Delicious or Disaster unveils N10m prize for third season

Cooking competition show, Delicious or Disaster, has announced its third season, with organisers unveiling a bigger production, 40 contestants and N10m in total prize money.

The third season of the show, hosted and executive-produced by Tolani Tayo-Osikoya, popularly known as Chef T, is scheduled to premiere on September 25, with new episodes released every Friday at 6pm.

The announcement was made on Friday at a press conference attended by stakeholders in Nigeria’s culinary and creative industries, including the Lagos State Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Systems, Ruth Olusanya.

According to the organisers, the new season will feature 40 contestants competing across 10 episodes, with four contestants participating in each episode and one winner emerging from every episode.

Unlike cooking competitions where contestants compete throughout an entire season before a grand prize is awarded, Delicious or Disaster gives its winner N1m at the end of each episode.

Speaking at the event, Chef T said the third season marked a major expansion of the programme, which began as a passion project and has grown into a larger cooking production.

She said, “For season three, we went all out. We got a studio space. We built a set from scratch. We then got sponsors. They didn’t see the finished work; they saw the vision and they bought into the vision.”

She disclosed that more than 500 entries were received for the new season, with the organisers reviewing the submissions before reducing the number to 40 contestants.

Chef T said the organisers deliberately expanded the categories of contestants for the new season to include mothers, fathers, young adults, chefs and food enthusiasts.

She explained that the decision was aimed at making the programme more family-friendly and creating a cooking competition that could be enjoyed by viewers across different age groups.

The show will also continue its focus on Nigerian food culture and local ingredients, with Chef T noting that audiences outside the country could learn about Nigerian ingredients and dishes through the programme.

Meanwhile, the Lagos State Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Systems, Ruth Abisola Olusanya, said the growth of locally produced cooking programmes could contribute to the development of Nigeria’s culinary industry and create opportunities for young people.

Olusanya said the food system went beyond agriculture and markets, stressing the importance of the culinary sector in transforming agricultural products into meals and experiences.