Worst Cooks in America season 30

Last updated

Worst Cooks in America
Season 30
Judges
No. of contestants10
No. of episodes7
Release
Original network Food Network
Original releaseJanuary 4, 2026 (2026-01-04)
Season chronology
 Previous
Season 29

Worst Cooks in America 30, also known as Reality Check, is the thirtieth season of the American competitive reality television series Worst Cooks in America . The season will feature celebrities and reality TV stars. It will premiere on Food Network on January 4, 2026.

Contents

Format

Worst Cooks in America is an American reality television series in which celebrities (referred to as "recruits") with poor cooking skills undergo a culinary boot camp for the chance to win a $50,000 prize to donate to the charity of their choice. [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]

Recruits

ContestantAgeOccupationTeamStatus
Amara La Negra 35 Love & Hip Hop: Miami star
Beverley Mitchell 44Actress
CT Tamburello 45 The Challenge star
Downtown Julie Brown 62Former MTV VJ
Lisa Barlow 50 The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star
Manila Luzon 44 RuPaul's Drag Race star
Reza Farahan52 Shahs of Sunset star
Romeo Miller 36Rapper and singer
Ryan Lochte 41Former Olympic swimmer
Val Chmerkovskiy 39 Dancing with the Stars dancer

Contestant progress

  
  
RankContestantEpisode
1
Amara
Beverley
CT
Julie
Lisa
Manila
Reza
Romeo
Ryan
Val
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.
  (OUT) The contestant lost that week's Main Dish challenge and was out of the competition.

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)