Worst Cooks in America Season 25, Episode 1: Culinary Clickbait

America's Next Culinary Influencer

After the recruits learn some basics, Anne Burrell and Darnell Ferguson want to see who has what it takes to be America's next top culinary influencer! The teams face off in a series of culinary games inspired by some of the biggest internet trends and viral moments before creating their own veggie burgers in the Skill Drill challenge. In the Main Dish cook, Anne and Darnell teach their teams how to make rice bowls, judge their dishes and send one recruit home.

90 min

My Big Fat Greek Kitchen

Boot camp is transformed into ancient Greece, and the teams face off in a head-to-head relay race to make a Mediterranean mezze platter. After they've channeled their inner culinary gods and goddesses, the recruits learn how to make a classic Greek dish, lamb souvlaki, for the Skill Drill challenge. Later in the Main Dish cook, Anne and Darnell aren't "squidding" around when they task their teams with making grilled octopus dishes. Some recruits conquer the Herculean task, but the least successful recruit must sail off into the sunset.

That's So Decadent

Anne Burrell and Darnell Ferguson start the week testing the recruits' taste buds by identifying the flavor of pies that have been launched into their faces! Then, the chefs demonstrate marbled Swiss roll cakes before challenging the recruits to make herb-laminated pasta from scratch. While some recruits roll with the punches, the least successful is eliminated.

Surviving Worst Cooks

Halfway through the competition, it only gets harder to survive boot camp! Anne Burrell and Darnell Ferguson push the recruits' culinary, physical and mental skills in the kitchen by having them compete in Survivor: Boot Camp Edition. For this game, they must work together to navigate through an obstacle course and complete a series of culinary-related tasks. Then, the recruits go head-to-head with the opposite team making international chicken wings. In the Main Dish challenge, the recruits must prove they can survive on their own in the kitchen before facing elimination.

Glitch in the Culinary Matrix

Boot camp's been hacked, and it's up to the recruits to recover the missing recipe data! Anne Burrell and Darnell Ferguson have their teams taste international dishes to find the hidden ingredient disks. Then, the recruits learn how to make pierogies for the Skill Drill cook. The next stop is Mexico for the Main Dish challenge, and the chefs teach their teams to make crispy fish tacos. The recruit who is lost at sea is sent home.

Robo-Roast

Anne Burrell and Darnell Ferguson bring back the classic game of Remote Control Chef, where each team must taste and describe a dish to their chef via headset so they can perfectly replicate it. For the Main Dish challenge, the chefs need their recruits to showcase all of the tips, tricks and hacks they've learned so far by making a classic Sunday roast with Yorkshire pudding and sides. The least successful recruits are eliminated.

Verified Chefs

Anne Burrell and Darnell Ferguson welcome back two of the series' most viral competitors and former finalists, Peachez and Marti! They face the final four recruits in a showdown, complete with physical games, culinary tasks and trivia. Then, the recruits compete head-to-head against their own teammate in a cook-off to earn their spot in the Final Restaurant cook. The finalists put all their culinary skills to the test with a three-course, restaurant quality meal that will impress judges Leah Cohen, Kalen Allen and Karen Akunowicz and determine the winner of the $25,000 prize!