Worst Cooks in America, Season 25: Meet the Recruits

Meet the 12 culinary-challenged recruits entering boot camp for a chance to win a grand prize of $25,000.

Photo By: Jason DeCrow

Meet the 12 new recruits and viral sensations entering boot camp.

Rich Aronovitch — New York City

Rich (@richisfunny) is a professional comedian who is anything but a professional in the kitchen. He is full of energy and gets distracted easily, especially while trying to cook. Rich is totally uninhibited and you may find him breaking out some crazy dance moves on the streets of New York City to post on social media. He knows becoming a better cook will make him an even better husband and father to his wife and young son, so he is ready to pay attention in boot camp.

Michael Judson Berry — Jersey City, NJ

Michael (@mjudsonberry) is an actor who went viral during lockdown for his QuaranTeaTime videos featuring his killer impression of Moira Rose and other Schitt’s Creek characters. While he did pick up followers, he did not pick up cooking skills — he has even had friends tell him his cooking makes them feel sad. He is confident that after boot camp he will be able to make a meal that doesn’t make his friends say 'ew.'

Tessica Brown — Violet, LA

When mom-of-five and daycare provider Tessica (@im_d_ollady) ran out of hairspray, she put Gorilla Glue in her hair instead. After posting about it on social media, she went viral and was interviewed by media from around the country. Her grandmother told her the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach — so she is in boot camp to learn to make a decent meal and start looking for a husband.

David Chen — Fort Lauderdale, FL

David (@davidchenofficial) is a flight attendant and tennis enthusiast known for his energy on and off the court. He went viral for cheering and dancing at matches, along with his homemade videos that made people from around the world laugh. David can’t rely on his mom and husband to always cook for him, so he is excited to get some intense cooking lessons at boot camp.

NaJe' Elmore — Texarkana, TX

Viral singing sensation NaJe’ (@who_she_naje) doesn’t do well in the kitchen — she can’t even boil an egg and has a fear of fish. But eating at restaurants and getting takeout all the time has been tough on her budget, and she plans to sing her way through boot camp and learn to cook.

Tina Kim — Los Angeles

Tina (@kdramalogic) is a TikToker who loves all things K-drama and K-pop. As the youngest of four growing up in a Korean family, Tina never had to cook for herself — her mom would even wake up at 5am sometimes to make her favorite traditional dishes. She is ready to pick up some cooking knowledge in boot camp so she can enjoy a good meal while posting about her K-dramas and K-pop crushes.

Adam Kreutinger — Buffalo, NY

An elementary school art teacher, Adam (@adamkreutinger) also uses his creative talents on social media as a puppeteer and puppet maker. He grew up in a family of nine kids and never really had the opportunity to cook — but now, he wants to learn to make healthy and delicious meals for his wife and young children. He plans to use his imagination at boot camp and attempt to make some magical meals.

Paris Nicholson — Los Angeles

Paris' (@parisnicholson) "Top 5 Hottest" countdowns on TikTok are a hit, but his cooking attempts are epic fails. He wants to become a better cook for his boyfriend, especially after he nearly killed them both with a culinary flop. Paris is ready to learn techniques from searing steaks to making sauces — and never give anyone food poisoning again.

Eliza Petersen — West Jordan, UT

Amateur paleontologist Eliza (@lizemopetey) is dinosaur obsessed and she
first went viral with, you guessed it, a video about dinosaurs. She broke her nose as a kid and lost her sense of taste and smell for a decade, but surgery fixed that and now she can actually taste her own cooking — and it’s not great. She is in boot camp to gain some culinary knowledge and have her awful kitchen skills go extinct.

Mitchell Tyler Ralston — Huntington Beach, CA

Mitchell (@mrspooky13) is a self-proclaimed "garden variety weirdo" and amateur ghost hunter and paranormal investigator. The only thing scarier than his ghost stories are his attempts to cook. He is ready to gain some culinary skills in boot camp and no longer rely on his mom for a decent meal.

Sabrina Rios — Los Angeles

YouTuber Sabrina (@abelinasabrina) is an online content creator who is more than a little anxious in the kitchen. She is proud of her Latina heritage and loves the cuisine but is clueless about how to make any dishes on her own — she even has a fear of raw poultry. She sees herself cooking for her family in the future, so knows she needs to take boot camp seriously in the present.

Nick Trawick — Los Angeles

Nick (@nicktrawick13) is known for Instagram videos of his character "Kleptora," who wanders around in a wig stealing things left and right. He is all confidence and no skills in the kitchen and being from the South knows food is comfort — and he wants to provide that to his friends and family. He believes with maturity comes the ability to cook, and he is ready to grow up in boot camp.