Ina Garten Almost Quit Television After This Disaster At Her Home
Ina Garten is one of the longest-running Food Network stars with 20 seasons of "The Barefoot Contessa" and dozens of other television appearances under her belt. But the show was almost over before it even started after a mishap while filming at Garten's home made her reconsider the decision to pursue cooking for television.
Garten never wanted to be a TV star. In fact, she told Food Network "no" more than once. So after her septic system failed while filming for the first time, the self-taught cook questioned whether she wanted to push forward. But this is just the beginning of one of the revelations Garten shares in her memoir.
It's easy to understand why she felt that way after the show's 50-person film crew overloaded her septic system, causing it to bubble up in her yard and cover the lawn with sludge. The mess was so big that the truck that came to fix it got stuck in the muck and left big tire marks on the lawn, which was still covered in septic tank overflow.
Ina Garten tried to quit after her first day of filming
The septic tank incident was so stressful that the show's director threw up in the garden. The next day, Ina Garten declared that she was done with the show, sending everyone away, and declaring that she was completely done with television. Fortunately for her loyal fans, that wasn't true.
As you might already be aware, Garten did continue making TV, sharing her recipes and hosting tips on "The Barefoot Contessa," which lasted 27 seasons. She also made a spinoff, "Barefoot Contessa: Back to Basics," and her latest show, "Be My Guest with Ina Garten," which ran from 2022 to 2024. All of these years on, Garten is looking back on 20 years of Barefoot Contessa and filming.
Though Garten has taken time out of her schedule between 2024 and 2026 to promote her memoir "Be Ready When the Luck Happens," she is picking up "Be My Guest with Ina Garten" again. After signing a multi-year deal with the Food Network, she will most certainly return to the airwaves with new episodes in the coming years.