- - “Worst Cooks in America ”Returns with New Hosts and New Name Following the Death of Anne Burrell

Moná ThomasDecember 18, 2025 at 11:00 PM

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Season 30 of Worst Cooks in America: Reality Check, will feature a star-studded cast and wacky realty TV-style challenges

Contestants include Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star Lisa Barlow, Dancing with the Stars pro Val Chmerkovskiy, RuPaul’s Drag Race legend Manila Luzon and 7th Heaven’s Beverley Mitchell

The new season will be the first since the death of longtime host Anne Burrell, who died in June of this year by suicide

Food Network is ringing in the new year with a reality TV twist on season 30 of Worst Cooks in America.

The new season, titled Worst Cooks in America: Reality Check premieres Sunday, Jan. 4 at 8 p.m. ET/PT, bringing a new batch of famously fearless stars into the kitchen for a news eason.

This time around, fan-favorite chef Jeff Mauro is joined by chef and restaurateur Tiffany Derry. The two culinary pros will lead rival teams through an intense, entertainment-themed boot camp designed to turn kitchen catastrophes into confident cooks. Only one chef-to-be will be crowned champion, earning $25,000 for the charity of their choice, along with bragging rights for their mentor.

Food Network

Worst Cooks in America: Reality Check

The season’s celebrity lineup pulls from across reality TV, music, sports and pop culture, stacking the deck with big personalities and even bigger potential messes. Competing this season are Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star Lisa Barlow, TV personality Downtown Julie Brown, Dancing with the Stars pro Val Chmerkovskiy, Shahs of Sunset alum Reza Farahan, Love & Hip Hop: Miami standout Amara La Negra, Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte, RuPaul’s Drag Race legend Manila Luzon, rapper and actor Romeo Miller, 7th Heaven’s Beverley Mitchell and The Challenge powerhouse CT Tamburello.

In the trailer exclusively obtained by PEOPLE, the contestants fumble their way through cooking and bootcamp-style challenges that’ll test their kitchen knowledge and physical agility. They overcook and undercook dishes, drop plates, start fires and make messes, all in the name of good fun.

“The mess over here, my goodness!” Derry exclaims while staring at a pile of dirty dishes and food debris on the floor. “Obviously, none of them can cook, but can they understand flavors? Chef and I have our work cut out for us,” she adds.

“The kitchen is not where this season’s celebrity recruits shine,” Betsy Ayala, head of content, food at Warner Bros. Discovery, said in a statement. “But Jeff and Tiffany are determined to change that. Worst Cooks is where comedy and cooking chaos collide, but in the end, some impressive culinary transformations will blow our audience away.”

Food Network

Worst Cooks in America: Reality Check

The “supersized” season premiere wastes no time throwing the celebs into the fire. The recruits arrive at culinary boot camp to face a baseline challenge designed to expose just how dire (or surprisingly decent) their cooking abilities really are. Tasked with creating red carpet–worthy dishes, some manage to impress, while others quickly reveal how they landed on Worst Cooks in the first place.

As the competition heats up, the season leans heavily into entertainment-inspired challenges that blend performance, palate and problem-solving. By the time the finale airs on Sunday, Feb. 1, only two of the most-improved recruits remain.

The final showdown challenges them to prepare a three-course, restaurant-quality meal for guest judges: a far cry from where they started. One will walk away victorious, earning $25,000 for charity and cementing their mentor’s bragging rights for the season.

This new season will be the first following the death of the show’s longtime host, Anne Burrell. The Food Network star died at the age of 55 on June 17. PEOPLE confirmed her cause of death, which was ruled a suicide in late July 2025.

Food Network

Worst Cooks in America: Reality Check

Her cause of death was reported as an "acute intoxication due to the combined effects of diphenhydramine, ethanol, cetirizine, and amphetamine," determined by the New York City medical examiner's office. Diphenhydramine and cetirizine are antihistamines, ethanol is a compound found in alcohol and amphetamine is commonly used to treat ADHD.

Worst Cooks paid tribute to Burrell during the show’s Season 29 premiere in July with an ending card that read, “In Memoriam. Anne Burrell. 1969 – 2025.”

Food Network

Worst Cooks in America: Reality Check

Burrell was deeply loved and respected by the entertainment industry and culinary world. She was a fan favorite on the Food Network, best known for her passion for food and offering mentorship to seemingly hopeless contestants, turning them into capable cooks in the kitchen.

Worst Cooks in America: Reality Check premieres Sunday, Jan. 4 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Food Network and streams the following day on Max.

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