No recipe for success: what happens to TV cooking stars after the show?

Shows like Chopped seem like career-making opportunities, but when entertainment comes first, even winners can struggle

When the pastry chef turned educator Derek Corsino walked on to the set of the Food Network’s hit series Spring Baking Championship, he didn’t expect much. “I knew from all my previous work [on TV] that my life was not going to change at all,” said Corsino, who currently teaches culinary arts at Healdsburg high school in California. “I’m just some guy at the end of the day. I went on that show for my students. It was peak Covid and was a great morale boost when it aired in the spring.”

Corsino, who was a finalist in 2021, said some of his fellow contestants believed they were going to get a lot of business from appearing on the baking competition show, but soon received a reality check. “You’re not going to get business from this because your business name is going to flash really fast on screen,” he said, noting that one competition series he previously filmed was canceled halfway through the season, so no one ever saw his episode. “You’re here because of your own ego.”