Estimated Net Worth: $1-5 million
Restaurant: N/A
As Seen On: Calorie Commando, Weighing In
Juan-Carlos Cruz rose to fame when he lost 43 pounds on national television and transitioned his expertise from pastry chef to low-calorie cooking. He later became the host of two shows — “Calorie Commando” and “Weighing In.” Sadly, things took a turn for the worse. In 2010, Cruz was arrested in Los Angeles for reportedly hiring three homeless men to kill his wife, Jennifer Campell. Cruz didn’t even deny the attempted murder. He pleaded no contest to a charge of soliciting murder.
Cruz played his cards right by pleading no contest to the charge of soliciting murder. In this way, he was able to avoid being charged with attempted murder which would have led to a much longer sentence. His bail was set at $2 million and after the conviction, he began his nine-year prison sentence at the California Correctional Institute in Tehachapi.
Gina Neely
Estimated Net Worth: $2 million
Restaurant: N/A
As Seen On: Down Home with the Neelys and Road Tasted with the Neelys
Pat and Gina Neely were everybody's favorite Food Network couple that hosted "Down Home With the Neelys," which started in 2008. Despite their lovable relationship on camera, reports claimed that the pair actually hated each other during the filming of the entire show. After 23 years of marriage, Gina filed for divorce from Pat in 2014. She told People, “I never wanted to be a TV chef. I was a branch manager at a bank. I was going to divorce Pat prior to the show.” She also told People that the affectionate relationship they displayed on TV “wasn’t healthy or happy.”
Pat, on the other hand, seems to have felt starkly different in that area. He shared that he really did have a blast on the show. He said that he will always value "Down Home With the Neelys" as it allowed him to come on TV every day and share his home with viewers. He appreciates that he was able to share this experience with his high school sweetheart, a woman whom he loved. He also loves that he never had to act or put on a facade on the show.
Andrew Zimmern
Estimated Net Worth: $8 million
Restaurant: Lucky Cricket
As Seen On: Bizarre Foods
Andrew Zimmern's prolific food career started when he was just 14 years old. It has since grown into a food empire that includes radio, TV, journalism, and even a web show. Much like many other celebrity chefs, Zimmern's career also includes a feud or two. In 2009, he had one with Tyler Florence. The "Bizarre Foods" host didn't have the kindest words to say about Food Network chef Tyler Florence. At the time, Florence was a guest star on the short-lived reality show, "Momma’s Boys."
Zimmern clearly wasn't impressed by Florence's performance, so much so that he took to his blog to publicly write about it. He dissed Florence in the post, calling him the world's least talented TV chef. He labeled his cooking advice as questionable and poked fun at his menu of "Mom's fave recipes." He compared his T.V. show to that of a comedy show, saying that it was high-comedy watching him eating the food and acting like a local TV hunk.
Jeff Smith
Estimated Net Worth: $1-5 million
Restaurant: N/A
As Seen On: The Frugal Gourmet
Jeff Smith was one of the first people ever to reach the status of a celebrity chef. He became known as the host of the cooking show "Frugal Gourmet in" 1997 and wrote a number of very successful cookbooks. Later in life, he faced a lawsuit from seven men who claimed that the chef had sexually abused them as teenagers.
There were probably eight victims, but it's been said he paid one of them for his silence. The suit was settled out of court, but the chef never recovered from the scandal. Smith's show was promptly canceled. His recipes even lost their luster, being called, "unreliable." The ruined cook died in his sleep in 2004.
Fanny Cradock
Estimated Net Worth: $1-5 million
Restaurant: N/A
As Seen On: The Big Time
If you don't know who Fanny Cradock is it wouldn't be surprising, as she is considered to be the earliest celebrity chef on UK television. Her on-screen career was about 20 years long and lasted from the 1950s to the 1970s. Prior to her TV career, Cradock published "The Practical Cook," her first cookbook, which was a great success and gained her a huge fanbase.
The book ended up launching a live cooking demonstration tour around the UK and launched her televised career. Her latest TV role was that of a judge on "The Big Time," an English reality show. One of her most memorable moments on the show was pretending to throw up when one of the contestants described what she was about to cook for Edward Heath, who was prime minister at the time. She must be Gordon Ramsay's biggest inspiration.