Worst Cooks in America Recap for 2/1/2026

 

The two-hour finale for Worst Cooks in America: Reality Check on Food Network opens with a secret agent theme. The celebs need to work in teams to complete a scavenger hunt, piece together clues and create a dish—all in 40 minutes. They will EACH make a dish and be judged on it.

 

It is a mad dash to complete the mission and a fun one at that. I love seeing how they come up with what they think are the correct dishes.

 

CT isn’t sure if he should use pork or beef tenderloin and ultimately chooses the wrong one.

Everyone seems to be making small mistakes with the salads.

Beverley chops the nuts using a mallet and a piping bag, which….is an idea I’m going to steal.

 

Val is more or less making up as he goes along.

 

After time is up, Jeff and Tiffany taste each dish, giving the pros and cons of each.  The correct dish was to contain pork tenderloin, mashed potatoes and salad with snap peas, hazelnuts and zucchini. Most people miss the nuts and zucchini, using the wrong kind of nuts and cucumbers instead of zucchini.

 

Once that is over, the teams must make an elevated protein and decadent dessert.  The blue team makes pork with sides and a raspberry dessert, while the red team makes duck, sides and a peach dessert.

 

After a lesson from Jeff and Tiffany, the cooks get to work.

 

Manila messes up and must start over but then gets frazzled and begins making a mess. She is a diva and makes it work!

 

Once time is up, the judges once again give the pros and cons of each dish.

 

Reza is in the finale for the red team, while Beverley is in the finale for the blue team.

 

CT is also safe for the blue team!

 

Since there are three people on the red team, Val and Manila have to do a blind elimination cook off.  They have ten minutes to make an appetizer.

 

Val makes a burger, while Manila makes a scallop on a blini.

 

Manila wins, with Val going home. He will donate $2,500 Baranova 27 to build homes and help people in Ukraine.

 

Hour two has the final four making a composed dish showing off their newly learned culinary skills….but not before they compete in Bite Club, which will have them recreate three different dishes….pasta salad (where they only use tongs and a dish of ingredients on their heads), guacamole (getting ingredients from a punching bag) and deviled eggs (where they look for eggs in a chicken coop).

 

Bite Club is hysterical to watch. CT wears the bowl on his head the entire time because….fashion.

 

The red team wins and get first pick on ingredients for their pre-finale cook. The red team has a salmon-based box, while the blue team has a skirt steak,

 

It goes by fast and furious and before long, time is up. Tiffany and Jeff judge each dish, giving the pros and cons of each.

 

The two cooks in the finale are Beverley and Reza.

 

CT gives $2,500 to caringformiami.org.

 

Manila gives $2,500 to American Civil Liberties Union.

 

Now the final two make a three-course meal planned by Jeff and Tiffany. Justin Sutherland, Viet Pham and Judy Joo are on hand to help with judging in a blind taste test.

 

Once each dish is tasted, our final two cooks get feedback before deliberations begin.

 

The winner is….REZA!!!!! He gives $25,000 to his charity……The City of Hope.

 

Beverley gives $2,500 to Alliance of Moms.

 

That is a wrap for this season!