'Worst Cooks in America' Season 20: Alex Guarnaschelli horrified by first challenge, says she needs a therapist
'Worst Cooks in America' Season 20 premiered with its first episode on June 21. It is chef Alex Guarnaschelli's first time in the 'Worst Cooks' kitchen and she is co-hosting the show with chef Anne Burrell. The contestants weren't even halfway into the first baseline challenge and Guarnaschelli was traumatized enough and asked Burrell if what she was witnessing was really true.
The very first challenge of any new season of 'Worst Cooks' is the one where contestants have to recreate their favorite childhood dish. A lot of comfort food like gumbo, chile, fried chicken, lasagne was in the making in the kitchen but none looked promising to a visibly shaken Guarnaschelli or to Burrell. It was only a couple of minutes into the first challenge and Guarnaschelli was shook. For example contestant, Denise Schroder was supposedly making a Chinese fusion salmon taco, which she was stuffing with jalapenos. On being asked where's the "Chinese" in this whole situation by Guarnaschelli, Denise countered it with, "isn't the fish Chinese?".
Contestant Ari Robinson, a "drive-through queen" by own admission was making chile which she topped with cheese and hotdogs. She also has a name for her stomach and calls it Shirley with whom she admitted to having a lot of conversations. Holly Jo Kimmel Brooks was talking to her mother all the while. Her mom passed away seven years ago but she's not given up on her conversations with her and was constantly talking to her omnipresent mother in the kitchen. Then there's Zack Ignoffo, a model by profession and a self-confessed "banana hands". To avoid accidents he came into the kitchen armed with oven mitts (extras too in case of emergencies). Contestant Johannes "Yo" Phelps used a blender to make mashed potatoes and when they turned out too runny, he put it in a pan to thicken it up.
These are just a couple of instances that happened in the kitchen in the first challenge of the new season, leaving Guarnaschelli wanting to go home, curl up in a ball, call her friends and ask if they could help her. She was also reminded of the movie 'Jaws' by one of the dishes being cooked. At the end of the first challenge, Guarnaschelli was left with just one wish - to call her therapist and see if she was booked.
'Worst Cooks in America' Season 20 airs Sunday nights at 9 pm ET only on Food Network.
