KILL IT WITH FIRE!! (Oh wait, they already did...)
June 17, 2009 This Wreck is from last year, but since they ran the episode on Food Network recently I've been inundated with requests - nay, demands - that I feature it immediately. (And by the way, you guys are just so cute when you get bossy.)
We're fortunate that CW reader Jason got a hold of the actual episode this week, because he made a quick minute-and-a-half recap that captures the true Wrecktastic essence of this masterpiece. It also had John nearly crying with laughter, so you must watch:
I should mention that the challenge was to create a birthday cake for Kerry Vincent, aka the Simon Cowell of cake competitions. This is not the lady you screw up in front of. Or make towering spikes of cake and fruit and paper lathered up with melted goo and then set aflame in front of.
Yep, there were small bowls of alcohol set in the cake, which the creators lit to simulate birthday candles. Unsurprisingly to everyone except perhaps the bakers themselves, the cake then caught on fire.
Here it is covered with a fine dusting of fire extinguisher foam, which most everyone agreed was a visual improvement:
Now THAT is a Cake Wreck, folks.Still, before you guys rip on these gals too much, consider how boring the world would be without those daring innovators who are willing to go down in flames [smirk] for the sake of their art. I say we applaud these brave souls, and encourage all the ingenuity, forward-thinking, and pyromania that we can. [nodding seriously] Wreck on, my friends, wreck on.
- Related Wreckage: Sandra Lee Shows Us How It's (Not) Done
Reader Comments (368)
My God, I looked at her website and she has an amazing talent...for making anything edible look TERRIBLE! She even managed to make chocolate covered strawberries look repulsive!! How does anyone pay her for this stuff???
i kind of like to think she did it on purpose. as a sort of 'screw you' to KV. tee hee!
I know it's tv & the network likes drama, but personally I think it's insulting to the serious decorators who are there to compete. There are so many awesomely talented people out there (as witnessed by the Sunday Sweets) that deserve a chance to shine. She is definitely a WRECK & I can only hope she's not invited back.
Stevie has a personal grudge against Kerry. She was so annoyed when Kerry "didn't get it" during the bridge cake competition [which was another wreck by the way-sea weed wrapped on string?!?]. If you watched the whole massacre of the flaming cake, you may have caught the comment she made that it was as hard as nails [like Kerry].
Okay so Kerry is passionate about cake decorating and is arrogant, but she is fabulous at what she does. Stevie was malicious, mean spirited and cruel in creating this cake. Personally as an artist I saw no "art" in it, it was an emotional statement of anger,and personally I don't find that entertaining or very creative. Does anyone really think these fiascos will enhance her career as a viable pastry chef?...Nah, only the TV ratings are affected.
And what in God's name is UP with the va-jay-jay cake on her site!? Something must be wrong with this woman, because A) who makes a vagina cake? and B) last I checked, vaginas do NOT LOOK LIKE THAT. Nor do they dispense cinnamon-flavored jelly beans!
I have things to do but now I'm going to be puzzling over this all day. Some things are better not knowing about.
Let me just say...I looked up this Food Network Challenge loon a while back after the rice krispies episode and I was floored ! What a strange one ! Her "art" is so hideous that I can't believe the Food Network would EVER invite her to participate in one of their challenges. She's been invited to more than one ! I don't get it. How can someone with her lack of talent actually make it in the business. I wouldn't feed anything of hers to my dog, and it looks like something my dog made ! Look her up...you'll be shocked by her website....
It was horrible to begin with! The only way to save it was to light it on fire! I was dying to see this episode because one of the cut scenes had another competitor asking if she was on acid for thinking this was a good idea.
I realize the point of this blog is the cake and not the attitude, but I have to comment that her response to Kerry shocked me. I realize some customers are idiots, but to tell Kerry Vincent that the customer is wrong and she knows better?!?!?!?!!?!?!
I did love the drawing--very Frank Lloyd Wright. If she could have actually done it, I would have been shouting at the telly in joy instead of agony.
wv minfun= in Afrikaans min=little/few. this was definitely "min" fun!
I'm sorry I missed that episode. What a hoot.The flaming cake was a wreck for sure. She's obviously a conceptual artist that works in food as a medium and not a baker/cake decorator. I thought some of the stuff on her website looked cool, but I wouldn't want to eat any of it.
Absolutely jaw dropping in the horror that someone of that calibare was invited to a Food Network Challenge. Amazingly bad design and what in heaven's name was it supposed to be...just junk on a stick on top of Mount Trashmore. I hate it when untalented people get TV time. Look at those amazing Sunday Sweets and tell me those people don't deserve the shot at national recognition more than this "artist".
This loon reminds me of a crazy woman I used to teach with. One day she sent her seven year olds, out unsupervised, around the campus to find items to turn into "stone age weapons". Yes, in this age of zero tolerance, people tend to get frightened of an adult who has small children sharpening rocks into spears and attempting to start fires by rubbing sticks together. The experiment came to a halt when two little boys ran past the principals office with "spears" chasing a squirrel. Lord of the Flies Anyone.
i was fine all the way through this post until i finished then glanced back at the title.
Big mistake. Explosive giggle fits are not work-friendly.
KILL IT WITH FIRE!!! (lol)
wv - exturbi - can't think how to use it in a sentence, but somehow it fits this post.
This is the same wrecktastic wreckie that made that seaweed bridge disaster! Which actually would be great if you couldn't decide between sushi and rice crispie treats, and who can't???
She cannot be serious, and if she is, everything she creates are just epic failures... Epic.
Oh, gosh, I saw that episode. The baker was so proud of it! She just claimed that "no one understood" her art. I'm really okay with not understanding that art. D:
Classic FAIL. Y'know, it's one thing it have a wreck at your local grocery store, but it's quite another to fail as miserably as they did on national television. lol
We just couldn't stop laughing the other night watching this. So, Tivo, Tivo Transfer to the Mac, a little Handbrake, some iMovie, and here we are.
For some reason, the embedded version chops off the right side of the video, so if you want to see it in all of its widescreeny goodness, click on the video after it starts playing, and you'll crack open a new window to youtube and see the full size video..
Glad you guys like it!
WOW...her website makes me feel like I'm being punked. Are we sure this is real? Did anyone take a look at the "wrapped Christmas tree"? Since when is covering a Christmas tree with fruit and wrapping it in edible saran wrap considered art?
Good grief. I wonder if there was ice cream inside.
Angie (from over at www.HalfAssedKitchen.com)
To be fair, the concept looked great. Too bad she couldn't carry it off.
I watched it this weekend and was just horrified! My favorite line when my jaw dropped when she told Kerry that "the idea that the customer is always right is just not one she agrees with". What a wreck that was!
OH. MY. GOODNESS. I'm left...speechless. ALMOST. Everything about this cake is FUGLY. What makes it even better is who it was made for. [shaking head, trying darnedest to keep a straight face]
These decorators are innovative, if nothing else...
So I read through all the posts & I can't believe that no one who saw the episode mentioned the comments during the judging...when Kerry said something about how the cake totally didn't fit anything about her, Loony replied with, "Well I don't believe that the customer is always right."
I'm surprised more of her "creations" haven't been on here with that attitude...
I'm not sure which is worse... that wreck, or her falling-over cereal bridge with seaweed hanging all over it. When this chick creates a wreck (and she always does), they are spectacular.
Wow, does Food Network have a secret agenda to bring down cake? First they let Sandra Lee loose, then this person.
I suppose one could argue that the network is going for ratings and/or rigging the competition to make sure someone in particular wins by giving them an easy opponent, but geez.
Word verification: kworse - Wreck Reporters, when examining a potential wreck, ask yourself, "'K, worse than the cake on fire?"
One word comes to mind...Craptastic. Crappy for the maker fantastic for all of us to enjoy the carnage.
@Lumy - I think "no one understands it" because it just ain't art!
@Jason - yes, thank you VERY much for the video!
@andshewas - as for being a "screw you" to KV, yes and no. This was one of their "mystery client" episodes, so they didn't know who they'd be making the cake for. This was the idea she brought for whomever the client turned out to be! So, in that sense, the idea itself wasn't a "screw you."
Once she found out KV was the client, however, she barely asked her any questions about what she'd want for her birthday cake and made it pretty clear she didn't care, either. She finished her little consultation with KV by telling her that she wanted KV to keep an open mind. Once she got back to her work station, she said something to the effect that she was just going to go ahead and do what she planned to do. So THAT part - which is what led to the final result - definitely was a BIG "screw you" to KV.
The other three cakes made for the episode were really nice, though, and the winner really seemed to put some thought into how to adapt his original concept for KV and make something that would show he'd really considered who she is in creating it. It wasn't the *most* beautiful cake I've seen (not many from that show are, just because of how difficult it can be to make something within their time limits,) but it really felt more like a gift to KV, and I *really* liked that!
KV may not be the nicest person all the time (or the most tactful,) but that doesn't mean she deserves a flaming pile of trash on her b-day!
What's the song in the video? I know it but haven't heard it in a long time - it's an instrumental tucked away on an album that I know I have (or had?) somewhere.
I want to say it's the Beastie Boys or something out of left field like that.
She calls her work "art", but come one. That was terrible! A two year old could've done that.
It's probably very wrong of me, but I loved the cake before it caught fire. XD Spears of fruit and melted chocolate on a cake just screams "delicious" to me. Mind you, the fire extinguisher doesn't.
I kept looking for the "before" picture. Only after looking at the creators website did I realize that it was supposed to look that way. WOW!
This one could be put on the 'Better Dieting through Cake' segmant!
Seriously. I LOVE cake but when I watched this on Food Network I was totally turned off to cake....ok for like 5 seconds...but still what on earth was this woman thinking?
Maybe I missed something...what in the name of all things holy was this supposed to BE??
Jen
holy bejesus. i forgot to tape that episode of food network challenge (one of my favorite food network shows, fyi) but OH MY GOD. I need to find it on reruns and watch IMMEDIATELY.
I'm sure Kerry was about to throw down. She's so intimidating.
I'm guessing they haven't been invited back. ;)
What's wrong with a classic Victoria Sandwich for pity's sake?
Were these guys 'professionals'? The most amusing part was wallpapering with dodgy mould coloured kitchen roll (or that's what it looked like!).
It brightened my day though so we shouldn't complain!
Amy
Aren't those the girls who, on the cake bridge episode, made the ugly sideways bridge wrapped in seaweed? I'm all for making the cake world interesting, but good lord people. Execution in key!
Reminds me a lot of grad school where the art and engineering programs shared a building. As one of the engineers, it was quite painful to see so many art projects in the hallways (and lobbies, and sidewalks, and generally anywhere you try to walk so that people would literally stumble on them and have to look at the "art") that started with some grand idea but failed spectacularly in execution due to a tremendous lack in foresight and common sense.
wv: bangu -- no... not even going to go there...
I just looked at her website. Seriously, what is wrong with her? That's not even art! Does she actually get paid to do any of this? And those wedding cakes. I hope those are just a display and not somebody's actual wedding cakes! Oh, and the wrapped Christmas tree and edible Christmas tree. Seriously?? Ugh!
OMG, I didn't realize that the first picture was the Before pic!
The concept drawing didn't look like the Trashheap from Fraggle Rock, so naturally I was confused when the cake DID look like the Trashheap from Fraggle Rock.
Catching it on fire was a definite improvement, espcially the white stuff from the extinguisher.
Went to look at the other...creations on her site. Good lord - that woman is trying WAY too hard to be different and edgy. It just makes her cakes/cookies/everything look poorly constructed and below amateur.
Even her cookies look inedible. They're just cookies! How do you screw THAT up?
I couldn't even figure out where she was going with half that stuff. I could see her vision for the chocolate covered strawberries, but the execution just made them look moldy. I couldn't go near those things, let alone eat one.
Also, I'd have cried if I commissioned her for a wedding cake and she brought me the one on that site.
It's hilarious, though, that she posted photos of the wreck featured in this post - including the one where it's covered in foam!
It re-airs tonight!
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food-network-challenge/surprise-birthday-cakes/index.html
Jun 17, 2009
7:00 PM ET/PT
Jun 20, 2009
4:00 PM ET/PT
Jun 21, 2009
6:00 PM ET/PT
It will be tivo-ed.
The best work on her website was with jello jigglers. And I totally don't get her wedding cake design, but I'm okay with that.
I saw this on Sunday too and my husband and I had much the same reaction. The cake was just representative of her attitude of "screw you" towards these challenges and mostly KV! Seriously, from using her interview time to lecture her on "art" to making that... I seriously can't find a word strong enough for that cake... I'm pretty sure that the fire was out in a first little shot of the fire extinguisher! The crew just wanted to make sure it was really dead!
Seriously though, this is by far the worst thing she has offered but each time she goes on these Challenges she shows how talentless she is. Sure it's $10,000 but you are losing business! Who in their right mind would hire her after this cake or even hearing her say that she doesn't care about what the client wants, in the end she is going to make "art"?????
I hope Norm was okay, I sorry to read that he went to the hospital. His assistant did a beautiful job though, very impressive!
Why did they keep trying even when they realized their cake sucked horribly?! Why didn't they just give up?!
It wouldn't be bad if were supposed to be the compost pile that Madame Trash Heap came out of in Fraggle Rock.
Oh... and also...
With regards to the cake in this post...
Why bother drawing up a concept when the end result looked NOTHING like the concept art? (Except for the fire, anyway).
The concept drawing didn't look too bad. The end result... not even in the same universe, let alone the ballpark.
Oh, Lord! I will never forget this woman. She is *terrible*! Her rice krispy bridge she made on another show to illustrate the 'narrative' she had in mind? Oi vay. A disaster waiting to happen.
At least she didn't let anyone down with her 'cake.'
I agree with Anu. I kind of want to throw up now, too.
We were watching this show the other night.. and the entire time my husband and my jaw's were on the floor.. we could not even believe what we were watching. I WISH they would have had her explain what she was thinking.. we kept saying "This has to be a joke..."
My husband who has never ever said a swear word in his entire life slowly said... w...t...f.. while they were showing it at the end... it was hillarious!!!!
Checked out her website! Is that a joke??? Really does she expect people to hire her based off of that? I am a culinary student and I'm only in my 3rd quarter and already my portfolio is miles better than that steaming pile she has on her website. My 3 year old child can and does do better work.
It's certainly a birthday everyone will remember. What a hot mess!
That is the same lady that was on another challenge that included making a bridge out of rice krispies and she decided to make the bridge stand on its side to make a statement. (have you ever seen an upright bridge?) She is ridiculous.