Former champion of ‘America’s worst cooks’ charged with murder of child

• Food Network hosted a “Worst Cooks in America” ​​season after its winner was charged with homicide.
• On January 19, Ariel Robinson and her husband were charged with the death of a 3-year-old.
• Authorities told a South Carolina NBC affiliate that the child was their adopted daughter.
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Food Network appeared to pull episodes from a recent season of its cooking competition show “Worst Cooks in America” ​​after its winner was charged with the murder of a three-year-old, according to a Deadline report.

Ariel Robinson, 29, won $ 25,000 as the season 20 champion of “Worst Cooks In America,” according to Deadline. She was dubbed “Ari” during the season, which was filmed in February 2020 and aired later that year.

According to a report from Greenville, NBC South Carolina affiliate WYFF News 4, Ariel and her husband Jerry Robinson, 34, both of Simpsonville, South Carolina, were charged on January 19 with homicide by child abuse in the death of a 3- year old, whom authorities have identified as their adopted child.

Arrest warrants said the Robinson Crusoes inflicted a “series of blunt force injuries” on the child, according to WYFF News 4.

The Robinsons are being held without bail at a detention center in Greenville, South Carolina, Fox Carolina reported.

In August 2020, after winning Season 20 of “Worst Cooks In America,” Robinson spoke to WYFF News 4 about the win, saying the $ 25,000 prize would help her and her husband, who at the time had recently adopted three children.

WYFF News 4 reported that the deceased child was one of three children adopted by the Robinsons in 2020. The South Carolina Department of Human Services told local news affiliates the agency plans to take “action. appropriate for any child remaining in the country. at home after assessing safety and risks. “

The NBC affiliate reported that Robinson is a retired college teacher and had previously been hired in her local South Carolina community as a comedian and speaker.

Food Network appeared to remove ‘Worst Cooks In America’ Season 20 episodes and descriptions from streaming platforms and its website

Representatives for Food Network did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment, and the network has not released a public statement on Robinson’s arrest at the time of writing.

Season 20 episode descriptions and highlights were not listed on the Food Network website at the time of writing. Deadline also reported that the season has been deleted from Food Network’s Discovery + service. The series is also available on Hulu, but only until season 17.

In “America’s Worst Cooks,” two teams of amateur cooks learn from chef-mentors and participate in a variety of culinary challenges throughout the season. The show is in its 21st season, which began airing on Food Network in early January.