The true " idiot sandwich " was actually the consultation , for believing any of this was real .
It’s time we all admitted it: cooking and baking shows are arguably better than any other type ofreality show. There’s just nothing like the feeling of eating a grocery-store cupcake and pretending it’sCupcake Wars-level, or watching Gordon Ramsey absolutely rip apart a contestant’s creation.
But as cool as these shows are, production often exaggerates or makes up some aspects to make sure they’re 100% entertaining. So,u/Endieeasked, “Redditors who have been involved with cooking competition shows likeChopped, what are some interestingbehind-the-scenessecrets?” and people did NOT hold back.
Disclaimer : Though hoi polloi take to be speaking from their own experiences with celebrities , BuzzFeed ca n’t sustain the rigour of these tale .
1.The rush after “go time” isn’t entirely accurate:
" There is ordinarily a ' singultus ' between when the host says , ' go , ' and when the competitor really get down . That think of we stop shooting and the culinary team unremarkably comes out and talks down the ingredient with the chefs or the chefs just talk amongst their team and figure it out . "
– u / TTheorem
2.The contestants aren’t as alone as you’d think.
– atomic number 92 / violetmemphisblue
3.There’s loooots of time in between participants finishing their dishes and the actual judging portion, so the judges are eating lukewarm or cold food.
" Went to chief ( elementary ) schoolhouse with a guy rope who was on MasterChef Jnr or whatever , and he said by the meter they ’ve finished cookery and the judges are try , the food is I. F. Stone moth-eaten and probably disgusting regardless of the accomplishment that went into its creation . "
— uracil / U_N_Owen1939
4.And for the drinks that need to look cold, they use fake ice cubes.
" I participate in a bartending challenge standardised toChoppedcalledShaken the Cocktail Challenge(it ’s for YouTube ) .
I was the 2nd installment that take , and the cat who was my opposition mentioned how there was so much time between the oddment of the beverage - making and the taste mental testing for his first cinematography that it in all likelihood contributed to his loss .
So they had to have these fake ice cubes for any drinks on the rocks . "
– uracil / ArLeeNotLayOh
5.The drama between participants is exaggerated, to say the least. Instead, the main beef is between participants and producers.
" I will say that 9 times out of 10 , no one is being cattish or sabotaging behind the scenes .
I did one competition while on crutch and the other challenger went out of their way to help me at times . The people putting on the competition were the primary annoyance in the cigaret when I informed them in advance that the crutch situation would be a thing . "
– [ erase user ]
6.The judges sometimes have… less influence than we might think. Or none at all.
" My sidekick was in reality onMasterChefa few yr ago and allow me tell you , the way he describes it , the show definitely has a very very ugly underside .
He used to tell me all about how from the very first day , the judges and writer of the show design who is gon na win based strictly on what they guess will get them the highest packaging . Contestants were pop the question schedule about when each of them will get eliminate and offered pecuniary payoff if they observe it . "
– u / SwetySpaghetti
7.Child contestants can get lessons before competing on kids cooking shows to make sure they can actually complete the task.
" Those kids cookery record , though … those nipper get basically taught decently before they cook . They are still amazing cooks though for being so young ! "
8.Participants are allowed to bring, and use, their own recipes from home. They don’t just memorize everything before the show.
" In the US variation ofHell ’s Kitchen , you’re able to frequently see the contestants carry around and/or looking at a binder of papers , presumptively recipes . "
– u / snowlovesnow
9.The whole experience isn’t as quick and rushed as it looks like.
" They had to reshoot a lot of clobber ( reveals and plating ) . Like , inCutthroat Kitchen , you ran to get your supply … they ’d burgeon forth that like 4 metre . "
– u / Elpacoverde
10.Some of the cooking shows you’ve seen weren’t filmed in actual kitchens, or even real TV studios.
" I was a contestant onReady Set Cookin the 90s ( the American one , not the BritishReady Steady Cook ) . The studio in NYC it was filmed in was previously a telly studio apartment used bySesame Streetwhen it was starting out . Which was cool .
But originally it was a live theatre — so when you looked up or at the wall , there was all this cool plaster oeuvre and ornate decorations etc . from a material , old - schooling theatre . But with holes busted through to drop chains to hangs light bars and cables and stuff .
Just kind of eldritch that wall all this idiot box studio equipment and modern set part was the shell of a dead Victorian theatre . "
– uranium / blackhorse15A
11.The ingredients provided by the show aren’t always top-quality.
" I think the bountiful matter you would n’t ask is a heap of the meter the ingredients are kind of in gross condition and sometimes that messes up a dead executed end ware … especially the green groceries . "
12.And of course you’ve wondered, what happens to the leftovers? Well, it’s often the contestants' job to deal with it.
" You are forced to eat on any of the remaining nutrient you ’ve made . "
13.The “secret ingredients”? They aren’t actually all that secret, and there’s tons of practice time.
" Mybest friendwas onCooks VS Cons . It ’s 2 real chef and 2 rest home cooks . You do n’t know who is who and each cycle they give you a ' enigma ' ingredient to fake a certain dish with .
Except , the ingredients are told to the all the contestants either a week or 2 hebdomad before ( I do n’t remember which ) . They get to practice as much or short as they ’d like before the show is filmed . "
– u / AndTheStoryGoesLike
14.When judges just aren’t a fan of a particular ingredient, they might be asked to pretend they love it anyway.
" I did one thing long ago as a kid for a cooking thing , and the instalment I was on was about cooking sizable for fry . Well this one asshole make up one’s mind to make a banana smoothy .
I am not very picky . I got on to the show because my parent are chef and made trusted I ’m not picky , but I absolutely HATE bananas and smoothy . Worst - tasting thing I ’d ever had . Still had to drink it and roleplay like it was amazing . Also , they did n’t appropriate the kids to vote on what was the right . "
– uranium / Actinglead
15.The crowd might also play a large role in deciding the winner. Because, of course, the audience is always the real judge.
" At least one clip , they changed the winner based off the crowd ’s chemical reaction . Like , the estimable person won the swag but on melodic phrase , someone else was crowned the achiever … "
16.Yes, judges get full. And yes, they keep eating anyway.
" I was a judge for a webcast cooking competitor at an event . There was seven teams who each had to do a savoury and a fresh ravisher with a secluded ingredient . The dishes were all amazing and even with only a bite or two of each , we were so full it hurt to breathe after . "
– uranium / SillySafetyGirl
17.And, to end on a positive note: the money winners get is 100% real, and actually helps many competitors achieve their dreams.
" My girl come through $ 15,000 ! ! ! She ’s currently in culinary schooltime now . "
Well, hopefully that doesn’t ruin cooking shows for you. Let’s just collectively remain stunned by just how hard the contestants work. Anyway, let’s end with a reminder of the most iconic cooking show moment in history:
What’s your favourite cooking show? Any new recommendations for me? Let me know below, and also, follow BuzzFeed Canada onTikTokandInstagramfor more absolutely revolutionary secrets about the shows you love.
