Cook-Off! 2007

The very different Minnesotan sisters Sharon Solfest Cathryn Michon and Pauline Solfest Wendi McLendon-Covey both win entry into the one-million-dollar Van Rookle Farms televised cooking contest. The competition is a glamorous, high-stakes showcase that gathers a colorful cast of contestants from across the country, each bringing their own quirks, loyalties, and backstories to the sizzling kitchen stage. Sharon is engaged to Lars Hagerbakke Gary Anthony Williams, a man described as a black Swede, and they have vowed chastity until their wedding, while Pauline works so hard that she has little time for romance or downtime. The sisters’ very different approaches to life and love set up an opening tension that threads through the entire competition.

Among the other contestants, a parade of personalities is introduced: the first-ever African American participant, Ladybug Briggs [Niecy Nash-Betts], a wheelchair-bound mother whose life intersects with Atlantan preacher Thaddeus Briggs [Phil LaMarr] and the charmingly reckless Markus Briggs [Jordan Black]; Cassandra Dougherty [Jennifer Elise Cox], a Connecticut participant whose domineering mother Victoria [Cristine Rose] pushes her every move; Patty Pasternak [Romy Rosemont], a pregnant Arizonan mother navigating new pressures; and Daneel Kuhar [Jane Edith Wilson], a former contestant who is rumored to be back under the radar with a complex past. At the welcome event, Victoria blocks all males who try to interact with Cassandra, including Markus and Del Crawford [Diedrich Bader], while Daneel circles the contestants, and none of them seem to remember her from prior years.

On day one, Amber Strang [Melissa McCarthy] and her husband Cameron Strang [Ben Falcone] burst into the scene, arriving late after a rough ride from Pittsburgh. Because of the delay, they are nearly disqualified, but public support from the onlookers and the organizers allows Amber to slip in and take her place at the start. The day’s tensions are heightened by a clash between Sharon and Pauline: Pauline’s concern about her sister’s constant self-criticism collides with Sharon’s insistence on staying loyal to Lars, even as Pauline begs for honest insight about Lars’s situation. When Cassandra’s dish burns, partly due to her mother’s meddling, the moment becomes a turning point that reveals the control Victoria exerts over her daughter’s life.

That evening, contestants unwind at an after-hours social. TV presenter Christine Merriweather [Markie Post] hosts the event, and both Sharon and Cassandra feel a rumor in the air about possible intrigues involving Daneel and Del. As Sharon suggests to Lars that they consummate their relationship, Lars heads off with Del to the bar Bananas, where he fears he might be discovered or challenged. The camera crew secretly follows, and Lars eventually confronts the truth: he is gay, a revelation that throws Sharon into a tumult of denial and upheaval. In a bid to “fix” things, Sharon suggests conversion therapy, while Lars remains steadfast that his identity will endure, asking Sharon to return her engagement ring.

The competition’s centerpiece, the final “Ring of Fire,” features a line-up that includes Sharon and Pauline Solfest, Lady Briggs, Del, Patty, and two more hopefuls. The moment arrives with high drama: Sharon breaks down, and Lady Briggs and Pauline rally to support her as Del receives a hostile call from Daneel and notices Patty’s water has broken. When the judges announce Del’s dish as the winning entry, Daneel breaks into ecstatic celebration, and footage from Bananas reveals Del’s collaboration with Daneel. Chaos erupts as Del runs off with the prize while the studio locks down. Patty’s husband sneaks in wearing the Muffin Man disguise [Steve Little], and paramedics soon follow. In a dramatic reevaluation, Pauline is declared the victor, shifting the narrative toward redemption and resilience for the Solfest sisters.

Six months later, the public learns of Cookoffgate: Daneel Kuhar and Del Crawford have been imprisoned. Daneel’s conviction centers on fraudulently entering the contest through Del, having previously participated in the competition on three other occasions under questionable circumstances. The fallout reshapes the contestants’ lives and casts a long shadow over the competition that momentarily united some and torn apart others. The film closes on a note that mixes humor with a sharp gaze at reality-television culture, measuring where ambition ends and integrity begins, and how families and strangers alike navigate the pressure cooker of fame, deception, and forgiveness.