Worst Cooks in America season 22
| Worst Cooks in America | |
|---|---|
| Season 22 | |
| Judges | |
| No. of contestants | 8 |
| Winner | Mercedes “Sadie” Manda |
| Runner-up | Domaine Javier |
| No. of episodes | 6 |
| Release | |
| Original network | Food Network |
| Original release | April 25 – May 30, 2021 |
| Season chronology | |
Worst Cooks in America 22, also known as Best of the Worst, is the twenty-second season of the American competitive reality television series Worst Cooks in America. This is the first iteration of the all-star editions. This season It premiered on Food Network on April 25, 2021 and concluded on May 30, 2021. Mercedes “Sadie” Manda was the winner of this season, with Domaine Javier as the runner-up.
Format
[edit]Worst Cooks in America is an American reality television series in which former 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
[edit]Michael Symon joins Anne Burrell for the first time to host a new Best of the Worst season where fan-favorite recruits from past seasons return for another chance at redemption. The season premiered on April 25, 2021.[4]
Recruits
[edit]| Contestant | Hometown | Occupation | Team | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercedes “Sadie” Manda Season 17 |
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | Non-Profit Associate | Anne | Winner on May 30, 2021 |
| Domaine Javier Season 20 |
San Gabriel, California | Trans Actress, Writer, Nurse | Michael | Runner-up on May 30, 2021 |
| Stephanie James Season 21 |
Chicago, Illinois | Postal Clerk | Anne | Finalist on May 30, 2021 |
| Dr. Lulu Boykin Season 18 |
Pittsboro, North Carolina | Teaching Artist | Michael | |
| Jefferson Goldie Season 18 |
Chicago, Illinois | Musician | Michael | Eliminated on May 23, 2021 |
| Jonathan Beyer Season 17 |
New York, New York | Opera Singer | Anne | Eliminated May 16, 2021 |
| Eric Smart Season 20 |
Los Angeles, California | Special Investigator | Michael | Eliminated on May 9, 2021 |
| Joey Kinsley Season 21 |
Cleveland, Ohio | Digital Marketing Specialist | Anne | Eliminated on May 2, 2021 |
Elimination Chart
[edit]| Rank | Contestant | Episode | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | ||||
| 1 | Sadie | WIN | IN | WIN | IN | WIN | WINNER | ||
| 2 | Domaine | WIN | IN | IN | IN | WIN | RUNNER-UP | ||
| 3 | Stephanie | IN | WIN | BTM | WIN | BTM | FINALIST | ||
| 4 | Lulu | IN | IN | WIN | WIN | IN | |||
| 5 | Jefferson | BTM | BTM | IN | BTM | OUT | |||
| 6 | Jonathan | BTM | IN | IMM | OUT | ||||
| 7 | Eric | IN | WIN | OUT | |||||
| 8 | Joey | IN | 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.
- (IMM) The contestant won immunity and was safe from elimination in the week's Main Dish Challenge.
- (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
[edit]| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Original release date [5] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 161 | 1 | "Best of the Worst: Ready for Redemption" | April 25, 2021 |
| 162 | 2 | "Best of the Worst: Viva Las Boot Camp" | May 2, 2021 |
| 163 | 3 | "Best of the Worst: Happy Campers" | May 9, 2021 |
| 164 | 4 | "Best of the Worst: Fly Me to the Flavor" | May 16, 2021 |
| 165 | 5 | "Best of the Worst: Choux Ready for This?" | May 23, 2021 |
| 166 | 6 | "Best of the Worst: No Cuts, No Glory" | May 30, 2021 |
References
[edit]- ^ 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) - ^ "Michael Symon Joins Anne Burrell to Mentor Fan-Favorite Recruits Toward A Chance to Redemption Worst Cooks in America: Best of the Worst". Discovery LLC Press Release. March 18, 2021. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
- ^ "Shows A-Z - worst cooks in america on foodnetwork". The Futon Critic. Retrieved July 27, 2025.