America’s Test Kitchen: The Next Generation to Return in April
Today, Prime Video released the official trailer for America’s Test Kitchen: The Next Generation Season 2, hosted by Daytime Emmy Award-winner Jeannie Mai. All ten episodes of the food competition series will be available on April 1, 2025, exclusively on Prime Video in over 250 countries and territories.
Mai and head judge Dan Souza return to mentor and guide 11 aspiring cooks as they compete for the job of a lifetime. This season, the prize awards are bigger, the dishes even more mouthwatering, and the contestants are hungrier than ever to make their culinary career dreams come true.
From all walks of life, home cooks and pros alike are all in for the win! One cook will become the newest America’s Test Kitchen cast member, receive a cookbook option, and win $100,000 to support the pursuit of their culinary dreams.
Season two presents an even greater focus on media challenges that will have cooks sweating it out in the spotlight, as well as new skill drills from Souza to help home cooks level up in the kitchen.
This season, we will also get a glimpse into the mindset and emotions of contestants in the stew room while they wait together for the judges to deliberate their fates. In an America’s Test Kitchen: The Next Generation first, the final five will take their first offsite adventure to the shores of Massachusetts to learn a new culinary skill set!
This season will feature a rotating cast of new and returning ATK personalities, including Lan Lam, Julia Collin Davison, Jack Bishop, and even Antoinette Johnson, winner of America’s Test Kitchen: The Next Generation Season 1.
Celebrity chef guest judges like Bryan Ford, Pati Jinich, and Joe Sasto also appear weekly – it’s a smorgasbord of culinary stars!
America’s Test Kitchen: The Next Generation is produced by Amazon MGM Studios. The series is executive produced by Jack Bishop, Madeline Langlieb, Mark Itkin, David Lonner, Jeannie Mai, Cat Sullivan, and Jenn Van Persaud.
AMERICA’S TEST KITCHEN: THE NEXT GENERATION CONTESTANTS
Lauren Windham
Hometown: Winter Park, FL | Current City: Atlanta, GA
Lauren is a passionate and skilled chef who thrives in the kitchen, effortlessly drawing from her deep well of culinary knowledge cultivated from life abroad as well as years spent in fast-paced professional kitchens from Napa to Atlanta.
An ambitious overachiever, she puts her all into everything she does. Recently, she leaped to start her own private chef business—an exciting first step toward her ultimate dream of entrepreneurship.
Saori O’Reilly
Hometown: Los Altos, CA | Current City: Los Altos, CA
This vivacious, creative, and energetic mom is all about feeding her family, her friends—and even strangers! Whether Saori is teaching Zumba, taking her kids to school, or doing prep work and making stocks at her family’s restaurant, Ten-Ichi, in San Francisco, she finds joy and fulfillment in helping others.
For decades, she was the heart and face of the restaurant, taking immense pride in crafting dishes tailored to each guest’s unique tastes and preferences. Though Ten-Ichi recently closed, Saori hopes to re-open a location in the future.
Ashley Gibson
Hometown: Houston, TX | Current City: Houston, TX
Fun is the name of the game for this culinary instructor from Houston, Texas! Ashley loves to take trips with her girlfriends from Howard University, whistle the entire Beyoncé Renaissance album while cleaning, and, of course, cook! Ashley’s mom knew she would eventually be a teacher, and she was right.
Annabelle Finefrock
Hometown: Montecito, CA | Current City: New York, NY
Annabelle is the poster child for Gen Z! She is ambitious, adventurous, lively, and fearless when it comes to going after what she wants in life. At 24, she has already lived in four different countries and has worked as a chef for some high-profile celebrity clients!
Annabelle’s passion for cooking began when she lived in Singapore as a child, as she was exposed to clean, fresh foods being sold at stands at an affordable price, which transformed her concept of what food accessibility could look like.
Nikita Leone
Hometown: Detroit, MI | Current City: Woodland Hills, CA
Not only is Nikita passionate about sharing great food, but she is also in the Hip Hop Hall of Fame for her work as a dancer in the ’90s as a member of Str8ght Ahead! This cool mom of two college students has been cooking for 30 years with her own company with some very high-end clients. Her meal-prepping business has become popular in the last few years as she focuses on implementing healthy meals with clean and flavorful ingredients.
Justine Ma
Hometown: New York, NY | Current City: Kea’au, HI
A New York native, Justine is currently living in Kea’au, Hawaii, on an agriturismo that she built from the ground up. She raises rescued ducks, chickens, and her dog, Olena (Hawaiian for turmeric). Her farm is a destination for culinary adventurers—offering private chef experiences, immersive cooking classes, farm tours, and unique glamping accommodations.
Colin Bracken
Hometown: Madison, CT | Current City: Chicago, IL
Soaring into the kitchen with an obsessive passion for cooking and technique is flight attendant and wanderluster, Colin. Having been to 17 countries with only five left on his bucket list, Colin is no stranger to new places. His next hopeful destination? The ATK kitchen!
Alex Heugel
Hometown: St. Joseph, MI | Current City: Chicago, IL
Alex was very shy growing up, but the creativity of the kitchen helped him find his voice, and his dedication to his craft led him to advance quickly in every kitchen in which he worked. He has found a real calling for teaching home cooks at The Chopping Block in Chicago and hopes his sneak attack skills can lead him to teach a wider audience as a member of the ATK team!
Dennis Jackson
Hometown: Washington, D.C. | Current City: Rockville MD
Dennis is a self-proclaimed nerd, new father, dedicated husband, and devoted metalhead. A native of Washington, D.C., Dennis hasn’t strayed far from his hometown and currently lives in Rockville, MD, where he works as an analyst for the IRS when not cooking for his wife and daughter.
David Welch
Hometown: Detroit, MI | Current City: Chicago, IL
This fun, food-obsessed cooking instructor is all about sharing his love of cooking with everyone who walks through the door of his studio. David loves seeing that “aha” moment on a student’s face when the recipe works out, and they realize that it’s not that complicated!
Kyle Lopez
Hometown: East Islip, NY | Current City: Brooklyn, NY
Kyle is a curious, creative engineer living in Brooklyn, NY! He grew up on Long Island and was perpetually trying to figure out how things work and function, which inspired his engineering career. Kyle describes his style of cooking as global fusion comfort food because he enjoys exploring a wide range of cuisines but prefers to keep his food approachable.
