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PARK CITY -- Summer Sanders took home one silver, one bronze and two gold medals in swimming events in the 1992 Olympic Games, but in her latest endeavor she seeks to take home the gold in a different kind of event: a celebrity cook-off, the winner of which wins $50,000 for charity.
The Park City resident competed on Food Network's Rachel vs. Guy Celebrity Cook-Off, which airs New Years Day and will feature eight celebrity contestants, ranging from former N'Sync member Joey Fatone to current Miss USA Alyssa Campanella.
Sanders said reality TV shows "scare (her) a bit," and she is not a gourmet cook.
"I cook for two of the toughest critics out there," she said. "My 5-year-old daughter and 3-year-old son. My goal as a cook is to put good, healthy food on the table, but it's not super spicy or gourmet."
Her team made the competition fun, though.
"We worked so well together as a team," she said. "I really am kind of shocked. I'm an individual sport athlete, but I've always loved being a part of a team."
Sanders could not reveal who was on her team before the premier, but she said both teams became very close over the course of the competition. Actor Lou Diamond Phillips, whom Sanders described as "such a great leader and so knowledgeable," even earned a couple of nicknames in the kitchen: LDP and "The Marinade King."
"LDP brought so many of his own recipes to the table," she said. "It was hard to think of people as competition. I certainly never wanted to go up against him in a one-on- one battle."
Fatone made an impression on Sanders for his sense of humor.
"He was so funny -- exactly how you see him on TV," she said. "He was always providing such humor. And he's from an Italian family, so you know he has to have some major recipes he's bringing to the table."
The tasks themselves were more demanding than Sanders expected.
"These tasks are not easy," she said. "It's not like you're cooking for a couple of girlfriends coming over. Every time they'd give us a task, I would feel my jaw dropping. I couldn't even comprehend how we were going to do it."
"I've been in some stress-filled situations, but there's nothing like being behind a hot stove with a countdown clock, with no recipe and nothing but pressure and sharp knives," added the Olympian.
Sanders competed for Right to Play, a charity that uses sport to teach children in developing countries life skills. She has been involved with the charity for 15 years and has taken two humanitarian trips, one to Rwanda and one to Sierra Leon.
"I've seen firsthand the incredible kids we are lucky enough to be involved with," she said. "It's such an honor and a gift to be able to touch their lives. And they've done so much for me."
Sanders, who competed on the third season of Celebrity Apprentice, has no immediate plans to participate in another reality TV show. She is not, however, ruling it out.
"I think I'm done with reality TV," she said. "You can never say never, though. I loved being a part of this competition; I learned so much. I would do this type of competition again, for sure."
Photo courtesy Food Network.
Email: sgrimes@ksl.com
