Worst Cooks in America 20, is the twentieth season of the American competitive reality television series Worst Cooks in America. It premiered on Food Network on June 21, 2020 and concluded on August 2, 2020. Ariel "Ari" Robinson was the winner of this season, with Zack Ignoffo 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. 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.
Judges Alex Guarnaschelli joined Anne Burrell to host season 20. The season debuted on June 21, 2020.
Recruits ContestantAgeHometownOccupationTeamStatusAriel "Ari" Robinson28Simpsonville, South CarolinaTeacherAlexWinneron August 2, 2020Zack Ignoffo26Chicago, IllinoisModelAnneDolores Aguilar-Fernandez45Cypress, TexasRecruiterAnneEliminatedon July 26, 2020Darian Barnes40Rahway, New JerseyTeacher/Ex-Football PlayerAlexDomaine Javier28San Gabriel, CaliforniaNursing Supervisor/Trans Actress-WriterAnneEliminatedon July 19, 2020Eric Smart59Los Angeles, CaliforniaSpecial InvestigatorAlexLouisa Sharamatyan30Glendale, CaliforniaSocial Media ManagerAlexEliminatedon July 12, 2020Evan Baker35Bismarck, North DakotaProfessional FundraiserAnneDenise Schroder 47Oklahoma City, OklahomaReal Estate AgentAnneEliminatedon July 5, 2020Johannes "Yo" Phelps46Davenport, IowaRealtorAlexErin Sullivan38Mayfield, KentuckyFederal EmployeeAnneEliminatedon June 28, 2020Brianna Weidenbach24Martin, TennesseeCaregiverAlexHolly Brooks66Lancaster, PennsylvaniaIntuitive Psychic CounselorAlexEliminatedon June 21, 2020Julie "Jewels" McIlroy50Syracuse, New YorkCommunity Habilitation SpecialistAnne Notes
Elimination chart
RankContestantEpisode1 2 3 4 5 6 71Ari IN WIN WIN IN WIN WIN BTM WIN WINNER2Zack WIN IN IN IN WIN IN WIN WIN RUNNER-UP3Dolores IN IN WIN WIN IN WIN BTM OUT 4Darian IN IN IN IN IN IN WIN OUT 5Domaine IN WIN IN IN BTM WIN OUT 6Eric IN IN BTM IN BTM IN OUT 7Louisa IN IN IN BTM OUT 8Evan IN BTM BTM IN OUT 9Denise BTM IN OUT 10Yo WIN BTM OUT 11Erin IN OUT 12Brianna BTM OUT 13Holly OUT 14Jewels 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. (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
Controversy Ariel "Ari" Robinson, the winner of the season, became the subject of significant controversy after her 2021 arrest and subsequent conviction related to the death of her three-year-old foster daughter. Robinson and her husband, Jerry "Austin" Robinson, were charged in January 2021 with homicide by child abuse following the death of Victoria "Tori" Rose Smith, who was found unresponsive in the couple’s home in Simpsonville, South Carolina and later died as a result of blunt force injuries according to a medical examination. As a result of the charges, Food Network removed Worst Cooks in America season 20including all streaming episodes and recapsfrom its platforms such as Discovery+, Hulu, and YouTube on January 23, 2021.
After a four-day trial in May 2022, Robinson was found guilty of homicide by child abuse by a jury in Greenville County and was sentenced to life in prison, while her husband pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting homicide by child abuse and faced his own sentencing. Media reports also noted that in the period before her arrest, Robinson had made controversial public remarks concerning discipline and parenting, which drew additional scrutiny following the case, though these remarks were not part of court proceedings.
References
External links