Last Call: Which Celebrity Should Host A Cooking Show?

Selena Gomez is a famous person, known for both her music (three studio albums and the hit single "Come and Get It") and her acting (The Wizards of Waverly Place; Spring Breakers). She is not known primarily for her cooking, so it's a bit of a surprise to hear that she'll soon be hosting her own quarantine cooking show on HBO Max. Perhaps this series will lean into the fact that she's an amateur, because according to People, "A different master chef joins her remotely each time, sharing invaluable tips and tricks along the way (including how to handle missing ingredients and smoking ovens)."

"This casual, funny, and informative series will embrace both the struggle and the joy of learning to cook—while inviting audiences to follow along at home," says a press release for the still untitled show. It's a great concept for a series—we know, because we've been doing it for weeks. Maybe Selena's adorkable star power will draw viewers to the new HBO Max platform; if it doesn't, there's always American Pickle.

It all raises the question, though: if you could watch any non-food-adjacent celebrity host a cooking show, who would it be? Presumably, you'd want someone with an engaging stage presence—or maybe the ideal is someone with no charisma whatsoever, which would set their cooking show apart from its glossier Food Network counterparts. Is it more interesting to watch someone with a surprising amount of cooking skills you never knew about, or someone whose aimless kitchen puttering more closely matches your own?

Here are some people who come to mind as worthy TV chefs:

Tom Brady: Not because he'd be the most charismatic subject, but because hosting a cooking show might help educate the public on what exactly the hell this man eats.

Lizzo: Each episode of her cooking show would feature a new food-centric outfit.

George Saunders: This celebrated writer not only demonstrates tremendous wit on the page, but he's also good on camera.

Paris Hilton: Oh, wait.

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Their star turn on The Oprah Winfrey Show in 1990 suggests a pack of restless performers ready to spread their wings. Maybe they could whip up the world's stretchiest pizza.

Who's on your list?

Recommended