Complete Thanksgiving Dinner Fails
About 14 million people eat out at restaurants during Thanksgiving. Maybe these people don't feel like cooking, or perhaps they're staying away from their families. We have a hunch that many of them are just trying to avoid disasters like the ones you're about to see. You will laugh out loud at some of the Thanksgiving dinner fails that have been caught on camera.
Not-So-Sweet Sweet Potatoes
About 50 percent of American households cater at least part of their Thanksgiving meals. That means they're buying some pre-packaged side or dessert so they don't have to make it from scratch. And we can see why people are doing this. Check out this sweet potato casserole that never made it off the stove.
First, where is the dish? The potatoes are completely covering the stove top. It appears as if someone accidentally dumped it on the stove. According to Martha Stewart, this Thanksgiving side is the "perfect combination of gooey and crunchy." But what a mess for whoever had to clean it up.
Turkducken With Gross Stuffing
A turducken is a chicken stuffed into a duck that is stuffed into a turkey. Canadians call it a Three Bird Roast. The idea may seem pretty amazing, but when you see photos like this, it just makes your stomach churn. A Cajun chef from Louisiana reportedly invented the turducken in the mid-1980s.
Whatever is stuffed into this particular specimen does not look appetizing at all. There's something about brown stuffing mixed with green bits and pieces that reminds us of vomit. Nobody wants to eat something that looks like this on Thanksgiving. Maybe it looked more appealing after it was cooked?
Ice Cream Turkey
These days, more and more women are working full time, which means they have less time in the kitchen. Unless more men start taking charge of the cooking duties, some Thanksgiving meals will be supplemented with catered items. There are even pre-cooked turkeys you can buy -- all you have to do is heat them up!
Whoever made this ice cream turkey had their heart in the right place, but the end result was a little lacking. Would you really eat this? Making an ice cream turkey must be a challenge. Sometimes you have to leave the dessert-making to the professionals.
Mystery Meat
As long as you're spending time with your family, does it really matter if your turkey is homemade or store bought? Even the queen of French cooking, Julia Child, believed that family was more important than the meal, saying: “The important thing is spending time with the family and eating together."
But it would be really sad if you had to eat a meal like this on Thanksgiving. The peas look really disgusting clumped together like that. But the meat is even worse. It doesn't look like turkey. We're not sure what it is. Would you be daring enough to try this mystery meat?
Mashed Potato Mess
A lot of people don't want to host Thanksgiving at their homes. They'd rather visit somebody else's house so they don't have to be responsible for the prep, the meal, and the cleanup. It's a big job to serve such a huge meal to your loved ones. And sometimes you end up with a mess like this.
Somebody scooped the mashed potatoes into a bowl that was obviously way too small, and somehow the potatoes spilled all over the counter and onto the floor. Fortunately, it appears as though there were enough potatoes left to serve with the meal.
Mysterious Black Spots
If you're going to someone's home for the first time on Thanksgiving and you've never sampled any of their food before, you may be taking a risk. Just because they're hosting the holiday doesn't mean they have any clue about cooking. Take this turkey. There is something seriously wrong with it. Notice the odd black spots under its skin.
What is that? It's unclear what is going on with this bird, but it doesn't look good. How do you tell the host or hostess that there's no way in heck that you're going to eat a bruised turkey?
Mini Apple Pie Fail
Apple pie is one of America's signature desserts. You've probably heard the expression that something is "American as apple pie." While most people enjoy apple pie, there's a certain expectation about what they look and taste like. This cook tried to get a little creative with their dessert.
But instead of coming up with a cute little group of apple pies, they wound up with a mess. People really should test a recipe in advance before deciding to use their Thanksgiving guests as guinea pigs. That way, tragedies like this can be avoided. Hopefully, they had other desserts for people to eat.
Pumpkin Roll, Anyone?
Autumn is all about pumpkins and pumpkin spice. Everyone enjoys a pumpkin spice latte, cookie, tea, or bread during the cooler months. But what about a pumpkin roll on Thanksgiving? The dessert sounds great, but unless you know how to make it, you probably want to avoid serving one during the holiday.
This doesn't look anything like a pumpkin roll. Instead, it looks like somebody smashed a cake and drizzled icing on top of it. No one would eat this. But maybe a child made it. If that's the case, then you'd probably have to eat it to be nice.
Vegetarian Thanksgiving
The first Thanksgiving took place in 1621. Fifty Pilgrims and 90 Wampanoag Indians feasted together over the course of three days. While they didn't eat the same things we do today, we can pretty much guarantee they didn't eat vegetables shaped like a turkey. You kind of have to feel bad for all the vegetarians and vegans on Thanksgiving.
They're missing one of the best parts of the meal. But the creator of this veggie plate deserves a pat on the back for their creativity. We sincerely hope this was just an appetizer and not the main course.
Meta-Turkey?
President Lincoln officially made Thanksgiving a holiday in 1863. He did so after being contacted by a woman named Sarah Josepha Hale, who wrote "Mary Had A Little Lamb." She campaigned for 17 years to make the holiday official. We applaud Sarah for her efforts. However, things like this make us scratch our heads.
What exactly is a meta-turkey? The ingredients seem pretty innocuous, but the turkey itself doesn't look very appetizing. Call us traditionalists, but we'd rather have the turkey by itself, surrounded by the sides, instead of everything piled up and mixed together. This is just weird.
Sad TV Dinner
The TV dinner was born in 1953 after Swanson realized it had a lot of leftover turkey (260 tons, in fact). One of its salesmen recommended that they put the leftovers on aluminum trays with other sides, such as sweet potatoes, and sell them. The idea was great -- but not for Thanksgiving meals. We have to feel sorry for anyone who eats a frozen dinner on Thanksgiving.
This particular Swanson meal promises that it's "mostly white meat." Still, microwaving your Thanksgiving meal isn't very appealing. Unfortunately, some poor souls spend the holiday alone. Be thankful you're not one of them!
Burnt To A Crisp
During the first official Thanksgiving in 1621, the pilgrims and Native Americans ate venison, ducks, geese, oysters, lobster, eel and fish. Pumpkins and cranberries were probably also part of their meal. They certainly didn't have to deal with a tragedy like this. Don't people periodically check on their bird while it's roasting in the oven? Did these people forget to set the timer? How does something like this happen?
There's nothing less appetizing than trying to saw your way into a piece of dry meat. Sadly, this Thanksgiving dinner was probably ruined. Hopefully, the desserts made up for the inedible main course.
Turkey Ball Desert
Some folks like to get creative around the holidays. They like baking pies and cookies with a twist. Well, this particular chef somehow thought they'd be creative with these chocolate balls that look like turkeys. We give them an "A" for effort but a "C+" for execution. We're not sure what the chocolate balls are made of -- rice crispy treats, perhaps?
And if you're not a fan of candy corn, you definitely wouldn't add this to your dessert plate. However, even though these chocolate turkeys may not look that appetizing, they're probably quite tasty (and better than those messy apple pies).
Burnt Bird
More and more people are going out to dinner on Thanksgiving because of things like this. Some people can't cook! Whether it's because they've never cooked a turkey before or they set the temperature wrong on the oven, we're not sure. But nobody wants to eat a bird that looks like this. In fact, consuming burned food is not healthy.
Of course, if you're really desperate you could always scrape off the burned skin and try to eat the meat underneath. However, it's likely that the meat will be rather dry. The solution? Smother it in gravy and try not to think about what you're eating.
Cranberries Shaped Like A Can
Did you know that the pilgrims and Native Americans did not use forks when they celebrated Thanksgiving for the first time? The utensil wasn't introduced to the pilgrims until about a decade later, and it didn't become popular until the 18th century.
They also ate fresh cranberries. Most Americans have probably eaten cranberries from a can, but this is just gross. Does the host say, "Here, have a slice of cranberries?" Yuck. Is there a way to make this more appetizing by smashing it up with a fork and displaying it on the table?
Turkey In A Can
We don't know whether the TV dinner or this turkey in a can is worse. Every Thanksgiving, Americans consume a whopping 46 million turkeys, but we don't think turkey in a can counts towards that number. Most people want a traditional Thanksgiving meal complete with the turkey, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole, and lots of gravy.
Even though this turkey in a can with white and dark turkey is touted as being 97 percent fat-free it's not the same as eating a fresh-out-of-the-oven bird! Don't let someone eat this for the holiday. Invite them to your home. Spare them the agony.
A Turkey Ghost?
Here's another example of someone who got a little creative with their holiday dessert. It appears as though they combined two popular fall holidays -- Thanksgiving and Halloween. The turkey on this giant cookie doesn't look like a turkey at all. It looks like a ghost surrounded by flames. Or maybe the ghost is lying down on a pile of leaves.
Then there's the phrase at the bottom of the cookie: "Thanks and Giving." We're not sure why they didn't just write, "Happy Thanksgiving." This cookie is a huge fail. The only positive thing is that it probably tasted pretty good.
Following The Directions Literally
When preparing to cook a Thanksgiving turkey, one of the first things the directions will say is to take the turkey out of the freezer or the refrigerator and let it "chill" in the sink for a few hours.
It appears this person took those directions to heart and got their turkey set up with a beer and TV so they can take a load off and “chill” before being cooked and eaten. It doesn't look like an unpleasant last few hours.
Pick Your Half
The key to deep-frying a turkey is to make sure that the whole thing is submerged in the oil. If you do this, the whole bird will be cooked through. If not, the result might look a little something like this.
We're not sure if they thought they might be able to pull it off cooking it like they did or they were only planning on eating half a turkey. To be honest, the bottom half looks pretty good!
"My brother pulled out his iPhone at thanksgiving with our Amish family"
This may not be a meal, but this phone was a feast for their eyes. Who can blame them though if they've never seen a phone before?
Good luck to this guy if he plans to send a text later.
At Least The Dog Had A Good Thanksgiving
This is something right of the movie A Christmas Story when the neighbor's dogs devour the Old Man Parker’s cherished turkey. We’re not sure how this dog managed to break into the neighbor’s house and steal their entire turkey, but it seems like it was a calculated plan to us.
The dog was probably casing the house the second they got back from the grocery store, patiently waiting for the opportunity to strike. That’s an apology we would have liked to see!
Complete Overkill
If you're already eating turkey at Thanksgiving, there really is no legitimate reason why you would need to have a cake in its image. Not only is this cake on the frightening side, it just seems weird to be eating something that looks like the formerly-living creature that you just consumed.
It just seems like overkill to us. Also, that’s enough cake to feed a small village. Are you trying to give your guests diabetes?
Have The Taste Of Thanksgiving All Year
There's nothing better than biting down on a gumball only to have the flavor of pumpkin pie, cranberry, or turkey bursting in your mouth. Gumballs last a long time, so you can chew on one of these Thanksgiving-flavored gumballs on the beach in July if you get a craving for a Thanksgiving meal.
You can even put these out as an appetizer on Thanksgiving as a little taste for what is to come. Just make sure to keep them out of the reach of children!
The Perfect Thanksgiving Nightcap
After a long day of eating and catching up with family and friends, there's no better way to end the evening than by washing it all down with some pumpkin pie-flavored vodka.
Sure, some people might use this to make a reasonable seasonal drink, but you can fully embrace the holiday season by putting back a few shots if you prefer. If you chase it with some whipped cream, it will be like eating dessert all over again except you’ll walk away with a nice buzz!
Please, Don't
Prepping a raw turkey already isn't the most pleasant of experiences. Normal people aren’t usually thrilled to remove the bag of organs from the body or fill the bird up with vegetables and rub it down with seasoning.
Not only is it pretty disgusting but it’s a rather morbid process. This person decided to make the situation even worse by adding a pair of creepy eyes just above where the sun don’t shine. Have some respect!
Candles Can Pack A Punch!
Many people like to create ambiance during their Thanksgiving meal by lighting candles for the special occasion. The problem is that people use candles so infrequently these days that they forget how dangerous they can actually be, especially when placed on top of a flammable tablecloth.
This lady set her tablecloth on fire when trying to light her candles, and now she has quite a situation on her hands. The real question is why does it look like she's smiling?
Dis Is Mine
There's nothing cuter than a puppy, right? Even when he’s eating the family’s Thanksgiving turkey… right? If this were a full-grown dog, there’s no doubt whoever is taking this photo would be running to the table to get them off immediately. But with a puppy, it’s a different ballgame.
How could you dare yell at this good boi? Even when he’s helping himself to the best meal of the year before anyone else can get a bite, he can do no wrong. He may have ruined Thanksgiving, but that’s ok.
The Contest has Been Canceled
This is an utter disgrace to every life form on the planet Earth. There should be no excuse for anyone to cook macaroni and cheese in this manner unless they are a child. Even then, it’s safe to assume that a kid can make a better-looking dish than both of these.
Was there any effort involved here, or was this a joke? The man who commented “both of you need to be in prison” is correct. Have some self-respect before you walk into the kitchen on Thanksgiving.
Someone Didn't Pass Geometry
One thing to be cognizant of is that you’re not the only one enjoying the sensational food on Thanksgiving. That should go without saying, but some people still don’t get it. If you don’t know how to slice something, then don’t.
Take this pie, for example. It was a perfectly good pie until Edward Scissorhands decided to leave their mark. Now, it’s all dysfunctional and chances are, no one is going to want to have a lop-sided piece of the pie.
How To Never Get Asked To Cook Again 101
if you're tasked with making anything for Thanksgiving and you show up with something like this, there's a 100% chance that you will never be asked to contribute again. This thing looks straight out of a horror movie so scary that it isn't allowed to be released in theaters.
A combination of crab legs, octopus, turkey, and bacon should land you right in the looney bin. We're not sure who's responsible for this but they definitely need to talk to somebody.
You're Off Brussel Sprout Detail
It was your big moment, the family finally asked you to prepare your famous Brussels sprouts for Thanksgiving. Not only were you excited, but you were eager to prove that you deserved this, so the night before you could hardly sleep.
Now you’re in the kitchen sweating out bullets because you don’t want to mess things up, but you do. Your sprouts come out looking blacker than the asphalt and you can already hear the remarks from your family. Looks like you stuck out this time, champ.
Toxic Waste
As if the bird didn't look bad enough, it also looks like it's sitting in a pool of toxic waste. We're willing to bet that not even a dog would go somewhere near anything that looks like that, and that's saying something.
The true miracle of this is that the house didn't get burned down considering how that turkey looks. Whoever is responsible for this is fired and is never allowed near the oven ever again. What are they trying to do, kill the family?
Cats Like Turkey Too
One of the cons of owning a pet is that they have a hard time gauging how important some things are. Just think of the classic line, “my dog at my homework.” Well, this time, it looks like her cat swiped her turkey.
Instagram user sarahbrm posted this photo with the caption, “On this Thanksgiving, I am extra thankful that Kroger is open today. My cat also thanks you, for had you not been open we would have been cooking him as a tribute for what he did to this turkey.”
What A Sick Joke
This looks like the dish that the disgruntled uncle might bring to Thanksgiving just to spite his relatives. He thought of every horrible possibly tasting thing on the planet and decided to combine them all into one atrocious-looking Jell-O creation.
The real question here is why it isn't fully intact. Did somebody dare to take a bite? If so, we hope they're okay and didn't need to be rushed to the hospital for food poisoning or something worse.
It's Meeelllltteeeed
They say looks aren’t everything, but on Thanksgiving, that saying gets tossed out the window. No one wants to show up to the dinner and see burnt turkeys, unmelted mac and cheese, or a melted apple pie on the table.
Unfortunately, that’s what happened to this poor woman. While one of the desserts looks enjoyable, the other seems sad and mutated. People might still eat this, but it’s not going to be the first one consumed and we can bet you that.
Yam Down!
Please, not the yams. You’re supposed to watch the yams as if your life depends on it because these are a Thanksgiving favorite to many. Imagine walking into the kitchen after heading out for about three minutes and this is what you see.
Thankfully, it doesn’t look like all of them spilled out the pot, but a good amount did. Hopefully, someone else brought some for the guests to enjoy because if not, there might be a lot of unhappy campers at the dinner.
What Have You Done?!
Now, most people are aware that there's no one way to cook a turkey. People do it differently around the world according to their particular tastes. This, one the other hand, we can confidently say is not the right way to cook a turkey.
To be honest, we don't even know what's going on here, but it definitely doesn't look right. We're praying for anyone who was even asked to eat this monstrosity because if anyone did, they're most likely six feet under.
With A Hint Of Dog Snout
If you own pets, then one of your main obligations should be to watch them at all cost around the food you’ve prepared for Thanksgiving. The last thing you need is little Max sticking his head in the gravy for a taste.
Instagram user pampalmer60 learned the hard way when her pooches chowed on her candied yams. “So this happened courtesy of my dogs and my stupidity,” she captioned this wonderful photo. Well, at least the dogs enjoyed the finished product!
Someone's Fired
Unless you were unaware, Thanksgiving is always celebrated annually on the fourth Thursday of November. While the date may change yearly, the day of the week that it is celebrated on remains the same. This weather update might pose a problem for the people who are unaware of this tradition.
Some people must have been relieved they had an extra day to prepare only for people to show up on Thursday when nothing was ready. Those people probably won't be hosting ever again.
