Celebrity Chefs' Wildest On-Camera Blowups

Thanks to shows like "MasterChef" and "Hell's Kitchen," where the likes of Gordon Ramsay yell at chefs for making mistakes, there's an idea that professional chefs are often tense and shout all the time. Although those close to famous chefs say they're not always angry in real life, they do still have huge blowups that usually end up in news circuits worldwide.

Chef blowups range from loud and explosive to quiet yet lethal. Just how loud these meltdowns get depends on the nature of each chef. For someone like Marco Pierre White, for example, a softly-spoken threat has the same impact as a screaming tirade from a red-faced Hulk. 

On that note, we've rounded up a list of instances where famous chefs and cooks either forgot to keep their tempers in check or knowingly vented their anger at others while the cameras were still rolling. Many of these blowups happened many years ago, but were so intense and memorable that people still talk about them today. Buckle up, because things are about to get loud.

Paula Deen was one of the most famous chefs on television in the '90s and the 2000s. She was on Food Network, published best-selling cookbooks, and owned several restaurants in the South. But in 2013, a huge scandal sent her career spiraling when a former employee sued Deen and her brother, Earl 'Bubba' Hiers, for workplace discrimination and sexual harassment. Although the lawsuit was later dismissed, details about Deen's deposition became public, revealing that Deen had admitted to previously using a racial slur during her three-hour conversation with the prosecuting attorney.

Deen's scandal culminated with her interview with Matt Lauer for "Today." The chef was emotional and denied the racist allegations, saying she wasn't raised that way. She claimed that the only time she used a racial slur was when she was held at gunpoint during a bank robbery, which Lauer tried to point out was inconsistent with what she said in her deposition. Toward the end of the interview, a crying Deen pleaded for the public's understanding. "If you've never committed a sin, please pick up that rock, pick up that boulder, and hit me as hard as you can," she said (via YouTube).

The public's response to her apology was split. Some fans stayed loyal while others remained unconvinced of her sincerity. Unfortunately for Deen, the interview didn't help save her contracts with the Food Network and several other brands and companies.

Bobby Flay made regular appearances on "Iron Chef" for well over a decade. The longevity of his stint on the cooking show would suggest their relationship was at least amiable. That's why it came as a huge shock when, in the middle of filming for "Iron Chef Showdown" in 2017, Flay took off his apron to reveal the shirt he wore underneath, which bore the message, "THIS IS MY LAST IRON CHEF BATTLE EVER."

Thanks to the timing of Flay's grand reveal, there was very little the production team could do about Flay's dramatic reveal, meaning they had to continue filming. Vanity Fair reported that a shocked silence settled over the set, and that producers informed him they wouldn't be able to cut around the incident. "I know. That's the point," Flay reportedly replied.

Fans of the show suspect the incident caused the episode to be aired last, even though earlier commercials suggested it would air midway through the season. Flay later said the whole thing was a joke. "I wore a T-shirt to have a little fun during my last battle this season. In hindsight, it was probably not the best decision," his statement read, as reported by People. The episode that aired reportedly blurred out the t-shirt. Nevertheless, it goes down in television history as one of the most dramatic ways to quit a show.

Guy Fieri is as well-known for his boisterous nature and laugh-out-loud humor as he is for his cooking. He is one of Food Network's biggest stars and christened Mayor of Flavortown by his fans. With his spiky, bleached hair, dark goatee, and punk taste in fashion, Fieri looks like someone who could hold his own in a fight. But he's still a famous chef who needs to maintain a favorable image, so when TMZ caught him on camera brawling on the street in 2013, the incident made headlines.

The tabloid's video showed Fieri, sitting inside a black SUV, kicking out at a man who was holding on to the open door and hurling punches and insults at the chef. The man was later revealed to be his hairdresser, Ariel Ramirez, who looked furious.

When asked for a statement, Fieri and his team didn't give any details about the fight. His reps simply brushed off the incident, claiming it was just guys being guys. "A bunch of guys were messing around," the rep told TMZ. "Things got a little out of hand, but they're all good now."

Marco Pierre White is a living legend in the culinary world, renowned for his expertise and quiet but intimidating demeanor. He doesn't necessarily scream or get physically threatening, but has such a formidable and commanding presence that a frown from him could even shake a professional chef's knees (or, in Gordon Ramsay's case, make one cry).

This was evident in Episode 3 of "Marco's Great British Feast."  In this episode, the chef was shown preparing appetizers for 30 guests. White became immensely upset because his supplier provided him with frozen smoked eel. "The meat's been frozen. It's no good," he declared after he tried removing the skin. The discovery soured his mood so much, he told the person behind the camera to stop filming. When the crew continued to roll the cameras, White became incensed. "I don't want to be filmed, do you understand?" he said pointedly (via YouTube). "Do not film when I say do not film me. ... Do not push me."

With the other chefs in the kitchen looking worried about the increasing tension, White continued to warn the film crew. "I don't think you understand what I am. I control myself very well," he said. Unfortunately for White, the event and filming had to proceed, so he had to quell his anger and continue making appetizers.

Gordon Ramsay is famous for his Michelin-star restaurants, beef Wellingtons, and confrontational attitude. He is known to throw plates, shout, and curse at people who don't follow his instructions or meet expectations. It's not just chefs and cooking show contestants who get a taste of his ire, but also restaurant owners.

In an episode of "Gordon Ramsay's Secret Service," Ramsay had a tense confrontation with the owner and manager of Caffe Boa, the restaurant featured in the show. Tensions were high from the get-go, and it didn't help that the owner said he'd pick AI over cooks any day. Ramsay enumerated the problems he discovered at the restaurant, such as the owner's poor attitude, his inexperienced wife acting as executive chef, rat droppings, and the unsafe storage of cooked and raw food. Instead of acknowledging those mistakes, the owner rejected criticism and boasted about their 4.6 Google rating instead. "Go read them!" the owner said.

The latter's arrogance set Ramsay off. "A jack of all trades and master of [redacted]," he said, later adding that the owner was "deluded." The episode revealed more problems with the owner's management and attitude. Fortunately, Ramsay and the owner eventually saw eye to eye, and Caffe Boa was successfully rehabilitated, with the Ahwatukee restaurant remaining operational today.

Many speculate that Gordon Ramsay's on-camera rage is just for show. However, his angry outbursts usually happen for a reason, like when people lie to him or chefs serve raw food. Ramsay has also been in the industry for so long, he can tell when someone truly needs instruction, is being careless, or is simply baiting him to explode. This leads us to an on-camera crash-out in an interview with News.com.au. Ramsay didn't yell, but he didn't hold back on his withering comments. "My God, I thought this was an intelligent interview," he mocked.

It all started when the news outlet visited Maze, one of Ramsay's London restaurants, which is now closed. A diner complained that their well-done steak was burned and tasted like rubber. When a reporter met with Ramsay later that year in Sydney, they showed the chef photos of the steak and asked for a comment.

"You have to be a little bit more honest with me," Ramsay told the interviewer (via YouTube). "What are you trying to get at?" When the reporter implied Maze shouldn't have served a ruined steak, Ramsay pointed out that the order itself was the problem. A well-done steak, no matter how good the quality of the beef, has "gone past any form of taste," the chef explained. "I'm really sorry to p*** on your bonfire, but it's a bit of a stupid question," he said, then promptly ended the interview.

Matty Matheson is known for his cheerful personality. But in one episode of Just a Dash, a popular series on his YouTube channel, the chef-turned-actor sank into a gradual meltdown. The episode starts with Matheson elegantly dressed in a black suit and tie. He announces he'll make a luxurious consommé with wagyu and puff pastry. To make consommé, one has to do a French technique of adding a mixture of egg whites, egg shells, and vegetable scraps to a broth and boiling it until a "raft" forms on top to trap the impurities in the stock.

Matheson's enthusiasm quickly turned to frustration as the soup alone took hours to make, and his team started doubting he'd succeed. By the time the clarified stock was ready, Matheson had taken off his jacket, crushed moldy pears onto his white dress shirt, removed said dress shirt, and filmed the rest of the episode shirtless. Then a major blunder happened — he added too much butter. Realizing that he had spent hours making clarified stock only to add more fat later, Matheson crashed out.

His assistant, Michelle, said it was the first time she had witnessed him have a genuine meltdown. Matheson confessed that it was one of the lowest moments of his life. Whether or not he exaggerates, the experience is clearly something he doesn't want to repeat.

Morning television show hosts are typically bright and chipper. Most speak candidly to guests, likely to create a relaxed environment on set and on camera. Unfortunately, cheerful hosts also tend to talk over each other a lot, including over their guests. Sam Zien, aka Sam The Cooking Guy, experienced this when he appeared on "Today." His cooking segment was with Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb. Both hosts were being their usual cheerful, chatty selves. But they were too chatty for Zien's liking.

One of the ladies asked what he was cooking. Zien attempted to answer twice, but before he could even finish his sentence, the other host reiterated the question or commented on the dish. The YouTube star and cookbook author was instantly exasperated. "Please! Can I talk?" Zien said loudly (via YouTube). "I watch the show every day. Everybody has issues with a lot of chatter back here. Pay attention, one minute." As Gifford's eyebrows rose and nervous chuckles filled the awkward pause following his outburst, Zien said, "Ooh, that seems to work."

Zien laughed, and so did Kotb. To diffuse the tension, Zien mocked himself with, "Hope you enjoyed your last time on the 'Today Show!' I'm only kidding." However, Gifford still looked unamused. As far as blowups go, this one ended quickly, but left a ton of awkwardness behind.

Many liken Alvin Leung to Gordon Ramsay because he's direct and occasionally harsh. Of all the judges of "MasterChef Canada," he's also the one most likely to yell at contestants who displease him. In one memorable episode, the contestants were challenged to create a dish using smelts as the main ingredient. Smelts are tiny, slender, silver fish with soft flesh and mild flavor. They are usually coated in batter, then deep-fried and eaten with mustard or sour pickle sauce.

Some contestants fried their smelts, but Danny decided to take a risk and make croquettes, which involved pureeing the smelts. Danny was confident about his dish, but Leung pointed out that the mild fish could easily be overpowered by the other ingredients.

Needless to say, the judges were unhappy with Danny's smelt croquettes. Leung was especially enraged — not just with Danny's decision to puree the fish, but for seemingly not taking the challenge seriously. "I saw you out there, arms folded like this. You're very cool," Leung said, looking unimpressed (via YouTube). Things got worse after the judge finally bit into the croquette. "Is this a joke?" Leung asked. "I mean, this is 'MasterChef Canada.' And you give me this?!" he shouted, throwing the croquette to the ground. What a way to show the country just how bad a contestant's dish is.

Fans of "Hell's Kitchen" know Scott Leibfried, Gordon Ramsay's sous chef who assists in the show's nightly dinner service. He doesn't appear on the show as frequently as Ramsay, but when he does, it's often because he loses patience with the contestants. And whenever that happens, fans remember that he can be louder and scarier than Gordon Ramsay himself.

One of his biggest blowups on the show happened in Episode 12 of Season 7. Ramsay had stepped out of the kitchen, leaving Leibfried in charge of the hot plate and supervising the tickets. One of the contestants, Benjamin Knack, unwisely thought it would be a good time to step up as a team leader. He started to call out the next tickets, which immediately angered Leibfried.

"You think for one minute you're gonna start f***ing running this pass? You may be a f***ing good cook, but you suck as a leader," Leibfried said (via YouTube). Knack acknowledged his error, but the sous chef wasn't done. He stepped right up to Knack and shouted, "If you think you're gonna do my f***ing job, I'll leave right now. You think you can do it? ... I know you can't. Now get the f**k over there! And don't ever come up to my pass again!" Leibfried sent a clear message that night: Anyone hoping to make it big in "Hell's Kitchen" should never dare cross him.

Robert Irvine has a mission: find failing restaurants with potential, and help them turn things around in two days with a $10,000 budget. It's a huge challenge, and one that often requires Irvine to occasionally give restaurant owners a harsh reality check about their situation.

In one episode of "Restaurant: Impossible," Irvine helps Andrew, a pastor who's also a chef and restaurant owner. Irvine was shocked to discover that the restaurant was losing $4,000 a month. He spotted multiple problems during the afternoon service. The kitchen was out of so many ingredients, and waitresses kept having to apologize to customers because their orders were unavailable. Worse, chef Andrew wasn't stepping up as a leader. It took him nearly 40 minutes to send out the first orders, and most of the customers still didn't have anything on their tables over an hour later.

Irvine confronted the chef about not caring enough about the restaurant and his customers. This led to a yelling match between the two. "'You asked for help!" Irvine shouted (via YouTube). "You asked for help, and you can't take it!" A positive outcome of the heated exchange was that the chef finally showed genuine emotion for the first time. He broke down in tears as Irvine dished out some emotional tough love. This on-camera blowup is the most unique as it ended on a positive, hopeful note.

Cake Boss Buddy Valastro takes his role as the boss seriously. Being the head of his family's business, he sometimes has to make tough decisions that family members do not agree with. One of those difficult decisions involved Valastro firing his sister, Mary Sciarrone, from Carlo's Bakery.

Sciarrone has a strong personality and often butted heads with the employees. In one episode of "Cake Boss," the employees confessed they find her attitude tiresome. "You just start yelling at us for no reason," one of them said (via YouTube). Sciarrone denied the accusation and said anyone who was unhappy was free to leave.

Valastro finally put his foot down in Season 5 and told Sciarrone that her leaving would benefit their business more. Mary told him he was not being fair, only angering Valastro further. "The problem is you don't know how to talk to employees," he said (via YouTube). When Sciarrone tried to imply that their mother wouldn't approve of him sacking her, Valastro replied, "Your mother's not the boss. I'm the boss! You're looking at the boss right here. You're a liability to me, you're a liability to the company."

If Sciarrone thought she could still change her brother's mind at this point, Valastro's next words shut it down quickly. "You will never manage Carlo's Bakery again. Ever. I don't care, unless I drop dead." Running a successful business empire is tough, but in this episode, Valastro proved he truly deserves the title of Cake Boss.