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. Don't let these Turkey Day tragedies happen to you!

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.

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?

Flaming Oven

Many people are appalled by the idea that some families go to restaurants on Thanksgiving. The holiday is a time for families to gather around, share each other's company, and give thanks for the wonderful things in their lives. Yet, occasionally a holiday can be ruined by something like this. A little fire at your house can definitely put a damper on things. It's not entirely clear how this oven caught on fire, but it's never good when you open the door to the oven and flames burst out. The turkey was probably inedible after this blazing incident.

X-Rated Turkey

It may be hard to believe, but according to the National Restaurant Association, Thanksgiving is a busier day for restaurants than holidays such as Valentine's Day, Father's Day, and Easter. Maybe that's because families want to avoid things like this. You have to admit though, this turkey is pretty funny. Whatever jokester decided to put a turkey head on this very curvy turkey body obviously had a sense of humor. We can't help but wonder if he or she somehow manipulated the turkey's body so it was prominently displaying its assets. Whatever the case, it's always fun to laugh on the holidays.

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?

Deep Fry Disaster

Studies have shown that women experience more stress during the holidays than men. That's really not a surprise because women tend to be in charge of a lot of the preparation, including cooking, shopping, and cleaning. Sometimes the men try to help out, and things like this happen. A lot of people like to eat deep-fried turkeys. They taste a little different than the ones made traditionally in the oven. But if you're not a good cook and if you don't have much experience with a fryer, then you're setting yourself up for disaster. That was probably a Thanksgiving this family never forgot.

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.

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.

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!

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).

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.