'Worst Cooks in America' Season 20: Chef Alex Guarnaschelli's epic facial expressions have fans in splits

This is Guarnashelli's first outing on the show and it didn't look like she was prepared to witness all the disasters in the kitchen
PUBLISHED JUN 22, 2020
Alex Guarnaschelli and Evan Baker (Food Network)
Alex Guarnaschelli and Evan Baker (Food Network)

'Worst Cooks In America' Season 20 premiere episode aired on Sunday night and the contestants were a delight to watch and so were their dishes. The icing on the cake was chef and co-host Alex Guarnaschelli who was left wanting a therapy session at the end of the very first challenge into the season. Watching the contestants from the gallery doing things she never imagined she would witness, she was visibly shaken. The audiences at home had a gala time watching her horrified reactions to everything happening in the kitchen. 

"I'm in tears I'm laughing so hard at @guarnaschelli's reactions on Worst Cooks in America on @FoodNetwork right now. She is literally Schmidt watching these people try to cook. The first episode isn't even over, and I already can't wait for the rest of this season. Is this a joke?!" wrote a fan. While another wrote, "I love the first episode of the season of ‘Worst Cooks in America’ @guarnaschelli — your facial expressions are epic...." Another fan wrote, "Boy do I love Alex and am so happy she is on Worst Cooks In America. I want to be her friend (even if it is just on twitter)."

The first episode started with a baseline challenge where the contestants had to recreate a dish reminiscent of their childhood. At the end of the challenge, the two chefs and co-hosts Guarnaschelli and series regular chef Anne Burrell were about to pick their teams. Here is the breakdown of the teams. 

Team Blue: Chef Alex Guarnaschelli 

Ari Robinson, Johannes 'Yo' Phelps, Eric Smart, Louisa Sharamatyan, Darian Barnes, Holly Jo Kimmel Brooks and Brianna Weidenbach

Team Red Rocking Stars: Chef Anne Burrell

Domaine Javier, Evan Baker, Dolores Aguilar-Fernandez, Erin Sullivan, Denise Schroder, Jewels Mcllroy and Zack Ignoffo.

After being segregated into their respective teams, the contestants had to compete in the second challenge where they would cook Jamaican jerk chicken along with a side of rice and green beans. At the end of the challenge, two contestants (one per team) would go home. As expected, there were a lot of disasters in the kitchen in this challenge as well. The highlight was Jewels who couldn't reduce her chicken to shreds. Even contestant Erin brought his dish up to the tasting table wrapped in a cling foil to stop Guarnaschelli from tasting it as he believed it was not cooked at the right temperature. At the end of the episode Jewels and Holly were shown the exit by Burrell and Guarnaschelli respectively. 

'Worst Cooks in America' returns with a brand new episode on June 28 at 9 pm ET only on Food Network.

GET THE BIGGEST ENTERTAINMENT STORIES
STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX.

MORE STORIES

A new ‘White Lotus’ getaway may be taking shape, and if this casting rumor is true, season 4 could be its most dramatic stay yet.
16 hours ago
Kathleen Robertson and Mark Engelhardt have been cast in recurring roles for the third instalment
1 day ago
Middle-earth is moving closer to its next chapter, and new signs suggest ‘The Rings of Power’ may return sooner than fans ever expected.
1 day ago
‘Euphoria’ footage is finally out and the first glimpse of Season 3 suggests that growing up may be far more dangerous than staying young.
1 day ago
A Reddit user recently shared a Google Earth image showing the words "Come Back" written on a pavement
2 days ago
'Pluribus' reunited Gilligan with his long-time collaborators, music supervisor Thomas Golubić and music composer Dave Porter
2 days ago
Viewers are left wondering whether 'Heated Rivalry' will follow the books closely or embrace the subtle changes hinted at by the cast.
2 days ago
‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’ Season 2 dropped on December 10, 2025, and Rick Riordan has already teased something incredible for Season 3
2 days ago
In the latest 'Pluribus' episode, titled 'The Gap', Rhea Seehorn's Carol grapples with her longing for human interaction
2 days ago
After years in development, ‘Skinny Dip’ lands at Prime Video with Amanda Seyfried in the lead role of Joey Perrone
2 days ago