Ryan Lochte Joins Reality TV Show Amid Controversial Divorce, Financial Troubles

Ryan Lochte has his eyes on the prize amid his contentious divorce from his estranged wife, Kayla Lochte. On January 4, 2026, the Olympic gold medalist will take the stage on the Food Network’s “Worst Cooks in America: Reality Check.” This season, the all-star cast, featuring legends from “Real Housewives” and “Dancing With the Stars,” will take part in an intense culinary boot camp like no other to transform them from “culinary disasters to kitchen masters.”

Ryan Lochte’s appearance on the series comes at a pivotal time in his life, as the elite athlete is embroiled in a very public and explosive divorce from his wife, Kayla, whom he married in 2018. Since the summer of 2025, the two have appeared to trade blows on social media while fighting in court over custody of their children and marital property.

Ryan Lochte has apparently also found himself in financial trouble in recent months, as the Fletcher Park Homeowners Association sued the swimmer over alleged unpaid fees related to his and Kayla’s $660,000 Florida home.

Starting in early January 2026, Food Network will air new episodes of “America’s Worst Cooks: Reality Check,” in which star cast members compete in entertainment-themed challenges for a chance to win $25,000 for the charity of their choice.

“The kitchen isn’t where this season’s celebrity rookies shine – but Jeff and Tiffany are determined to change that,” said Betsy Ayala, Head of Content and Power at Warner Bros. “Worst Cooks is where comedy and culinary chaos collide, but in the end, there are awe-inspiring culinary transformations that will blow our audiences away.”

Ryan isn’t the only notable figure joining the cast. The swimmer will be joined by the ‘Real Housewives of Salt Lake City’ star Lisa BarlowMTV Downtown veteran Julie Brown, “Dancing with the Stars” pro Val Chmerkovskiy, “Shahs of Sunset” actor Reza Farahan, “Love & Hip Hop” alum Amara La Negra, “RuPaul’s Drag Race” legend Manila Luzon, “The Challenge” mainstay CT Tamburello, “7th Heaven” star Beverly Mitchell and rapper/actor Romeo Miller.

Ryan’s appearance on “Worst Cooks” comes a month after the Olympian announced he was writing a new memoir about his rise to fame and dramatic fall from grace following the 2016 Rio Summer Games. In addition to writing about his struggles, Ryan promised to give his fans insight into the turmoil he faced in his marriage.

He also talked about his journey to fatherhood, saying he felt paralyzed by pressure after learning he was having a child “with someone I barely knew [and] who constantly reminded me that [our son] I would forever be disappointed in the father I had become. » But he didn’t stop there. Ryan explained that his strained relationship led him down the path to drug addiction. “Every day I would wake up being put down and reminded of my constant failures, day after day, until I was finally kicked out of our family home. »

In a message deleted sinceKayla responded to Ryan’s claims by sharing a clip of Ryan crying during their wedding ceremony in 2018. In the video, an emotional Ryan could be heard thanking Kayla for interrupting his “own dreams” to support him and then staying by his side during one of the darkest times of his life. “Today, as we continue our story, I am confident that no matter what ups and downs we face, as long as we are on this journey together and I am in charge of the directions, we will always return home,” he promised.

Before that, Ryan and Kayla fought in court for custody of their children, with Kayla alleging that the 41-year-old was using drugs in the presence of their minor children. Although Ryan denied the allegations, he admitted to using substances after falling into a deep depression following a near fatal accident.