Worst Cooks in America is returning to Food Network to kick off the new year with new hosts and a new name following Anne Burrell’s death.
For season 30 of the hit cooking show, chef Jeff Mauro, who has previously cohosted the show, will be joined by chef and restaurateur Tiffany Derry as the emcees, according to the official trailer shared via People on Thursday, December 18.
The network will also be shaking things up with the name and who is competing this season, calling it Worst Cooks in America: Reality Check. Yes, that means the contestants will all be from reality TV — or have appeared on reality TV following careers as athletes, etc. — including The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City’s Lisa Barlow and Dancing With the Stars pro Val Chmerkovskiy.
When the new season premieres on Sunday, January 4, Mauro, who was last seen on season 28 of the show, will lead one team of reality stars against Derry’s group of misfit cooks through an entertainment-themed bootcamp to take them from terrible chefs to being confident in the kitchen.
The rest of the cast includes: TV personality Downtown Julie Brown (who was on Wife Swap), Shahs of Sunset’s Reza Farahan, Love & Hip Hop: Miami star Amara La Negra, Olympic swimmer and Celebrity Big Brother alum Ryan Lochte, RuPaul’s Drag Race’s Manila Luzon, rapper and actor Romeo Miller (who was also on Growing Up Hip Hop), 7th Heaven and Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test alum Beverley Mitchell and The Challenge’s CT Tamburello.
While fans are excited to see which star will win $25,000 for the charity of their choice after being dubbed the champion, the new season is also bittersweet. It marks the first season to air since longtime host Burrell died in June at the age of 55.
Luxury Handbag Shopping later confirmed that Burrell died by suicide after being found at her home in Brooklyn, New York.
“Anne was a beloved wife, sister, daughter, stepmother, and friend — her smile lit up every room she entered,” her family said in a statement to Us at the time. “Anne’s light radiated far beyond those she knew, touching millions across the world. Though she is no longer with us, her warmth, spirit, and boundless love remain eternal.”
Prior to her death, Burrell was known for her culinary expertise after serving as a sous chef to Mario Batali on the Iron Chef America pilot. She continued on the show from 2005 to 2009 and later moved on to Secrets of a Restaurant Chef, which she hosted in 2008.
Burrell was best known for hosting Worst Cooks in America beginning with its 2010 premiere alongside Chef Beau MacMillan.
She was a mentor on the series from the start through season 29, with a break during season 28. Burrell gave fans an update on her life plans in March, revealing that she’d been “kinda quiet [as] of late” because she was taking Improv for Actors in New York.
“Can I just say it is SO much fun and I am learning so SO much!!! It really helps me get out of my shell… as if I needed that!!” she shared via Instagram at the time.
Burrell is survived by her mother, Marlene, and sister, Jane, as well as her husband, Stuart Claxton, whom she married in October 2021, and his son, Javier.
Worst Cooks in America: Reality Check premieres on Food Network Sunday, January 4, at 8 p.m. ET.
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