In May 2022, disgraced Black Reality TV personality Ariel Robinson, 29, was found guilty and jailed for life for causing the death of her popular, adopted 3 year old daughter Victoria Rose Smith.

After previously being in a safe and happy White foster home, in March 2020, the sweet and innocent White girl was moved with her two biological brothers into the Black Robinson foster home, by South Carolina Department of Social Services.

The Robinsons had two biological children of their own and were active social media posters. Photos began to appear with the Smith children recovering from bruises to their heads, arms and shoulders.

Earlier in February 2020, aspiring comedienne and former teacher, Ariel featured in Season 20 of the reality TV show ‘Worst Cooks in America’, a competition between people with poor cooking skills, which in she went on to win. When it was aired in July/ August she receiving $25,000 in prize money. 

The Robinsons went onto adopt Victoria Rose and her brothers and unfortunately her parenting skills turned out to be even worse than her cooking.

During the trial Robinson’s words seemed to suggest she viewed little Victoria as some kind of pet or toy. “She was my mini me,” self centred, Ariel Robinson later said. “She used to talk like me, act like me. She wanted to be everywhere I went.” Clearly the girl had developed a bond with her adopted mother and had complete trust that the self-described ‘mother bear’ would protect and never harm her.

The day prior to the death of the girl the Robinsons attended church and it seems Victoria was taken into the building undressed, due apparently to her being sick on her dress in the car on the way there.

Witnesses Jean Smith and Avery Santiago testified that they saw Ariel and an undressed Smith in the church bathroom as Ariel tried to clean the girl’s dress in a sink. Smith said she asked Ariel whether Smith was sick, and Ariel apparently told her that the child “eats too much and makes herself throw up,” calling it “a game.”

Santiago testified that she heard Ariel say to Smith, “‘Oh, you’re cold. You’re cold. Girls that make themselves throw up deserve to be cold”.

“I was frustrated,” Ariel said Thursday when asked about the church incident.

On the day Victoria Robinson died, Jerry Robinson said in court, Ariel abused the victim for roughly an hour before he intervened. He found his wife standing over the child, saying: “You’re not done. You don’t get to tell me when you’re done.”

He claimed Ariel would get upset at the girl if she ate too slowly or used the bathroom for too long and would beat her with belts or a wooden paddle.

“I told her she had gone too far this time, I should have stopped it,” the defendant told the court.

On the 14th January, Victoria Rose Smith was found unresponsive at the Robinson home by police who attended after Jerry called emergency services after the hour long beating by Ariel. She was taken to hospital where she was pronounced dead. Greenville County Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Michael Ward, a forensic pathologist, testified that the toddler was beaten with such force that her blood vessels burst, allowing blood to collect in her muscles and fat, which could have led to her death.

The pair were arrested days later and the children were all moved to foster care. In May 2022, Ariel Robinson, 30, was convicted by a South Carolina jury of homicide by child abuse in the death of Victoria Rose Smith, 3, and was sentenced to life in prison. Austin pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting homicide by child abuse and was sentenced to 20 years in jail.

Ariel Robinson’s teaching certificate was suspended by the state Board of Education shortly after her arrest and ‘The Food Network’ TV company that produced “America’s Worst Cooks” deleted all content related to the Season 20 show.

Previous foster parents Tiffany and Cameron Huggins provided a safe home for the girl previously. Regarding Victoria Rose Tiffany commented.

“She was just a natural, She had the best personality and I’m not just saying that cause I was her momma, but she was just our light. She was a beautiful child, inside and out.”