# Worst Cooks in America **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 13, 2012, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-cooks-in-america/612682 "2012-02-13T05:46:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![LavenderBlue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e95f7d/32.png) [@LavenderBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderBlue)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2012, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-cooks-in-america/612682/1 "2012-02-13T05:46:36Z")
I have a soft spot for this show. It’s silly but very earnest. Anne Burrell seems to care very much about the people she’s teaching. Is anyone watching? I’m watching this season with particular interest because one of the contestants is a friend of a friend. He’s been on multiple reality shows so he appears to be a bit of a famewhore but I’m rooting for him anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Sister\_Vigilante](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@Sister\_Vigilante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sister_Vigilante)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2012, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-cooks-in-america/612682/2 "2012-02-13T18:12:51Z")
We’re watching it. I can’t believe there are people who can’t scramble an egg. Rooting for Burrell again. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2012, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-cooks-in-america/612682/3 "2012-02-13T19:19:38Z")
Yep, we’ve been looking forward to it. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Azeotrope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/0ea827/32.png) [@Azeotrope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Azeotrope)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2012, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-cooks-in-america/612682/4 "2012-02-13T19:27:16Z")
Looks like a good season. It looks like Bobby Flay went into it thinking that these people really can’t be as bad cooks as they’re made out to be, and he’s finding out that oh yes they are. I can’t wait for next week’s episode, because that shot in the preview of the middle-aged lady with dark hair trying to dump the contents of her food processor out through the feed chute had me giggling like an idiot. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2012, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-cooks-in-america/612682/5 "2012-02-13T19:43:07Z")
Yay for Worst Cooks! I find this show fascinating in the ineptness of the contestants. I agree that Bobby seemed totally stunned by how badly some of these people cooked. I never root for one chef or the other, though. I get about halfway through the season and start rooting for one or two of the contestants. I haven’t picked any favorites so far after only one episode. I was kind of happy to see the guy with the flip attitude get sent down, though. ---
**Author:** ![LavenderBlue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e95f7d/32.png) [@LavenderBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderBlue)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2012, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-cooks-in-america/612682/6 "2012-02-13T19:47:54Z")
The first episode is always hysterically funny. Last night was no exception. Who the hell uses the dishwasher to _cook_? My huband dubbed Sarina the Smurf. I didn’t believe Anthony purposly threw that much soy sauce in the dish he served. He has to know the dish with would be insanely salty. I think he’s playing to the cameras especially with the marshmallows he served with it. The egg and pancake challenge was very fair because it used familiar concepts and ingredients with only a slight twist. For all that chefs can’t cook the results looked reasonably edible from most of them. Both Burrell and Flay were actually pretty nice and rather supportive. I’m not a huge fan of Robert Irving after his resume lying but I liked watching him in prior seasons. Did they wind up picking the woman with the adorable identical twin girls? ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2012, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-cooks-in-america/612682/7 "2012-02-13T19:52:45Z")
> [@LavenderBlue](#): > > Who the hell uses the dishwasher to _cook_? Never tried to do it myself but I have heard of [dishwasher salmon](http://www.winexmagazine.com/index.php/wine/vieweat/dishwasher-salmon/) before. ---
**Author:** ![mozchron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@mozchron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mozchron)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2012, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-cooks-in-america/612682/8 "2012-02-13T20:17:06Z")
> [@Ike\_Witt](#): > > Never tried to do it myself but I have heard of [dishwasher salmon](http://www.winexmagazine.com/index.php/wine/vieweat/dishwasher-salmon/) before. Don’t know about dishwashers, but in graduate school we used to use the autoclaves to cook chicken. Came out pretty damn good. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2012, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-cooks-in-america/612682/9 "2012-02-13T20:32:44Z")
I’m watching. I really can’t stand Bobby Flay, I think he was the worst thing on one of the last reality competition shows he did (“America’s Next Restaurant” or something like that), so I’m rooting for Anne. Every year, I’m amazed - the “curry is great! pesto is great! they must be great together! but trust me, it isn’t” lady was hilarious. As were some of the other contestants. I’ve heard of dishwasher salmon before. I was just surprised that he expected to find a dishwasher there on the set. The one contestant who’d lost a bunch of weight looks not entirely unlike Mary McCormack from “In Plain Sight” ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2012, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-cooks-in-america/612682/10 "2012-02-13T20:41:45Z")
I find it interesting we have two contestants with food issues. One who is recovering anorexic and one who has been seriously obese, but lost a lot of weight. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2012, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-cooks-in-america/612682/11 "2012-02-13T23:30:35Z")
The weight loss girl reminded me of Blossom, only completely lacking in confidence. I too am glad to see flippant lawyer gone. Anne is going to win because she already knows to toss the people who will not listen. Like the other girl said, “It’s Anne’s way or the highway.” That’s because Anne knows what she’d doing and you do not. ---
**Author:** ![Azeotrope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/0ea827/32.png) [@Azeotrope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Azeotrope)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2012, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-cooks-in-america/612682/12 "2012-02-14T00:32:10Z")
I really hope the anorexic and the one who lost the weight do well, and the guy with the special needs kid with the special diet. ---
**Author:** ![Azeotrope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/0ea827/32.png) [@Azeotrope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Azeotrope)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2012, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-cooks-in-america/612682/13 "2012-02-14T00:35:51Z")
> [@mozchron](#): > > Don’t know about dishwashers, but in graduate school we used to use the autoclaves to cook chicken. Came out pretty damn good. I imagine it was nice and tender, and 100% germ free 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2012, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-cooks-in-america/612682/14 "2012-02-14T00:43:01Z")
> [@LavenderBlue](#): > > Who the hell uses the dishwasher to _cook_? It was featured prominently on [_Home Improvement_ (about 2:01)](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vns5qQpikRw) with mixed results. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2012, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-cooks-in-america/612682/15 "2012-02-20T17:44:59Z")
Did anyone catch last night’s episode with “I know Sweden is in Switzerland” and “If I knew where Lebanon was, then I could use my brains to figure out something about the meatballs” showing that some of the contestants are also among the worst geographers in America as well. ---
**Author:** ![VOW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vow/32/3043_2.png) [@VOW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VOW)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2012, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-cooks-in-america/612682/16 "2012-02-20T17:50:08Z")
I’m surprised that poor idiot who tried to pour her food out the chute of the food processor wasn’t eliminated. Honestly, from her disconnect with the world around her, I’d say she needs to be checked for dementia! And I say that in an honest, compassionate tone of voice! ~VOW ---
**Author:** ![Azeotrope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/0ea827/32.png) [@Azeotrope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Azeotrope)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2012, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-cooks-in-america/612682/17 "2012-02-20T18:09:03Z")
> [@VOW](#): > > I’m surprised that poor idiot who tried to pour her food out the chute of the food processor wasn’t eliminated. > > Honestly, from her disconnect with the world around her, I’d say she needs to be checked for dementia! And I say that in an honest, compassionate tone of voice! > ~VOW Bobby Flay’s reaction to that was all that I hoped it would be, and their conversation about her trying to melt the tufu… no, tofu… tufu… it’s TOFU! into her noodle dish was priceless. I think that’s the only reason that other woman was kicked off instead of her, so she can keep giving Bobby hives for at least one more week. ---
**Author:** ![Azeotrope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/0ea827/32.png) [@Azeotrope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Azeotrope)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2012, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-cooks-in-america/612682/18 "2012-02-20T18:10:26Z")
> [@amarinth](#): > > Did anyone catch last night’s episode with “I know Sweden is in Switzerland” and “If I knew where Lebanon was, then I could use my brains to figure out something about the meatballs” showing that some of the contestants are also among the worst geographers in America as well. Yep. That was almost as good as the gal who used giant bunches of saffron to decorate her meatballs.. She’s lucky she didn’t completely wreck the flavor with that stuff, too, since saffron’s pretty strong. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2012, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-cooks-in-america/612682/19 "2012-02-21T07:41:07Z")
I love this show! I’m sad Rachel’s gone though, she seems like she’d be comedic gold. One of the girls, I think her name’s Tiffany, the professional poker player, seems to be a minor celebrity. Just seemed kind weird ---
**Author:** ![GovernmentMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e9c0ed/32.png) [@GovernmentMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GovernmentMan)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2012, 10:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-cooks-in-america/612682/20 "2012-02-21T10:29:48Z")
My first time watching the show. Why eliminate the poorest performers? The worst of the worst ends up being as terrible a cook as ever. At least wait two challenges to eliminate someone. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-cooks-in-america/612682.md?page=2)