Worst Cooks in America crowns their Season 26 winner

We have reached the end of the 26th season of Worst Cooks in America. And this means it is time to learn which recruit will win the $25,000 prize.

As the finale of Worst Cooks in America kicks off, there are four recruits left, but there is only room for two! The final four have just 30 minutes to make a dish with a box curated by their chef. Whichever recruits makes the best dish will represent their team and chef for the finale.

Worst Cooks in America crowns their winner after narrowing down the recruits from four to a final two

On the red side, Chef Anne has put together a box featuring:

• Lamb loin
• Pancetta
• Brussel sprouts
• Zucchini
• Fingerling potatoes
• Parmesan cheese
• Dijon mustard

On the blue team, Chef Jeff has put together a box featuring:

• Ground pork
• NY strip steak
• Yukon potatoes
• Red wine
• French beans
• Kale
• Pecorino cheese

After a quick and stressful battle, our recruits present their 30 minute dishes to make the final two. And for the most part the recruits did a good job putting together dishes that show off what they learned in the Worst Cooks in America kitchen.

So which recruits will be representing their teams in the finale? The final two will be Jessica from the blue team and Sami will be representing the red team.

Of course, now that we have our final two, it’s time to create finale menus. Because both of these recruits will have to create an amazing menu that will win over an expert panel of judges.

So what will the recruits be making for their final menus?

For the appetizer, Sami will be making Fresh Ricotta w/Tomatoes, Peaches & Crispy Prosciutto on Toast. And over on the blue side, Jessica will be making Miso Butter Brûléed King Crab w/Avocado on Brioche.

For the main dish, Jessica will be making Veal Milanese w/Arugula, Cherry Tomatoes & Cherry Peppers. Whereas Sami will be making Lamb Lon w/Zucchini Noodles & Chickpea Fries.

Finally for the dessert, Jessica will make a Bourbon Raisin Rice Pudding w/Hazelnut Crumble & Malted Whip. While Sami will make Blueberry Lemon Parfait w/Shortbread Crunch & Lemon Verbena Whip.

Both of the recruits have an amazing menu. Of course, we can’t forget the fact that they will not be able to get any hand on help from either Chef Jeff or Chef Anne during their final cook. This means that they are all on their own with these menus.

This is the hardest challenge of the season. And the cooks kick things off beautifully with their appetizers. But even the chefs are surprised when Randy Fenoli from Say Yes to the Dress enters the kitchen to stop the cooking to reveal a “wrinkle.” For the entree, the recruits will be working with their chefs to create an entirely new dish, and they get to work together in a more hands on approach for 15 minutes to start the entree and then in the final minutes to finish the dish.

For their new entree, Sami and Chef Anne come up with Shrimp w/ Fried Green Tomatoes, Creamed Corn & Succotash. On the blue side, Jessica and Chef Jeff come up with Prime Filet w/Horseradish Whipped Potatoes, Mushrooms, Fried Shallots & Arugula.

It was a massive curveball for the main dish, but based on the judging, it sounds like the cooks did a great job. Now it is time to wrap everything up with dessert.

After a next level finale that included twists and turns and some boil overs and burned ingredients (and people), we have to crown a winner.

So which cook ends up on top? In the end, the winner of Worst Cooks in America Season 26 was Jessica! This means Chef Jeff and the blue team won the season!