Food Network appeared to cut season of 'Worst Cooks In America' after its champion was charged in 3-year-old child's death
- Food Network pulled a "Worst Cooks In America" season after its winner was charged with homicide.
- Ariel Robinson and her husband on January 19 were charged with the death of a 3-year-old.
- Authorities told a South Carolina NBC affiliate that the child was their adoptive daughter.
Food Network appeared to pull the episodes of a recent season of its culinary competition show "Worst Cooks In America" after its winner was charged with the murder of a three-year-old, according to a report from Deadline.
Ariel Robinson, 29, won $25,000 as the season 20 champion of "Worst Cooks In America," according to Deadline. She went by the nickname "Ari" during the season, which was filmed in February 2020 and aired later that year.
According to a report from Greenville, South Carolina's NBC affiliate, WYFF News 4, Ariel and her husband, Jerry Robinson, 34, both from Simpsonville, South Carolina, were charged on January 19 with homicide by child abuse in the death of a 3-year-old, who authorities identified as their adoptive child.
Arrest warrants and said the Robinsons inflicted a "series of blunt force injuries" on the child, according to WYFF News 4.
The Robinsons are being held without bond in a Greenville, South Carolina, detention center, Fox Carolina reported.
In August 2020, after winning "Worst Cooks In America" season 20, Robinson spoke with 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 child who died was one of the three children that the Robinsons adopted in 2020. The South Carolina Department of Social Services told the local news affiliates that the agency is planning to take "appropriate action with any children remaining in the home after evaluating safety and risk."
The NBC affiliate reported that Robinson is a retired middle school teacher, and she had previously been hired in her local South Carolina community as a comedian and speaker.
Food Network has 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 about Robinson's arrest at the time of writing.
Descriptions and highlights of episodes from season 20 were not listed on the Food Network website at the time of writing. Deadline also reported that the season was removed from Food Network's Discovery+ service. The series is also available on Hulu, but only through season 17.
In "Worst Cooks In America," two teams of amateur cooks learn from chef-mentors and partake in a variety of culinary challenges throughout the season. The show is in its 21st season, which started airing on Food Network in early January.