Crime Scene Kitchen

Crime Scene Kitchen is an American reality television series that premiered on Fox on May 26, 2021. The series is hosted by Joel McHale with Yolanda Gampp and Curtis Stone serving as judges.

Crime Scene Kitchen
Genre	Reality competition Cookery
Directed by	Paul Starkman (season 1) Ashley S. Gorman (season 2) Harbinder Singh (season 3)
Presented by	Joel McHale
Judges	Yolanda Gampp Curtis Stone
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	3
No. of episodes	29
Production
Executive producers	Allison Grodner Rich Meehan Conrad Green Joel McHale John Brunton (season 3-present)
Production locations	Los Angeles (season 1)[1] Atlanta (season 2)[2] Toronto (season 3)[3]
Camera setup	Multi-camera
Production companies	Fly on the Wall Entertainment Insight Productions (season 3-present) Fox Alternative Entertainment
Original release
Network	Fox
Release	May 26, 2021 (2021-05-26) – present

In May 2022, the series was renewed for a second season, which premiered in June 2023. In March 2024, the series was renewed for a third season, which premiered on September 26, 2024.

Format

In each episode, teams of two bakers are tasked with deducing the type of dessert that was prepared in a kitchen by inspecting the state of its tools, food remnants, and other evidence such as written clues. Each team re-creates the dessert they identified, from scratch. The judges evaluate each team's dish based primarily on accuracy in identification, while taste and execution are considered as secondary factors.

Each episode consists of two rounds. The first round is the "Safety Bake" in which the winners are exempt from the second round and safe from elimination. In the first season, the first round was called the "Dessert Round", and the winners instead received an extra hint during the second round. The second round is called the "Elimination Bake" or the "Showpiece Round" in the first season. The worst-performing team in the second round is eliminated from the competition.

Each season features twelve teams, initially divided into two groups of six. In the second season, the groupings were based on the bakers' backgrounds, pitting self-taught bakers against those who are classically trained. Each of the first six episodes of each season features only one group, alternating until three teams have been eliminated from each group. Thereafter, the six teams remaining compete simultaneously. Thus, no more than six teams compete at once.

Production

On April 7, 2021, it was announced that Fox had ordered Crime Scene Kitchen, with Joel McHale as host, who also serves as an executive producer. Yolanda Gampp and Curtis Stone serve as judges for the series.^[4][5][6] The series premiered on May 26, 2021.^[7][8]

On May 16, 2022, it was announced that the series had been renewed for a second season,^[9][10] which premiered on June 5, 2023,^[11] after originally being planned to premiere on May 22, 2023.^[12] In March 2024, the series was renewed for a third season,^[13] which premiered on September 26.^[14]

Elimination tables

Season 1

Team[15]	Relation	Episodes
		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
		Group A	Group B	A	B	A	B
Luis & Natalie	Friends	SAFE		WIN†		SAFE		SAFE	SAFE†	WINNERS
Cathy & Thomas	Mother & son	WIN†		SAFE		SAFE		RISK†	WIN	RUNNERS-UP
Lorie & Jason	Husband & wife		SAFE†		SAFE		SAFE	WIN	SAFE	RUNNERS-UP
Leslie & Emma	Mother & daughter		WIN		SAFE		SAFE†	SAFE	RISK	ELIM
Erinn & Amanda	Military veterans	SAFE		SAFE		RISK†		SAFE	ELIM
Cory & Donte	Best friends		SAFE		SAFE		RISK	ELIM
Shania & Hope	Best friends		SAFE		WIN		ELIM
Jay & Thuy-Linh	Culinary school friends	RISK		SAFE		ELIM
Rebecca & Jean	Mother & daughter		RISK		ELIM
Carolyn & Caroline	Mother & daughter	SAFE		ELIM
Natasha & Anthony	Friends		ELIM
Nathan & Anthony	Best friends	ELIM

^†The team won the first round and received an extra hint for the Showpiece Round.

  The team won Crime Scene Kitchen.

  The team was a runner-up.

  The team won the Showpiece Round.

  The team was safe from elimination.

  The team was at risk of elimination after the Showpiece Round.

  The team lost the Showpiece Round and was eliminated from the competition.

  The team did not compete in the episode.

Season 2

Team[16]	Relation	Episodes
		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
		ST[a]	CT[b]	ST	CT	ST	CT
Amber & Yassmeen	Friends		SAFE		WIN		SAFE	SAFE	WIN	SAFE	WINNERS
Laissa & Camille	Friends		WIN		SAFE		SAFE	SAFE	SAFE	WIN	RUNNERS-UP
T & Fadi	Friends	SAFE		SAFE		SAFE		WIN	SAFE	SAFE	RUNNERS-UP
Kristy & Tarsha	Mother & daughter	SAFE		SAFE		SAFE		SAFE	SAFE	ELIM
Steph & Cherry	Friends	WIN		WIN		WIN		SAFE	ELIM
Sherry & Sally	Twin sisters		SAFE		SAFE		WIN	ELIM
Ricky & DJ	Friends		SAFE		SAFE		ELIM
Kathleen & Hannah	Friends	SAFE		SAFE		ELIM
Bob & Vikki	Husband & wife		SAFE		ELIM
Torre & Michelle	Husband & wife	SAFE		ELIM
Christina & Jen	Friends		ELIM
Donovan & Dayveon	Stepbrothers	ELIM

1. Bakers in this group are self-taught
2. Bakers in this group are classically-trained

  The team won Crime Scene Kitchen.

  The team was a runner-up.

  The team won the Safety Bake and was safe from elimination.

  The team was safe from elimination.

  The team lost the Elimination Bake and was eliminated from the competition.

  The team did not compete in the episode.

Season 3

Team[17]	Relation	Episodes
		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
		FA[a]	FR[b]	FA	FR	FA	FR
Jessica & Lenore	Friends		SAFE		SAFE		SAFE	SAFE	SAFE	WIN	WINNERS
Becky & Daniel	Siblings	SAFE		WIN		SAFE		WIN	SAFE	SAFE	RUNNERS-UP
Janusz & Keiron	Friends		SAFE		WIN		WIN	SAFE	SAFE	SAFE	RUNNERS-UP
Katelyn & Ronan	Spouses	WIN		SAFE		SAFE		SAFE	WIN	ELIM
Jesse & Justin	Brothers-in-law		WIN		SAFE		SAFE	SAFE	ELIM
Starlett & Kai	Mother & daughter	SAFE		SAFE		WIN		ELIM
April & Samantha	Co-workers		SAFE		SAFE		ELIM
Courtney & Danielle	Niece & uncle	SAFE		SAFE		ELIM
Brando & Nikki	Friends		SAFE		ELIM
Anyatta & Sonjii	Sisters	SAFE		ELIM
Cliff & Adam	Friends		ELIM
Nigel & Karen	Mother & son	ELIM

1. Bakers in this group are family
2. Bakers in this group are friends

  The team won Crime Scene Kitchen.

  The team was a runner-up.

  The team won the Safety Bake and was safe from elimination.

  The team was safe from elimination.

  The team lost the Elimination Bake and was eliminated from the competition.

  The team did not compete in the episode.

Episodes

Series overview

Season	Episodes		Originally released
			First released	Last released
1	9		May 26, 2021 (2021-05-26)	July 21, 2021 (2021-07-21)
2	10		June 5, 2023 (2023-06-05)	August 14, 2023 (2023-08-14)
3	10		September 26, 2024 (2024-09-26)	December 5, 2024 (2024-12-05)

Season 1 (2021)

No. overall	No. in season	Title [18][19]	Guest Judge	Original release date [18][19]	Prod. code [18]	U.S. viewers (millions)
1	1	"Premiere"	N/A	May 26, 2021 (2021-05-26)	CSK-101	2.35[20]
2	2	"Meet the Competition"	N/A	June 2, 2021 (2021-06-02)	CSK-102	1.89[21]
3	3	"Just Desserts"	Cheryl Hines	June 9, 2021 (2021-06-09)	CSK-103	1.74[22]
4	4	"Decisions, Decisions"	N/A	June 16, 2021 (2021-06-16)	CSK-104	1.63[23]
5	5	"Rock and Roll"	Kelly Osbourne	June 23, 2021 (2021-06-23)	CSK-105	1.83[24]
6	6	"Red, White and Clue"	Aarón Sanchez	June 30, 2021 (2021-06-30)	CSK-106	1.86[25]
7	7	"The Rise and Fall"	N/A	July 7, 2021 (2021-07-07)	CSK-107	1.89[26]
8	8	"Fight Until the Batter End"	Ken Jeong	July 14, 2021 (2021-07-14)	CSK-108	1.83[27]
9	9	"Finale"	N/A	July 21, 2021 (2021-07-21)	CSK-109	1.63[28]

Season 2 (2023)

No. overall	No. in season	Title [18][29]	Guest Judge	Original release date [18][29]	Prod. code [18]	U.S. viewers (millions)
10	1	"Premiere: Welcome Self-Taught Bakers"	N/A	June 5, 2023 (2023-06-05)	CSK-201	1.17[30]
11	2	"Meet the Classically-Trained Competition"	N/A	June 12, 2023 (2023-06-12)	CSK-202	1.02[31]
12	3	"Self-Taught: Not So Simple"	N/A	June 19, 2023 (2023-06-19)	CSK-203	1.00[32]
13	4	"Classically-Trained: Going Plum Crazy"	N/A	June 26, 2023 (2023-06-26)	CSK-204	1.09[33]
14	5	"Self-Taught: Follow the Clues"	NeNe Leakes	July 10, 2023 (2023-07-10)	CSK-205	1.04[34]
15	6	"Classically-Trained: Easy as Pie"	N/A	July 17, 2023 (2023-07-17)	CSK-206	1.16[35]
16	7	"The Merge: A Total Crêpe Shoot"	Martina McBride	July 24, 2023 (2023-07-24)	CSK-207	1.15[36]
17	8	"The Quarterfinals: A Sticky Situation"	Richard Blais	July 31, 2023 (2023-07-31)	CSK-208	1.20[37]
18	9	"The Semifinals: It's All in the Details"	Dwight Howard	August 7, 2023 (2023-08-07)	CSK-209	1.03[38]
19	10	"The Finale: I Need a Drink!"	N/A	August 14, 2023 (2023-08-14)	CSK-210	1.01[39]

Season 3 (2024)

No. overall	No. in season	Title [18][40]	Guest Judge	Original release date [18][40]	Prod. code [18]	U.S. viewers (millions)
20	1	"Premiere: It's A Family Affair"	N/A	September 26, 2024 (2024-09-26)	CSK-302	1.06[41]
21	2	"The One with the Friends"	N/A	October 3, 2024 (2024-10-03)	CSK-301	1.12[42]
22	3	"Keep Your Family Close, and Your Pans Closer"	N/A	October 10, 2024 (2024-10-10)	CSK-304	0.95[43]
23	4	"The Proof Is in the Mousse"	N/A	October 17, 2024 (2024-10-17)	CSK-303	1.05[44]
24	5	"Let's Get Ready to Ravi"	Ravi Patel	October 24, 2024 (2024-10-24)	CSK-306	1.00[45]
25	6	"Fruit, Flowers and Friends"	N/A	October 31, 2024 (2024-10-31)	CSK-305	1.09[46]
26	7	"The Merge"	N/A	November 7, 2024 (2024-11-07)	CSK-307	0.98[47]
27	8	"The Quarterfinals"	Dominique Ansel	November 14, 2024 (2024-11-14)	CSK-308	1.11[48]
28	9	"The Semifinals"	N/A	November 21, 2024 (2024-11-21)	CSK-309	1.07[49]
29	10	"The Finale"	N/A	December 5, 2024 (2024-12-05)	CSK-310	1.04[50]

Reception

Season 1

Viewership and ratings per episode of Crime Scene Kitchen

No.	Title	Air date	Timeslot (ET)	Rating/share (18–49)	Viewers (millions)	DVR (18–49)	DVR viewers (millions)	Total (18–49)	Total viewers (millions)	Ref.
1	"Premiere"	May 26, 2021	Wednesday 9:02 p.m.	0.6/4	2.35	0.2	0.83	0.9	3.18	[20][51]
2	"Meet the Competition"	June 2, 2021	Wednesday 9:00 p.m.	0.5/3	1.89	0.1	0.54	0.6	2.43	[21][52]
3	"Just Desserts"	June 9, 2021		0.5/3	1.74	0.2	0.66	0.6	2.40	[22][53]
4	"Decisions, Decisions"	June 16, 2021		0.4/3	1.63	0.1	0.60	0.5	2.22	[23][54]
5	"Rock and Roll"	June 23, 2021		0.5/3	1.83	0.1	0.59	0.6	2.42	[24][55]
6	"Red, White and Clue"	June 30, 2021		0.5/3	1.86	0.1	0.63	0.6	2.48	[25][56]
7	"The Rise and Fall"	July 7, 2021	Wednesday 9:01 p.m.	0.5/3	1.89	0.2	0.70	0.6	2.58	[26][57]
8	"Fight Until the Batter End"	July 14, 2021		0.4/3	1.83	0.2	0.71	0.6	2.54	[27][58]
9	"Finale"	July 21, 2021	Wednesday 9:00 p.m.	0.4/3	1.63	0.2	0.72	0.5	2.35	[28][59]

Season 2

Viewership and ratings per episode of Crime Scene Kitchen

No.	Title	Air date	Rating/share (18–49)	Viewers (millions)	Ref.
1	"Premiere: Welcome Self-Taught Bakers"	June 5, 2023	0.2/3	1.17	[30]
2	"Meet the Classically-Trained Competition"	June 12, 2023	0.2/2	1.02	[31]
3	"Self-Taught: Not So Simple"	June 19, 2023	0.2/2	1.00	[32]
4	"Classically-Trained: Going Plum Crazy"	June 26, 2023	0.2/2	1.09	[33]
5	"Self-Taught: Follow the Clues"	July 10, 2023	0.2/2	1.04	[34]
6	"Classically-Trained: Easy as Pie"	July 17, 2023	0.2/2	1.16	[35]
7	"The Merge: A Total Crêpe Shoot"	July 24, 2023	0.2/2	1.15	[36]
8	"The Quarterfinals: A Sticky Situation"	July 31, 2023	0.2/3	1.20	[37]
9	"The Semifinals: It's All in the Details"	August 7, 2023	0.2/2	1.03	[38]
10	"The Finale: I Need a Drink!"	August 14, 2023	0.2/2	1.01	[39]

Season 3

Viewership and ratings per episode of Crime Scene Kitchen

No.	Title	Air date	Rating/share (18–49)	Viewers (millions)	Ref.
1	"Premiere: It's A Family Affair"	September 26, 2024	0.2/1	1.06	[41]
2	"The One with the Friends"	October 3, 2024	0.2/2	1.12	[42]
3	"Keep Your Family Close, and Your Pans Closer"	October 10, 2024	0.1/1	0.95	[43]
4	"The Proof Is in the Mousse"	October 17, 2024	0.2/2	1.05	[44]
5	"Let's Get Ready to Ravi"	October 24, 2024	0.1/1	1.00	[45]
6	"Fruit, Flowers and Friends"	October 31, 2024	0.2/2	1.09	[46]
7	"The Merge"	November 7, 2024	0.2/1	0.98	[47]
8	"The Quarterfinals"	November 14, 2024	0.2/2	1.11	[48]
9	"The Semifinals"	November 21, 2024	0.2/2	1.07	[49]
10	"The Finale"	December 5, 2024	0.2/1	1.04	[50]