Food Network to debut massive home cook competition series ‘100 Cooks’ in June

Food Network to debut massive home cook competition series ‘100 Cooks’ in June

Food Network will launch its largest home cook competition series to date this summer with the premiere of “100 Cooks” on Sunday, June 7, at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

Hosted by actor and former professional football player Terry Crews, the seven-week series features 100 amateur cooks from various backgrounds—including firefighters, college students, corporate lawyers, and stay-at-home parents—competing for the title of America’s best home cook and a cash prize of up to $250,000.

Episodes will stream the following day on HBO Max, and the premiere episode will also be available globally on the YouTube channel of series judge and culinary content creator Nick DiGiovanni. Following its domestic launch, Warner Bros. Discovery plans to roll out localized versions of the program across roughly 30 international territories via its networks, discovery+, and HBO Max.

In each episode, a lottery ball “Cook Mixer” selects competitors at random to face food-themed battles determined by a separate “Challenge Mixer.” DiGiovanni and Food Network star Alex Guarnaschelli serve as the series judges, deciding who is eliminated each week.

“This is the kind of competition I live for – big energy, big stakes and 100 talented home cooks bringing everything they’ve got,” Crews said. “Every challenge was unpredictable, every dish had a story and the passion in that kitchen blew me away.”

The supersized season premiere features more than 50 of the contestants competing across five distinct challenges, including a noodle dish battle, a rotisserie chicken face-off, an egg challenge, and a party bite competition. More than 20 cooks will be eliminated in the first episode. Subsequent episodes will feature fast-paced food trivia, a spicy weeknight dinner battle, a bake sale bake-off, and a one-pot dinner competition.

The season finale is scheduled to air Sunday, July 19, at 9 p.m. ET/PT, where the final eight contestants will compete across three consecutive challenges focused on breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

“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,” said Betsy Ayala, 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.”