Cinnaminson 11-Year-Old Appears on National TV Tonight

A Cinnaminson Middle School student’s upcoming appearance on Food Network was motivated by her father’s traumatic brain injury, and her mother has praised the sixth-grader’s strength following her father’s death.

Lily Nichols, 11, will appear on Chopped on the Food Network Tuesday night, Sept. 30, 10 p.m.

Nichols applied to the show in hopes of being selected for the first ever Kids Chopped episode.

Chopped is a reality show in which four chefs compete against each other for a shot at $10,000.

Her hope was to win and to be able to bring her father home. Jeffrey Nichols had suffered a traumatic brain injury following an accident on Sept. 29, 2013.

She was among thousands of applicants. Following a phone interview and an in-person interview, Nichols was among four children selected to appear on the show.

However, three days after the show was taped, her father passed away due to the injury, on April 8, 2014.

Lily’s mother, Lisa Nichols, is proud of the way the strength her daughter has shown and her ability to put a positive spin on the situation.

“The airing of this show is bittersweet for her family,” Cinnaminson Superintendent of Schools Dr. Salvatore J. Illuzzi said in a message to the community. “No matter what the outcome of the show, please help in congratulating her for being so courageous and resilient during the most tragic time of her life.”

The attached photo was provided by Lisa Nichols