One of the ‘Worst Cooks in America’ lives in Wichita and will compete on Food Network
One of the “Worst Cooks in America” apparently lives in Wichita, and she’ll show a national audience what she’s got — or rather what she hasn’t got — when she appears as a contestant on the new season of the Food Network show.
Chandali Gullick, a local mom and YouTuber, will be one of 14 “new recruits” appearing on the 21st season of the show, which is hosted by celebrity chefs Carla Hall and Anne Burrell. The premiere episode will air at 8 p.m. Sunday on Food Network, Cable Channel 40 in Wichita.
The show, which has been on the air since 2010, finds inept cooks across America and divides them into two teams led by celebrity chefs. The recruits show off their lack of kitchen skill by making assigned dishes, and the worst one from each team is eliminated at the end of each episode. The finale on Feb. 28 will feature the two remaining cooks, and the winner gets $25,000.
Gullick wasn’t allowed to talk about how far she made it, but she was able to share the story behind her being selected to compete.
It all started one night when she and her wife, Taylor, were on the couch watching an episode of the show.
“She said, ‘Hold on. That’s not the worst cook. You’re the worst cook,’” Gullick remembers.
The two started reminiscing about some of Gullick’s most infamous meals, including the “Lemon Pepper Chicken of 2018,” a disaster that actually resulted in the fire department being called. And that’s happened more than once. (Broil is a very confusing oven setting, Gullick said in her own defense.)
Her lack of skill was particularly depressing, she said, because her grandmother, Janie Phillips, was a legendary cook. She worked in food service at Wichita State University for nearly 20 years and was well known for her kitchen prowess.
But it just didn’t rub off.
Gullick jokingly decided to apply to appear on the show and didn’t think much more about it — until she got a call from Food Network producers.
She flew to New York City in September for filming and was there several weeks, she said. The competition was tough, even more so than she expected, but she threw herself into it, and true to form, set a couple of things on fire.
“It was exciting,” she said. “I’m extremely competitive — even at things I’m not good at.”
One of the highlights of the experience, Gullick said, was getting to meet celebrity chef Hall, a former co-host of “The Chew” who Gullick described as an inspiration.
“She’s even cooler than you would think,” she said. “She’s beautiful. She’s tall. She’s got it all.”
Now that she’s back home, Gullick said, she’s a better cook. Her family, which includes 12-year-old son Adryan, has even allowed her back in the kitchen and has praised some of her more recent attempts at dinner. The fire department has not been involved.
“That’s winning for me,” she said. “That’s what I came to do.”
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