The Biggest Home Cook Competition of All-Time Heats up Food Network This Summer With New Series 100 Cooks

NEW YORK – May 15, 2026 – Food Network celebrates home cooks this summer with the brand-new series 100 Cooks - the biggest, boldest home cook competition in the network’s history. Hosted by actor, television host and former pro football player Terry Crews, the series welcomes 100 of the country’s best home cooks to run through an epic seven-week culinary gauntlet where 99 cooks will be eliminated and only one is named America’s best home cook and wins as much as $250,000. From firefighters and college students to corporate lawyers and stay-at-home moms and dads, these competitors are from all walks of life and share a passion and talent for food. In each episode, competitors are selected at random by a lottery ball “Cook Mixer” to come to the floor after the “Challenge Mixer” dictates what food-themed battle they will face. Each round is judged by top culinary content creator Nick DiGiovanni and Food Network all-star Alex Guarnaschelli, who will determine who stays in the competition each week and who is sent home. 100 Cooks premieres Sunday, June 7^th at 9pm ET/PT on Food Network and streams the next day on HBO Max. The premiere episode will also be available globally on Nick DiGiovanni’s YouTube channel. Following the U.S. launch, 100 Cooks will be localized and roll out in around thirty of WBD’s international territories, across networks, discovery+ and HBO Max. 

“This is the kind of competition I live for - big energy, big stakes and 100 talented home cooks bringing everything they’ve got,” said host Terry Crews. “Every challenge was unpredictable, every dish had a story and the passion in that kitchen blew me away. Seeing their creativity up close was an incredible experience - and an absolute blast!”

In the supersized season premiere, host Terry Crews welcomes 100 of the best home cooks in America to the food world’s most unpredictable cooking competition. In this episode, over 50 cooks compete in five different challenges to impress judges Nick DiGiovanni and Alex Guarnaschelli. The challenges include best noodle dish battle, a rotisserie chicken face-off, an egg challenge, and best party bite competition. More than 20 cooks will be sent home, and the remaining amateur chefs will continue to compete for a life-changing amount of money. In upcoming episodes, challenges include fast-paced food trivia contests, a spicy weeknight dinner battle, a bake sale bake-off and a one-pot dinner competition. In the season finale on Sunday, July 19^th at 9pm ET/PT, the final eight home cooks work to impress the judges over the course of three challenges: breakfast, lunch and dinner. In the end, only one will stand alone at the top of the food world and take home the life-changing cash prize.

“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, 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.”

For more, viewers can stay tuned to Food Network’s social pages to go behind the scenes with Terry, Nick and Alex; get an exclusive set tour with Nick and find out how Terry rewards himself with a massive cheat meal after a long week of healthy eating. Fans can follow along on social using #100Cooks and visit FoodNetwork.com to keep up with the competition.

100 Cooks is produced by Lando Entertainment for Food Network.

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Food Network is a unique lifestyle network, website and magazine that connects viewers to the power and joy of food. The network strives to be viewers' best friend in food and is committed to leading by teaching, inspiring, empowering and entertaining through its talent and expertise. Food Network is distributed to more than 58 million U.S. households with a social footprint of 77 million, while Food Network Magazine reaches 14.3 million readers. Food Network is part of Warner Bros. Discovery (NASDAQ: WBD), a leading global media and entertainment company that creates and distributes the world’s most differentiated and complete portfolio of content and brands across television, film and streaming. Available in more than 220 countries and territories and 50 languages, Warner Bros. Discovery inspires, informs and entertains audiences worldwide through its iconic brands and products which also include: Discovery Channel, discovery+, CNN, DC, Eurosport, HBO, HBO Max, HGTV, OWN, Investigation Discovery, TLC, Magnolia Network, TNT, TBS, truTV, Travel Channel, MotorTrend, Animal Planet, Science Channel, Warner Bros. Film Group, Warner Bros. Television Group, Warner Bros. Games, New Line Cinema, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Turner Classic Movies, Discovery en Español, Hogar de HGTV and others. For more information, please visit www.wbd.com.