Jackie Tohn Starred on Another Netflix Hit Before Hosting 'Best Leftovers Ever'

If you've ever thought that you deserved an award for reinventing the leftovers from your fridge into entirely new meals, then you'll definitely want to add Best Leftovers Ever to your Netflix lineup. 

The competition series is like Chopped for leftovers. Instead of getting obscure mystery ingredients, the cooks in each episode are tasked with repurposing past meals, like tamales, pad thai, and birthday cake. The most successful cook in each episode walks away with $10,000. 

While the three competitors in every episode can select what to use from a variety of leftovers in the first round, things are different in the second and final round. They must cook using past takeout meals from host Jackie Tohn's own fridge. 

Who is Jackie Tohn from Best Leftovers Ever? She previously starred on another Netflix series. 

Before contestants were raiding her fridge on Best Leftovers Ever, Jackie first rose to fame as a contestant on Season 8 of the singing competition American Idol.  She made it to the Top 36, but she was eliminated in the "Billboard Hot 100" round after performing "A Little Less Conversation" by Elvis Presley. Kris Allen went on to beat Adam Lambert in the finals of that season.

But, despite not winning the competition series, Jackie still managed to make a name for herself. 

Her stint on American Idol wasn't her first time on the small screen, as the Long Island native had previously guest-starred in a series of TV shows. She made her TV debut in 1994 on The Nanny, and she notably appeared on The Sopranos, Veronica Mars, Angel, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and The Closer.

After Idol, Jackie continued to pursue music and acting, and she had roles in CSI: NY (2011), Rules of Engagement (2012), Castle (2014),  and The Good Place (2016).

She also was one of the featured songwriters on the Bravo series, Platinum Hit, which was judged by singer Jewel and former American Idol panelist Kara DioGuardi. Jackie came in seventh place on the show's first and only season. 

Those who weren't glued to American Idol in the early aughts were likely introduced to Jackie in the Netflix original series, GLOW.

Her character, Melanie "Melrose" Rosen, was a spoiled party girl who was often at odds with the other wrestlers, including Cherry Bang (Sydelle Noel). The series was renewed for a fourth and final season in 2019, but Netflix later rescinded the renewal due to the ongoing production delays from the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The 40-year-old actress/singer's only known public relationship took place in the mid-00s, when she dated singer Jason Mraz. Interestingly, she also auditioned for American Idol with her ex-beau's most famous song, "I'm Yours." It doesn't appear as if Jackie is married or in a relationship at the moment. 

You can catch Jackie and judges Rosemary Shrager and David So on Best Leftovers Ever.

Season 1 of Best Leftovers Ever is available to stream on Netflix beginning on Dec. 30.