Wednesday, June 17, 2009
KILL IT WITH FIRE!! (Oh wait, they already did...)
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
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:
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
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A Cake Wreck is any cake that is unintentionally sad, silly, creepy, inappropriate - you name it. A Wreck is not necessarily a poorly-made cake; it's simply one I find funny, for any of a number of reasons. Anyone who has ever smeared frosting on a baked good has made a Wreck at one time or another, so I'm not here to vilify decorators: Cake Wrecks is just about finding the funny in unexpected, sugar-filled places.
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364 comments | Post a Comment
«Oldest ‹Older 201 – 364 of 364 Newer› Newest»I. have. no. words. These were professionals? Did they snort the sugar before they baked?
Wow, so sorry I missed this episode. That thing, I just don't get what it was supposed to be.
This episode is on Food Network again RIGHT NOW!
I could not believe she called this a cake & I can not believe she does this for a living. If you ask me, I wouldn't go to her for a cake... Amazing what goes on in peoples minds.
My favorite part of the video? The porn music. PERFECT to set the mood for a flaming disaster like this one....
No idea where they were going with this idea... Those poor impaled strawberries!
Why did anyone think that setting fire to something covered in sugar and bowls of alcohol was a good idea?
WV: fraphavi -- The fraphavi decorator says to Food Network execs, "See the numbers visiting my site after this one episode? This proves I'm right and a hit. Now gimmee my own show!"
Oh my gosh! That episode is on my TV at this very minute! Now I'm psyched to watch it through to the end. (I am a notorious channel-changer). The cake that they ended up with SURE was a LOT different than their original concept sketch. What on earth went wrong?
oh the horror!
Holy cow. That's...just awful. What on earth were they thinking?!? I've seen some wrecky stuff on those FN challenges, but never anything quite that wrecktastic!
Megan @ adventuresofacarnivore.com
watching the episode now, that thing was a hot ass mess. What a nightmare!
I am sitting here watching Challenge on Food Network and decide to check out Cake Wrecks. I see the fire cake on this site as I am watching it on tv. It was a total mess. I can't believe she tried to make that cake. It was screaming cake wreck from the beginning. I can't wait to see what the judges say! It's coming up after the commercials.
It was only aired or the 1st time on sunday.
I don't know which was more disgusting - the cake or the decorator's arrogance.
I just came back from this woman's website http://www.steviefamulari.net/
>heave<
Sweet Jesus. Help her find her way... This woman is meant to be anything that doesn't require her to be creative. Janitor maybe? I would say ditch digger but I'd be afraid she would decide to get creative with her shovel and then she'd hit a gas main. I'm... speechless. And sad. And confused.
Sorry but I have to admit that people are so ignorant for saying that this is a cake wreck. It's simply a different style of art. People who say that this is ugly has no background in art.
It upsets me how people are unappreciative of other styles other than their own.
The sketch was simply an inspiration and wasn't supposed to look like final product.
HOLY ICING! CAKE WOMAN! That SUCKED! What were they trying to create a big pile of strawberry topped SH&T?
whoa. I just finished watching that episode about 45 minutes ago. I KNEW that cake would be on here. It's just too wrecktastic. I had a pretty hard time figuring out WTF the concept for it even *was*. Something to do ith her opinion of Kerry's personality, I guess?
Urg, Stevie just seems so...I don't even know. Stupid? Arrogant? Insane, maybe? Her work is, every time I've seen it, horrible. It uually looks like something that's n sitting in somone's basement growing mold and getting chewed on by rats. I'm all abut being different and edgy, but she's trying too hard, and she can't even listen to a client about what they like/want.
And can I just say the state of her kitchen made me want to either cry or vomit? I would not wnt to eat anything she made ever. :(
Also,why is it that she didn't seem to anticipate that alcohol+cake+sugar paper was a disaster waiting to happen? Pretty much everyone else did. *headdesk*
Oh, so funny! I just finished watching this episode of Food Network Challenge and spent the whole time thinking, "This cake needs to be on Cake Wrecks." One of the most amazing things to me was that throughout the whole fiasco she maintained that her cake was a beautiful piece of art that most people weren't open-minded enough to appreciate! I was in shock the whole episode!
This must be what Miss Havisham's wedding cake looked like to Pip!
We watched this episode the other night, with my 6 year old. Even *he* didn't like it! He said it was ugly. Now that's bad. lol
All she needed was a plastic Gollum and a couple of plastic Hobbitsies perched on the thing, and she could have gotten away with saying that it was supposed to be a cake representation of Mount Doom! Oh yess, we could have won the contessst, my Precioussss!!
To the person asking about the song: Yes, it's the Beastie Boys. Ricky's Theme, off the Ill Communication album.
WOW! What an awesome wreck! That is the queen of all cake wrecks and should rule for a long, long, long time!!!
Karen
Whoa... Is that even a cake!?
I agree with Clare about setting it on fire...
Did the competitor's behavior concern anyone else? The way she was acting, I couldn't help but wonder if she's manic or something.
I mean seriously, purposefully making her mixer explode powdered sugar everywhere and setting her cake on fire in front of everyone?!?! What. the. hell?
Maybe I'm crazy but I think the only thing you could do to that cake is set it on fire and kill it. Ugh, wtf was that? and why did they let them be on tv?
oh.. i just went to her website. Why do they let her near the food network studios? She's the one who wrapped the christmas tree in what looked like white plastic garbage bags.
I'm still looking and wondering "what is that supposed to be ?" and feeling a little queasy too...what a mess !
In response to Anonymous who is sad that no one "gets" the art:
You can create whatever art piece you want, but if that were my cake and I was paying my hard-earned dollars for it, you'd better believe I would be getting each and every one of those hard-earned dollars back at the end of the day.
Food Network has hit upon a ratings bonanza. How many hits to her website have been generated since the show aired? How many blogs are currently villifying/defending this cake and Stevie's "artistic vision"? The cake is wrecktastic, but she'll be back on Food Network Challenge soon and often.
thank GOD it was set on fire! someone had to put that transporter malfunction out of its misery!
I like fire lol.. pyromania is cool er somethng... but yeah that cake was much prettier after its dusting of flame retardant chemicals... And I LOVE food network challenges.. mindless fun My grandma and i watch them and call eachother to "discuss" the cakes the next day...this time... there were no words it was more "did you see?? Fire???" and that was it. That was wrecktatude on a pretty EPIC level.... it looked like a elementary school science fair project gone wrong... and I am better for seeing it... nothing more thereputic than a good laugh! Thanks for this blog... I usually need laughs.
I love how it was a wreck even before it was on fire..
Dude.
SERIOUSLY.
Whoa.
I--and I comment here enough that some of you may understand how exceptional the following fact truly is--am speechless.
How can you even SNARK on a thing like that?? It's so reality-challenged that it DEFIES SNARK!
Seriously. DUDE. Whoa.
Apparently, there are still more opportunities to view this wreck's creation on Food Network. According to their site, this episode airs again Saturday (6/20) at 4pm ET/PT and Sunday (6/21) at 6pm ET/PT.
Ladies and gentlemen, set your VCRs. ;-)
I visited this 'artists' website and there isn't one thing on her site that looks professional. It all looks like it was done by 4th graders. Impatient, non professional 4th graders. I'm not sure how she even got on the FN challenge. I saw it too and it was pathetic. Really humiliatingly horrible. Poor Stevie.
And they didn't win? That's shocking...
Holy... what the hell were they on?
I think that has to be the quintessential wreck of all time. How hideous....and I didn't think anything with so much chocolate and strawberries could be bad!
What the hey was she thinking with plastering the cake with rice paper? Too lazy to roll out fondant?! eeesh...
Were they aiming for a horror theme...?
Wow... I just saw the whole episode. I had to Tivo it when I saw the clip on this site and luckily for me it was on again this evening.
The rest of the footage was even more of a train wreck than the cake itself. The state of her kitchen was just disgusting and the cake make no sense. When she decided that they wouldn't have enough cake to complete the height and decided to cover the wooden dowels with strawberries instead my mouth just hung open!
I think there is something seriously wrong with that baker. When she was having trouble putting the cake together she kept repeating that she wanted to laugh but couldn't. I thought she meant it was too horrible, but apparently she normally laughs when things go horribly wrong (??) and she eventually did so.
I thought that cake was bad enough but then I saw her website. Nothing there looks remotely edible and if I hired her to make a dessert for an event I would be seriously angry if she brought one of those disgusting creations!
Okay so I must say that cake wrecks was the first thing I thought of when I saw this episode the other night. And this same decorator has been on at least one previous episode of food challenge. The other challenge she competed in was one in which the contestants had to build famous bridges out of breakfast cereal. She chose to construct the mega bridge in bangkok. If anyone can find the episode it is well worth watching. Let's just say it was another mega disaster. But she has truly (not to mention horribly)outdone herself with this flaming birthday cake.
It looks like a set backdrop from the movie "The Dark Crystal". Ewwwww.
That poor woman. Someone lied to her and told her that her work is great. If you've not been on her website, it's quite a treat. Especially "Coco", the chocolate vagina that's under Medium Scale Edible Landscapes. It has read jelly bean type candies coming out....ugh.
Okay, I have to wonder... why did they (apparently) slice up sheet cakes and stack them to make the "walls" of this cake? In concept, the walls looked pretty interesting - use sheet cake sideways and supported by dowels if necessary, yes? And I'm sorry, but there are times when you actually do need fondant, and creating a sleek geometric design is one of them. Yargh.
WV: bedat. As in, "as soon as Ophelia saw this wreck video she had to go to bedat once."
christ on a bike! "who bothered to create you and WHY?!"
What a disgrace to cake decorators everywhere. I saw her website- her "Coco" and "Wedding Cakes" make me want to cry... HORRENDOUS. Her chocolate covered strawberries look covered in mold. Basically- there is NOTHING on her site that I would even THINK about putting into my mouth. DISGUSTING. I've never been mad at a competitor before- but if I met her I might want to smash a cake in her face.
That episode was on last night and it was horrifying. I almost threw-up about five times. The kitchen was filthy and the cake... well the cake is definately a wreck.
They showed an artists rendering of what her cake was supposed to look like near the top of the show. The rendering actually looked good. Nice clean lines, lots of color. How she went from that design to mud mountain is beyond me.
Best line of the night came from Kerry's husband during the judging. (paraphrasing)"No cake has ever truly wowed her on this show. Well, you have 'Wow'ed her."
Wait a sec, did she put the bowl she was using for chocolate on the FLOOR??
That's totally not sanitary. Also makes me think her cakes are not meant to be eaten.
I'd be scared to eat her other cakes if she's that sloppy with cleanliness when putting them together.
wv: plabitiz. The condition you might contract if you ate a slice of this cake.
Miss Jen, I'd almost say that was an insult to 4th graders. LOL My 2nd grader can do better work than THAT. I don't even get what the original concept was supposed to be. Or how the heck she EVER wound up on TV as a professional. Like they say, any PR is good PR.
oh my
Hmm, sounds like anonymous at 8:29 might be Ms. Famulari herself!
I watched this episode last night, and vowed that I would e-mail it to Cake Wrecks this morning. And I laughed when I saw that it was already on here!!!
If you can catch the episode on reruns, you have to watch it. The minute and a half doesn't even begin to capture the disaster that Stevie Famulari is. The cake was falling apart as she was building it, the kitchen was atrocious, and she took nothing into account about Kerry VIncent while creating a birthday cake for her. When Kerry called her on it, she had the gall to tell Kerry that she doesn't agree with "the client is always right". Um . . . you're a baker, making cakes that look like the client asks you to. If you don't like clients, you shouldn't be behind a bakery counter.
Definitely look for this on reruns. The full hour is definitely entertaining! :)
I am guilty of checking out her website & giving her the hit increase but seriously?! WTF? She really likes gummy fruit huh?
@Miss Jen - I think 4th graders would do better. Maybe she has a sweatshop full of 4 & 5 year olds? "Cmon kids, lets finger paint!"
Wow, this has to got to be close the record number of comments for any cake, wreck or not.
To the person who proclaimed those who don't get the concept of this type of art "ignorant," let me say that I hold a degree in art history from a prestigious university, and while the concept may be interesting and innovative, my professional opinion is that the execution is lacking. That's my real issue with Stevie's edible art. Yes, I understand that on the Food Network Challenge there were serious time constraints, plus filming conditions are rarely ideal for the creation of food products, but one would assume Stevie had neither issue when making the creations she proudly displays on her website, many of which also demonstrate somewhat sloppy execution. Stevie sketches quite nicely, I must say, so it's a shame she has trouble executing her vision fully.
I saw this episode and I couldn't believe how NONE of the judges called her out on this ginormous piece of crap! They called her out for being a slob, but nobody really said anything that indicated that they thought her cake was less than...disappointing.
IMHO, this was nothing more than a giant F-YOU to Kerry. What else could it have been? A serious attempt at a birthday cake that Kerry would like? I don't think so.
What really bothered me in the episode was her attitude. Kerry Vincent may be a difficult person to face when she's judging you, but she's still a person. And someone who never in her life had a birthday cake of her own, who says of herself that even when she was a little girl, she wasn't a little girl. She deserved better, and fortunately at least two of the decorators (the guy who won and Zane) tried to do so intelligently and with a good spirit.
The "cake"-maker who made the wreck was arrogant, rude, and-- I think-- genuinely mean-spirited. About the only positive in her behavior and the idiocy she produced is that it reflected so poorly on her, not only as a decorator, but as a person.
Hopefully she won't be back on Food Network. I'd rather be impressed by something that takes skill than appalled by someone throwing an eight-hour tantrum.
What gets me on this wreck is the amount of actual food wasted on it! I mean, NO ONE is ever gonna eat any of it...total waste!
What was the MOST mortifying of this was the shape her kitchen was in after she was done making this monstrosity!!
How funny! I just watched that episode and thought of this site...
They had this episode on yesterday around 7pm!! Coincidence??
Ok I just followed up and checked out her website...
o m g.
To the anonymous person who said that we just "don't get it" and that those things are "art", are you for real? I went to art school. That stuff is crap. The first thing they teach you is GOOD CRAFT.
Actually, if I were to make Teri Vincent a cake, that's *almost* exactly what I'd do. I'd wrap it in paper and set in on fire.
Then I'd leave it on her doorstep.
thats just a mess. the episode was on yesterday and i tried to watch it but my hubby (who hates food shows) changed it as soon as he got home (while i was making dinner) so i didnt get to see the good (bad) stuff
That was a freaking disgusting cake and the fire only improved on the design!
I thought the cake was horrific, but I figured maybe she was having a bad day. Maybe dipped a bit too much into those bowls of alcohol. And then I went to her site.
Yes, nothing says "I survived breast cancer" like a lopped-off chocolate boob in a plastic box. Yum!
And I don't know if tacking gummy bears to a dirty window with what looks like chewed gum classifies as 'edible'.
There really are no words for how incredibly bad that cake is. If anyone wants to see that particular episode again it plays twice on Sat.
Oh my, how embarrassing!
I MUST TiVo this one.
The best is that she features this disaster on her own website; even the "after" photos. Check out the project of a Christmas tree wrapped in lasagna noodles. Looks like human skin...
http://www.steviefamulari.net/tvproj.html
That thing deserved to burn - did they actually think what they were making looked good or even appetizing? Good lord!
I also have to admit that I clicked on her website but I was so appalled at the homepage I went no further. Clearly her bad tasted extends way beyond cakes into scads of other realms of her life.
This woman is not a baker, pastry chef or has any of the training/experience that comes with working with desserts for mass human consumption.
She has always said that she is an artist. Her medium just happens to be food ingredients. I've never heard Stevie call herself anything other than that. Just because it's 'edible art' doesn't mean that it should be eaten. It's art that just happens to use ingredients that are edible.
I think some people need to remember that and simmer down a bit.
I've seen another episode of Food Network Challenge where this woman tried to make a cereal bridge and ruined EVERYTHING. How did she get on Food Network again? That show is the place for cake wrecks.
...Wha? The concept art looks like a sort of funky menorah, but the finished product is clearly a post-nuclear-apocalypse landscape. Now does that happen?
Then again, it IS the same "artist" who isn't quite sure how bridges are supposed to work.
The funny part is that cake creator actually seemed proud of herself that it caught on fire! I was happy too 'cause that cake was just plain fugly!
her cakes are always "edible art" meaning, up for interpretation. I really don't understand why they ask her to be on the show in the first place....although, she does provide some ghastly entertainment.
Ok, having seen the show, in non-judge mode Ms. Vincent does seem to be a much more pleasant person, if not at all relaxed, so I take back half of the wicked witch comments.
Ms. Fumalari... Totally insane and definitely had it out for Ms. Vincent. The icing she was using looked absolutely disgusting, and the way she glopped it on for glue was horrifying to watch. I think she had a mental snap at about the point she put the mixer on high with the powdered sugar in it because that's when it went from "This isn't working, I'm so frustrated!" to "Ok, it's not working, so let's see how much worse we can make it!" Claiming to have been proud of it was... Had to have been sheer stick-it-out-to-the-end-ness.
Her attitude was also disgraceful - one might not like Ms. Vincent much, but that's little reason to so deliberately make that mess. I originally thought it was going to be one of those unfortunate things that happens when a novice is under pressure and ill-prepared, and kind of a "That's the cake that karma bought," deal. That wasn't the case at all, as it turned out. It was a crazy woman with a vendetta.
Okay, now I'm dying to see this episode, but don't get the food network here! Can someone please find and post a link to video... must share in the wreckiness!!
There's art, then there's fingerpainting in the solarium before your meds. Good god.
My guess is she started with the dowels for the support system in the cake, and then they probably ran out of cake? Maybe they were drinking the alcohol? Maybe they thought themselves mad scientists creating the new Frankenstein? Mission accomplished.
Oh my gosh! I know I just submitted a comment, but then i went to her website... scary. Please just check out this sculpture. Truly appalling.
http://www.steviefamulari.net/popups/B4k.html
It looked like Candy Land on crack. I must try to go DVR that asap.
I just showed this to my oldest son..he squinted and said it looks like a tower of poop..then I told him it was a cake.
Let me just say, I am not a fan of Kerry Vincent, mostly because she seems so unpersonable to me, in fact, her interaction with Norm was the most personality I've ever seen her have!
That being said, that cake "artist" is rude, annoying, and uppity. She actually told Kerry that she didn't want to hear from her, she just wanted to tell her to have an open mind! You don't tell that to a client.
In addition, her "the customer is always right isn't my company's motto" line, *IF* I were to ever get a brain injury and buy a cake from her, and she insulted me in such a way, I'd be getting my money back fast than she could say "expression."
If she wants to be an artist, be an artist, if she wants to be a cake decorator, be a cake decorator. They seriously need to stop giving her spots on these shows. Everyone I've seen her in, she's been a disaster, she always has a melt down, and her cakes are horrid. I was secretly cheering with Kerry that whole episode, and laughed my @$$ off when it had to be put extinguished.
I'm looking at her website now, ugh.
To Anonymous who said we just don't get "it." This isn't an art show. It's a cake contest. A cake contest to make a birthday cake for a surprise client. Not a chance for self expressionism.
So, she describes herself as an "artist," WHY is she on a cake decorating contest?!
Just a word, you can actually send a comment about Challenge through the Food Network's website. I already sent mine asking they don't allow her to return.
Does CW Reader Jason know that his video clip (complete with his commentary) is on her site?! Ho.Ly. Cow! Seriously! Click on Mystery Client Cake and bam! There's his video embedded - "bad execution" comment and all!!!! I'm howling over that!!! She's not the sharpest crayon in the box, is she?
I watched that episode and the one she did with the bridge. This is not good advertising for her business. Both times she screwed up and had no plan.
I don't think she is a cake decorator at all, just a misplaced artist that somehow managed to come to the attention of the Food Network staff. I think she's a "plant" to cause dissension on the set. I looked at her website and have seen all three Food Network Challenges she has been on and have never seen anything remotely good from her. Artistic? Maybe if you consider an industrial dump site art... Just my opinion, though.
I watched this one the other night and from the moment it started, it really was a train wreck you couldn't not watch! It was so sad it was almost funny.
My only thought was - if she acts this badly for the potential of winning $10,000, how does she act for her 'real' clients?!
All I have to say is - wow - nothing more then wow. I hate that I increased traffic to her site but I sat there in utter disgust and HORROR at what she has done?!?!
It's funny in a tragic psychotic way.
*whoever made the comment*
there's art, then there is finger painting on the solarium of your mind before the meds
*couldn't have said it better myself*
*cries in terror*
AND SHE TEACHES?!
There are so many things about this I don't understand. I really don't understand the paper. Why did she put paper on the cake? Is this a new frosting technique? Clearly I'm going to have to seek out this episode and watch it, else I'll never sleep with all this unanswered confusion.
I visited this 'artists' website and there isn't one thing on her site that looks professional. It all looks like it was done by 4th graders. Impatient, non professional 4th graders. I'm not sure how she even got on the FN challenge. I saw it too and it was pathetic. Really humiliatingly horrible. Poor Stevie.
If you check out her site, she put up that VID!!
For those who missed this episode, it's currently airing right now (EST) on Food Network, and will also rerun tomorrow :3
It's on right now...heehee
So I'm watching it on TV now. I have never seen a cake that was partially digested before.
Not sure if this has been posted before.
Here is her website! Someone save her from herself!
http://www.steviefamulari.net/
Also, this is my first post. It feels good not to be lurking! :D
I just saw her website, I think it is time for her to find a new artistic outlet, maybe finger painting would suit her better. She is NOT a cake decorator
I swore that thing was a Silent Hill cake. Thank you for (re)posting this, at least I can show everyone who didn't see it what it was.
What was that? :)
OMG!! Checked out the website of this epic disaster-ater and I just want to know one thing, IS THIS CHICK FOR REAL?
This episode is on Food Network RIGHT NOW!!! (5PM CST)
I swear this episode is a prank of Borat proportions. Carrie Vincent is really Meryl Streep, preparing for her sequel, tentatively entitled, "The Devil! Wears Fondant"
i know i'm a bit late to the party, but they re-aired this episode today (i'm watching the final judging now) and i have to say, after seeing that wreck "in person"... oooohhhhhh eeeeeemmmmmmmm gggggggeeeeeeeeeeee. The amusing thing is when they lit the cake on fire, a fire truck went down my street. AWESOMENESS.
it looked a little better on the TV than on the internets but still. daymn. fugly isn't even strong enough for that thing. 's what you get when you get an ar-teeest, i guess, instead of an artist who gets their medium *and* the fact that the art is for a client, not for the artist, to enjoy.
Okay, so I've seen this cake in passing a couple of times, but I had to show this to my little sister, who has been cooking since she was pretty young.
The look of utter horror on her face? So worth it. She did say they probably should have gone for a flame thrower instead of the fire extinguisher, though.
It's not her concepts that are horrifying; in the right hands, many of them could be really fascinating. It's that she's simply not good at what she does. Sloppy frosting, gummi worms tossed about willy nilly . . . most of what she does just screams "2nd grader's glitter-and-paste art project for Mother's Day."
As for KV, I absolutely can't stand her, but she knows what she's talking about, I'll give her that. But what's with those gigantic headbands she always wears?
Watching this episode of "Food Network Challenge" (hadn't had time before now). Stevie's "interview" was astounding. A client "interview" that consists of lecturing her about your "art"?? HOW do you cram that much arrogance into one person? Kerry's right, everything's all about Stevie and her planet-sized ego, no one else in the world matters unless they're kissing up to her.
Love the snark by another cook: "What do you want to do?" "Not what she's doing", referring to Stevie. One amusing feature is some of the commentary by other cooks about her performance, including how messy her kitchen is. Granted, my own gets disheveled while I'm cooking, but I'm working in a much smaller space and I don't claim to be a professional pastry chef. I also try hard to find time to clean up as I go. How are they going to clean this mess up? (My vote is to just plow the kitchen under and seed it with salt.)
The powdered-sugar incident: this is an adult doing this? I can picture my favorite three-year-old laughing at this, but an adult? I'm still convinced that looking at her face, you can see some serious mental health issues.
Scary watching these cakes being moved, but everyone made it!
I have to second other posters who say this looks worse in construction during the episode than it looked on the YouTube video. They're right. The video does not do justice to the horror. The fire extinguisher gunk really does substantially improve it. I'd have to nominate Stevie the Queen of Wreck.
I loved watching this episode, because it was so schadenfreude-rific! What made me most uncomfortable about her piece was that she insisted that KV had to keep an open mind, when it was clear based on what the show was about that Stevie was the one who needed to keep her mind wide open.
I'm not the best cake decorator out there by a long shot, but for her cake concept I feel like she would have done a better job with making a large number of sheet cakes as layers and then carving them into the shape she wanted rather than the scary dowels.
i've seen that woman on Challenge before. She has said publicly that she's not a baker, she's an artist. She thinks she's edgy and avant-garde.
I think she's an idiot.
She tries to make the most terrible 'cakes,' if you can call them that, using materials she doesn't understand...
she's great for laughs, at least you can say that.
I also think whoever put her on that show to make a cake for KERRY VINCENT is a sadist. They knew she'd make something terrible and they knew Kerry would hate it.
Poor, poor Stevie. We can only hope that the cure for whatever her psychiatric disorder is includes more K.V. Simon Cowell of the cake world indeed!
I saw this and was so horrified!!! But I couldn't look away... it was like a train-wreck! Actually, make that a horribly wonderful cake-wreck!!!
bears a striking resemblence to john carpenter's 'the thing'
the only thing that would have made that video better is kurt russell and kurt russell's beard killing it with fire.
Oh, man, I saw that one! What a crisis. Sadly, it looked better after they torched it >< and like the lady said, it was made more for the chef than the customer
poor woman had a nervous breakdown >< cake did too
My husband dubbed this "the afterbirth cake"...after we both stopped laughing, that is. Best episode of Challenge ever.
HOOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLELEEEEEEEE CRAP!!!!
Apparently she's not ashamed of this creation at all, she's got the video posted on her website!!!!
You know...I'm not sure...but after going through the decorator's site...I think she does this sort of over the top, sort of gothic-grotesque thing on purpose.
At least, that's what I'm going to tell myself. It's intentional. It has to be. Nothing else makes sense.
But, you know she really hates KV, based on the comments she made during the show...and so I'm not terribly surprised that her cake was a dungeon of horror.
So what WAS it trying to be?
All I can think of is a promo for "Survivor- Tropical Haunted Island"
???
--Jevvv
I actually wrote a note to kerry vincent after i saw that. I think that Stevie Famulari should be banned from Cake Challenges.
So, I went to the cake lady's website after watching this, and get this - she has a picture - and the video - of the fiasco.
No comments, though. Just there it is, like some sort of accomplishment.
Just in case anyone is still reading this. She's on the new bridge challenge tonight.
And the birthday cake challenge re-airs on the 24th of September at 7pm (ET/PT), for anyone who wants to watch this trainwreck again. I plan to set my DVR. ;)
It's definite: Stevie is seriously mentally ill. For some masochistic reason, I'm watching Bridge Challenge 2 and Stevie, talking about this cake challenge, said she didn't think it could have gone better! In what remotely sane universe was that NOT a totally unmitigated disaster?
When I visited her website, I had the same reaction as when I saw the cake: what was she thinking? That is the worst website design I've seen since 1996.
What people fail to realize, and I am NOT defending her, is that she is a sculptor with an art background. I agree she's crazy with her execution, but she is not, I repeat, not a baker and barely has an baking experience. I really do not know why they would have invited her onto a show like this, other than to see her fail so miserably.
Lol, having seen pictures of this cake before, I assumed it was just a destroyed cake covered in heaps of icing sugar. Now there's a lovely story behind it. :)
this cake looks like a chocolate dress (called inferno! no joke!) she made in '04. http://steviefamulari.net/popups/B2a.html
and her website is just awful! was it designed by a 13 year old? All of her stuff is awful!
. . . how did those people get onto Food Network Challenge? Was that the "Wrecktacular Challenge" or something?
I didn't check the comments, but you forgot to mention that the "baker" in this case was actually an Artist. As in, not a baker by any stretch of definition. Also, she had a nice little snot-fest with the birthday girl about what she would be making. By far one of my favorite episodes. heh
AND! She even used the cakewreck video on her web-page!!! MWahahaha!
Whoa, guys. It's clearly meant to be a representation of the city of Dis, between the fifth and sixth circles of Hell. The foam of the extinguisher can only lend the ironic appearance of a gentle snowfall from the heavens. Frankly I am impressed by her artistic vision in this matter.
Lorinda said: Whoa, guys. It's clearly meant to be a representation of the city of Dis, between the fifth and sixth circles of Hell. The foam of the extinguisher can only lend the ironic appearance of a gentle snowfall from the heavens. Frankly I am impressed by her artistic vision in this matter.
Genius! Brilliant interpretation. Your ability to see the subtext of the work surely proves that you are a visionary amongst cake reviewers. ;) (cause it's hard to read emotion in text, I'm not trying to be snarky, just silly.) :)
Ah yes, I remember seeing that. I believe she knew EXACTLY what was going to happen. She WANTED that cake to burn, and be extinguished-it would be the cumulation of her 'performance art'. She won, b/c ppl will always talk about the 'girl who set her cake on fire'. She had no business being on there, but she brought in an audience, so expect to see her again, creating an even BIGGER disaster!
I went to her site and ho-doggie! That woman has some "interesting" ideas about decorating. Her strawberries look like they're covered in vomit, her wedding cakes are worse--what is up with the "pee-stained" blue one?--and who knows what she was thinking about the Christmas tree. She decorated it really nice and then covered it with cheesy, ugly saran wrap? What? The only creations on her site I liked were the ones that look like the stuff *I* made as a kid. From the looks of things, Steve-o was never criticized as a child and now we get to pay for it.
I just saw this episode for the first time on Food Network! I knew what the end result was going to be, but it was still hilarious. Even before the flames, it was a wreck (and so was her kitchen!).
I was in complete shock when I saw this episode today. The second she mentioned that she sees herself as an "artist" I knew that we would see something wreck-tastic, and she definitely didn't let me down. She's the kind of person that makes people think modern art is ridiculous. As someone with an art history degree, this makes me cry inside. And that kitchen! How can someone like this have a career?!
We think this was a put on. If anyone really did something like that- the disgusting disgraceful mess in the kitchen and the cake itself- when Stevie stood in front of Kerry and said "The client isn't always right." That just tells us they were all having a laugh. Otherwise Stevie would be out of business, or the health department would have shut her down. No one could have gotten so far from their original design and made such a mess for real on national television.
Delhia & Vicky
i know this is a super old post but i couldn't help but notice that lovely cake lady has this little video clip up on her site now...
http://www.steviefamulari.net/popups/B1e.html
i love it!!
To the anonymous who said we don't "get" Stevie's work-If you are in a baking competition to make a cake for a client, you should follow the client's wishes. Even non-food artists know that. A good artist does what a commissioner asks, even if they hate it, because that's what they're being paid to do; the master Michelangelo knew that.
Incidentally, regardless of Stevie's intentions, the cake *is* badly-executed/ugly to Jen, so she considered it a wreck. You may think it's a beautiful, artistic expression of the soul, but you don't own this blog.
WV: dreful. I think this cake is dreful, sir.
One can only hope that was on purpose. That they said, "you know what would be funny? Making the worst cake EVARRR for one of the biggest cake critics' birthday. THAT would be funny. That would be too funny NOT to do."
One can hope.
I believe that Stevie has been the unfortunate recipient of a lot of well-meant encouragement in something she loves but is obviously no good at. It's like those people that go on American Idol that truly cannot sing.. but someone in their life is telling them to keep trying.
Does no one love these people? Can they not be made to understand that their "work" is craptacular on an epic scale? I almost feel sorry for her.. almost.
I just had to check out this chick's website and O.M.G.!!!!-(yes it is that bad to need all those points, I better add another one for effect)!, the whole site is a wreck. Apparently the baker is a enviromental artist and does landscaping and fashion as well as baking, you just have to check it out to believe it. I think she should become the spokesperson for Cake Wrecks.
www.steviefamulari.net
I tend to agree with most of the previous comments...my first thoughts are what was that supposed to be??? and why do that to innocent cake? Burning that thing up was the best possible way out of being judged on it!
With all due respect to the woman who concocted this mess...I watched this episode and others she has been in and she is not a baker/cake decorator...she is an artist (outside the box) who thinks this can transcend into cake decorating. I feel it is a mockery to the other talented cake artists to allow her to compete in these competitions. I am asking her to keep her talent to another venue where it could be better appreciated.
At June 18, 2009 3:22 PM- I don't think anyone has a problem with Stevie being a food artist, though I wouldn't put her work in a show. The problem is she went on a competition to make something appealing that would be eventually eaten, but her entry wasn't appealing or edible. Her cake not only looked horrible, it probably wasn't edible even before the fire--who wants to eat rotten fruit and dowel rods? She's like a painter entering a photography contest, badly painting a self-portrait, and calling it a photograph. If she doesn't make things to be eaten, she shouldn't offer catering or enter competitions where the results will be consumed.
I saw this episode. But truthfully, knowing there is no love lost between KV and Kerry - just kind of wonder if KV accidentally on purpose made a wreck out of her creation. KV and Kerry have not seen eye-to-eye on any challenge they have both been on.
FYI according to her website this umm... artist... will be on another Challenge episode, which airs July 18, 2010. I'm kind of curious if we'll see another fiasco...
Stevie and her raging ego struck again this weekend with "Edible Landscapes" and her take on "Swamp". While not as spectacular a failure as this one, it was far south of "success".
I've seen this lady on challenges so many times, and all her cakes come out that disastrous.like just tonight, she made a giant swamp...thing with a big head made out of green chocolate that resembled Kerry's head. It then failed to activate the spring that launched the chocolate head up...
That pastry chef or what ever she likes to call herself is awful.....why does she get to be that show.....all the times she been on she make ths worst cakes ever....she is a joke and becomes a bigger joke each time...Auggie
What did the winning cake look like? It would be interesting to compare.
-Katie C.
if kerry vincent is cake wrecks' simon cowell, then sandra lee has to be the Sanjaya. i've never seen this lady make anything acceptable. do they keep inviting her back for laughs?
Oh, lordy, it's THAT baker again. She's a self-declared Artist and each time she shows up on Challenge it's a train wreck as she works to execute her artsy vision despite all logic to the contrary.
There's the bridge 'cake' she made into a tower, wrapped in seaweed, and then had to let crash to the floor because she put a foot long base on a 5' vertical 'cake'.
Then there's the edible Christmas tree ornaments Challenge where she wrapped her tree in pink plastic wrap.
It's total fascination of the abomination time each time she appears on Challenge.
It's not the sad outcome or the appearance of the cake, but the work itself that makes me throw up.
A worktable that has no room to place utensils, no gloves and she even puts the molten chocolate on the floor. Just that she did not put the spatula un the floor too! Yuck!
I was actually there when that Cake challenge was filmed! That lady was a wacko!!!
I remember seeing that episode when it originally aired. There has always been friction between the decorator and Kerry, and it would not surprise me if the decorator deliberately did this to get back at Kerry.
HAHA! Stevie HATES KV - so it doesn't surprise me one bit that the cake was that ugly. I'm actually kind of proud of her for being that bold and purposely making a cake she knew Kerry would hate. You know she had fun doing it too :)
Wow. It looks like a mudslide disaster in some forgotten rainforest.
Was there every any hope that it would be appetizing? As in, before the Inferno stage?
was that even a cake at all?
I really feel like I need to watch the episode because I'm just kind of scratching my head right now...on top of everything, the fact it was a bday cake for KV??? I'm so puzzled...holy wow. Just holy wow.
If there is one thing we learned form this is that cake, chocolate, melted sugar, paper, alcohol, and fire don't mix well at all.