174. Pikachu Cake

Price: $29.99*
Made by: Undisclosed
Purchased from: Undisclosed
Pikachu, the adorable Pokemon mascot, takes center stage in this cake caper. Picture this – you’re expecting a Pikachu-shaped delight, a cake that screams “Pokemon Party!” But surprise, surprise! When the cake emerges, it’s not Pikachu; it’s more like Pikachu’s distant cousin who decided to join the party unexpectedly.

Pikachu Cake r/ExpectationVsReality/Reddit
Did the baker misplace their Pokemon guidebook, or is this a secret Pikachu evolution we weren’t aware of? Maybe a good laugh and a consideration for a Pokemon-themed costume party instead is all we need. Maybe next time Pikachu.

175. Thanksgiving Flower Pot

Price: $19.99*
Made by: Undisclosed
Purchased from: Etsy
Thanksgiving plans are in full swing, you decide to surprise your loved ones with a beautiful flower arrangement. You place the order, imagining a burst of autumn colors and floral elegance. But hold on, when the flower pot arrives, it’s not the Thanksgiving masterpiece you envisioned.

Thanksgiving Flower Pot r/ExpectationVsReality/Reddit
Instead, it’s more like a pot that decided to skip the flowers and embrace confusion. The bewilderment is whether the florist misinterpreted your autumn dreams, or did your flowers take an unexpected vacation? All we can do is smile and maybe have a new perspective on unconventional Thanksgiving centerpieces.

176. Arby’s Smokehouse Seems Small

Price: $7.99*
Made by: Arby’s
Purchased from: Arby’s
The promo shot is a veritable mountain of meat, stacked with precision, every slice of brisket perfectly smoked, each strip of bacon a crisp flag planted at the peak of this meaty Everest, and the cheese melted just so — it’s the sandwich that dreams are made of.

Arby’s Smokehouse Seems Small r/ExpectationVsReality/Reddit
Cut to reality: a more modest mound where the brisket huddles under the bun like campers in a tent, the bacon’s lost its sizzle, and the cheese has decided to pull a disappearing act. It’s the fast-food version of a whisper compared to the shout of its advertised self.

177. Merry Christmas Tree Not So Merry

Price: $39.99*
Made by: Party King
Purchased from: Party King
The vision of a rainbow Christmas tree, so vibrant and dense, it could be a unicorn’s dream home, is what was promised. What landed in the living room? A more “unique” version.

Merry Christmas Tree Not So Merry r/ExpectationVsReality/Reddit
This tree took the slimming down for the festive season a bit too seriously, turning up with branches that seem to be on a diet and colors that lost a bit of their pop. It’s got the charm of a DIY project that’s had one too many eggnogs. But with a little love and maybe some extra tinsel, it’ll shine in its own special way.

178. Mac and Cheese Not Seasoned

Price: $1.99*
Made by: Travis Kelce’s Kitchen
Purchased from: Grocery store
The package shows a hearty, soul-warming dish: “Burnt Ends Mac & Cheese”, with chunks of glistening beef brisket lounging atop a creamy sea of cheddar-drenched macaroni. It’s the kind of meal that promises a hug for your taste buds.

Mac and Cheese Not Seasoned r/ExpectationVsReality/Reddit
Then there’s the real deal. The brisket seems to have played a game of hide and seek and the macaroni took a dip in a rather timid cheese sauce. It’s like expecting a Broadway show and getting a high school musical instead. Still, even if it won’t win any gourmet awards, it’s comfort food that’s just a sprinkle of paprika away from a standing ovation in your kitchen.

179. Marvel Figurines

Price: $20* (for an average figurine)
Made by: Unknown
Purchased at: Unknown
Marvel Studios is one of the most profitable franchises of all time, but not all their creations are masterpieces of the same level. However, we don’t even know whether these misshapen action figures were created by the company itself.

Marvel Figurines r/ExpectationVsReality/Reddit
Judging by the looks of it, we assume these can be credited to some off-brand factory that was just looking to make a few bucks off of some of the most popular action figures in the world of superheroes, but they didn’t turn out well.

180. Rainbow Dress

Price: Unknown
Made by: Unknown
Purchased at: Unknown
The advancement of the fast fashion industry means that we’re constantly surrounded by new designs, enticing us to purchase more and more clothes. But sometimes, online pictures of the product don’t accurately represent what it’s going to look like, mainly due to heavy Photoshop and lighting.

Rainbow Dress r/ExpectationVsReality/Reddit
Someone ordered this rainbow dress, and while it looks the same, the sizing and stitching are questionable. Our guess is that the original picture was heavily modified to make the dress look different from reality.

181. Mario Kart Cake

Price: $200*
Made by: Unknown
Purchased at: Unknown
If this was a homemade cake that someone made for their own kid, it’d look super cute, but not so much when it comes from a professional cake baker. It seems like the cake wasn’t allowed to cool down before icing and fondant were put on top, which resulted in this mess.

Mario Kart Cake r/ExpectationVsReality/Reddit
The three sad candles on one side don’t help much either. But the worst part is that they even got the child’s age wrong. Everything else could have been excused, but the number mistake just screams laziness and lack of professionalism.

182. Budweiser Sweatshirt

Price: Unknown
Made by: Possibly Shein
Purchased at: PacSun
Budweiser is a classic in the world of beers, but we don’t know if we love it enough to wear a sweatshirt with its name on top. Still, this person wanted to get their hands on one but ended up with a thrift store knockoff and a tacky design.

Budweiser Sweatshirt r/ExpectationVsReality/Reddit
Not only are the colors on the sweatshirt much different from the website picture, but the image on top is not even the same. It seems like PacSun ran out of stock midway, and instead of making more, they just ordered a few off-brand Shein shirts and shipped them out.

183. Buffalo Chicken Slider

Price: $1.99*
Made by: Arby’s
Purchased at: Arby’s
Arby’s is the second-largest sandwich chain in the world and has over 3,000 restaurants in the US alone. With reasonably priced items, it’s one of the best places to eat on the go or have a small bite.

Buffalo Chicken Slider r/ExpectationVsReality/Reddit
However, even Arby’s can have its hits and misses. Imagine ordering this slider because you’re only slightly hungry but then receiving something that won’t even satisfy that tiny pang of craving. Instead of making an effort to fry a patty for the sandwich, the cook just threw on a nugget and called it a day.

184. Chicken Tenders

Price: $7.78*
Made by: CauliPower
Purchased at: Target
These chicken tenders by CauliPower have gained massive popularity due to their seemingly delicious taste and lack of calories. If you go on the CauliPower website, you’ll see nothing but a ton of five-star reviews talking about how much they enjoyed eating the product.

Chicken Tenders r/ExpectationVsReality/Reddit
That is why this person was super excited to get their hands on a packet, even paying $3 more for it, as compared to the Target brand tenders. To their dismay, not only did the pack have only two tenders, but they were also super thin.

185. Red Hair

Price: Unknown
Made by: Unknown
Purchased at: Unknown
Getting a hair dye right is a delicate art, especially when you have to measure the quantities of bleach and hair color precisely. This person bleached their hair at home and then visited the salon to get a strawberry blonde dye on top of it, but instead received this orange hue.

Red Hair r/ExpectationVsReality/Reddit
They took it as a joke, laughing about their own hair blunder. Everyone on Reddit was super supportive, saying that the color didn’t look that bad. The good thing is that such bright colors fade away soon, so the person was able to get another dye, fixing their shade.

186. Thin Crust Pizza

Price: $4.99*
Made by: Signature Select
Purchased at: Unknown
A frozen pizza is sometimes your best savior, especially at the end of a long and busy day. But hardly anyone wants to eat something that is so heavily loaded with toppings. The cheese-to-pepperoni ratio just seems off, and we can’t think how something like this would taste good.

Thin Crust Pizza r/ExpectationVsReality/Reddit
The person who bought this pizza gave it a ‘grocery store score’, so maybe it’s not as bad as it looks. The thin crust does make up for the other failings of the pizza. Perhaps it’s not the worst choice in the world for the price.

187. Hair Color

Price: Unknown
Made by: Unknown
Purchased at: Unknown
This hair disaster shocked everyone on Reddit because no one could have expected a professional hairdresser to make such a mistake. Having a reference picture to show the colorist is great because it helps them understand your desired look.

Hair Color r/ExpectationVsReality/Reddit
However, it looks like this hairdresser didn’t pay any proper attention to the sample image and instead just went with a color entirely of her own volition. The client couldn’t wait to get this color out of her locks, and we don’t blame her at all.

188. McDonald’s Sandwich

Price: $6.79*
Made by: McDonald’s
Purchased at: McDonald’s
McDonald’s is undoubtedly the world’s largest fast food chain, both in terms of size and popularity. Regardless of the country you walk into, you can find a restaurant from this chain and sit down for some comfort food.

McDonald’s Sandwich r/ExpectationVsReality/Reddit
But even a chain of this stature can sometimes fail its customers by serving something that looks nothing short of an abomination. There’s no sauce to be seen, the patty is a size too small for the bun, and the lettuce and jalapenos are non-existent.

189. Blonde Highlights

Price: $370*
Made by: Unknown
Purchased at: Unknown
This hair comparison was super controversial on Reddit because everyone had a different opinion regarding it. The person who posted it wanted blonde hair, like the picture on the left, but she received nothing much darker than her original hair color.
Blonde Highlights r/ExpectationVsReality/Reddit
Most commenters thought that it is difficult to achieve a complete shift from brunette to blonde in one sitting, which is something the hairdresser should have explained to her client. If you make an attempt at this drastic shift, there’s a considerable chance that your hair will just end up fried.

190. Dinosaur Cake

Price: Unknown
Made by: Unknown
Purchased at: Unknown
While some kids may find dinosaurs scary, others are often fascinated by them. This kid belongs to the latter category, but his birthday cake was unfortunately ruined by the baker who was handed this task.
Dinosaur Cake r/ExpectationVsReality/Reddit
The cake is much smaller in size, the fondant work is exceptionally creepy, and the topper does not resemble the picture either. If this cake showed up at a kid’s birthday party, it’s bound to hand out a few nightmares.

191. Pepperoni Pizza

Price: $4.99*
Made by: CloverValley
Purchased at: Dollar General
As convenient as frozen pizzas are, they always seem to have a disconnect between the ratio of cheese to pepperoni. It also doesn’t help that most of these pizzas look quite unappetizing before they go in the microwave.

Pepperoni Pizza r/ExpectationVsReality/Reddit
According to the poster of this picture, it tasted like chicken cheese pizza. Perhaps that is not the flavor profile that a pepperoni pizza should aim for, but nevertheless, one can’t complain too much when the price is that low.

192. Flawed Pedicure

Price: Unknown
Made by: Unknown
Purchased at: Unknown
Whenever you take a reference picture to your hairdresser or nail artist, it is their responsibility to give you a realistic idea of whether the design is even possible or not. The person who wanted this nail art had nails much shorter than the required length, but their nail technician didn’t inform them of that issue.

Flawed Pedicure r/ExpectationVsReality/Reddit
The second problem is that the design looks pretty untidy, even on a short nail. Our guess is that the tech didn’t use any special tools and, instead, just decided to free-hand the whole thing, which resulted in something like this.

193. Stuffed Donuts

Price: Unknown
Made by: Unknown
Purchased at: Unknown
Imagine biting into a stuffed donut only to find flavorless bread at the center of it instead of the yummy flavor that you were looking for. That is precisely what happened with this person, and you can predict their dismay in return.

Stuffed Donuts r/ExpectationVsReality/Reddit
This is especially sad when you look at the vibrant picture on top of the packaging, which makes it seem like the donuts are rife with flavor. We don’t know if you can sue someone for this lousy advertising, but it definitely feels like a crime.

195. Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Bar

Price: $5.49*
Made by: Good Humor
Purchased at: Unknown
These ice cream bars by Good Humor are a delicacy that everyone enjoyed in their childhood, which is why they can be super nostalgic. Thus, you can imagine how sad people felt when they came across this image of it on Reddit.

Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Bar r/ExpectationVsReality/Reddit
Someone purchased this bar as a reminder of the good old days, but it looked nothing like it used to. Someone in the comments did say that if you email the company to let them know, they will send you some free coupons in return, so we hope the person tried this out.

196. Cheese Samosas

Price: Unknown
Made by: Sultan
Purchased at: Unknown
There are multiple layers of issues with this item, primarily the fact that these are not samosas. However, even the picture on the packaging doesn’t look like a samosa, so we can’t really call this a scam. Whoever bought this knew what they were getting into.

Cheese Samosas r/ExpectationVsReality/Reddit
The problem is that as soon as the samosas were fried, they burst open and spilled all the cheese outside. When something like this happens, the oil usually gets inside the items, which makes them entirely unappetizing.

197. Spiderman Action Figure

Price: $11*
Made by: Unknown
Purchased at: Unknown
The Spiderman on the right looks like it has been skipping arm and leg day entirely. If that wasn’t enough, he also seems to have a super long neck and other weird joints all over his body. Any Spiderman fan would have been pretty disappointed to receive this.

Spiderman Action Figure r/ExpectationVsReality/Reddit
Usually, these superhero action figures retail for $20 or more, with the more expensive ones being worth hundreds of dollars as well. So, for a price tag that low, one could have expected to get something that is so subpar.

198. M&M’s Cookie Dough

Price: $11*
Made by: Mars
Purchased at: Unknown
This M&M’s Cookie Dough pack had no full-sized M&M and, instead, was filled with these bites reminiscent of leftover cookie dust. Someone in the comments thought that companies come up with products like these to deal with their leftovers, and we could not agree more.

M&M’s Cookie Dough r/ExpectationVsReality/Reddit
M&M’s is one of the most popular candies in the US, so people are super excited to try out other products from their line. However, when things like this happen, it can really put people off of the brand as a whole.

199. Cheese Crunch

Price: $1.98*
Made by: Great Value
Purchased at: Great Value
This is perhaps the only product on this list where the reality was better than the expectation. Someone bought a whole box of these snacks and felt that one of the packs was heavier than the rest.

Cheese Crunch r/ExpectationVsReality/Reddit
They weighed it and found out that it was 2 ounces, almost double what they were expecting. However, that probably means that another pack was left empty because of this, so maybe we’ll see another entry on this list that talks about that sad event.

200. Art Installation

Price: Unknown
Made by: Unknown
Purchased at: Unknown
The actual product was advertised as ‘Glowfort’, an interactive art installation that’s meant to captivate onlookers and passers-by. However, we wonder if whoever designed the picture actually worked for the company that placed the real installation.

Art Installation @Goole/Pinterest
Not only are they on opposite ends of the spectrum from each other, but they also serve different purposes. The advertised picture looks like an art piece, whereas the real product looks like a fancy bus stop.

201. Tiny Chick

Price: Unknown
Made by: Unknown
Purchased at: Unknown
The chick looks like the one in the picture, but the eyes are much smaller in size. This difference from the advertised product is not as outrageous as some of the other entries on the list, but the eyes do make the bird look a little weird.

Tiny Chick r/ExpectationVsReality/Reddit
However, the picture on the box also makes it seem like the chicken is smaller than its real-life counterpart, so it’s not the eyes that got smaller but rather the chicken that got bigger. Whatever the case may be, at least the product is still kind of cute.

202. Churro Cookie Sandwich

Price: $4.98*
Made by: Helados Mexico
Purchased at: Walmart
Ice cream sandwiches are undoubtedly one of the best snacks on the market. They’re super delicious and can be enjoyed any time of the day. The pairing of ice cream with a crunchy cookie is pretty unique.

Churro Cookie Sandwich r/ExpectationVsReality/Reddit
However, every once in a while, you’ll get a cookie where the proportions are not at the level they should be. This Helados Mexico sandwich does look yummy, but if you compare the size with the one on the packaging, it comes up short.

203. Lava Bites

Price: Unknown
Made by: Unico
Purchased at: Unknown
Matcha is a controversial ingredient because some people love it while others don’t, but what’s more controversial is the amount of filling in these ‘lava’ bites. The picture looks like it’s overflowing with the filling, but the real bite looks extremely dry.

Lava Bites r/ExpectationVsReality/Reddit
Someone in the comments recommended popping the biscuits in the microwave for a few seconds, but unfortunately, even that resulted in no major difference because the biscuits themselves were pretty crumbly. When you buy something like this, you’d expect to bite into a flavorful biscuit, but this was the exact opposite of that.