How To Be On Worst Cooks In America

Marti Cummings and Peachez Iman-Cummings are known for bringing the heat on stage during drag performances, so much so that they are booked constantly all over the city. However, they both are cocky-proclaimed "hot messes" when it comes to cooking.

"If you need an assassin, apply my cooking. It's and so bad," said Cummings with a laugh.

After a stint of running for New York Urban center Council's seventh District seat, Cummings decided that it was time that they and Iman-Cummings needed to do something more fun together. Shortly enough, they landed spots on the new season of Nutrient Network'south "Worst Cooks in America."

"Over the last two years I was running for Metropolis Council and it took up and so much of my time, and Peachez was past my side nigh daily helping with the campaign, connecting with voters, doing stuff," said Cummings. "When the entrada was over, it was one of those things where it was similar, we need to do a fun bonding experience that's just empty-headed where we tin just be full-tilt boogey elevate artists learning something new that neither one of us knows annihilation about."

"When Marti called and said what it was, I freaked out. I am a big daughter and growing upward, I was the kid that would Elevation Ramen equally a child and pretend like I was on the Nutrient Network," said Iman-Cummings. "Of form, that was the extent of my cooking abilities. It was only so exciting to exist similar, I'g going to actually go to exercise this on the television."

A quick recap of "Worst Cooks in America": Hosted by Anne Burrell, in each season a new batch of struggling home cooks are put to the test to learn cooking skills through a rigorous boot campsite. The contestants are split into teams and get caput to head each week in a number of cooking competitions that showcase basic skills and can likewise to interesting turns.

This flavour, Burrell, captain of the red team, is joined by Chef Cliff Crooks, who is managing the blueish team. The most improved chef goes habitation with $25,000.

This season brought in a new twist: while near contestants in past seasons came in as strangers, this season couples, friends and co-workers were bandage on the testify together. Thinking they would be on the same team, information technology was a shock to both competitors that they were going to exist separated, with Cummings on Team Crimson and Iman-Cummings on Squad Blue.

Slice, dice and slay: Two New York City drag artists turning up the heat on 'Worst Cooks in America' 2 — Peachez Iman-Cummings as seen on Worst Cooks In America, Season 24. Photograph: Nutrient Network

"As nosotros saw in the first episode, nosotros are still getting split up upwards into the ruddy team and bluish team nether the guidance of Chef Cliff Crooks and Chef Anne Burrell, and then it'due south kind of a free-for-all after that," said Iman-Cummings. "It'south kind of exciting because then many of us know each other or know one other person on the testify, merely information technology's all the same the full competition. It's still gladiator style, allow's knock them out to go to the stop."

"It was actually fun to go in with Peachez and say 'Yass, we're all in this together!' And they were like, merely kidding, yous're against each other," said Cummings. "I dearest this girl, they're i of my best friends, but I'm going to eliminate them."

Though the ii are no strangers to performing (and with some TV feel for Cummings), what they weren't prepared for was just how emotional and challenging the testify would actually be.

"I truly have no idea how to cook. As yous saw in episode ane, I put whole potatoes in a blender to effort and mash them, that's non how information technology works," said Cummings. "What I wasn't prepared for was how emotional I would get over making sure food was presented beautifully. I wasn't expecting to get emotional over nutrient and certainly had my moments."

"As someone who is always emotional over food, whether it'due south love, or crying, or both, there just wasn't annihilation that could gear up us for what we were going to become into. I consider myself a foodie in that I go and eat at restaurants all the time," said Iman-Cummings. "I love food, I love to swallow, simply having to make all of these, I have such an appreciation for restaurants and what information technology takes to run a restaurant considering I could barely make ane dish in that corporeality of time, I couldn't imagine doing information technology all night for people that are grumpy and sending it dorsum to you."

Even still, both Cummings and Iman-Cummings have picked up a couple of skills in the kitchen that they now have into their day-to-day cooking.

"I love cutting onions. A theme through all the seasons is that Chef Anne teaches how to properly dice and onion or cut it in full general. And at present it'southward ane of my favorite things in the globe," said Iman-Cummings. "I was making Christmas dinner with my boyfriend and I was like, don't worry baby, I've got the onions, it's my expertise now!"

"Something that should be a no-brainer, only for someone that but is non a cook at all, is tasting everything throughout the process," said Cummings. "Tasting every little chip and making sure yous know how much salt you're using, how many different seasonings y'all're doing. Don't just throw a agglomeration of stuff in the pot and hope for the all-time. I'm withal not the best melt, but I have loved since beingness on the show trusting myself to try new things in the kitchen and explore what that's like for my ain life."

Slice, dice and slay: Two New York City drag artists turning up the heat on 'Worst Cooks in America' 3 — Contestant Marti Cummings races to finish her surf and turf dish, as seen on Worst Cooks In America, Season 24. Photo: Nutrient Network

Should either Cummings or Iman-Cummings win the entire show, while the money is a huge plus, they both admit that in that location is a lot of growth that they both experienced throughout their time on the show.

"It kind of feels like a double-edged sword because you walk away with the championship of "Best Worst Cook." Information technology would be so cool to walk out and say I did that, I won this competition, because I recollect we are especially competitive people, nosotros want the championship of the all-time of the worst, only also got to keep remembering that we were the worst," said Iman-Cummings. "But that means we grew, we showed that nosotros can learn and we can adjust. That's what the evidence is all near, learning these skills and getting to show that yous tin mind and have on all these challenges and rise to the challenge."

"A lot of these skills nosotros learned apply to other aspects of our lives as well, really taking the fourth dimension to simply interruption and recall everything through, and if you're gonna fail, fail actually big and employ those moments," said Cummings. "To call up nigh the outset episode, I was terrified about messing those potatoes upwards, I was terrified that I wouldn't be able to put that burn out. Fail big, larn from it, regroup and keep going. information technology's not a bad thing to fail every bit long as you larn from it."

"Worst Cooks in America" arrogance on Food Network on Wednesdays at 9 p.m. You can follow Cummings @martigcummings and Iman-Cummings @peachez.nyc on Instagram.