Worst Cooks in America season 20
| Worst Cooks in America | |
|---|---|
| Season 20 | |
| Judges | |
| No. of contestants | 14 |
| Winner | Ariel "Ari" Robinson |
| Winning mentor | Alex Guarnaschelli |
| Runner-up | Zack Ignoffo |
| No. of episodes | 7 |
| Release | |
| Original network | Food Network |
| Original release | June 21 – August 2, 2020 |
| Season chronology | |
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.[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
Alex Guarnaschelli joined Anne Burrell to host season 20. The season debuted on June 21, 2020.[4]
Recruits
| Contestant | Age | Hometown | Occupation | Team | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ariel "Ari" Robinson | 28 | Simpsonville, South Carolina | Teacher | Alex | Winner on August 2, 2020 |
| Zack Ignoffo | 26 | Chicago, Illinois | Model | Anne | Runner-up on August 2, 2020 |
| Dolores Aguilar-Fernandez | 45 | Cypress, Texas | Recruiter | Anne | Eliminated on July 26, 2020 |
| Darian Barnes | 40 | Rahway, New Jersey | Teacher/Ex-Football Player | Alex | |
| Domaine Javier[a] | 28 | San Gabriel, California | Nursing Supervisor/Trans Actress-Writer | Anne | Eliminated on July 19, 2020 |
| Eric Smart | 59 | Los Angeles, California | Special Investigator | Alex | |
| Louisa Sharamatyan[b] | 30 | Glendale, California | Social Media Manager | Alex | Eliminated on July 12, 2020 |
| Evan Baker | 35 | Bismarck, North Dakota | Professional Fundraiser | Anne | |
| Denise Schroder | 47 | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma | Real Estate Agent | Anne | Eliminated on July 5, 2020 |
| Johannes "Yo" Phelps | 46 | Davenport, Iowa | Realtor | Alex | |
| Erin Sullivan | 38 | Mayfield, Kentucky | Federal Employee | Anne | Eliminated on June 28, 2020 |
| Brianna Weidenbach | 24 | Martin, Tennessee | Caregiver | Alex | |
| Holly Brooks | 66 | Lancaster, Pennsylvania | Intuitive Psychic Counselor | Alex | Eliminated on June 21, 2020 |
| Julie "Jewels" McIlroy | 50 | Syracuse, New York | Community Habilitation Specialist | Anne |
- Notes
- ^ Domaine Javier is the first-ever openly transgender woman featured in the history of Food Network.[5]
- ^ Louisa Sharamatyan previously competed on the second season of Worst Bakers in America and placed last.
Elimination chart
| Rank | Contestant | Episode | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | ||||
| 1 | Ari | IN | WIN | WIN | IN | WIN | WIN | BTM | WIN | WINNER |
| 2 | Zack | WIN | IN | IN | IN | WIN | IN | WIN | WIN | RUNNER-UP |
| 3 | Dolores | IN | IN | WIN | WIN | IN | WIN | BTM | OUT | |
| 4 | Darian | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | WIN | OUT | |
| 5 | Domaine | IN | WIN | IN | IN | BTM | WIN | OUT | ||
| 6 | Eric | IN | IN | BTM | IN | BTM | IN | OUT | ||
| 7 | Louisa | IN | IN | IN | BTM | OUT | ||||
| 8 | Evan | IN | BTM | BTM | IN | OUT | ||||
| 9 | Denise | BTM | IN | OUT | ||||||
| 10 | Yo | WIN | BTM | OUT | ||||||
| 11 | Erin | IN | OUT | |||||||
| 12 | Brianna | BTM | OUT | |||||||
| 13 | Holly | OUT | ||||||||
| 14 | Jewels | 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
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Original release date [6] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 146 | 1 | "Doomed Dinners" | June 21, 2020 |
| 147 | 2 | "Culinary Games" | June 28, 2020 |
| 148 | 3 | "When in Boot Camp" | July 5, 2020 |
| 149 | 4 | "Boardwalk Bites" | July 12, 2020 |
| 150 | 5 | "The Cost of Cooking" | July 19, 2020 |
| 151 | 6 | "Eat Your Heart Out" | July 26, 2020 |
| 152 | 7 | "Fight for Food Fame" | August 2, 2020 |
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.[7][8][9] As a result of the charges, Food Network removed Worst Cooks in America Season 20 – including all streaming episodes and recaps – from its platforms such as Discovery+, Hulu, and YouTube on January 23, 2021.[10][11]
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.[12][13] 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.[14]
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) - ^ "Meet the Recruits". Archived from the original on June 14, 2020. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
- ^ "Worst Cooks in America: Domaine Javier makes history on Food Network". July 6, 2020. Archived from the original on February 3, 2021. Retrieved July 27, 2025.
- ^ "Shows A-Z - worst cooks in america on foodnetwork". The Futon Critic. Retrieved July 27, 2025.
- ^ Settembre, Jeanette (January 25, 2021). "Food Network's 'Worst Cooks in America' season cut after winner charged with child murder". Fox News. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
- ^ Gore, Thomas (January 20, 2021). "'Worst Cooks in America' winner and former teacher charged in 3-year-old girl's homicide along with husband". WHNS. Retrieved January 24, 2021.
- ^ "'Worst Cooks' winner convicted of beating 3-year-old to death". NBC News. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
- ^ Haskoor, Michael (January 24, 2021). "'Food Network Removes 'Worst Cooks In America' Season 20 Following Winner's Child Murder Arrest'". Decider. Retrieved January 24, 2021.
- ^ Maas, Jennifer (January 25, 2021). "'Worst Cooks in America' Season 20 Pulled by Food Network After Winner Charged With Murder of Child". TheWrap. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
- ^ Knolle, Sharon (May 13, 2022). "'Worst Cooks in America' Winner Ariel Robinson Found Guilty of Killing 3-Year-Old Foster Child". TheWrap. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
- ^ El Genaidi, Deena (May 13, 2022). "Former Food Network Winner Sentenced to Life in Prison for Killing 3-Year-Old Foster Child". primetimer.com. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
- ^ Egan, Leigh (January 25, 2021). "'Worst Cooks in America' winner joked about child abuse before allegedly beating adopted tot daughter to death". Crime Online. Retrieved February 11, 2026.