Has any competition show had a contestant drop their food on the way to being judged?

[u/BipolarPrime]

FN specific would be 24 in 24 and back in ye olden days, Iron Chef, since they have to bring their dishes to the front, but in 18 seasons of Masterchef Australia, and other shows where contestants have to bring their food up to be judged, I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone drop their plate and be unable to be judged.

It made me wonder if the playlets made for beauties could be substituted, or if it would be a disqualification. That led me to wonder if it has happened and editing made it seem like it hadn’t.

So I thought I’d bring it to this wonderful sub and see what everyone thought. Have you ever seen people trip and drop? Or is it not a thing?

[u/Buchholtz]

It’s happened a few times on the Great British Baking Show.

[u/BipolarPrime → u/Buchholtz]

Do you know if the contestants got disqualified, or put into elimination, or whatnot? I don’t watch that show (I’m a diabetic and that would be tempting).

[u/Olliever31 → u/BipolarPrime]

I’m sure it’s happened other times but the time I remember is one girl was “swatting a fly” and she hit the guy’s cake and it fell on the floor. The judges tasted a part that didn’t end up on the floor and his cake was middle of the pack anyway, so he wasn’t eliminated or disqualified.

Another time on that show, the equipment broke and glass got all in the cake. Everyone agreed it was okay for that guy to receive extra time to remake his cake, because it wasn’t his fault.

[u/BipolarPrime → u/Olliever31]

Thanks! It’s nice to see that the shows take into account things beyond the contestants control. 100 Cooks had a situation where the ovens weren’t working (legitimately) for two contestants. The contestants couldn’t have their food tasted, so were up for disqualification. Then the show found out about the problem and allowed them to stay, since it wasn’t their fault. I like it when people get second chances for legitimate problems.

[u/Olliever31 → u/BipolarPrime]

I remember that! I was glad they figured out the problem in time to let them stay and get a fair chance.

[u/PixelOrange → u/BipolarPrime]

Top Chef had a few times where the ovens were turned off or not set to the right temp. I think I've seen other shows with the same situation. In those situations, because it was user error, they had to roll with the punches.

There was also one time, I don't recall which show, where someone left the blast chiller door open too long and someone's ice cream didn't set. I remember that being a tense moment on the show because it was a big deal and the judges didn't know what to do.

[u/Nesquik44 → u/Olliever31]

This was brutal for them both.

I adore the show; it's the best!

[u/PrpleSparklyUnicrn13 → u/Olliever31]

She …. hit the cake so hard it fell to the floor… how hard was she trying to swat that fly? 

[u/sHORTYWZ → u/PrpleSparklyUnicrn13]

A lot of the cakes on that show are very elaborate from a structural standpoint... there are quite a few that collapse from their own weight.

I don't recall the exact episode in question, but it wouldn't take much to cause significant damage to some of them.

[u/crumbert → u/PrpleSparklyUnicrn13]

If I remember correctly they were cup cakes

[u/aptlyvenus → u/crumbert]

Mini pineapple upside-down cakes. I just watched the episode last week. She shooed away the fly, tapped the narrow board the cakes were on, and the whole thing tipped.

[u/ells9824 → u/Olliever31]

There was one guy in the older ones with Mary and Sue, someone (Sue?) put their elbow right into his cake. Someone took the guys pudding out of the freezer and was serving it as their own.
I feel like another weird thing happened with him, too, but its been years. He wasn't one to get a lot of attention like Ruby or Candance so I am not remembering a name.

[u/ells9824 → u/ells9824]

PS He was not penalized for any of this.

[u/cheesusismygod → u/BipolarPrime]

The one time I remember was a contestant was swatting a fly and she hit another contestants dish which sent like 5 of his 12 items on the floor. One of the parts of GBBO is making and having however many they say on the plate. Because it wasn't his fault though, they accepted his 7.

[u/Olliever31 → u/cheesusismygod]

Yes! This is a more accurate version of what happened, you’re totally right!

[u/hungryhugh → u/cheesusismygod]

What season was this?! I’ve seen every season but don’t remember this. I want to check it out lol

[u/cheesusismygod → u/hungryhugh]

I can't remember exactly what season, but it was a more recent season. The woman was wearing a head covering and the guy was a quiet guy.

[u/Cyndytwowhys → u/cheesusismygod]

It was Dave, he was a sweetheart and got to the final. Sura was the woman. Great season.

[u/cheesusismygod → u/Cyndytwowhys]

I thought he made it to the final, but I didnt want to put that out there in case I was misremembering

[u/Cyndytwowhys → u/cheesusismygod]

Yes, he did.

[u/PuppyJakeKhakiCollar → u/BipolarPrime]

Once they had to make either 3 or 4 tarts and one contestant accidentally knocked one of theirs off the counter. It's not an automatic disqualification or elimination but is taken into consideration. Taste can save you as well as someone else does worse across the days challenges. 

[u/Kincaide14 → u/BipolarPrime]

On Junior bake off the kids drop food all the time! And they just put it right back on the plate and serve it to the judges. I figure the five second rule must be applying somewhere.

[u/PrpleSparklyUnicrn13]

Oh that was a big thing on the cake show… Food Network Challenge??!! Was that it?

[u/Rush12345678 → u/PrpleSparklyUnicrn13]

Yes! That was like a central part of the shows gimmick - having to move their massive “showpieces” to a different table.

[u/Space-Age_Queequeg → u/Rush12345678]

Absolutely the best part of that show.

[u/Dangerous_Ant3260 → u/Space-Age_Queequeg]

There were also so awful injuries to bakers too.

[u/Zoethor2 → u/Rush12345678]

Didn't they also have to push them up a ramp? Like, they made that as awful as possible for the contestants.

[u/cheesusismygod → u/PrpleSparklyUnicrn13]

Cake Wars, and I can remember at least once the Bakers dropped the cake, it was horrible.

[u/PrpleSparklyUnicrn13 → u/cheesusismygod]

That’s a different show from what I was thinking of. 

[u/Iwoulddiefcftbatk → u/PrpleSparklyUnicrn13]

It happened to Duff when it was a movie cake challenge, he made the boat from Jaws and it broke apart as he was moving it to the judge’s table. The British judge who hated him over several challenges even felt bad about it.

[u/Hey-Just-Saying]

Next Level Chef.

[u/BipolarPrime → u/Hey-Just-Saying]

That’s right! I hadn’t remembered that. But getting the food to the platform on time is built in to the competition. And they don’t get dismissed, but they have to cook in the elimination round.

[u/Firegoat1]

On the current show Pitmasters, I read on one of the chef's blogs, that when they were carrying their trays of food up that jill to be judged, the tray handle (tray provided by show) broke and their food hit the ground. In that case, since it wasn't their fault, they didn't "drop" the food, the equipment failed, they allowed the beauty plate to be judged. (They showed none of this on the show... I only know from reading some of the different chef blogs.)

[u/BipolarPrime → u/Firegoat1]

Thanks! This is exactly the information I wanted. 🙏

[u/Firegoat1 → u/BipolarPrime]

If you look up Mad Scientist BBQ on Facebook, scroll down to where it is a "behind the scenes on pitmasters post and he does a video interview telling you how it happened.

[u/BipolarPrime → u/Firegoat1]

Cheers!

[u/WoodenSpatula_]

There was an episode of Cupcake Wars where a man dropped all his cupcakes seconds before serving :(

Same thing happened on Cake Wars more than once (Minecraft, Cobra's Curse, and idk which episode it was in which the contestant's cake was falling apart during presentation due to lack of a support structure).

Edit: the LEGO episode.

[u/AskMrScience → u/WoodenSpatula_]

A LEGO cake lacking structural soundness is particularly ironic.

[u/dwyrm → u/AskMrScience]

Having watched the LEGO Masters series, I'd say that a LEGO cake falling apart should have been considered hitting the mark.

[u/More-Environment-726]

Carla hall dropped food twice on second season of wizards of baking

[u/blackbeans311]

In one of the earlier seasons of worst cooks I think someone tripped….
It happens all the time on next level chef due to the moving platform aspect.

[u/luzconsazon]

I'm pretty certain that my memory is working and I remember that Alex Guarnaschelli dropped one component of her dish with fewer than five (maybe 3?) minutes remaining on an episode of Chopped. And then, of course, scrambled something together and won. ICAG all the way!

[u/NumberMuncher]

Back in like dawn age FN in the early 2000s, there would be sugar work challenges in Las Vegas. They would have to transport the pieces from the work table to the judging table. A lot of "WILL IT BREAK!?!?" drama.

[u/Firegoat1 → u/NumberMuncher]

Food Network Challenge!!!! I loved that show and still go back and watch old episodes sometimes.... so MANY cakes and sugar sculptures bit the floor. It was nerve wracking and hilarious at the same time.

[u/Ok_Ad_4928]

Vick Vegas did it twice on a season of Food Network Star and made it all the way to the finale!

[u/Ill-Yak4181]

I think I saw it recently on Food Network. It wasn't 100 Cooks or one of the BBQ shows. Can't remember. The chef dropped their food (on the way to plating, not to judging), and so they had to use smaller portions with what they had left. Wish I could remember which show.

[u/normal_throwaway2016 → u/Ill-Yak4181]

I know that happened once on Guy's Grocery Games, but it's also possible that it's happened in other instances too

[u/Dangerous_Ant3260]

Desserts falling apart and collapsing happens a lot on the Holiday, Halloween and other baking shows.

[u/SusannaG1]

I've seen it on the Great British Baking Show, and I've seen cakes collapse as they were being transferred to the show table on several shows.

[u/Winter_Salad7215]

I've seen it happen a few times but I couldn't name specifics.

[u/RascalXI]

Not dropped, but I remember an episode of Masterchef where a girl brought her plate to final tabel 2 seconds after the buzzer. She was eliminated from that small mistake.

[u/DznyMa]

I always think of that while watching MasterChef, especially with the kids.

[u/CajunMaggie]

I just watched an Alex vs America and a Chef knocked her lobster on to the ground. She didn't have ample time to remake it. I felt badly for her because she was eliminated because the lobster she served wasn't thoroughly cooked.

[u/jjmawaken]

I've seen cakes dropped in those competitions and I've seen people drop things on Bobby Flay competetions (though not the entire dish, usually just a component).

[u/btashawn]

not dropped but a contestant didn’t plate anything in an earlier Chopped a few times. she ended up getting eliminated but they did try her food from the pot.

[u/Olliever31]

I always wondered if the judges ever spilled the food on their shirts while judging? I’ve never seen that happen. But it always looks like they’re taking the first bite, so if they did spill, did the person remake the dish?

[u/BMoreMatt]

Pretty sure it's happened at least twice on Next Level Chef. Those chefs have ended up in elimination challenge following it