The Truth About Cheyenne Loomis From Worst Cooks In America Season 24

The January 5 premiere of the 24th season of Food Network's fan favorite amateur cooking competition, "Worst Cooks In America" (it's ranked among Food Network's top five, according to Broadway World), was a momentous occasion for several reasons. First, it marked longtime host Anne Burrell's first season premiere since inking her new multi-year deal with the Discovery+-owned network in November 2021 (via The Wrap). Second, it is the first episode of the first season in which chef Cliff Crooks of "Chef Boot Camp" fame is on board as Burrell's co-host and friendly nemesis. In addition, the premiere arrived in a hilarious 90-minute package (via YouTube) featuring some unprecedented antics by a new cast of 12 cooks who portray themselves as so inept in the kitchen, at least as a starting point, that calling them "cooks" could easily seem like a bit of a stretch. 

Some of those antics included one of the contestants, Cheyenne Loomis, a native of London, Kentucky, presenting the judges with a seemingly well-composed plate of the beloved, uber-flavorful Korean street food, bibimbap, that she apparently prepared with no prior knowledge of the dish as well as no discernible seasoning, according to the hosts. So why would Loomis have gone out on a limb, cooking a dish on national television that she had admittedly never even tasted? Well, it helps to know the truth about Loomis, who is adding her own brand of hilarity to Season 24 of "Worst Cooks In America." 

"If you need some spice in your life, I highly recommend going on a reality cooking show with your cousin/aunt you just met!" "Worst Cooks in America" Season 24 contestant Cheyenne Loomis posted to Instagram on January 5, the day the 24th season of Food Network's "Worst Cooks In America" premiered. These words were Loomis' caption to a selfie of herself and said cousin/aunt, Angie Padilla, of San Jose, California (via Instagram). Like many of this season's contestants, Loomis went into filming having a pre-existing relationship with another contestant, in this case Padilla. Except, it appears that the relationship between Loomis and Padilla was only theoretical before work on this season of the fan favorite cooking competition commenced. In other words, the two had never met until then. 

That, of course, did not stop Loomis from getting her season started with a magnanimous homage to Padilla's Korean background by whipping up a plate of bibimbap, despite never having tasted it and not even knowing exactly how to pronounce it (via Instagram). Although Loomis, who is a domestic violence advocate (she works for Cumberland Valley Domestic Violence Services, per Alignable) as well as a "poodle mom," appears to have given the dish her all, it was described as bland by the hosts, and even Loomis' caption offered a good-natured nod to the spice-cabinet learning curve she faces this season.