Anne Burrell TV Tribute Plans Confirmed After We Revealed Beloved Chef's 'Drugs Overdose' Cause of Death
Anne Burrell’s final season of ‘Worst Cooks’ will debut July 28.
July 8 2025, Published 6:15 p.m. ET
Anne Burrell’s final season of her hit show Worst Cooks in America has been given a release date, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Food Network plans to air the first episode of Worst Cooks in America: Talented and Terrible on July 28, a little over a month after the beloved chef was found unresponsive in her Brooklyn home on June 17.
Food Network Legacy
Burrell was found unresponsive at her Brooklyn home on June 17.
The upcoming season of Worst Cooks is expected to honor Burrell, who served as a mentor onthe series since its debut in 2010.
While Burrell was first introduced to Food Network viewers as Mario Batali’s sous chef on Iron Chef America in 2005 – which led to her own show, Secrets of a Restaurant Chef, in 2008, as well as appearances on The Best Thing I Ever Ate – her time as a mentor on the cooking competition series skyrocketed her to stardom and solidified her status as a fan favorite on the network.
Burrell wrapped filming for the upcoming season shortly before her sudden death.
Final Season Was Burrell’s ‘Baby’
Burrell’s co-host on her final season said she was ‘so invested’ in the show.
While reflecting on the upcoming season, Burrell’s co-host, chef Gabe Bertaccini, reportedly said she “was so invested in it.”
He added: “It was her baby. She wasn’t there for the paycheck.”
Bertaccini recalled Burrell inviting him to dinner at an Italian restaurant the night before filming kicked off and how they “bonded over food, about my journey, my story.”
The chef shared: “I remember she was so engaged in who I was, where I was from. And I really saw a side of Anne that, because until then I just saw her on TV, so I saw a side of Anne that was so human and so interested and so inquisitive and just smart and quick and fun and witty. She was exactly who you see on TV.
“It doesn't matter if you met her right now or 10 years ago, she was equally generous with her knowledge, her time.”
A ‘Unicorn’
Co-host Gabe Bertaccini praised Burrell’s connection to her network ‘family' and contestants.
Bertaccini said a month after filming concluded, Burrell “kept texting me about the contestants in her team.”
He explained: “She was like, ‘Oh my God, I talked to this person, and I thought you would want to see the picture that she sent me. And here in New York, why don't we all go to have a little drink or a bite?’ So she was always in touch with the people that were in her team, or even the contestants.”
The Italian chef noted Burrell’s genuine connection with her Food Network “family” and contestants made her a “unicorn,” adding: “There was the little special thing that Anne had that nobody else has. And that was it. It was really the care that she put into connecting and knowing and getting to know these chefs, and also me.”
Never Miss an
Daily updates from the heart of Hollywood, right to your inbox
By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you’re agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
Burrell’s Stuart Claxton reportedly found her on their shower floor.
As RadarOnline.com reported, Burrell’s death stunned the culinary community and fans, who struggled to grapple with the loss of the 55-year-old who was said to be in good spirits and seemingly healthy at her stand-up comedy gig mere hours before she passed.
After Burrell’s family confirmed her death, reports of a 911 caller claiming she went into “cardiac arrest” circulated.
It was later reported the chef’s husband, Stuart Claxton, discovered her unresponsive on the shower floor – and a large amount of pills were found in the bathroom.
While her cause of death is still pending, New York police are reportedly looking into the possibility of a drug overdose.
