Worst Cooks in America season 23
| Worst Cooks in America | |
|---|---|
| Season 23 | |
| Judges | |
| No. of contestants | 12 |
| Winner | Peachez Iman-Cummings |
| Runner-up | Marti Cummings |
| No. of episodes | 8 |
| Release | |
| Original network | Food Network |
| Original release | January 5 – February 23, 2022 |
| Season chronology | |
Worst Cooks in America 23, is the twenty-third season of the American competitive reality television series Worst Cooks in America. It premiered on Food Network on January 5, 2022 and concluded on February 23, 2022. Peachez Iman-Cummings was the winner of this season, with Marti Cummings 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
Cliff Crooks joins Anne Burrell to host season 23. The season debuted on January 5, 2022.[4]
This season features two additional twists. First, the cast includes 5 pairs of recruits with previously established relationships: Angie & Cheyenne (long-lost cousins), Bianca & Hector (married), Deneise & Hilda (neighbors), Eddie & Kara (married), and Marti & Peachez (best friends). Second, this season features alternating elimination weeks for each team, with the winning recruit on the non-eliminating team receiving a $1,000 prize each week.
Recruits
| Contestant | Hometown | Occupation | Team | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peachez Iman-Cummings | New York City | Drag performer | Cliff | Winner on February 23, 2022 |
| Marti Cummings | New York City | Drag Artist | Anne | Runner-up on February 23, 2022 |
| Kara Anderson | Leitchfield, Kentucky | English Teacher | Anne | Finalist on February 23, 2022 |
| Cheyenne Loomis | London, Kentucky | Case Worker | Cliff | |
| Eddie Anderson | Leitchfield, Kentucky | Art Teacher | Cliff | Eliminated on February 16, 2022 |
| Hilda Ike | Poinciana, Florida | Fitness Instructor | Anne | |
| Bianca Bencosme | York, Pennsylvania | Stay-At-Home Mom | Cliff | Eliminated on February 9, 2022 |
| Al Kingswriter | Tony, Wisconsin | Truck Driver | Anne | |
| Angie Hartford-Padilla | San Jose, California | Executive Assistant | Anne | Eliminated on February 2, 2022 |
| Melody Moore | Atlanta, Georgia | Beauty Bar Owner | Cliff | Withdrew on January 26, 2022 |
| Hector Peralta | York, Pennsylvania | Data Analyst | Anne | Eliminated on January 19, 2022 |
| Deneise White | Poinciana, Florida | IT Manager | Cliff | Eliminated on January 12, 2022 |
Elimination Chart
| Rank | Contestant | Episode | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | ||
| 1 | Peachez | IN | WIN | IN | BTM | WIN | WIN | WIN | WINNER |
| 2 | Marti | IN | IN | WIN | IN | IN | WIN | BTM | RUNNER-UP |
| 3 | Kara | IN | BTM | IN | IN | WIN | IN | WIN | FINALIST |
| 4 | Cheyenne | IN | IN | IN | BTM* | IN | BTM | BTM | |
| 5 | Eddie | IN | IN | IN | WIN | IN | IN | OUT | |
| 6 | Hilda | IN | WIN | BTM | IN | IN | BTM | OUT | |
| 7 | Bianca | IN | IN | WIN | IN | IN | OUT | ||
| 8 | Al | IN | IN | IN | IN | BTM | OUT | ||
| 9 | Angie | WIN | IN | IN | WIN | OUT | |||
| 10 | Melody | IN | IN | IN | WDR | ||||
| 11 | Hector | BTM | IN | OUT | |||||
| 12 | Deneise | BTM | OUT | ||||||
- 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.
- (FINALIST) The contestant was a finalist 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.
- (WDR) The contestant withdrew from the competition.
Episodes
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Original release date [5] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 167 | 1 | "Welcome to the Disaster Zone" | January 5, 2022 |
| 168 | 2 | "Worst Cook Warriors" | January 12, 2022 |
| 169 | 3 | "Beach Bites" | January 19, 2022 |
| 170 | 4 | "Don't Lose Your Noodle" | January 26, 2022 |
| 171 | 5 | "Queen of Tarts" | February 2, 2022 |
| 172 | 6 | "The Good, The Bad and The Burnt" | February 9, 2022 |
| 173 | 7 | "Kitchen Ballers" | February 16, 2022 |
| 174 | 8 | "Let's Make a Meal!" | February 23, 2022 |
References
- ^ Lynch, Rene (January 2, 2010). "'Worst Cooks in America' isn't just a title: They're horrible". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 14, 2013.
- ^ Tucker, Ken (January 4, 2010). "'Worst Cooks in America': Worst thing I watched most of last night". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved February 14, 2013.
- ^ 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) - ^ Worst Cooks In America Season 23: Info We Know So Far, Mashed
- ^ "Shows A-Z - worst cooks in america on foodnetwork". The Futon Critic. Retrieved July 27, 2025.