The Most Awkward Moments On Chopped We'll Never Forget

Having been on the air since 2009, Chopped is one of Food Network's longest-running cooking competitions — and for good reason. People love watching professional chefs of all backgrounds and skill levels try to take a basket of incredibly random ingredients and prepare a gourmet meal in just 30 minutes. Can a mouthwatering dessert really be created with old candy corn, jackfruit, and fish heads? Maybe, maybe not, but Chopped contestants will do their best to make something edible in the hopes of winning a cool $10,000.

There's always an incredibly intense amount of adrenaline and creativity swirling around in the Chopped kitchen. There's also a good amount of awkwardness and uncomfortable tension. It's simply impossible to put a bunch of highly competitive chefs together in one kitchen and then have their food judged by culinary big shots without the occasional confrontation or kitchen mishap.

If you're a regular viewer of Chopped, you'll certainly remember a few of these awkward moments that made for some very watchable television.

Watch enough episodes of Chopped, and you begin to pick up on the likes and dislikes of the judges. Heck, Food Network even has a cheat sheet contestants could use, naming certain foods the Chopped judges despise. (Note to any future contestants: Marcus Samuelesson is allergic to buckwheat.) Still, some chefs just have to learn the hard way and get under the skin of the judges by repeatedly giving them food they don't like.

Such was the case when one competitor served Scott Conant raw red onions in the first round, only to find out that Conant hates raw onions. It was an honest mistake, but then he decided to serve raw onions again in the entrée round. All Conant could do was watch with concern as the chef prepared the dish, foolishly ignoring the critique he'd just been given.

"I don't understand why the onions are there after we told you, especially myself, I didn't like raw onions," Conant said. "You used them in the first course already — yet they're here." The chef explained that he felt the onion in the dishes "makes sense" before Conant cautioned him about onion in the dessert round. "I was thinking an onion jam," the contestant quipped. It's almost like the guy was actively trying to not win $10,000.

Mmm, who wants a big ole' plate of practically raw eel that just may kill you? No takers? Well, surprisingly, neither did the Chopped judges when one contestant served them up a meal that wasn't just unappetizing, but potentially lethal, too.

The chefs had to work with eel, and it's apparent that things are about to go badly for one contestant when Alex Guarnaschelli asked, "How did you cook the eel?" to which the chef responded, "The torching." The contestant had simply hit the eel with a blow torch for a few seconds and called it a day. Nope, that simply won't cut it when it comes to eel. The other judges point out that the eel is not just raw, but bloody and full of potentially deadly toxins. This is because eel blood is poisonous and even eating a little bit could kill someone, according to Boston.com. Uh oh. "I don't think we can eat this," judge Chris Santos said.

Having your food critiqued on national television by celebrity judges has to be nerve wracking enough, without them jumping on you for almost killing them. Cringe-worthy indeed.

Chef creativity comes into play on Chopped perhaps more than any other competitive cooking show. There's no way a chef can create an appetizing entrée with gummy worms, skirt steak, and oyster crackers unless they get really creative. The ultimate goal is to create a dish that tastes good, of course, so when that dish tastes like, well, nothing ... it's a bit awkward.

One chef used phyllo dough to construct a cup for what appeared to be some sort of pudding-like dessert. Watch any cooking show, and you'll learn that it's always a bad idea when a chef puts something on the plate that they maybe didn't intend for the judge to eat it. Phyllo sheets really don't have much taste to them, and Scott Conant informed the chef of this when he said, "It tastes like nothing." The chef made it obvious she disagreed with Conant and snapped back, "I think it's a matter of taste ..."

This is precisely when things got awkward as the camera panned to Ted Allen and the other contestant, who have that "Oh, no she didn't" look on their faces. Conant informed the contestant that "it's not necessarily a matter of taste," and that she can't "talk [her] way around it." On the bright side, at least her phyllo dough didn't taste like raw onions.

It seems like a miracle when at the end of every round on Chopped, the chefs manage to construct a gourmet dish in the course of 30 minutes. Using a basket of mystery ingredients makes the feat even more impressive. Most chefs pull it off and at least get something on the plate — even if that something isn't always a dish the judges seem excited about eating.

Then there's poor chef Mauro Maccioni. The son of iconic New York City restaurateur Sirrio Maccioni, Mauro Maccioni failed to get any of his food on the plate. That's right — he had to serve empty plates to the Chopped judges ... in the first round!

As Ted Allen warned the chefs that they had mere seconds left, Maccioni was seen still trying to prepare his pasta before asking another chef where the plates are. He then casually walked over to get the plates ... perhaps aware that he's essentially dead in the water at that point. Nevertheless, the judges were horrified. Judge Aarón Sánchez covered his eyes in disappointment and Geoffrey Zakarian shook his head on the table like a 4-year-old who just found out there's no kids menu.

The judges threw Maccioni a bone and complimented him on the flavor of his sauce after Allen requested he bring over his unfinished product, but it's pretty apparent it's all too little too late.

Nobody gets out of the Chopped kitchen without having their cooking techniques nitpicked and critiqued by the judges. That's just part of the deal that goes along with potentially walking away $10,000 richer. Most of the contestants welcome this criticism and take it in stride — the keyword being "most."

Some chefs just seem to interpret constructive criticism as a personal attack, and that makes things especially uncomfortable for everyone in the room. "We here [at Chopped] welcome criticism because we know we get better, and we learn," judge Geoffrey Zakarian told one especially defensive chef before adding, "It's the one ingredient you're gonna need for the rest of your life." The sage advice fell on deaf ears, though, and the hardheaded chef immediately went on the defense, saying, "I think I'm a d*** good cook."

Ted Allen tried to deflate the situation, but it didn't do much good, and it's obvious that neither the other judges, nor competitors, were thrilled to be in the same kitchen with this particular chef.

A quick look at Chopped judge Geoffrey Zakarian's website, and it's apparent the guy has some clout in the culinary world: multiple executive chef positions, restaurant openings, awards, cookbooks, even projects with cruise lines and luxury hotels. Obviously, Zakarian has quite the background to draw upon when it comes to critiquing a plate of food — which is why when one chef put a hot pepper on Zakarian's plate that he didn't approve of, things quickly went south.

Zakarian held up the pepper and asked the question no Chopped contestant wants to hear: "What are we supposed to do with these?" Basically, it's the Chopped equivalent of the viral "What are those?" meme. The chef's answer of "nibble" didn't sit well with Zakarian, who proceeded to inform her how a hot pepper would prevent him and the other judges from even tasting the food. Rather than simply nod "yes, chef" and letting it go, the contestant replied with, "But you know you're alive," before shooting the still not convinced Zakarian a look that said "your move, pal."

It's exactly this sort of uncomfortable moment between judge and contestant that makes the judging portion of Chopped such a highly entertaining part of the show.

There are a lot of things that could be said about chef Rory Philipson's appearance on Chopped. However, one YouTube comment perhaps sums it up best: "She is like a red onion in human form." Yes, the bitterness and overall lack of popularity perfectly captures the chef's time on Chopped.

Philipson appeared on the incredibly entertaining "Viewer's Choice Baskets" episode, in which the contestants were delivered baskets with items like durian, chicken in a can, and lime gelatin. As terrible as the basket ingredients may have been, the other contestants were good sports and took it in stride — but not chef Rory. After having her food called "dull" by Geoffrey Zakarian and too rare by Amanda Freitag, the chef tried to pull the other contestants — who clearly wanted no part of her defense — into her excuse.

The cherry on top of the whole exchange was courtesy of Scott Conant, who in regards to Philipson's complaint about the baskets, said, "I feel like this was much better than the first round." The disgruntled chef said "thank you" before Conant quipped back with "I'm saying the basket." Ouch.

If you thought chef Rory Philipson was less than a delightful ray of sunshine, allow us to introduce you to chef Lauren Von Der Pool (who has been a personal chef for celebs like Robin Thicke, Patti Labelle, and Serena Williams). Generally, Chopped chefs seem to focus 100 percent of their attention on, you know, cooking an incredible dish in under half an hour with a bunch of mystery ingredients. Von Der Pool, however, devoted a significant amount of her energy to being annoyed by chef Sarah Pouzar. Apparently, asking to use the Sriracha was just too much! It's the sort of uncomfortable tension that makes you root for anyone else, simply out of sympathy for their misfortune of having to share a kitchen with Von Der Pool.

Whatever bad blood there was between chef Pouzar and Von Der Pool, it spilled over into the latter's cooking and spoiled the entire dish. "Overly sweet," "heavy," and "aggressive" were just a few of the negative adjectives judge Amanda Freitag used to describe Von Der Pool's dish — and the chef threw back a steely death stare the entire time.

After learning she had been chopped, Von Der Pool responded with "seriously, guys?" before walking off in a huff. You get the feeling that both the judges and contestants were relieved when the whole Von Der Pool experience was over.

Chopped is full of high-stakes moments, but moments that are also sort of hilarious? Those are a bit more difficult to come by, which is what makes the battle over a grill pan between two chefs such a gem in the show's history of awkward moments.

Chef Elda Bielanski went toe-to-toe over a grill pan with competitor Keith Young — a man who easily has 18 inches and probably 75 pounds on Bielanski. When the two chefs literally got into a tug-of-war over the grill pan, the judges looked on in amusement at the kitchen battle unfolding before them. "I got my money on Elda," said Scott Conant. A true battle for the ages if there ever was one.

The two competitors tangled for the kitchen tool for several seconds with Bielanski repeating, "I'm gonna take it. I have to take it, I have to take it." Young finally relinquished the grill, confessing, "I am not gonna look good fighting with a grandma." Smart move, guy.

For the most part, the chefs on Chopped treat each other cordially. Sure, they're competitive, but they don't typically shoot each other down. That sort of trash-talking is generally a lot more prevalent on shows like Cutthroat Kitchen.

Chef Chris Burke didn't get the memo, though, and fully went after chef Amy Roth with condescending vengeance, taking direct aim at his competitor's okra. In the final judging round, chef Burke stated his case for why he should win: "I was able to outperform my competitor and it's just been obvious, from her soggy okra to my crispy okra."

When chef Roth retaliated and said she watched the judges' reaction while eating Burke's food, the chef quipped, "So you were probably drooling." It's easy to see why during one of the interview segments Roth said, "I can't stand him." People on a Serious Eats thread chatting about the episode seemed to have similar views on Roth. "Chris seems to be the biggest jerk I've ever seen on reality tv or in real life," wrote one commenter.

There are certain safety guidelines that one should know in the kitchen if they're a professional chef. We're not talking about obscure safety guidelines like how to properly cook a puffer fish, but basic stuff like don't run with a knife and don't put cooked food on a cutting board that just had raw meat on it. These are basic, elementary safety tips.

Chef Hannah seemed to have skipped safety day in culinary school, because she nearly burned down the Chopped kitchen with a grease fire. The chef doused her grill with oil which eventually caught fire and had all the Chopped judges looking with worrisome faces that read, "I don't want to die on the Food Network."

Rather than extinguishing the fire with salt or baking soda, chef Hannah did the absolute worst thing — she went for the water. (At least she didn't reach for the alcohol!) The chef carried the grill to the sink, turned on the water, and then started to go back to her station as the flames grew larger. Thankfully, disaster was averted, but for a few brief moments this awkward moment was heading in a seriously scary direction.

Contestants on Chopped are certainly expected to adopt a "whatever it takes" mindset to emerge victorious. The exception, though, is treating the kitchen like a total slob. A sloppy chef does not impress. 

Things got a bit unpleasant for chef Lola Garand when she was called out by judge Geoffrey Zakarian over her messy cooking habits. Zakarian chastised the chef during the entrée round for throwing her food scraps on the floor, telling her, "I don't really appreciate that, it's really disrespectful to us and to the competitors." The chef attempted to explain her messy cooking habits with, "I was trying to play the game," to which Zakarian shot back, "This is not a game!"

Welp, that was all it took for the chef to declare, "I don't want to continue." Garland did finish the "game" and made it to the dessert round, but it's entirely possible that she was already out before Zakarian even tried her apple blackberry crumble, and she was chopped.

We've all had those moments when we've done something reflexively, without thinking, and then wondered what the heck had possessed us to do that in the first place. Fortunately for most of us, we're not on a major, wildly successful Food Network show when it happens. Chef Syrena Johnson is not like most. She was in the middle of a "Chopped" challenge when the butter in her pan was set ablaze, and although fires in the "Chopped" kitchen aren't unheard of, she had a unique way of dealing with it: she threw the fire in the garbage.

"Oh," she's heard saying, "I started a fire in the trash can," while in the background, the judges are, well ... understandably concerned. Ted Allen confirmed that it was the very first garbage fire on set, and that's one way to go down in television history. Meanwhile, Alex Guarnaschelli is heard to remark — with an impressive calm — "Do you guys smell the aroma of eau de garbage bag?"

All worked out in the end, fire extinguishers were dispatched, and it turned into a very important lesson on fire safety for viewers. As for Johnson, she seemed to take the whole thing in stride. She later posted the clip to her own Facebook page, and can be heard laughing in the background. That, dear readers, is an important lesson in how to laugh at your mistakes.

There are a lot of rules that "Chopped" contestants have to follow, and some have to do with secrecy, fairness, and — of course — using all those mystery basket ingredients. One unspoken rule might as well be to please not break any of that very expensive commercial equipment chefs are given to work with, and a very awkward mistake with the ice cream machine had the potential to turn into a very expensive one.

When chef Virginia Willis is seen using a spoon to ... do something to help speed up the process of getting her sorbet out, she was greeted with rattling and then, the spoon she was using was sucked into the innards of the machine with more rattling that the judges definitely heard. Scott Conant confirmed that it was, in fact, a $7,000 ice cream machine and they were all pretty horrified, which made the chef's response that much stranger.

The chef laughed her way through her interview segment, reenacting the sound of the spoon as it was whisked away into the depths of the machine. There, it undoubtedly made some crew members' jobs much, much harder that day, and it's unclear just how much damage it caused. She also admitted that if she were in a real kitchen, that's the sort of thing that would get a chef instantly fired, so there's some food for thought.

Few ingredients are as irresistible as a truffle, and they're not cheap, either. At the time of this writing, a single, 100 gram truffle goes for around $250, so when "Chopped" contestants were given truffles to work with, it seemed like it was going to be a great episode. It turned into an awkwardly hilarious one when a chef dropped his truffle, sending it skittering across the floor, past the judges, and into a corner. Aarón Sánchez was the one to point it out, but who didn't notice? The chef.

In the interview segment with the chef, he's clearly excited, calling the presence of the truffle "a gift," and sharing all kinds of delicious-sounding plans. Even the best-laid plans can go awry, though, and he ends up searching for his missing truffle.

There's a lot of cursing, a lot of crawling around on the ground, and another contestant said that she even weighed whether or not she should share her own truffle. "All is fair in love and 'Chopped,'" she finally decided, and there was no sharing going on. The chef eventually found his truffle in the last minutes of the competition, plucking it off the floor, washing it, and dicing it for his dish. Describing the dish as a roasted pork chop with creamy spinach potatoes and a spicy, runaway truffle jus, the judges were, at least, impressed with the final product.

The judges in the hot seat for this one were Scott Conant, Amanda Freitag, and Geoffrey Zakarian, and it was one of those moments where viewers can tell no one wanted to be the one to have to deliver the bad news, but they all knew that someone was going to have to do it. The weight on that chef's shoulders as moments dragged out had to be immense, and it was ultimately Conant's job to ask whether or not he had tasted his cake batter while putting it together.

It was one of those questions where it's very, very clear that he — and the other judges — already know the answer, and when the chef admitted that no, he hadn't tried it, Conant revealed that yes, that was obvious: He'd used salt instead of sugar in his cake batter.

To Zakarian's credit, he did compliment the plating and look of the dish, even if he believed, "there might be a problem with some of the ingredients." There's a moment of panic when the chef denies that he had salt on his workstation, but Conant politely confirms that what he actually had was, indeed, salt. Denial quickly turned into profuse apologies and a nervous laugh, and when Ted Allen made an attempt to suggest that it's something easily done that everyone had happen to them at least once, Conant added: "I've actually never done it as a professional." Ouch.

Halloween episodes are always a fun time on "Chopped," and when one group was given gummy teeth candy, flour tortillas, huitlacoche, and black chicken, it seemed like an awesome chance for chefs to really embrace the spirit of the holiday and get a little weird with things. Things got weird, for sure, just not in the way anyone had hoped.

Chef Marja Samsom broke down her chicken on her cutting board, which was a perfectly fine thing to do. However, when it came time for her to assemble her wraps, she did it on the same surface without flipping or cleaning the board. Salmonella is no laughing matter. Official numbers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggest that there are around 1.35 million cases of salmonella poisoning each year, and along with that, around 420 people die from it. 

Needless to say, it's not something you want to mess around with, and to make things stranger, the gummy teeth got included by simply being set on top of the wrap — a look that Ted Allen said made it seem like it was served after an unfortunate accident with some dentures. While the judges danced around the matter of the potential danger of the dish by giving a few compliments, it ultimately fell to Amanda Freitag to break the bad news. That's the moment that both realization and embarrassment set in, and it's safe to say we all felt that one.

"Chopped" is high-stakes and stressful, sure. Mistakes will be made, and when one chef dropped two huge pieces of pork belly on the floor, it was the kind of heartbreaking moment viewers felt. It's safe to say, however, that we all felt something entirely different when he picked the pieces up off the floor, put them back in the pan, put the pan on the stove, and narrated how he just kept right on cooking. It ended up being a stomach-turning look into what we hope never goes on behind-the-scenes at any restaurant.

The chef's narration told a story of a never-say-die attitude, and that's admirable ... but at the same time, the judges were watching with absolutely appropriate horror as he continued to cook the pork, now seasoned with some dirt. The judges' horror only grew as they debated whether or not he was going to serve it, and (spoiler alert) yes, he did serve the dish.

"Chris plated the pork belly that fell on the floor," Scott Conant said, as if to confirm with the others that this was, in fact, really and truly happening. "It's on the plate." Conant went on to call the chef out on the accident, while Amanda Freitag noted that the pan sauce, too, had the potential to be contaminated with whatever had been on the floor. They did eat the clams, so that was something. And yes, of course he got chopped.