domaine Javier makes history on Food Network". July 6, 2020.
  10. ↑ "Shows A-Z - worst cooks in america on foodnetwork". The Futon Critic . Retrieved July 27, 2025.
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