Delawareans on TV: A year in review. Check out all the Delaware appearances on TV in 2023
With all the streaming and cable content available nowadays, it’s easy to fall behind on new show releases, but if you tuned in closely this year, you might have noticed the plethora of Delawareans who made guest appearances on TV across several platforms.
Plenty of Delawareans made their small screen debuts in 2023, from searching for love to competing on beloved gameshows to head-to-head culinary competitions, there’s a lot to recap in terms of First State appearances.
If you missed any of these shows or need a quick refresher, here’s the rundown on Delaware’s TV and streaming starts of 2023. While there will be some minor spoilers below, we’ll save the good stuff for your own viewing pleasure.
Robbie Jester on ‘Pressure Cooker’
Newark chef Robbie Jester, owner of Pizzeria Mariana on East Cleveland Avenue and private chef, is no stranger to the limelight.
Having previously appeared on the Food Network’s “Beat Bobby Flay” and “Guy’s Grocery Games,” Jester returned to the competition world in Netflix’s competitive cooking series “Pressure Cooker,” which premiered on Jan. 6.
The show follows 11 chefs who are living together as they participate in cooking contests. The twist in the series is that there is no panel of guest judges: The competitors judge each other and also vote on who will receive the $100,000 prize.
Jester spent 3? weeks in Los Angeles to film the show in 2022 and had no idea how intense the competition would really be.
"It was completely secret. We didn't know anybody. We didn't know we weren't being judged by celebrity chefs. Every day is a new day and a new set of challenges. They did a really good job of keeping us separated and being secretive. It's very high-intensity and volatile. It's the hardest thing I've ever done," Jester previously told Delaware Online/The News Journal.
The first season of the show is available to binge watch on Netflix, so we won’t reveal any details, but once you’re caught up, check out Jester’s tell-all interview with Delaware Online/The News Journal.
Kaden Nye on ‘Wheel of Fortune’
Back in February, then-homeschooled eighth grader Kaden Nye from Smyrna stole the hearts of Delawareans and the nation alike as he fulfilled a lifelong dream to play on long-running gameshow “Wheel of Fortune” on Feb. 22.
Kaden previously told Delaware Online/The News Journal that he watches the show every night with his parents and is such a fan of show host Pat Sajak that he dressed up as him for Halloween one year.
Going with a strategy to be “calm as a cucumber,” Kaden said, his efforts paid off when he won a total of $19,334 in cash and prizes, including a trip to Wyoming, during the Feb. 22 episode that was part of a Teen Week special.
Not only did he wow viewers with sportsmanship and vibrant personality, but many also commended Kaden for wanting to win so he could help his great-grandmother. Although he didn’t win enough to move her out of her current home, he planned to use his winnings to pay for a new security system and home renovations for her.
Of his experience on “Wheel of Fortune,” Kaden previously told Delaware Online/The News Journal, “I just think it’s an honor to be on one of the best shows in history, and I’m just happy to be here.”
Lily Ramos on ‘The Price is Right’
Then a junior at the University of Delaware, nursing student Lily Ramos graced the stage on an episode of “The Price is Right” on March 13.
Ramos competed on a spring break-themed episode that featured an audience of college students, with students from universities nationwide playing for the chance to win hefty cash prizes to help with student loans and other college expenses.
“I don’t think I have been on TV before so I was like, ‘Oh, my gosh, this is so cool,’” Ramos previously told Delaware Online/The News Journal. “I know a lot of people are big fans of the show. People I know and people I don’t know would watch it.”
As one of the only East Coast college students to appear on the show, Ramos made a grand entrance into Contestant’s Row. When she heard the signature phrase “Come on down!” she somersaulted down the aisle as one of the first four players called down to partake in the action.
By the end, she walked away with $1,030 in cash and three trips totaling more than $50,000 — to Rome; to South Africa for a safari; and to Washington, D.C.
Derrick T. Lewis on ‘Wheel of Fortune’
Shortly after Kaden’s stint on “Wheel of Fortune,” Newark resident Derrick T. Lewis put Delaware back on the gameshow’s map when he tried his luck during a WWE Week episode on March 28.
The special paired each contestant with a WWE Superstar to take on the beloved competition tournament-style. By the fourth episode of the week, the three top winning pairs would battle during the week’s final WWE Week installment for a VIP trip to WrestleMania 39 and the title of WWE Wheel of Fortune Tournament Champion.
As a self-proclaimed WWE and “Wheel of Fortune” superfan, Lewis was living the dream.
“It was almost like a kid waking up on Christmas morning having all these toys, the fact that I get to be around wrestling, which I’ve been around almost my entire life, and a game show, which I’ve enjoyed my whole life,” Lewis previously told Delaware Online/The News Journal of the experience.
The cherry on top? His WWE Superstar partner turned out to be Sonya Deville, a longtime friend whom he had no idea would be on the show.
Although Lewis didn’t take home the top prize, he won $7,550 in cash.
Susan Simpson on ‘The Great American Baking Show’
Baking may seem like a sweet pastime, but it also can get pretty intense.
Susan Simpson, from Harrington, was one of nine contestants selected to be on season six of “The Great American Baking Show,” which premiered on May 5 on the Roku Channel, after five seasons of auditioning.
Simpson is a well-known figure in culinary competitions at the Delaware State Fair, and when a friend first told her about the competition show in 2015, she knew she had to apply, she previously told Delaware Online/The News Journal.
“The Great American Baking Show,” a spinoff of the original series “The Great British Bake Off” (called “The Great British Baking Show'' in the U.S.), pits amateur bakers against one another during a five-week competition in London. In the end, the last baker standing claims the title of baking champion.
Having her creations critiqued by show judges Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith, along with other bakers whose cookbooks she has loved for years, was an experience unlike any other, Simpson said.
“I grew and learned so much from them. It was encouragement to me as a baker and how I can grow. I will never forget that,” Simpson previously told Delaware Online/The News Journal.
Want to know how she fared? You’ll have to watch and find out. Check out her season of “The Great American Baking Show” on the Roku Channel.
The Fletcher family on ‘Family Feud’
Do you ever watch game shows and find yourself unable to scream answers at the TV that you wish the on-screen contestants would’ve said? Well, one Delaware family decided to take matters into their own hands.
The Fletcher family from Wilmington competed on "Family Feud,” hosted by Steve Harvey, on May 16.
A family of 10 siblings, five of the eight Fletcher sisters took the stage to represent Delaware and hopefully win for their late mother, who died in 2001. “We are a gaming family. Our mother Barbara Ann Fletcher loved playing games, and she loved the 'Family Feud.' I, as the oldest, I think I picked it up from her,” Lisa Fletcher previously told Delaware Online/The News Journal. “Whether it’s a board game or any other type of game, we play it.”
The Fletchers won the show and appeared again the next night to defend their winning title. If they managed to win five times in a row, a new car and the bonus round winnings would be theirs to keep.
The family made it to the fifth episode but lost the final showdown. Despite the loss and no new car, they came home with $41,415 from their four episode wins, including two trips to the Fast Money round.
The fletchers told Delaware Online/The News Journal previously that the most important part of the experience was getting to embark on the journey together, knowing they were honoring their mother and would be able to use their show winnings to work on their dad’s home.
“We did our best to represent our family and the memory of my mother,” said Lisa Fletcher. “Doing that for her, it just brought us closer. Through the show, it was something to unite us as a family.”
Lexi Goldberg on ‘The Ultimatum: Queer Love’
Netflix’s "The Ultimatum: Queer Love” premiered on May 24 and featured Lexi Goldberg, a Delaware native who grew up in Talleyville.
The show features five couples where one person wants to get married and another who is unsure about taking the next step. After viewers get to know the couples, contestants end up having a three-week “trial marriage” with another cast member to see if it makes or breaks their relationship with their partner. They can either decide to marry the person they came with, marry the other person they meet or break up with both for good.
This spin-off season of the hit show “The Ultimatum” featured a cast of only women and nonbinary contestants.
On “The Ultimatum,” viewers watched as Goldberg and her partner of three years Raelyn Cheung-Sutton struggled to figure out the direction of their relationship. Goldberg had marriage on the horizon while Cheung-Sutton wasn’t on the same page.
"I want to get married to this person. I want to bring children into the world with this person. I'm ready but she's not," Goldberg said in the first episode of the show,
Wondering what happens to the couple? The full season is available to stream on Netflix.
Jonathan McNatt on ‘I Survived Bear Grylls’
There may not be many Delawareans willing to endure extreme survival challenges and nature’s wrath, but Jonathan McNatt sure is one of them.
McNatt, a Smyrna-based mixed martial arts fighter and kickboxer, competed on the TBS reality show “I Survived Bear Grylls," hosted by British adventurer Bear Grylls and comedian Jordan Conley, on June 1.
Each stand-alone episode features a new set of contestants who compete in survival challenges, obstacle courses and "Fear Factor"-like gross-out contests with one taking away the $10,000 prize at the end of the episode.
Although McNatt had guesses as to what he and his fellow contestants would face, specifics were kept under wraps by the production team.
"I was trying to pick peoples' brains and they didn't want us talking to anybody," McNatt previously told Delaware Online/The News Journal. "But I know Bear and his shows, so I figured I was going to be eating or drinking something really nasty."
Want to see just how nasty it all gets? Watch McNatt in action on his episode on TBS.com.
When you’re done, read his post-show interview with Delaware Online/The News Journal where he spills the beans on the experience.
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Hari Cameron on “Beat Bobby Flay”
Rehoboth Beach Chef Hari Cameron, who runs grandpa (MAC) restaurant and food truck in Rehoboth with his brother, competed on “Beat Bobby Flay” on June 15.
The show follows two chefs as they go head-to-head in a 20-minute cookoff for the chance to battle Flay. The celebrity chef picks a "secret ingredient" the competitors must use, and the dishes are then judged by two friends of Flay.
Whoever wins then will try to outcook Flay by making their "signature dish." Flay supposedly doesn't know what the dish will be before the clock begins in the 45-minute round.
While there’s no monetary prize, winners get lifelong bragging rights for taking down the coveted Flay.
Cameron’s episode is titled “Who’s Your Mac Daddy” and features Flay’s daughter Sophie and Eddie Jackon, a chef and former NFL cornerback. The Rehoboth chef battles against Leilani Baugh, a chef/restaurateur from Oakland, California, who is known for making "Southern comfort food with an Asian twist."
Will Cameron get his chance to go up against Flay? Will he win it all? Watch the episode on FoodNetwork.com. While you’re at it, check out the other “Beat Bobby Flay” episodes featuring Delaware faces.
The Griffith Family on ‘Family Feud’
Lori DiSabatino, a Pike Creek grandmother of five, competed on “Family Feud” on Nov. 8 with her husband, daughter and stepsons as the Griffith family in hopes of winning big.
DiSabatino previously brought bragging rights to Delaware when she won $13,921 in cash and prizes and a cruise to Alaska on “Wheel of Fortune” in 2019.
"I figured I was able to get on one, why not try for another?" DiSabatino previously said to Delaware Online/The News Journal.
The family ended up on a three-night run after winning their initial episode but lost during their third appearance. Despite this, they left with $20,815 earned over three nights, with each family member receiving about $4,000 before taxes.
DiSabatino and her husband planned to pool their prize money and put it toward an ongoing kitchen renovation at their home, they previously told Delaware Online/The News Journal.
Want more details about the show? Read their post-show interview with Delaware Online/The News Journal.
Reporters Ryan Cormier and Patricia Talorico contributed to this report.
Got a tip or a story idea? Contact Krys'tal Griffin at [email protected].
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This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Delawareans on TV, streaming in 2023, how to watch their episodes
