FOOD NETWORK TRANSFORMS KITCHEN ZEROS INTO KITCHEN HEROES ON "WORST COOKS IN AMERICA"

New Primetime Reality Competition Series Premieres on Sunday, January 3rd at 10pm ET/PT

NEW YORK � Tuesday, November 10, 2009 � This January, 12 of the most hopeless cooks in the country will compete in a high-stakes elimination series in Worst Cooks in America. At stake for the last two standing is the chance to cook for a panel of esteemed culinary critics and win the grand prize of $25,000. Premiering Sunday, January 3rd at 10pm ET/PT, the five-week series will put the "recruits" through a culinary boot camp led by two acclaimed chefs: Anne Burrell, host of Food Network's Secrets of a Restaurant Chef, and Beau MacMillan, executive chef at elements in Phoenix.

"Watching the Worst Cooks in America struggle to become great cooks, makes a show that is very funny, dramatic and moving," said Bob Tuschman, Senior Vice President, Programming and Production, Food Network. "Ultimately, it offers hope for even the most kitchen-challenged of our viewers."

Under the tutelage of Chef Anne and Chef Beau, the recruits are split into two teams. They learn valuable culinary skills from their team leaders, which are then tested in a series of high-pressure challenges. Based on their performances, the recruits will be narrowed down each week until two are left standing to face the final challenge: prepare a three-course, restaurant-quality meal for a panel of food critics that thinks the dishes have been prepared by chefs Anne and Beau. On the line are the chefs' professional reputations and $25,000 for the newly-crowned kitchen hero. The winner will be revealed during the finale on Monday, February 1st at 9pm ET/PT.

ABOUT ANNE BURRELL:

Anne Burrell takes the mystery out of the professional kitchen and translates restaurant-style recipes into approachable at-home meals on Food Network's Secrets of a Restaurant Chef. Anne has always stood out in the restaurant business for her remarkable culinary talent, bold and creative dishes, and her trademark spiky blond hair. After training at New York's Culinary Institute of America and Italy's Culinary Institute for Foreigners, she gained hands-on experience at notable New York restaurants including Felidia, Savoy, Lumi, and Italian Wine Merchants. Well-known as Mario Batali's energetic and reliable sous chef on Iron Chef America, Anne served as executive chef at New York's Centro Vinoteca from its opening in July 2007 through September 2008.

ABOUT BEAU MACMILLAN:

Beau MacMillan hails from Plymouth, Mass., and is a graduate of Johnson and Wales University in Providence, R.I. After graduation, he spent a year under the tutelage of Chef Francios Demueloge. Inspired by this experience, Beau joined the brigade at La Vieille Maison in Boca Raton, Fla., rising through the ranks to the position of sous chef. He then moved to Los Angeles where he held sous chef positions at the prestigious Hotel Bel Air and Shutters on the Beach in Santa Monica, Calif. In 1998, he relocated to Phoenix to develop the cuisine at The Ranch on Camelback, which later became Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain. He then helped former Executive Chef Charles Wiley open elements restaurant in 2001, which he now oversees as executive chef. In addition to his restaurant work, Beau has competed on Iron Chef America and cooked at The James Beard House.

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FOOD NETWORK (www.foodnetwork.com) is a unique lifestyle network and Web site that strives to be way more than cooking. The network is committed to exploring new and different ways to approach food - through pop culture, competition, adventure, and travel - while also expanding its repertoire of technique-based information. Food Network is distributed to more than 98 million U.S. households and averages more than 9 million unique Web site users monthly. Food Network programming is available internationally in more than 150 countries. Food Network is headquartered in New York, and maintains offices in Atlanta, Los Angeles, Chicago, Detroit and Knoxville, Tenn. Scripps Networks Interactive (NYSE: SNI), which also owns and operates HGTV (www.hgtv.com), DIY Network (www.diynetwork.com), Great American Country (www.gactv.com) and Fine Living Network (www.fineliving.com), is the manager and general partner.