Food Network celebrates home cooks this summer with the brand-new series 100 Cooks - the biggest, boldest home cook competition in the network’s history. Hosted by actor (Brooklyn Nine-Nine, The Expendables), television host (the American version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, America’s Got Talent) and former American football player Terry Crews, the series welcomes 100 of America’s best home cooks to run through an epic seven-week culinary gauntlet where 99 cooks will be eliminated and only one will be named the nation’s best home cook - and win up to $250,000.
“This is the kind of competition I live for - big energy, big stakes and 100 talented home cooks bringing everything they’ve got,” says Terry. “Every challenge was unpredictable, every dish had a story and the passion in that kitchen blew me away. Seeing their creativity up close was an incredible experience - and an absolute blast!”
You can watch 100 Cooks on discovery+ now!
Who Is Competing in 100 Cooks?
“Thousands of people applied to compete on 100 Cooks and along with Terry, Nick and Alex, we were amazed at the passion and skill they brought to the table,” says Betsy Ayala, the President of Food Network. “The 100 cooks chosen blew us away and while they don’t cook for a living, they all live to cook - and it shows in everything they served.”
From firefighters and college students to corporate lawyers and stay-at-home mums and dads, these competitors are from all walks of life and share a passion and talent for food.
100 Cooks: The Premise
In each episode, competitors are selected at random by a lottery ball “Cook Mixer” to come to the floor after the “Challenge Mixer” dictates what food-themed battle they will face. Each round is judged by top culinary content creator Nick DiGiovanni and Food Network all-star Alex Guarnaschelli, who will determine who stays in the competition each week and who is sent home.
In the season opener, host Terry welcomes the cooks to the competition. In this episode, more than fifty cooks compete in five different challenges to impress the judges. The challenges include "best noodle dish battle", a "rotisserie chicken face-off", an "egg challenge" and "best party bite competition". More than twenty cooks will be sent home, and the remaining amateur chefs will continue on.
In the last show of the series, the final eight home cooks work to impress the judges over the course of three challenges: breakfast, lunch and dinner. In the end, only one will stand alone at the top of the food world and take home the life-changing cash prize.
100 Cooks: The Judges
A Food Network staple for nearly two decades since competing on Food Network Challenge in 2006, award-winning executive chef and culinary icon Alex Guarnaschelli has become one of the most trusted and battle-tested voices on the network, appearing in more than 600 episodes across her career. As a recurring judge on Chopped, the host of Supermarket Stakeout and the star of Alex vs. America, there are few people more qualified than Alex to judge a competition of this scale.
Standing opposite chef Guarnaschelli is YouTube superstar chef and Harvard graduate Nick DiGiovanni, who has quickly become one of the most recognisable figures in the culinary world, amassing more than 50 million followers across social media platforms. The celebrity chef, cookbook author, and social media powerhouse brings his signature energy and massive digital reach to the judges' table, forcing competitors to step up their game or risk elimination.
Now, meet the home cooks looking to impress the judges and win the grand prize.
Cooks 100 - 91
#100 | Mike Martin: Mike brings healthy global cuisine shaped by Mexican heritage and Italian family influence to the competition, giving the content creator a style that balances wellness, comfort and big flavour.
#99 | Kyra Hungerford: Kyra, a sports dietitian, brings elite wellness expertise to health-focused, protein-packed dishes inspired by global flavours and clean ingredients.
#98 | Hannah Baxter: Hannah, a makeup artist, specializes in Italian cuisine, bringing family tradition to the competition through pasta made from her mother’s and grandmother’s recipes.
#97 — Eric Bridges: Eric channels his BBQ restaurant roots into Southern modern cuisine with European fusion, giving the sales account manager a smoky foundation and an elevated point of view.
#96 | Gerry Glenn: Homestyle family cooking gets an Asian-fusion twist from Gerry, an elevator constructor and Army veteran who brings structure, presentation and personality to his dishes.
#95 | Holley Francis: Holley brings Southern comfort cooking with Italian influence to the competition. The inside sales advisor also works Mexican, French and Asian flavours into her dishes.
#94 | Susie Weinrich: Susie keeps American comfort food at the centre of her culinary universe, as the content creator is known for her enchilada casserole, Italian sausage meatballs and grilled salmon.
#93 | Troy Garner: Troy, a stay-at-home dad, specialises in American comfort food, making fried chicken and grits, salmon steak pasta, cheesecake and quiche.
#92 | Tarun Sinha: Taco Bell obsession meets Indian cooking in Tarun’s kitchen, where the patent examiner uses fast-food re-creations and global techniques to create something personal and unexpected.
#91 | Soo Naert: Soo, an oncology nurse, specialises in Korean cuisine, turning out kimchi udon, homemade bulgogi sauce and vegetable pancakes.
Cooks 90 - 81
#90 | Lauren LeBlanc: Lauren brings traditional New Orleans-style Southern cooking to the competition; the physician assistant and food blogger is known for gumbo inspired by her Louisiana roots.
#89 | Matt Goodman: Matt may be known for barbecue, but the construction grader has a much wider playbook, specialising in pastas, tacos, butter chicken, shakshuka and smoked cheesecake.
#88 | Arya Fakhimi: Arya turns Italian, Mexican and Persian cuisine into elevated comfort food, with the operations manager bringing adaptability to dishes that feel familiar but polished.
#87 | Clarice “Rece” Eze: Rece, a digital content operations manager, balances Nigerian cuisine and American comfort food, cooking everything from jollof rice to porterhouse steaks.
#86 | Thomas Sullivan: Thomas brings modern Midwest cooking into a much wider world, as the content creator layers Peruvian, Italian, Greek and Mexican influences into his food.
#85 | Elyse Borchardt: Elyse, who works in risk management, brings maximalist style, humour and bold, balanced flavour to Southern classic comfort food.
#84 | Kim Alexander: Kim, a content creator and former hairstylist, brings bold Jamaican flavour to Caribbean cooking filled with island comfort and personality.
#83 | Nick Altieri: Firefighter Nick cooks with the confidence of someone used to feeding a hungry firehouse, specialising in Italian cuisine and favourites like porchetta, ossobuco, tacos and grilled shrimp.
#82 | Christopher Dorrah: Chris describes his cooking as sexy food with a Southern twist. The content creator backs it up with fresh pasta, jerk chicken, shrimp and grits, and sweet potato pie.
#81 | Michele Monroe: Michele, a transition teacher, brings together pitmaster skills and baking expertise with farm-to-table dishes inspired by international flavours.
Cooks 80 - 71
#80 | Marissa Mejia Panis: Mexican cooking shaped Marissa’s early culinary style, but the store director now explores German, Vietnamese, Italian and other global flavours.
#79 | Thomas Meyer: Wild-caught game, seafood and outdoor meals define Thomas’ culinary style, giving the land management director a distinct hunter-and-fisherman’s point of view.
#78 | Jacob Knight: Jacob, an underwriting technician, brings Southern and Filipino family traditions together in heartfelt home cooking rooted in memory, comfort and connection.
#77 | Nicholas Perrone: Nicholas is most at home around the grill. The manager specialises in outdoor cooking, grilled meats and hearty American comfort food.
#76 | Rachel Feeney: Rachel, a stay-at-home mum, brings her Maryland roots to the competition, with a focus on seafood, steak and desserts like lemon meringue pie.
#75 | Juan “Jeezil” Givens Jr.: Jeezil, a medical device sales representative, brings modern American soul food to the table with specialties like seafood pasta, shrimp and grits, and chicken and waffles.
#74 | Emily Teuscher: Medieval-style comfort food helps set Emily apart, with the content creator mixing hearty meats, potatoes, Pacific Northwest influence and fantasy-inspired cooking.
#73 | Andrew Gonzalez: Outdoor grilling is Andrew’s zone; the content creator brings South American and Mexican influence to fire-driven cooking.
#72 | Glen Kvadus: Glen, a chief growth officer, leans into New England cuisine with specialties like lobster ravioli, pan-seared scallops, baked goods and fresh pastas.
#71 | Melanie Cagle: Melanie, a food blogger and photographer, brings a British eye for presentation to Cajun-inspired cooking, leaning into bold spices and wild ingredients.
Cooks 70 - 61
#70 | Bill Roberts: A former professional percussionist and music teacher, Bill is a proud stay-at-home dad and total video game nerd who views cooking as his absolute love language. Born in Madrid, Spain, and raised in Switzerland, he specialises in a multicultural "hodgepodge" of global cooking styles that uniquely blend traditional Italian, Spanish and European influences.
#69 | Kim Sherry: Kim brings Alaskan roots to elevated Asian- and Italian-inspired dishes. The pet portrait artist stands out for creative comfort food like her signature moose burger.
#68 | Ciria Gibbons: Mexican cuisine is the focal point for Ciria, a former early childhood education teacher who brings versatility across world cooking.
#67 | Jackie Vitiello: Jackie, an outside sales representative, specialises in Italian cuisine, including eggplant Parmesan and flavour-packed fish dishes.
#66 | Douglas Chau: Douglas brings a software engineer’s creativity to Asian-influenced world cuisine, making the cook stand out for his signature kimchi bolognese.
#65 | Sheyna Patel: Indian fusion is Sheyna’s specialty, though the college student and sales coordinator also cooks American comfort food and Italian, Asian and Mexican dishes.
#64 | Lisa Gilmore: Lisa, a retired grandmother, brings warmth and practicality to the competition with approachable home cooking and Americanised Filipino dishes like chicken adobo and lugaw.
#63 | Alexia Digiglio Mancini: Alexia, a travel food blogger, brings New England and Italian cuisine to the table with pizza, calzones, chicken cutlets and linguine.
#62 | Charly Hang: A hairstylist, Charly elevates Cambodian cuisine with Spanish and Asian influences, bringing creativity and a deeply personal cultural point of view to the competition.
#61 | George Deacon: George, a set dresser, brings an artist’s eye to the kitchen, blending Americana inspiration with masterfully seared steaks and traditional Japanese and Italian cooking techniques.
Cooks 60 - 51
#60 | Cody Spaulding: Cody, a sergeant, paramedic and firefighter, brings fast, adaptable firehouse cooking to dishes like birria tacos, burgers, eggs Benedict, lasagna and chili.
#59 | Sherry Sabbagh: Sherry gives modern Middle Eastern cuisine a fresh twist. The stay-at-home mum specialises in comforting one-pot stews and Lebanese dishes.
#58 | Brian Mellott: Brian brings global fusion Southern comfort food to the competition, as the substitute teacher and photographer grounds his dishes in Southern flavour and cultural influence.
#57 | Evie Hernandez: Evie, a content creator, is a versatile Mexican-American cook who moves between Mexican, Italian, American comfort food and Asian dishes.
#56 | Jeff McCoy: Scratch-made pasta and Sunday family dinners inspire Jeff, an IT recruiter who specialises in Italian cuisine with French influence.
#55 | Brianna Conley: Brianna, a stay-at-home mum, specialises in modern American cooking with global influence, focusing on dishes like gumbo, shrimp tacos and chicken pasta.
#54 | Sruly Meyer: Sruly specialises in Jewish cuisine, but the marketing consultant also studies and executes dishes from around the world.
#53 | Tani Belliston: Tani, a news station motion graphics designer and married mother of two, brings her Hawaii roots to versatile Hawaiian and Asian comfort recipes, from shoyu chicken, pipikaula and pulehu steak to handmade dumplings and comforting bowls of ramen.
#52 | Bella Castillo: Greek and Mexican heritage shape Bella’s cooking; the creative content manager blends Latin, Mediterranean and modern American comfort dishes.
#51 | Josh Williams: Josh, a lead pastor, brings his homesteading experience to meat-centric American classics and hearty comfort food.
Cooks 50 - 41
#50 | CJ Volkmann: CJ, a loan manager, turned his love for cooking into a massive YouTube channel. This married "grill master" and father of five is a total open-fire fan, specialising in heavily seasoned American barbecue integrated with rich, Southern California Mexican profiles and fresh homemade pasta.
#49 | Asa Glass: Kentucky comfort food anchors Asa’s cooking, though the special education teacher also takes on Italian and Indian dishes like chicken tikka masala.
#48 | Raphi Silv: Raphi is a full-time content creator who specialises in Brazilian cuisine, cooking rice, beans, farofa, pão de queijo and richly seasoned mains rooted in the flavors she knows best.
#47 | Priya Lakshminarayan: Priya is a cookbook author and the creator of Cookilicious, an award-winning vegetarian and vegan food platform, sharing approachable Indian recipes inspired by her heritage and love for home cooking.
#46 | Steel Russell: A former pro baseball player and reality TV podcaster, Steel brings a healthy mindset to world cuisine while still embracing hearty comfort dishes.
#45 | Fariyal Bhatti: Pakistani cooking leads the way for Fariyal, an architectural project manager who also draws from Italian and Asian cuisine to build dishes with layered flavour.
#44 | Johnnie Vassar: Professional basketball player Johnnie brings his competitive fire to New American cooking, blending it with Asian influence and specialising in dishes like miso-glazed salmon and oxtail jerk pasta.
#43 | Eduardo Herrera: Eduardo, a content creator, brings personality to his Mexican fusion cooking with seafood, tacos, guacamole, street dogs, tortas and grilled guilty pleasures.
#42 | Christine Lee: Korean cuisine leads the way for Christine, a stay-at-home mum who also pulls from global techniques and Southern cooking traditions.
#41 | Zach Bates: Big-family holiday dishes inspire Zach, a real estate agent who specialises in modern American comfort food built around abundance and familiarity.
Cooks 40 - 31
#40 | Gigi Ashworth: Known as the Salmon Queen, cookbook author Gigi brings French and Mediterranean cooking together with Latin American and Asian influences for a polished, seafood-forward style.
#39 | Bryce Stubbs: Bryce, an oil field worker, builds his cooking around wild-caught game, seafood, Mexican ingredients and Western American staples, giving him a rugged outdoorsman's style.
#38 | Amy Decker: A former CIA officer who ran worldwide operations, Amy brings tactical focus to contemporary American and traditional Italian cooking, including baking, fresh pasta and seafood.
#37 | Jacques-Elie Pierre: Jacques-Elie, a mechanical designer, brings Haitian-Bahamian flavour to the couple's island-inspired cooking, with a focus on seafood local to the Bahamas.
#36 | Leanna Pierre: Leanna, a lawyer, brings her Barbadian roots to Caribbean cooking as one half of a husband-and-wife duo that loves feeding family and friends.
#35 | Eileen Kelly: Married with five children, writer and content creator Eileen Kelly specialises in approachable, family-friendly recipes.
#34 | Maxine Chikumbo: African fusion cooking drives Maxine, an engagement strategist whose kitchen also pulls from global influences through dishes like meat pies and whole fish packed with bold flavour.
#33 | Chris Joe: Modern Chinese cooking is Chris’ specialty, as the former finance manager focuses on noodles, wontons, Korean fried chicken and crispy pork belly.
#32 | Matthew Rubin: Matthew gravitates toward Eastern and Southern Asian cuisines, as the college student builds healthy, protein-forward meals and smart ingredient swaps.
#31 | Melanie Pelaez: Cuban and Hispanic family traditions shape Melanie’s cooking, with the stay-at-home mum leaning on sofrito, garlic and classic Cuban flavour.
Cooks 30 - 21
#30 | Nupur Mehta: Indian dishes are Nupur’s calling card, but the chief medical officer also cooks Korean, Italian, Mediterranean and modern American cuisine.
#29 | Marcus Wilson: BBQ is the foundation for Marcus, a cybersecurity consultant who layers Southern, Mexican, Italian and Caribbean influences into his cooking.
#28 | Ana Nelson: Traditional Mexican cooking is Ana’s lane, as the content creator is known for her colourful enchiladas, tacos and family-style flavour.
#27 | Alex Phillips: When he is not working in the OR, surgical tech Alex is making Italian comfort dishes inspired by his upbringing, from pasta and lasagna to fresh fish.
#26 | Andrea Russett: OG YouTube star and singer Andrea brings an Italian twist to health-focused cooking, specialising in pastas, pizzas and plenty of garlic.
#25 | Lorenzo “Zo” Espada: Zo keeps his cooking approachable, Southern and seafood-packed, as the content creator builds Carolina-style recipes around crab, pasta and lots of seasoning.
#24 | Danielle Caminiti: Italian-American cooking is the heart of Danielle’s kitchen, where the lawyer builds meals around pastas, pizzas, spare ribs and Sunday family traditions.
#23 | Sophia Russell: Daughter of No. 22 Scott, Sophia works in produce procurement, which makes sense for a cook who loves fresh ingredients, Italian dishes and re-creating restaurant meals at home.
#22 | Scott Russell: A retired banker, Scott cooks with a scientific and intuitive style, drawing inspiration from Italian, Greek and Indian dishes.
#21 | Matthew Han: A second-generation Korean-American home cook, Matthew works as a project manager for a space program by day and specialises in Korean BBQ by night.
Cooks 20 - 11
#20 | Nikki Apostolou: Comfort food gets a Native twist from Nikki, a model who builds nourishing dishes around Native ingredients, family tradition and deeply personal flavour.
#19 | Angel Gutierrez: Texas barbecue meets Mexican cuisine in Angel’s kitchen, where the automotive business consultant churns out beef rib street tacos, Texas Twinkies and smoked salmon.
#18 | Aria Christian: Aria, a content creator, brings the Italian side of sweets-forward brand Twins That Cook to the competition, specialising in dishes like her signature clam pasta.
#17 | Maya Christian: One half of Twins That Cook, Maya is a content creator who shines in Asian cuisine, from flavourful stir-fries to comforting rice dishes.
#16 | Mark Canha: Professional baseball player Mark brings Italian food and grilled American classics to the competition, as the free agent trades in ballparks for the kitchen.
#15 | Brooke Esposito: High-protein, whole-food cooking defines Brooke’s culinary style, with the Pilates instructor and nutritionist drawing from her Greek, Jewish and Italian family roots.
#14 | Keloni Kamalani: Hawaiian cuisine and BBQ inspire Keloni’s cooking, with the former firefighter rooting his dishes in island tradition, community and family recipes.
#13 | Jordan Ngatikaura: Jordan, a reality star from The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, is a self-proclaimed amazing home cook who specialises in Asian, Italian and BBQ cuisine.
#12 | Gena Je Jefferson: Louisiana-style comfort food is the sweet spot for Gena, a certified medical assistant known for seafood, shrimp and grits, and Cajun favourites.
#11 | Kayla Zenner: Farm-to-table is not a trend for Kayla; it is part of everyday life for the farmer and gardener who relies on homegrown ingredients and hearty family meals.
Cooks 10 - 1
#10 | Liz Della Croce: Liz, a Syrian-Jewish food blogger, celebrates fresh Mediterranean flavours, Middle Eastern influences and globally inspired home cooking.
#9 | Manny Washington Jr.: Manny brings down-home comfort food to the kitchen, with the firefighter specialising in burgers, Cuban sandwiches, mac and cheese, and hearty meals built to feed a crew.
#8 | Justin LaCalamita: Open-fire cooking is a favourite for Justin, a VFX supervisor whose home-cook range runs from Cuban black beans to ravioli and pork belly.
#7 | Alexandria Jack: A content creator and food writer, Alexandria specialises in Country, Creole and Cajun cuisine with African and Asian influences rooted in her Southern upbringing.
#6 | Yvette Marquez: Traditional Mexican recipes passed down from her grandmother guide Yvette, a cookbook author with a deep connection to family and heritage.
#5 | Matt Santos: Filipino roots anchor Matt’s cooking, but the family medicine resident also pulls from Southeast Asian, contemporary American, Caribbean, Mediterranean and Latin American flavours.
#4 | Connor Bloch: Connor studies economics and statistics while specialising in modern French and Italian cooking, scratch-made pasta and sauces.
#3 | Maria Carrillo: Maria, a first-generation American from Guatemala, comes from a long line of home cooks and specialises in Latin fusion with bold traditional flavours, Asian influences and Italian inspiration.
#2 | Antoinette Gangi: Antoinette, a real estate agent and Jersey Italian grandma, keeps six decades of family cooking alive with beloved meatballs, zuppa di pesce and hearty pasta dishes inspired by her Naples roots.
#1 | Justin Rowland: A school councellor, Justin specialises in outdoor cooking, making Maryland seafood and good old-fashioned American comfort food with ingredients from around the world.
Watch 100 Cooks On Discovery+
One hundred home cooks entered. Ninety-nine will be sent home.
As the Cook Mixer keeps spinning and the challenges keep coming, only one competitor will survive the biggest and most unpredictable cooking competition ever attempted.
Who will be the last cook standing? Watch 100 Cooks on Food Network and stream it on discovery+ now!
