Worst Cooks in America season 3

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Contents

Worst Cooks in America
Season 3
Judges
No. of contestants16
WinnerKelli Powers
Runner-upVinnie Caligiuri
No. of episodes8
Release
Original network Food Network
Original releaseFebruary 12 (2012-02-12) –
April 1, 2012 (2012-04-01)
Season chronology
← Previous
Season 2
Next →
Season 4

Worst Cooks in America 3, is the third season of the American competitive reality television series Worst Cooks in America . It premiered on Food Network on February 12, 2012 and concluded on April 1, 2012. Kelli Powers was declared the winner of this season, with Vinnie Caligiuri 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

Anne Burrell hosted season 3 with Bobby Flay, who replaced Robert Irvine. [4] [5]

Recruits

ContestantAgeHometownOccupationTeamStatus
Kelli Powers40Los Angeles, California Stay-at-home mother AnneWinner
on April 1, 2012
Vinnie Caligiuri47 Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaMortgage brokerBobbyRunner-up
on April 1, 2012
Melissa Rhodes28 Naples, Florida Nursing StudentBobbyEliminated
on March 25, 2012
David Shelton26 Longview, Texas UnemployedAnne
Tiffany Michelle 27Los Angeles, California Poker player and actressBobbyEliminated
on March 18, 2012
Dorothy Strouhal38 Cove, Texas Make-up artist Anne
Anthony Schiano33 Massapequa, New York Mechanical engineerAnneEliminated
on March 11, 2012
Benjamin Dennis37 Dallas, Texas Stay-at-home father BobbyWithdrew
on March 11, 2012
Sean "Bennett" Bennett36New York CityAutomotive SpokespersonAnneEliminated
on March 4, 2012
Sarina Weeraprajuk31 West Covina, California Wedding photographer Bobby
Erica Weidner53 Long Beach, New York Court Reporter StudentBobbyEliminated
on February 26, 2012
Robert "Bob" Tamke44 Massapequa Park, New York DJ Anne
Sherrill Moss-Solomon55New York CityFundraiserBobbyEliminated
on February 19, 2012
Rachel Margolin31New York CityNight Club PromoterAnne
Richard Chen55 Queens, New YorkAttorneyAnneEliminated
on February 12, 2012
Libby Floyd46 Eden Prairie, Minnesota ShopNBC host [6] Bobby

Elimination Chart

  Team Anne
  Team Bobby
* Initially a member of the other team but switched after Team Bobby won a challenge.
RankContestantEpisode
12345678
1KelliWININININININBTMWINBTMWINWINWINWINWINNER
2VinnieINWINWININININWININBTMINWINWINWINRUNNER-UP
3Melissa*INININSWAPINININWINWININBTMINOUT
4David*INININSWAPININWINWININWINBTMINOUT
5TiffanyWINININWININBTMBTMINBTMINOUT
6DorothyININWININBTMWININWINWINWINOUT
7AnthonyINININININININWINOUT
8BenjaminININININWINWINININWDR
9BennettININBTMBTMWINBTMOUT
10SarinaBTMINININBTMINOUT
11EricaININBTMINOUT
12BobINWINININOUT
13SherrillINBTMOUT
14RachelBTMBTMOUT
15RichardOUT
16LibbyOUT
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 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
  (WDR) The contestant volunteered to quit

Episodes

No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleOriginal release date  [7]
151"Best of the Worst"February 12, 2012 (2012-02-12)
162"Going Global"February 19, 2012 (2012-02-19)
173"Extreme Flavor"February 26, 2012 (2012-02-26)
184"Late Night/Date Night"March 4, 2012 (2012-03-04)
195"Luck of the Irish"March 11, 2012 (2012-03-11)
206"Something Fishy"March 18, 2012 (2012-03-18)
217"Kicked Off by Kinfolk"March 25, 2012 (2012-03-25)
228"Worst of the First: The Final Battle"April 1, 2012 (2012-04-01)

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. ↑ "Superstar Chefs Anne Burrell And Bobby Flay Transform Kitchen-Challenged Contestants in Season Three of Primetime Competition Series Worst Cooks in America" (PDF). MultiVu . Retrieved February 14, 2013.
  5. ↑ "WORST COOKS IN AMERICA: Season Three – Contestant Overview" (PDF). MultiVu . Retrieved February 14, 2013.
  6. ↑ "National Television Host on Shop NBC". Libby Floyd. Retrieved August 1, 2012.
  7. ↑ "Shows A-Z - worst cooks in america on foodnetwork". The Futon Critic . Retrieved July 27, 2025.
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