Fishers high grad talks about perks of being on 'Worst Cooks in America'

It looks like a Fishers-reared woman isn’t among the worst of the “Worst Cooks in America.”

Samantha “Sami” White showed her stuff on the Sunday premiere of season 26 of Food Network’s “Worst Cooks in America."

The 2012 Fishers High School graduate is one of 16 contestants with limited culinary ability competing in a series of cooking challenges to win $25,000.

This season, dubbed “Love at First Bite" and focusing on making meals with which to entice dates, is loaded with content creators and other entertainers — each of them single and ready to engage in flirty banter. (There were many "turned on" jokes around stoves in the kitchen this episode.)

“You know what would help me find love? Twenty-five thousand dollars,” said White, 29,  who now resides in Chicago, where she is a drag king performer and an office administrator. “Then I can, for sure, take them out to dinners.”

Chefs Anne Burrell and Jeff Mauro are mentoring.

White was the only contestant to receive a compliment from Burrell and Mauro during the first challenge that had the singles making meals to impress dates. She prepared a French toast breakfast sandwich and a side of home fries.

“I think my dating life would change if I was a good cook because I feel like that's such a love language… waking up someone you love in bed with breakfast,” she said.

Worst cook?: Watch this Fishers High School grad cook in Food Network competition

White has lots of room for improvement as a cook, though.

The camera showed her leaving copious amounts of skin on the potatoes she peeled. And the show posted a disclaimer after she said folks should “eat dirt.”

Burrell advised White to be less frantic in the kitchen after she turned in a decent seared duck breast.

Cooking for cash: Local Hoosiers have had some pretty decent showings on TV cooking competitions

It was Burrell’s team White wanted to be on, figuring she would benefit from the chef’s drill sergeant-style leadership.

She got her wish.

White had been paired with James, a Louisiana content creator and father of two, for the duration of their time in the competition. Their team was the first Burrell selected for her squad.

No cooks were eliminated in Week 1 of the show that was taped in New York in 2022.

The end of episode 6 saw White still standing; one of the remaining six contestants with two episodes to go.

She was her team’s winner of a cream puff-making challenge, creating a Creamsicle-inspired profiterole with orange and vanilla flavorings and white chocolate.

Her duck breast with potatoes and Brussels sprouts was part of a challenge in which the contestants prepared main dishes for the first time without the assistance of the coaches.

Partner James though was eliminated after his pork tenderloin was a bit overdone.

Going the distance

America saw a lot of White during the two extended episodes that aired Sept. 10, making it to the finale.

White made ricotta, tomatoes, peaches and crispy prosciutto on toast for an appetizer; a blueberry lemon parfait for dessert; and shrimp with fried green tomatoes as a main after being redirected from an originally planned lamb loin with zucchini noodles and chickpea fries.

In deciding the winner, judges said it was a close call, but they had an issue with shards of shrimp shells on White's plate and gave the nod to a competitor.

White still won $3,000.

“That was kind of cool. It paid the rent for the time I was gone. It was worth it,” White told IndyStar. “But, gosh, I was so close.”

White, who also does comedy, is hoping the experience helps as an entertainment career boost.

“The best part of this whole thing is exposure,” White said. “Having this at the top of my resume will be a nice and shiny little embellishment.”

And, sure, there were skills gained in the kitchen.

White garnered high praise from coach Burrell.

“You did an amazing job,” Burrell said. “I hope you enjoy life and times in the kitchen because you’re actually really good at it.”

White said there's been more post-show cooking, sans one particular perk from the show — workers who would clean up the set kitchen.

“I live right next to a bodega that has everything I ever need for so cheap. And the cost of groceries is just insane. I was single-handedly keeping Uber Eats in business because the amount of times that I used to order was insane,” White said. “But now, I can enjoy the ritual and like not see cooking so much of a burden anymore.  It's almost like self-care at the end of a long day.”

“The only thing is that now I have to do my own dishes.”

The 2023 season of "Worst Cooks in America" is being streamed on Food Network and Hulu.

Contact IndyStar reporter Cheryl V. Jackson at cheryl.jackson@indystar.com or 317-444-6264. Follow her on Twitter: @cherylvjackson.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Fishers high grad on the perks of being on 'Worst Cooks in America'