Worst Cooks in America season 12
| Worst Cooks in America | |
|---|---|
| Season 12 | |
| Judges | |
| No. of contestants | 16 |
| Winner | Hazell Mckenzie |
| Runner-up | Steven Crowley |
| No. of episodes | 10 |
| Release | |
| Original network | Food Network |
| Original release | January 7 – March 11, 2018 |
| Season chronology | |
Worst Cooks in America 12, is the twelfth season of the American competitive reality television series Worst Cooks in America. It premiered on Food Network on January 7, 2018 and concluded on March 11, 2018. Hazell Mckenzie was the winner of this season, with Steven Crowley as the runner-up.[1]
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.[2][3] 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.[4]
Judges
Tyler Florence joins Anne Burrell to host season 12. Three contestants from this season—runner-up Steven Crowley, Sharon Shvarzman, and Kevin Pettice—would compete in, season 9 of The Great Food Truck Race.
Recruits
| Contestant[5] | Age | Hometown | Occupation | Team | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hazell Mckenzie | 36 | Brooklyn, New York | Graduate Student | Anne | Winner on March 11, 2018 |
| Steven Crowley | 31 | New York City | Real estate broker | Tyler | Runner-up on March 11, 2018 |
| Asaf Goren | 25 | Los Angeles, California | Dancer | Anne | Eliminated on March 4, 2018 |
| Sharon Shvarzman | 32 | Staten Island, New York | Drag Performer | Tyler | |
| Lacey Stout | 28 | Collinsville, Oklahoma | Stay-at-Home Mom | Anne | Eliminated on February 25, 2018 |
| Shatima Ruffin | 34 | Hampton Roads, Virginia | Receptionist | Tyler | |
| Robyn Hayden | 31 | Charleston, South Carolina | Balloon Artist | Anne | Eliminated on February 18 |
| Brandon Arroyo | 27 | Cleveland, Ohio | Sports Reporter | Anne | Eliminated on February 11, 2018 |
| Spencer Nick | 25 | Chicago, Illinois | Graduate Student | Tyler | |
| Sylvia Jefferies | 47 | Charleston, South Carolina | Stay-at-Home Mom | Anne | Withdrew on January 28, 2018 |
| Lily Frey | 63 | Anaheim, California | Retired | Tyler | Eliminated on January 28, 2018 |
| Skyler Nick | 25 | Chicago, Illinois | Graduate Student | Tyler | Eliminated on January 21, 2018 |
| Kevin Pettice | 24 | Charlotte, North Carolina | Administrative Assistant | Tyler | Eliminated on January 14, 2018 |
| Priscilla Nguyen | 26 | Hattiesburg, Mississippi | Receptionist | Anne | |
| Jonathan Farhat | 37 | Livermore, California | Safety Professional | Anne | Eliminated on January 7, 2018 |
| Kayrene Curtis | 44 | Rocky River, Ohio | Stay-at-Home Mom | Tyler |
Elimination Chart
- * Initially a member of the other team
| Rank | Contestant | Episode | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | |||||
| 1 | Hazell | WIN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | WIN | WIN | WINNER | |||
| 2 | Steven | BTM | IN | WIN | IN | IN | BTM | TIE | WIN | WIN | RUNNER-UP | |||
| 3 | Asaf | IN | IN | WIN | IN | IN | WIN | IN | BTM | OUT | ||||
| 4 | Sharon | WIN | IN | IN | WIN | WIN | IN | TIE | BTM | OUT | ||||
| 5 | Lacey* | IN | IN | IN | IN | SWAP | IN | WIN | OUT | |||||
| 6 | Shatima | IN | IN | BTM | BTM | BTM | WIN | BTM | OUT | |||||
| 7 | Robyn | IN | IN | IN | WIN | BTM | BTM | OUT | ||||||
| 8 | Brandon | IN | WIN | IN | BTM | WIN | OUT | |||||||
| 9 | Spencer* | BTM | IN | BTM | IN | SWAP | OUT | |||||||
| 10 | Sylvia | IN | BTM | BTM | WDR | |||||||||
| 11 | Lily | IN | WIN | IN | OUT | |||||||||
| 12 | Skyler | IN | BTM | OUT | ||||||||||
| 13 | Kevin | IN | OUT | |||||||||||
| 14 | Priscilla | IN | OUT | |||||||||||
| 15 | Jonathan | OUT | ||||||||||||
| 16 | Kayrene | 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.
- (TIE) The contestant tied with another contestant as the best on their team in the week's Main Dish challenge or Skill Drill.
- (BTM) The contestant was selected as one of the bottom entries in the Main Dish challenge, but was not eliminated.
- (SWAP) The contestant get switched by a mentor to the other team.
- (OUT) The contestant lost that week's Main Dish challenge and was out of the competition.
- (WDR) The contestant withdrew from the competition.
Episodes
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Original release date [6] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 83 | 1 | "Can It Really Be This Bad?" | January 7, 2018 |
| 84 | 2 | "Fish Are Food, Not Friends" | January 14, 2018 |
| 85 | 3 | "Show Me the Vegetables!" | January 21, 2018 |
| 86 | 4 | "Game Day!" | January 28, 2018 |
| 87 | 5 | "Leftovers Again?" | February 4, 2018 |
| 88 | 6 | "Sweets for My Sweetie" | February 11, 2018 |
| 89 | 7 | "Sausage Party" | February 18, 2018 |
| 90 | 8 | "Can You Please Pas-Ta Sauce?" | February 25, 2018 |
| 91 | 9 | "Flair Flair Everywhere" | March 4, 2018 |
| 92 | 10 | "The Final Countdown" | March 11, 2018 |
References
- ^ "Worst Cooks in America, Season 12: Craziest Moments". Food Network. Retrieved July 26, 2025.
- ^ 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) - ^ "Worst Cooks in America, Season 12: Meet the Recruits". Food Network. Retrieved July 26, 2025.
- ^ "Shows A-Z - worst cooks in america on foodnetwork". The Futon Critic. Retrieved July 27, 2025.