Terry Crews on ‘AGT’ Similarities, Shocking Eliminations & Food Network Friends

It was out of the frying pan and into the fire for many of the competitors on 100 Cooks. During the June 7 premiere of the Food Network series more than 25 home chefs went home. It’s a part of these elimination shows host Terry Crews knows all too well with many years of America’s Got Talent experience under his stylish belt.

The field will continue to thin out over the remaining six weeks until one remains, securing as much as $250,000. Survival won’t be easy as these individuals from across the country and backgrounds must be ready to show what they can do as numbers are selected at random by the “Cook Mixer” lottery ball. As seen during the first episode names can also be called more than once. 

Those chosen must engage in a food-themed battle based on whatever the “Challenge Mixer” decides. Viral culinary content creator Nick DiGiovanni and network staple Alex Guarnaschelli decide who gets cut and who moves on to the next round. Even with so many competing, the show provides backstories that tug at the heartstrings. Those who are husband and wife, fathers, stay-at-home moms, students, firefighters, former professional athletes, and even a former CIA agent.

If the 12-minute egg challenge was any indication, the run to the July 19 finale should be quite a ride. Here Crews opens up about what it means to be on a Food Network show and what’s to come in the competition. Plus, he talks about what keeps him on track managing a busy personal and professional schedule, as well as if White Chicks 2 is on the horizon. 

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How do you look back on the premiere? I was crushed to see Antoinette [Gangi] go home. 

Terry Crews: First of all, what can I say? She was such a sweetheart and the Granny of the world. I felt that way about everybody, every one of those cooks who went home. You have to understand the heart of these people. This is their love language. I have to say it’s not anything about who they are and what they did. A lot of this thing is about timing, cooking under these time constraints, and also a lot of this stuff is subjective. We had to find a way to get down to the number one home cook in America. Looking at that and seeing the reactions, everybody was like, “Dude, you’re on this show, and I love this.” The fact it’s out now. It’s like AGT for food. There are going to be a lot of stars that come out of this. What is so wonderful is what I noticed, especially during this week, was that these guys have amazing followers on their own. There are people on here who have half a million followers already. This week they really showed it. I was getting tagged in all their posts and thinking, “Man, these people are huge!” 

How would you compare hosting 100 Cooks to AGT?

I do it similarly simply because it’s about coming from relative obscurity to a very big stage. One thing I really want to do, and do on AGT, as host is really pushing attention to them. It’s about them, and it’s not about me. Anything I can do to help them I’m going to do it. The matter is really asking the right questions, the questions people at home would want to know as we introduce each cook to the world. It’s the same thing I do on America’s Got Talent. Those are the similarities. Then once we get into the cooking, it’s really letting Alex and Nick help these people in the way they should. Alex and Nick, to me they’re like my homies. They are like my brother and sister. They are also the best people in the food world you can ask to judge on a competition show like this. 

As a Food Network fan, how is it to now be in this world? Are some of the personalities reaching out to you? 

It’s funny, years ago I stole a cab from Bobby Flay. I’ll never forget it. I was going in the cab and jumped in. I thought about how I was sorry. I hoped he never held it against me. Like does Bobby Flay hate me? But I’ve been getting nothing but love. Guy Fieri is my man. Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives is one of my favorite shows. Alex has also introduced me into the Iron Chef world. Nick, being the number one YouTube food guy in the world, came to my house. We did some stuff for his YouTube. I’m going to be doing more with these guys. I would love to do more interactions with the other hosts. Bobby Flay, the barbeque stuff people are doing because I love barbeque as well. Anything they have going on I’m with. Especially, when it comes to Guy. I want to go to Flavortown!

This is your gateway for more in this space it seems. 

Yes! Exactly. 

I know you like to cook at home with your family rooted in tradition. What did you take from this experience watching the cooks work? Did you pick up any recipes? 

I did! It’s funny because I went out and bought Alex’s and Nick’s cookbooks. One recipe that changed my life is Nick’s recipe from his book “Knife Drop.” It’s broccoli where you put parmesan cheese on wax paper with the broccoli. It takes these broccoli bites that have the parm crisp where the cheese melts in the oven. You peel it off the wax paper and it creates the parm crisp broccoli thing that changed my life. Literally, I make these things in advance, and I eat them with my proteins. It’s so good because you have the broccoli, the protein from the parmesan. I said, “Dude, you just gave me the recipe I’m going to tell people I invented [laughs]. 

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What’s your secret to finding work-life balance with your big family, having these projects, and also staying in shape? 

You just have to plan. I travel a lot, so I find out first where I’m going to work out first. Where am I going to work out? I also bring all my supplements, my protein. I have a bag with all that. Then with intermittent fasting, I look at where I am going to eat. What am I planning? If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. That’s a fact. You have to be on it. Like you said, the balance is literally going to bed early. It’s crazy, I wake up early. When you wake up early in the morning between 4 and 5, and the whole world is yours for the next three hours. Then everyone wakes up and you have another day. You get so much done. I take off like a rocket. I find anything after 8 p.m. is really not that valuable. You try to do anything late, unless you’re a musician like Quincy Jones, for me it doesn’t work. Nothing good happens after 8 p.m. for me. I’m done. 

What do you want to tease about what’s to come in the competition and challenges they will take on? 

Each dish is everyone’s story. The thing I think everyone is going to see is the story of each individual. As we get down into the next half of all the contestants we’re going to get more story, more why they made what they made, and what the story is behind it. I think America is going to really find that they will fall in love with these people as their lives change forever. They will see themselves in these contestants as we get down to number one.

With the success of Scary Movie 6, this makes a White Chicks sequel more of a possibility. What have you heard? 

First off Marlon [Wayans] told everyone, “Hey man, if you see Scary Movie, we can start working on White Chicks 2.” Well guess what? The whole world is seeing it. I mean $100 million over the weekend, there is no doubt it’s a hit. I’m just like, “If we do this, I’m in.” If Scary Movie made $100 million, I think White Chicks 2 will do at least that. I’m waiting for the opportunity. If they want to do it, let’s do it. They had me at hello. He already said this several times. My job is to be ready because those guys are geniuses. Keenen, Shawn, Marlon, the whole Wayans family have been so integral in comedy, my life. I would jump at the chance to work with them again. 

100 Cooks, Sundays, 9/8c, Food Network