Top 10 WORST Cooking Shows

#10: “Celeb Cooking School” (2022-24)

It’s a celebrity cooking competition with a twist…everyone involved is terrible at cooking. Several notable figures appeared, including Shaun Ryder, Kim Woodburn, and Ann Widdecombe. Why While it ultimately ended is unclear, but the overall basis might have been a factor. Usually, people prefer to watch talented chefs compete, while seeing incompetent ones can be a tad frustrating. Katie Price was even set to appear in series 2, but pulled out at the last minute, though we doubt Jordan of all people has the staying power to keep a failing show on its already weakened legs.

#9: “Jamie's School Dinners” (2005)

In the 2000s, Jamie Oliver launched a crusade to improve school meals. While the intentions were admirable, his execution earned him a ton of criticism. This was primarily for how classist his efforts felt. The reason a lot of working-class children struggle to eat well is that they can’t afford it. Years later, he said some fairly prejudiced things about working-class people. Jamie claimed his school dinners campaign failed because eating healthy is only a “posh and middle-class” concern. It led to some reforms made by Prime Minister Tony Blair, but overall, his mission was considered a well-intentioned failure.

#8: “Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares” (2004-14)

Our next entry isn’t on here for being unenjoyable television. Many people found “Kitchen Nightmares” entertaining, but we can’t overlook how much damage it did to businesses. Ramsay would help struggling restaurants improve, but he rarely succeeded. Even when the restaurant improvements by the episode’s end, the negative press would often ruin them. Also, many places struggled to maintain their high quality after Ramsay left. There’s certainly an element of these establishments being set up for failure, something that would carry over into the American version.

#7: “Food Glorious Food” (2013)

Don’t be shocked if you haven’t heard of this one, as it was so badly received that it got cancelled after 9 episodes. Simon Cowell worked as an executive producer, which didn’t save it from a negative reception. The final product ends up feeling like a food-focused version of “The X Factor”. It centered around finding Britain’s best home-cooked dish, hosted by Carol Vorderman. So, they’d travel all across the country in the early episodes, before moving onto something that feels like it's out of Antiques Roadshow. All of this for the reward of £20,000, plus M&S began selling the dish as an oven meal, which is unlikely to still be in production.

#6: “Best Home Cook” (2018-21)

“Great British Bake Off” is potentially the UK’s most famous cooking competition. Naturally, this means there’s been a ton of knock-offs. One of the most egregious is “Best Home Cook”, featuring Claudia Winkleman and ex-”Bake Off” star Mary Berry. For those unaware, “Bake Off” was a BBC series until Channel 4 took over in 2017. “Best Home Cook” was the BBC’s retaliation, which they hoped would overtake their old show. It failed to gain momentum and only lasted three seasons. Berry then returned to doing her own series, which was probably for the best.

#5: “Jamie's Air Fryer Meals” (2024)

For quite a while, air fryers have been a trendy kitchen appliance. This has led to a ton of media coverage, like cookbooks, TV shows, and a lot of TikToks. Jamie Oliver decided to cash in on this trend in 2024, attempting to reveal the true potential of an air fryer on TV. Well, that’s until you realise it’s sponsored by Tefal, implying ulterior motives. It only lasted two episodes, because there’s not a whole lot to be done with the concept. They’re basically just countertop ovens that cut down cooking times by about 2 minutes. It felt like Oliver was trying to keep up with trends, rather than being passionate about his recipes.

#4: “Kitchen Criminals” (2007)

This series was essentially the precursor to “Celeb Cooking School”, just without the celebrities. It was hosted by chefs John Burton Race and Angela Hartnett, who travelled across the country hunting for Britain’s least talented cooks. Once they’d found the 20 worst, they’d compete, trying to improve along the way. It appealed to barely anyone, as none of the recipes were interesting, and all the contestants were rubbish. Some reviewers thought they were cooking poorly on purpose for entertainment value. It only lasted one season and was promptly cancelled after a weak reception.

#3: “Dinner Date” (2010-23)

Most people look for a variety of traits in a romantic partner. Whether that’s common interests, similar personality types, or maybe something simple like them being a good chef. Well, “Dinner Date” is a dating show where romance is determined by cooking ability alone. Contestants are handed five menus designed by potential partners, then choose their three favorites to go on a blind date with. Losing contestants are given ready meals. It sounds entertaining in theory, but it ends up more annoying than anything. There are plenty of episodes where a pair would be a great match, but their lasaganes just aren’t up to scratch. The show was eventually cancelled in 2023 after an incredible 300 episodes. What is wrong with us?

#2: “The American Baking Competition” (2013)

“The Great British Bake Off” is surprisingly popular in America, even though they can’t call it “Bake Off”. This led to a 2013 attempt to remake the series across the pond. This resulted in “The American Baking Competition”, which ran for 7 episodes before being thrown in the trash. They even flew Paul Hollywood out to the States to judge the competition. Critics gave it mixed reviews, and the viewer count dropped off by the final episodes. 2 years later, the far more successful “Great American Baking Show” began, and has been running since. They hired Mary Berry as the judge for the first 2 series. Who knows, maybe Paul was the problem…

#1: “With Love, Meghan” (2025-)

Meghan Markle is famous for being a major character in the drama “Suits”...and you know, marrying Prince Harry and entering the Royal Family. Of course, Harry and Meghan have since departed Buckingham Palace. Now, Meghan has decided to become a Netflix chef. It began in 2025, with a second series released in the same year. The majority of reviews have been negative, with it only having a 27% on Rotten Tomatoes. Many reviewers criticized it for being more about Meghan’s ego than the recipes. Meghan lives an exceptionally extravagant life, which results in most of her recipes being a challenge to recreate if you’re not uber wealthy.

Were there any especially poor cooking series we forgot to mention? Let us know in the comments below!