Join The Club
I’m a big fan of food competition series, from America’s Culinary Cup to Top Chef to a variety of fun Food Network offerings like Wildcard Kitchen and Chopped. (And I can definitely see how fans become obsessed with Gordon Ramsay’s shows, despite not ever watching many of them myself.) However, when 100 Cooks hit the 2026 TV schedule, I wasn’t sure I’d feel the need to get on board. (A cutting board, obviously.)
I’m glad I started and kept watching the Terry Crews-hosted competition, though, because there’s one thing I really like about it that shows such as Top Chef don't highlight that much..
Why I Was Apprehensive About 100 Cooks
100 Cooks, which premiered in early June on Food Network, starts with 100 home cooks, who are randomly chosen by Crews to compete in also randomly chosen elimination challenges. It’s a fun premise, to be sure, but of all the food competitions I watch, rarely have I tuned in for ones featuring home cooks. (Nailed It is one exception, but we want people to fail in the most hilarious way possible on that one.)
After watching Buddha Lo create art out of food on America’s Culinary Cup or the way Top Chef’s Rhoda Magbitang leaned into her roots, I wasn't sure how my Food TV fandom would translate when seeing "normal" people show their best weeknight meal.
And if I’m really being honest (this is a safe space, right?), I didn’t want to see Jordan Ngatikaura from The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives on another reality show.
What I Love About 100 Cooks
It’s true that 100 Cooks doesn’t dazzle me in the same way that watching professionally trained chefs does on other shows, but it brings a completely different kind of inspiration. Whereas Top Chef makes me hungry just thinking about it and gets me pondering which of the chefs’ offerings I’d order at a restaurant, 100 Cooks has me excited to try out some of those recipes for myself.
There are so many fancy dishes from James Beard Award winners and nominees that I’d have no interest in eating, and even the ones I’d bust my bank account to order are way above my skill level in the kitchen. However, on Food Network’s new show, I’m having to keep a list of all the new sauces I want to make, different preparations I’ve never thought about and new dishes I want to try.
Contestants are sharing food from their respective cultures and recipes that have been passed down for generations. If Food Network releases a 100 Cooks cookbook at the end of its premiere season, I’ll be the first one placing an order.
It’s also probably worth mentioning for anyone else worried about #DadTok invading the cooking competition space, in what I’ve seen of Jordan Ngatikaura (no spoilers), he has not mentioned his estranged wife Jessi Draper’s reality show. In fact, I believe he’s identified as an “Avid Golder” on his chyron.
Despite the fact that I am now officially a fan of 100 Cooks and no longer skeptical about the benefits of home cook competitions, this doesn’t change my opinion of America’s Culinary Cup (which does one thing that drives some fans bonkers) or any other master-level tournaments.
I still love watching professionals at the top of their game do what they do best, but when it comes to expanding my own culinary horizons, I’ll be sat with my Notes app for 100 Cooks. You can find new episodes at 9 p.m. ET Sundays on Food Network, streaming the next with an HBO Max subscription.
