Fans of “Dancing With the Stars” won’t want to miss this twist: fan-favorite pro Val Chmerkovskiy is trading the dance floor for the kitchen in “Worst Cooks in America” season 30. The Food Network competition kicks off on Sunday, January 4, as celebrity contestants, including reality stars, athletes, and TV personalities, face off under the watchful eyes of chefs Jeff Mauro and Tiffany Derry, transforming culinary chaos into kitchen triumphs.
‘Worst Cooks in America: Reality Check’ Cast
This all-star cast for season 30, which is dubbed “Worst Cooks in America: Reality Check,” features some of your favorite reality stars. While Val finished in second place during season 34 of “DWTS,” maybe he can take home a win in the kitchen?
Besides Val, the “Worst Cooks in America” season 30 cast includes:
- Lisa Barlow, “The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City”
- Downtown Julie Brown, MTV VJ
- Reza Farahan, “Shahs of Sunset” and “The Valley: Persian Style”
- Amara La Negra, “Love & Hip Hop: Miami”
- Ryan Lochte, Olympic swimmer
- Manila Luzon, “RuPaul’s Drag Race”
- Romeo Miller, rapper/actor
- Beverly Mitchell, “7th Heaven”
- CT Tamburello, “The Challenge” and “The Traitors USA”
Of course, these are all some reality TV superstars. Now, they are testing the waters in the kitchen, which none of them are very familiar with.
“The kitchen is not where this season’s celebrity recruits shine – but Jeff and Tiffany are determined to change that,” said Betsy Ayala, Head of Content, Food, Warner Bros. Discovery. “‘Worst Cooks’ is where comedy and cooking chaos collide, but in the end, there are some impressive culinary transformations that will blow our audience away.”
How Does ‘Worst Cooks in America’ Work?
Food NetworkFor season 30, Chefs Jeff Mauro and Tiffany Derry will be looking to mold these reality TV stars into kitchen MVPs. To start, though, Jeff and Tiffany need to see what they are working with.
The season will kick off with a baseline challenge, in which the celebs will have to whip up red carpet-worthy dishes to show off or expose their culinary chops.
From there, they will take on a main dish challenge, in which the chefs teach their teams how to make bold and spicy Piri Piri chicken. Some of the recruits will rise to the occasion, but others are going to fizzle out.
The stars who are least successful in this challenge will face off in a blind elimination cook-off. Only one of them will survive to cook another day.
What Does the Winner of ‘Worst Cooks in America: Reality Check’ Get?
“Worst Cooks in America” season 30 premieres on Sunday, January 4, 2026, and the finale will air on Sunday, February 1. During that finale, the two most-improved recruits will create a three-course restaurant-quality meal for guest judges.
The winner will be awarded $25,000 for charity and bragging rights for their team leader.
This season will also mark the show’s return after the death of former host Anne Burrell. The Food Network star died at the age of 55 in June. The show did pay tribute to Burrell during the season 29 premiere in July.
