Aurora mom Sophia Ayala Gettys is trying her best to be the worst.
She’s a contestant on the Food Network’s upcoming “Worst Cooks in America.” In the first episode, she’s almost too good with her signature dish: Ground turkey meatloaf with pureed yams and cinnamon sugar.
“I was trying to get creative there,” she says.
The two judges/chefs were almost impressed.
She makes the first cut, 12 out of 24, but she won’t say how it finally turns out. The series begins Jan.3; the winner gets $25,000.
“It was an incredible experience,” Gettys says. “My husband nominated me. He knows how I cook. He comes home after an eight-hour day and he still has to fix dinner. Or we order a pizza. I didn’t know how to cook anything. I would mess up ramen noodles.”
Gettys notably starred as a “chubbie” in the controversial Anti-Gym TV commercials last year. Obviously, she has no self-esteem problems.
She says she’s lost 34 pounds since she learned how to cook on TV — making healthier dishes for herself, her husband, Eric, and their two kids.
“The show was absolutely life-changing,” she says.
Does she win the bragging rights to be the worst? Tune in. Fair warning: It’s not easy to look at some of this cooking. Keep the Pepto handy.
Hooray for Hollywood.
Denver’s Dave Berlin produced one of the more offbeat movies screening at Sundance in January. It’s “Holy Rollers,” a full-length feature based on a true story: The adventures of a young Hasidic man from Brooklyn who gets lured into the drug trade as a mule, smuggling Ecstasy from Europe to America. It stars up-and-comers Jesse Eisenberg, Justin Bartha and Q-Tip.
“We have a controversial story, we came in under budget and we got into Sundance,” Berlin says.
And that’s a good start.
Hey Hazel! Hey Miller!
A fan is so crazy for Hazel Miller that she named her twins after the singer: The girl is “Hazel,’ the boy is “Miller.” She sent Miller a picture of the 2-year-old tots. “And they’re so cute,” says Miller, who puts New Year’s Eve away this year at the Sherman Street Events Center.
All I want for Christmas.
I want a Tiger Woods “Whoopie” Cupcake from Big Fat Cupcake . . . I want a cellar of Elway’s steak-seasoning salt . . . I want a bottle of Piatti’s olive oil . . . I want a bar of Wynkoop’s Rail Yard Ale All-Natural Beer Soap . . . I want a pewter pig from Morton’s.
City spirit.
The Broncos offensive line will be hanging with the kids at the Samaritan House Holiday Funder 5 p.m. Tuesday . . . Gospel Brunch this morning at Comedy Works South with Hearts of Worship . . . Hanukkah candle lighting 5 p.m. Wednesday at the Ritz-Carlton — complete with latkes made from the Gabby Gourmet’s secret recipe . . . Sorry kids. Chris “Birdman” Andersen’s stint as Santa is sold out today at JW Marriott . . . Sez who: “There is no such thing as inner peace. There is only nervousness and death.” Fran Lebowitz
Bill Husted’s column appears Sunday, Tuesday and Friday. You can reach him at 303-954-1486 or at bhusted@denverpost.com. Take a peek at Husted’s next column at .
