Culinary skills do not come with the last name "Cooke" for Adam, though that might be the case for some of his 13 siblings. Adam is not an adventurous eater, refusing to try even the most-basic dishes, but he wants to overcome his reservations and cook a romantic meal for his wife.
Ann Odogwu — Houston
Ann is a native of Nigeria, where cooking is a big part of the culture, so she's ready to improve her culinary skills. Ann is the only one in her family who can't cook an edible meal, and she knows she needs to develop her independence in the kitchen. She also wants to make her family proud — especially her dad — in the process.
Brittany Lenore — Chicago
Brittany's contagious energy and enthusiasm have helped her in every aspect of her life, except in the kitchen. Since she recently relocated from her hometown, Chicago, to Los Angeles, she can no longer rely on her mom for home-cooked meals. Brittany needs to overcome her fear of hot, popping grease and learn to make a meal that doesn't put her in mortal danger.
Buffy Mykkanen — Portland, Oregon
Buffy's tendency to improvise in the kitchen and add mayonnaise to everything has left few people willing to try her food. She realizes it's time to grow up, though, and adults should know how to cook. Buffy also hopes conquering the kitchen will score her a man.
Cedrick Miller — El Paso, Texas
Cedrick is the first to admit how easily he gets distracted in the kitchen, and he often finds his oven smoking or pan on fire. Even his dad, who runs a BBQ food truck, won't let him near the grill. Cedrick is finally ready to focus and earn his place at the family grill.
Daniel Mar — Burbank, California
Daniel's cooking skills stop at reheating leftovers. His last culinary master plan involved freezing a week's worth of cheap fast-food hamburgers, complete with lettuce and tomato, to disastrous results. With the encouragement of his girlfriend, Daniel wants to experience the joy of unfrozen food.
Jake Michaels — Manteno, Illinois
Jake is a skilled musician who loves to show off his voice. While he might be confident onstage, he's useless in the kitchen. Jake's greatest accomplishment is microwaving a frozen pizza. He's ready to upgrade his culinary skills and cook a professional meal without missing a note.
Jeff West — Douglassville, Pennsylvania
As the president of a vending machine company, Jeff often serves his daughters his unsold sandwiches and snacks. The few times he tried to cook, his family refused to eat the food. Jeff's a competitive person, and he will do whatever it takes to create some good memories in the kitchen.
Jetta Linda Ostrofsky — Sacramento, California
Jetta does comical videos that show the full range of her quirky personality, but unfortunately those talents don't translate to food. Jetta's main experience in the kitchen is storing her winter clothes in the oven. If she can muster up the courage to improve her cooking skills, she might get better use of her kitchen appliances.
Kayla Kurtz — Kent, Ohio
Kayla is a stay-at-home mom with four young boys. She's known for mixing random ingredients together, such as cereal and chicken. She realizes how important a healthy diet is, though, and is prepared to up her culinary game. As the only female in a house full of boys, she's ready for any challenge thrown at her.
Laura Docker — Fort Worth, Texas
Laura is a successful lawyer and single mother of two children. Laura knows that the best antidote to a hectic work schedule is a home-cooked family dinner, so she's hoping to cut out the fast food and cook her children some memorable meals.
Lester Turchin — Fort Lauderdale
Lester has a larger-than-life personality and encourages everyone around him. He likes to be called "Auntie Lester" and is always ready with clever, funny phrases and Yiddish words of wisdom. But his winning personality won't save anyone from his tuna special, a combination of tuna and red raspberry jelly that even made his beloved dog Bailey sick.
Mandy Thornton — Hanover, Massachusetts
Mandy is a young mother ready to take her first step into the kitchen. She is a self-proclaimed condiment queen and believes everything needs to be smothered in ketchup. But she's prepared to sacrifice her beloved ketchup in order to cook healthy meals for her daughter.
Maria Marcello — Torrance, California
Maria wants to channel all of her frenetic energy into overcoming her kitchen deficiencies and learn to create a home-cooked meal for her husband and two kids. The one time she did try to cook, one of her kids got food poisoning. Enough is enough. Maria's tired of her husband and children depending on her mother-in-law for a decent dinner.
Matt Josephs — Richmond
Matt is a sports radio producer who is looking for the girl of his dreams. He's tired of eating boring meals alone, and he is determined to hit a home run in his kitchen and cook his way into a girl's heart.
Stephen Hawkins — Temecula, California
Stephen is in his 60s but has cooked only one meal for his wife — and it made her sick. He has never used an oven and is scared of knives. As a father and grandfather, he's ready to learn some much-needed culinary skills and set an example for his family.
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