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When you lose a competition on Big Brother you might not just lose out on being safe for another week. You might get stuck eating slop for a period of time. What actually is in the mysterious punishment meal? Here is the recipe and Julie Chen’s experience eating it.

Have-Nots tend to be picked to eat slop

The houseguests typically eat the food they normally eat outside of the house. That’s because the producers keep the kitchen stocked with food they like to eat. Head of Household (HOH) winners also get food in their HOH baskets that is typically their favorite meal.

There comes a time in Big Brother when there are haves and the have-nots. The latter get stuck with eating slop and nothing else.

“Producers enforce the Slop rules strictly,” the show’s producers told Food and Wine. “Have-Nots are monitored closely and are allowed to consume only slop and condiments along with any pre-determined additional food items. Failure to comply could result in a penalty in the game.”

Slop is mostly oats

Chowhound posted a recipe for slop. The base of it is steel cut oats, and the rest of the recipe doesn’t sound very tasty.

You can then add unflavored whey protein isolate, unflavored soy protein, and vitamin and mineral powder. Since you’re not actually being punished it’s advised to add some things for flavor like honey, brown sugar, cinnamon, and maple syrup.

Those are some of the pre-approved condiments including balsamic vinegar, olive oil, red wine vinegar, rice vinegar, vegetable oil, hot sauce, ketchup, BBQ sauce, mayonnaise, mustard, pickles, olives, relish, salsa, soy sauce, steak sauce, Worcestershire sauce, black pepper, garlic salt, crushed red pepper, salt, vanilla, basil, bay leaves, leaf oregano, paprika, parsley, rosemary, artificial sweetener, powder creamer, white sugar, coffee, tea, protein powder, and milk.

Julie Chen has eaten slop

Host Julie Chen on ‘Big Brother’ | Sonja Flemming/CBS via Getty Images

The show’s host doesn’t really participate in the house activities. However, she couldn’t help but also be curious about what slop tastes like. She was asked if she has ever eaten slop by Entertainment Tonight.

“Yes!” answered Chen. “There was a bucket of it in my pantry. I made a special request and you know what? It’s not bad.”

Of course, houseguests might have a different opinion when they’re forced to eat it for a certain period of time. Ross Matthews from the first season of Celebrity Big Brother gave his opinion on the punishment.

“It’s awful,” he told TV Insider. “It’s like a negative flavor. It’s like less than no flavor. But I cooked with it every day and people ate everything I made.”

Not everyone had an easy time eating the meal either. Amanda Hansen from Season 9 reportedly felt ill after being on the slop diet.

Hansen is hypoglycemic and told Natalie Cunial that she needed sugar. She fell face down and began having seizures, according to NY Daily News. Allison Nichols was having an allergic reaction to the meal that same season as well.

“My throat completely closed. I had an allergic reaction,” explained Nichols. They both returned to the game after checking in with doctors.

Slop is a punishment, but some said it wasn’t bad like Julie Chen. That’s probably because there are pre-approved condiments to try and give it flavor.

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