There have been many onscreen Top Chef controversies, like when a chef was accused of stealing someone else’s food and serving it.

Unfortunately, something that many fans don’t know is that there have also been several behind-the-scenes scandals.

For example, Padma Lakshmi claimed she was harassed on set and one competitor claimed the show’s locations disadvantage some chefs.

According to a competitor from the Top Chef: Just Desserts spin-off, the show’s producers also have a history of being cruel to the chefs.

Top Chef: Just Desserts’ Seth Caro Revealed How Heather Chittum Was Treated After Her Severe Head Injury

When chefs sign up to compete in a cooking reality show, there are certain dangers they have to expect. For example, chefs who are rushing to complete a dish before running out of time are liable to burn or cut themselves.

What competing in a cooking show shouldn’t result in, however, is a chef suffering a severe head injury. Despite that, Seth Caro spoke about how Heather Chittum was treated after she suffered a horrible head injury while speaking to the New York Post.

In January 2015, the New York Post published an article about the awful things producers put reality show competitors through. Seth from Top Chef: Just Desserts’ first season spoke to the outlet for that piece. Seth alleged that Heather suffered an extremely serious head injury and then was put under a lot of pressure by the show’s producers.

When anyone suffers a serious head injury, they should be given the time and space to recover. For example, many experts have spoken out about how athletes who’ve suffered concussions can’t make decisions about whether they should play.

However, when Heather suffered a severe head injury, producers put a lot of pressure on her to make a huge decision about her career, according to Seth.

“She was in shock, afraid of disfigurement, but they wouldn’t let her call her family. She was given an ultimatum: She could either compete on the show or leave, but she would have to sign a non-disclosure agreement and never sue — and she had to decide now.”

Soon after filming Top Chef: Just Desserts , Heather Chittum had something huge to celebrate in her private life. According to an article from the Washington Post , Heather married James Roth in July 2010 .

During the same interview, Seth explained how Heather suffered that head injury to begin with.

According to the story, the cast of Top Chef: Just Desserts was flown to Los Angeles where the show was filmed. The cast then boarded a double-decker bus where they rode on top alongside the show’s crew.

As the bus drove under an overpass, one of the crewmembers’ cameras was struck and flew directly into Heather’s face. According to Seth, the camera struck Heather’s face with so much force that “it blew the top of her forehead open.”

After that horrible accident, Heather was rushed to a local hospital to get treatment. According to what Seth told the New York Post, the cut on Heather’s face was so big that it required many stitches for doctors to close it.

Of course, the thing that mattered most in this situation was that Heather eventually was able to make a full recovery. Still, it is worth noting that according to what Seth told the New York Post, the show’s producers left the other competitors in limbo for a long time.

According to Seth, when Heather was getting treated in the hospital, her fellow competitors were forced to wait on top of the bus in the sun for four hours. Keep in mind, since the show was filmed in Los Angeles, that means it almost certainly would have been very hot on top of that bus.

Seth Caro Claims Top Chef: Just Desserts Ruined His Career

In the same story, Seth Caro also spoke about his own experiences. According to him, competing on Top Chef: Just Desserts destroyed his once-promising kitchen career.

As Seth explained, he had an emotional breakdown during a challenge and realized he had to leave. However, Seth says that when he demanded his phone and wallet so he could leave, the show’s producers didn’t offer him support. Instead, Seth claimed that Top Chef: Just Desserts’producers prioritized capturing footage of his distraught state.

“I was physically prevented from doing so. This producer had three cameras shoved two feet from my face. I literally slumped down in the corner and started crying.”

Seth went on to tell the Post that the show’s producers tried to convince him to film a little bit more. Furthermore, Seth claimed that once he was permitted to leave, he saw a camera attempting to film his departure.

According to Seth, he jumped out of a moving van to get away from the camera, which resulted in him being hospitalized against his will. “They took me back to the hotel — I was never arrested — and then they took me to a mental hospital, where I was put on a 5150 [involuntary psych hold] for three days. I was in my chef’s jacket and socks. I didn’t have my phone. No one from the network or the show came to see me.”

While talking to the New York Post, Seth claimed that he was abandoned after he was hospitalized. Furthermore, Seth told the outlet that when he got back home, nobody wanted to hire him.

“They are playing with people’s lives. I’ve been destroyed by the experience.”

He went on to state he was legally changing his name in hopes of getting work because of how destructive he thought the show was.