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Vivica A. Fox Recalls Nearly Burning Down Her Kitchen, Explains Why She’s the Worst Cook

Vivica A. Fox doesn’t sugarcoat her kitchen misadventures.

“One time, I was on the phone running my mouth while making pork chops,” the actress recalls to Us Weekly. “I walked away and left the damn grease on. I was like, ‘Where’s that smoke?’ Next thing I know, a security guard is kicking door the door to extinguish the fire!”

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But these days, she’s becoming a culinary queen. Well, maybe. As a contestant on Food Network’s Worst Cooks in America: Celebrity Edition, the 53-year-old was put through a grueling boot camp by food legends Anne Burrell and Rachael Ray.

“They pick on you and let you know when your knife skills suck,” jokes Fox, who is competing to raise $25,000 or her charity, Best Buddies. “Being in their kitchen is no joke!”

Vivica A. Fox
Vivica A. Fox Bill Davila/Startraksphoto

She whips up more for Us

Us Weekly: OK, so what makes you the worst cook in America?

Vivica A. Fox: I’m a single woman who lives by herself and so I don’t do a lot of cooking. But I order fantastically. I’m a huge fan of California Pizza Kitchen because I can either be a good girl or a bad girl. They’ve got some of the best salads, but if I’m having a cheat day, pizza and pasta and dessert, yum yum!

Us: When you do cook, do you have a go to dish?

VAF: I used to host taco Sundays. My friends came over and we’d have mimosas and tacos and watch football. I had quite the spread with turkey and beef. But I’ve been too busy working to keep it up. People have said, “What happened to our taco Sundays?” Like, “Guys, I’m never home!” This year, though, when football starts rolling around, I will do a couple of parties.

Related: Celebrities in the Kitchen: Stars Who Love to Cook!

Vivica A. Fox on Worst Cooks In America
Vivica A. Fox on Worst Cooks In America Jason DeCrow/Food Network

Us: Growing up, was anyone in your family a master chef?

VAF: My mom is queen of the kitchen. She’s pretty hands on with cooking everything, so that’s probably another reason why I’m not a good cook. Delicious meals were always cooked for me. My sister is also an excellent cook! I always ask for her to make greens. I put way too much water in mine and it makes more of a stew. She has a husband and a daughter, so I think it comes with the territory. But, I do have godbabies!

Us: So you cook for them?

VAF: No! [Laughs] I take them out to eat. I spoil them. They know when GG comes around, we’re going to go somewhere cool.

Us: Why did you decide to sign up for Worst Cooks?

VAF: I wanted to learn to cook gourmet dishes so that if one of these days I do get a date, I can whip up something lovely and look like I could be a good partner. Still, there were more takeaways from this show than I could ever imagine! I learned about meat, flavoring, cooking in a timely manner, how to not burn things and to use different utensils. I was pretty good with the knife. Don’t forget, I did Kill Bill!

Vivica A. Fox and Perez Hilton on Worst Cooks In America
Vivica A. Fox and Perez Hilton on Worst Cooks In America Jason DeCrow/Food Network

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Us: Any mishaps?

VAF: There were a couple injuries and things were set ablaze a lot because when you’re cooking, you forget that you can’t use alcohol with fire. Things went up in smoke.

Us: Who was your biggest competition?

VAF: Bachelor Sean [Lowe]. I was really surprised how good of a cook he was. Sean and Nora Dunn were quiet storms because they seemed like they couldn’t cook well but then you’d see their meals and go, “Wow! Ok.”

Us: How was this experience different than your time on other reality shows, like Celebrity Apprentice?

VAF: Oh my gosh! This experience was so good. It was competitive, don’t get me wrong. But when you do Celebrity Apprentice and stuff like that, it’s too catty and conniving. I felt like I was damn near a nervous breakdown doing Celebrity Apprentice. Whereas this stimulated your brain. You had to make your dishes. You couldn’t sabotage anyone else. You couldn’t trip someone or do something weird. It was a challenge of your own talents and if you failed it was all on your shoulders.

Worst Cooks in America: Celebrity Edition airs on the Food Network Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET.

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