Worst Cooks in America 18, is the eighteenth season of the American competitive reality television series Worst Cooks in America. It premiered on Food Network on January 5, 2020 and concluded on March 8, 2020. Shannon Akins was the winner of this season, with Leo Lech 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 Alton Brown joins Anne Burrell to host season 18. The season, featuring 16 recruits, premiered on January 5, 2020.
Recruits ContestantAgeHometownOccupationTeamStatusShannon Akins24Tempe, ArizonaAspiring Cosmetologist AnneWinneron March 8, 2020Leo Lech58Washington, West VirginiaChemistAltonLeslie Rivera-Silva35Washington, D.C.HairstylistAnneEliminatedon March 1, 2020Kelly Ngoc Mac55Pasadena, CaliforniaFitness InstructorAltonMichael "Mike" Jones-Better24Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaEMTAltonEliminatedon February 23, 2020Bridget Praytor41Colorado Springs, ColoradoVolleyball CoachAnneMonica Colwell25Hazard, KentuckyER Records CoordinatorAltonEliminatedon February 9, 2020Dr. Lulu Boykin67Pittsboro, North CarolinaTeaching ArtistAnneJefferson Goldie36Chicago, IllinoisConcierge AltonEliminatedon February 2, 2020Ryan Grovey30Phoenix, ArizonaMortician/Fitness InstructorAnneJolynn Singh52Allen, TexasNurseAltonEliminatedon January 26, 2020Curtis Long38Seneca, South CarolinaPlumberAnneKevin So24Brooklyn, New YorkOnline MarketingAltonEliminatedon January 12, 2020Alexandra "Alex" Tiso23Eastchester, New YorkRadio Promotions AssistantAnneJoe Deese30Fultondale, AlabamaInventory ClerkAltonEliminatedon January 5, 2020Dakota Klaes30 New York, New YorkAccount ExecutiveAnne
Elimination Chart
RankContestantEpisode1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 101Shannon IN WIN IN IN WIN WIN BTM WIN WIN WINNER2Leo WIN IN IN IN WIN WIN BTM WIN WIN RUNNER-UP3Leslie WIN IN IN BTM IN BTM BTM BTM OUT 4Kelly BTM WIN BTM IN IN BTM WIN BTM OUT 5Mike IN IN WIN IN IN IN BTM OUT 6Bridget BTM IN WIN IN IN IN WIN OUT 7Monica INININ BTM BTM OUT 8Lulu IN BTM BTM WIN BTM OUT 9Jefferson IN IN IN IN OUT 10Ryan IN IN IN IN OUT 11Jolynn IN BTM BTM OUT 12Curtis IN IN BTM OUT 13Kevin IN OUT 14Alex IN OUT 15Joe OUT 16Dakota 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
References
External links