Worst Cooks in America, Season 2: Behind the Scenes of Episode 1

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Welcome to Boot Camp

Chefs Anne Burrell and Robert Irvine welcome their recruits. "You guys know who you are: 16 of the Worst Cooks in America," Anne says. "But we're here to change all that."

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Let the Cooking Begin

For the first Skill Drill, the recruits must attempt to wow Anne and Robert with a dish created from the boot camp pantry in 60 minutes. Erika breaks out the squeeze cheese.

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Erika's Skill Drill Dish

Needless to say, Anne and Robert are not impressed by Erika's bologna quesadilla with saltines.

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Oil Overload

Anna tries to prepare a frittata, but douses her vegetables in olive oil. "I never know how much to use!" she tells Chef Robert.

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Anna's Skill Drill Dish

Anna's frittata turns to mush thanks to all that olive oil.

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Need a Knife?

Jeff has a unique method of cutting chicken: He tears it with his hands.

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Jeff's Skill Drill Dish

Jeff's torn-up chicken is far from successful. "With cooking, I'm just totally lost," he admits.

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Keep It Clean, Cooks

Chef Anne is appalled when Eric doesn't wash his hands after touching raw chicken. He gets the message: "Apparently, I'm the dirtiest cook in America."

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Eric's Skill Drill Dish

Anne and Robert are afraid to even taste Eric's chicken dish, which turned pink from the maraschino cherries.

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Kitchen Disaster

When attempting to flip his dish — a beef-and-vegetable concoction — Joshie makes a huge mess of his station.

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Joshie's Skill Drill Dish

Joshie's dish is such a train wreck that Robert immediately picks him first for Anne's team.

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60 Minutes and No Recipe?

Kat is freaked out by the first challenge: "I only have 60 minutes, and no recipe? That's never a good scenario for Kat. My kids eat PB&J pretty much every night, because I can't cook."

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Kat's Skill Drill Dish

Anne and Robert are horrified when Kat throws a ton of whole peppercorns into her quiche.

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Perplexed

Anthony has no idea how to tell if his chicken is cooked.

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Anthony's Skill Drill Dish

Anthony's attempt at a salad with chicken did not fare well.

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Out of Her Element

Kelly decides to prepare beef, even though she's a vegetarian.

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Kelly's Skill Drill Dish

Kelly's beef is so overcooked, Chef Robert says it looks like jerky.

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Pasta Problems

Jen tries to explain her pasta dish to Chef Robert, who can't hide his disgust.

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Jen's Skill Drill Dish

"This chicken is yuck," Robert says after one bite of Jen's Chicken Mac.

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Clueless

Matt says he loves food — but he has absolutely no clue how to prepare it.

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Matt's Skill Drill Dish

Anne and Robert wonder what tastes so odd and sour in Matt's dish — turns out it's the canned mangoes.

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Kitchen Zero

Priscilla, a teacher, is completely clueless in the kitchen. "I've been married to my husband for 27 years and I haven't cooked 27 meals," she says.

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Priscilla's Skill Drill Dish

Priscilla serves Anne and Robert salmon that's completely burnt. "Turn it over and get some from the bottom!" she encourages.

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Spicing It Up

Kelsey thinks that adding tons of spice will save her dish: "If I add a lot of flavor, it might cover up the fact that I don't know what I'm doing."

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Kelsey's Skill Drill Dish

Anne and Robert can barely take a bite of Kelsey's chicken, which is coated in cayenne pepper.

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Head Cheerleader

In the kitchen, Ty is full of team spirit. "If Ty spent as much time on his dish as he does as a cheerleader, he'd make a perfect dish," says Chef Robert.

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Ty's Skill Drill Dish

Ty inexplicably decides to plate a whole apple with his fish and rice dish: "I'm calling the dish Ty Surprise because it was a surprise to me!"

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Really?

Chef Robert expresses concern when Georg tells him what she'll be making: Fruity Turkey Ball Spaghetti.

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Georg's Skill Drill Dish

The final product is as unappetizing as it sounds.

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New Surroundings, New Tools

Lina is confused as to what to do with this pepper mill.

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Lina's Skill Drill Dish

Lina's "Bloody Eggs" dish, made with loads of ketchup, does not pass muster with the chefs.

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Early Favorite?

When Anne and Robert pick each other's teams, Carlos is chosen last, which is actually a compliment to his skill drill dish: "It made me feel good in a way. I guess I'm the best of the Worst Cooks?"

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Carlos' Skill Drill Dish

Even though Carlos' "Hawaiian" chicken-and-potato dish is the least offensive of the bunch, it's not exactly a beauty plate.

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Team Blue

The recruits split into their teams, and some are intimidated by Chef Robert right off the bat: "I'm not sure I'm the military-style kind of girl," says Georg.

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Main Dish Challenge

The recruits have 60 minutes to make a chicken dish — but first, they have to break down a whole chicken.

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Chef Robert's Dish

The blue team will prepare Chef Robert's Pan-Seared Chicken Breast With Herb Jus and Potato-Vegetable Hash.

get the recipe

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Chef Anne's Dish

The red team will make Chef Anne's Chicken Cacciatore With Sauteed Green Beans.

get the recipe

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Knife Skills?

Erika's not quite sure where to start: "I've never picked up a knife like that before. I know there are going to be big problems."

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A Few Pointers

Chef Robert reminds Matt how to cut the airline chicken breast he'll need for the blue team's dish.

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Chicken Anxiety

"I'm terrified to make the Chicken Cacciatore. Chicken's something that I do screw up on a regular basis," says Kelsey, who came on the show after giving her husband food poisoning twice.

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Change of Heart

Kelly, a vegetarian, overcomes her fears: "I realize if I'm not going to do this right, then what's the point in me being here? I finished chopping up the chicken and I did it correctly."

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Intimidation

Ty is puzzled by what to do with the chicken placed before him: "I can't even cook for my family. Let alone gourmet judges and all this stuff."

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Ace Student

Jen's butchering is the best of the group: "I'm an operating room nurse, so once I had the knife in my hand, I really felt like I was back at work. Before you knew it, the chicken was cut up."

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Fire Drill

Erika is the first recruit to start a fire: "That's the reason I don't even go into the kitchen, every time I do, it starts a fire." Carlos jumps in to help, but within minutes his pan is flaming, too.

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Problem Student?

"The way I cook has always been by my rules, and I happen to like it. I'm creative, I'm all over the place, I'm colorful," says Joshy. Chef Anne's response? "I think I might kill him on the first day."

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Time's Up

Lina lost valuable time (and part of her chicken) by butchering upside-down. How will her plate fare with Anne?

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Beauty Plate

Georg is proud of her plate, but it wouldn't have been finished without the help of every one of her teammates in the last seconds.

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Judging From Above

Anne and Robert watch the kitchen madness unfold. They're a little nervous about judging (and eating) this food.

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Elimination Time

Lina and Eric are the first recruits booted from boot camp.

Meals

Ingredients

Dinners

Tips & Techniques