Chopped is one of the best reality shows to stream on Max right now. With each chef having to cook dishes filled with unlikely ingredients all for the top prize, the Food Network show is nerve-wracking in the best possible way. But, 2017 Chopped champion Brooke Siem shared some wild behind-the-scenes facts from her time competing that make me see the show in a very unique light, including knowing that there’s a cursed bowl on set.
New York pastry chef, restauranteur, and writer Brooke Siem competed on the 2017 Chopped episode “Chocolate Obsession.” As the title suggests, four chiefs had to make dishes all made of chocolate mixed with the show’s signature secret ingredients like soft-shell crabs, purple spinach, dark chocolate seaweed candy, and more. But just when you thought the only thing discreet about Chopped was its baskets filled with secret ingredient intentions, the cooking champ told Business Insider a ton of wild behind-the-scenes facts that blew my mind. Here’s one fact that would make me second guess what to touch in that famed kitchen:
As legend has it, there’s one bowl in the Chopped kitchen that spells doom for the chef who uses it. The producers wouldn’t tell me which bowl it was, only that I didn’t use it and that whenever a poor chef does, they always get chopped.
That’s insane! Now, I need to know how to distinguish that bowl from the other bowls without having to be the losing chef. That cursed bowl must be on a special shelf or cabinet that the producers know about. The fact that every chef who’s used that bowl has lost on the show makes me wonder about its mystical origins. Fortunately, Brooke Siem stayed far away from that one.
Another fun fact about the Emmy-worthy show helped me clear up a question I’ve always had about when confessionals on the best reality shows occur. Apparently on Chopped, Brooke Siem said interviews are actually done after the competition is over:
The further you make it in the competition, the longer your exit interview is because you have to go back over each round and talk about it like it’s happening in real time. For me, the challenge was trying to wipe the smile from winning off my face when talking about how I was sure I was getting chopped after round one.
I can imagine how challenging that must be to have to retell your whole competition experience as if it’s in real-time and not make it obvious you’re the winner. Like Brooke Siem said, it must be especially hard for the losing chef to have to stick around for the interview after getting chopped and still have to act hopeful for those watching at home. I always thought that these interviews occurred in between big moments on the show. But I guess confessionals on the competition series occur while still processing the wins and losses of each contestant.
One more baffling fact Brooke Siem revealed about Chopped was its numbered stations assigned at random. Where each competitor cooks is crucial because cooking close or far from the pantry determines how much back-and-forth running you’ll have to do on a set timer. That must be very nerve-wracking to be in the unlucky station. At the same time, it can also give you a challenge to overcome that’ll make your win all the more sweeter. Hopefully, you’re at the station far away from the cursed bowl.
Just when you think you know about your favorite mouth-watering food show, champions like Brooke Siem teach you about wild BTS facts that make you give the show a second look. In my case, I really need to scope my eyes for that cursed bowl! Fans of Chopped can watch reruns on The Food Network. Your favorite episodes are also available on your Hulu subscription and your Max subscription.