Top 10 Biggest Chopped Fails

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#10: Too Much Truffle
Season 33

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Celebrity episodes of “Chopped” are usually pretty fun. And the judges tend to go a little easy on these amateur chefs, who are usually competing for a good cause or charity. That said, actress Alysia Reiner from “Orange Is the New Black” went all in with a heavy-handed helping of one divisive ingredient: white truffle oil. This formerly-trendy accompaniment seemingly isn’t the most welcome amongst the “Chopped” judges. So, as you can imagine, Reiner dousing her dish in the stuff cost her the advancement into the next round of the competition.

We all love accoutrements in our salads. Nuts, maybe some fried onions…it’s a party, right? Well, the “Chopped” judges weren’t having a good time when contestant Emily Sims decided to take this episode’s title to heart, and “go for it!” Unfortunately, Chef Sims’ idea of going outside the box meant including powerfully sour candies as a topping for her appetizer. We have to give Sims credit for her attempt at masking the candies’ flavor by blending them with almonds, but the food processor failed her…which resulted in the dish taking a nosedive.

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#8: Going in Raw
Season 2

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The “Chopped” mystery basket often deals its contestants some ingredients with which they may not be familiar. Other times, it just comes down to the improper handling of a garnish. In the case of this second season episode, titled “Pretty Please with a Pepper on Top,” Chef Barbara Sibley made one costly error with her piquillo peppers, an ingredient that is best enjoyed in any other state but raw. Unfortunately, this was exactly how Sibley presented the peppers with her turkey appetizer, rather than rehydrating them and cooking them alongside her protein. The error was so egregious, that Sibley was eliminated from the competition.

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#7: Outside Ingredients
Season 6

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Jacques Torres was already well-known to the food world prior to his appearance on one of the “Chopped” All-Star Tournaments. Maybe this factored into the famous chocolatier’s decision to pull off a big faux pas in the “Chopped” kitchen. Torres used outside ingredients while making his dish, specifically a bunch of delicious cocoa nibs he just happened to have lurking in his pocket. What made this violation even more strange, however, was that there was cocoa powder available in the kitchen. Torres just knew he had some better quality cocoa on his person. Still, this was enough to get “Mr. Chocolate” eliminated for this infraction.

This season fifteen episode gave the viewers all the power when it came to picking the oft-anticipated ingredients. Needless to say, they were merciless, with the gross basket surprises including chicken-in-a-can and a durian fruit. Still, chef Tre made it all the way to the dessert round. But the cottage cheese and marrow bones featured there sent him down a path from which he simply couldn’t recover. His panna cotta did not go over well, and Conant in particular was clearly not a fan. Ah well, you can’t win ‘em all.

Scott Conant’s accolades from the world of Italian cuisine have been well-documented. The ruthlessness he possesses when it comes to critiquing any poor pasta that’s put in front of him on “Chopped” has been too. As a result, very few contestants want to risk elimination by presenting Scott with a half-baked noodle dish. This season eighteen episode featured firefighter chefs who were attempting to dazzle the judges with their culinary skill, including a few that dared cook some pasta for Conant. Antonia Donnelly’s overcooked entry was ripped to shreds, while another firefighter served undercooked pasta, for good measure. That’s some bad moves, guys!

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#4: Chicken Feet with Nails
Season 9

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The appetizer round for this Halloween-themed episode from season nine was a disaster for all four contestants. And it was all thanks to one curveball ingredient: chicken feet. Although they’re considered a delicacy in some countries, it’s very important to remove the nails prior to cooking and serving. Can you guess what three out of the four chefs didn’t do? What’s worse, the one competitor who did remember this all-important step was still chopped, thanks to an undercooked pie shell. The whole affair was pretty horrifying to watch from the comfort of our homes, so we can only imagine how the judges felt.

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#3:The Judges Are Still Hungry
Season 2

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We get it, the “Chopped” kitchen can be a stressful place. The pressure, the time crunch, those devilish mystery baskets. That said, we can’t help but cringe every time we see this episode. That’s because we have to watch private chef Moha Orchid orchestrate this ultimate fail. The contestant basically freezes, and can’t come to grips with the situation at hand. He can’t get a single ingredient onto the plate, save for three measly edamame. Needless to say, Chef Orchid was eliminated, and the judges likely were still searching for a snack.

This fail took place waaaaay back on the very first season of “Chopped.” And honestly, we sympathize with how chef Luis Gonzales must’ve felt, trying to bake a cake within the limited time allotted for the dessert round. It’s hard for anyone to achieve that with any degree of real success. And pulling off the endeavor would’ve all but sealed the win for the New York-based chef. Unfortunately, Gonzales added salt instead of sugar when baking his almond and black plum meltdown cake. Sadly, he didn’t realize he had done so until it was too late. A word to the wise, chefs: always taste as you go!

The season six episode titled “A Cornish Mess” certainly can’t be accused of hyperbole, because there seemed to be fail after fail afflicting the “Chopped” kitchen. It was an episode filled with instances of judges risking potential food poisoning, all based around the mistakes made by the four contestants. The most notable fumbles came courtesy of the Cornish hens in the mystery baskets. Chef David Greco gave the judges chicken that wasn’t cooked enough. Even worse, chef Ondre'a Duverney’s station was cross-contaminated thanks to the mixing of cooked and raw poultry on the same cutting board. There are no words to describe these hazardous mistakes, other than yikes…