After an exciting celebrity-filled season, Food Network's "Worst Cooks in America" is back with a whole new cast of 14 people who have absolutely no idea what they're doing in the kitchen. Rachael Ray and Anne Burrell were the mentors during the celebrity edition of the hit show, but now chef Tyler Florence is back alongside Burrell to try to have one of his contestants be the better cook.
Burell, who mentors the Red Team, has been on the show since the series premiere and is a five-time winner. This will be Florence's third season, and he has not yet beat Burrell. The only time Burrell has lost was against Bobby Flay. The two will compete against each other by mentoring their teams of culinary misfits in kitchen boot camp and elimination challenges over the course of seven episodes to try and train them to be better chefs. Whoever gains the most skills and is the most improved chef in the end is rewarded a $25,000 grand prize.
During the season premiere, which airs on Sunday Jan. 3 at 9 p.m. EST, Burrell and Florence are faced with some of the worst cooks they've ever seen during an open casting call, according to the Food Network Blog. They eventually were able to choose 14 recruits whom they saw potential in for Boot Camp. These 14 recruits will have to make what they consider their signature dish, forcing Burrell and Florence to taste whatever the concoction might be and choose their teams. They will then have to attempt to teach their chosen recruits how to make a well-balanced dinner, and the two who cannot cook up something somewhat edible will go home.
"Worst Cooks is comical, competitive and ultimately, inspiring," Bob Tuschman, general manager and senior vice president of Food Network, said in a press release. "Under Anne and Tyler's guidance, these cooking-challenged contenders transform their hilarious kitchen blunders to refined culinary techniques - and the journey is truly entertaining to watch."
Here's everything you need to know about the 14 brand new recruits for season 8 of "Worst Cooks in America."
Chanda Havard
She is from Chicago and thinks that the higher you turn the temperature, the faster the food will cook, causing her to ruin her meals every single time. She has a huge personality and wants to be a wife and a mother someday. Since her nephew is sick of eating fast food every time she has to babysit him, she's hoping to become a better cook.
Cindy Nguyen
She is from Las Vegas, and even her parents owning an Asian restaurant couldn't help her become a good cook, no matter how much they tried to teach her because she could just never pay attention. She swears she can make a "mean cocktail" but fails miserably when it comes to things like shepherd's pie, ramen noodles and Spam dishes. She's extremely book smart and has a degree in molecular biology, but her common sense isn't all there. She wants to become a better cook because she wants to settle down with her boyfriend and carry on her family food traditions.
David Fouts
He is from Wisconsin and only really knows how to make cereal. He has four young kids, and his wife just wishes he could help out in the kitchen. He has a big personality but understands that his lack of knowledge in the kitchen is hurting his family, so he's ready to give it his all to make a difference.
Donna Koen
She's from Massachusetts and is a lunch lady, so you'd think she'd have some cooking experience, but the only thing she's allowed to do is cut the crust off sandwiches and slice apples, so her skills minimal. When it comes to cooking for her family, the most she can manage is a burnt hamburger and peanut butter sandwiches, but she's ready to learn how to make big and delicious meals for her family.
Ernie Adkins
He's from Maryland and is married with four children. He's an Army combat veteran and a truck driver who can fix nearly anything but can't do anything in the kitchen. He enjoys hunting and would like to learn how to cook the things he hunts. Since he lives in a rural area, takeout isn't always an easy option so he wants to be on "Worst Cooks" so he can learn to cook for his family.
Ginny Meerman
She's also from Maryland, but her life as a beauty pageant competitor has kept her too busy to learn to cook. She's accident-prone in the kitchen, and her boyfriend and four grown kids aren't very fond of her cooking and even avoid her house on Thanksgiving because of this. She's coming on the show because she wants to one day be able to serve them a home-cooked Sunday dinner and be able to host holidays with no shame.
Glenda Galeano
She's from Miami and many people always assume she can cook because of her Latin background, but that's not exactly the case. Her ex-husband always took care of things in the kitchen, but now cooking a good meal for her 19-year-old son, who says her food "tastes like a shoe," is her top priority. She also is back on the market and wants to be able to impress her dates with some delicious dishes.
Holgie Forrester
She's from California and at 66 years old has not cooked a meal since 1969. She's adventurous everywhere but the kitchen, as cooking has never really interested her. She just wants to be able to make heart-healthy meals for her husband so he doesn't have to always be the one cooking.
Jeni Erdman
She's from Wisconsin and has only ever made three edible meals for her family in the past 25 years. As someone who lives on a farm and raises all types of animals and grows all different vegetables she just wants to know how to use them and be able to cook with them. Her poor, hardworking husband comes home every single night and typically has a string cheese and beer for dinner, and she doesn't want him to have to do this anymore.
Lawrence Crawford
He's from New Jersey and Is a military man with three kids and a wife who describes his cooking skills as "dreadful." His youngest son will eat almost anything and still won't taste his father's food. Since his wife recently took on a new job, he wants to learn to cook for his family.
Nick Slater
He's from California and an extremely picky eater who won't eat things like cheese, pickles, butter or any condiments. As someone who is very active and physically fit, he wants to learn to cook healthy and nutritious meals so he and his wife can live a well-balanced life.
Rachel Thomas
She's from Florida and tries to avoid the kitchen at all costs. She once almost started a fire trying to broil steak and is terrified of the stove but hates that she can't cook for her husband, so she's determined to try to make a change.
Taylor Hooper
He's from Massachusetts and after four years in the Marines, he's now home and has no idea how to cook. He often sets off the fire alarm in the kitchen, but he recently got engaged and really wants to learn how to cook for his soon-to-be wife.
Ty Snow
He's from California and is described as a mess in the kitchen. The fire department in his hometown even knows him by name because of how many kitchen fires he's started. He honestly believes he's still single because of his lack of cooking skills, so he wants that to change. He also has a history of heart disease in his family so he wants to learn how to make healthy meals so he can try to improve his health.
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