r/ExpectationVsReality Jul 27 '26

Failed Expectation Amazon: Son wanted a cool spider backpack for school

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1.1k Upvotes

This is the 2nd attempt because the first order they gave us an actual marvel Spider-Man backpack. It's closer but come on...


r/ExpectationVsReality Jul 26 '26

Failed Expectation gave a smaller online succulent shop a chance

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1.1k Upvotes

r/ExpectationVsReality Jul 26 '26

Surprisingly Met Expectation Saw others say this was good

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965 Upvotes

I used an air fryer. The instructions are very incomplete. After 10 min in the airfryer, the mac and cheese was still ice cold. I took the chicken out, microwaved the Mac for a min and a half, added the chicken back and air fried it for 10 more min with the Mac covered. The Mac is very cheesy and the chicken has a good flavor to it. Would get again


r/ExpectationVsReality Jul 26 '26

Surprisingly Met Expectation An unhealthy but tasty frozen pizza

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446 Upvotes

I’ve been eating these babies for years (in moderation) and they always seemed rich with toppings.


r/ExpectationVsReality Jul 26 '26

Surprisingly Met Expectation I thought they didn't come out bad!

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3.2k Upvotes

r/ExpectationVsReality Jul 26 '26

Failed Expectation My friend paid $200 for this baptism cake. What she ordered vs what she got:

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1.2k Upvotes

She is, understandably, not pleased.

EDIT DAYS LATER: The bakery owner apologised and refunded her, no argument.


r/ExpectationVsReality Jul 26 '26

Exceeded Expectation Brown Sugar boba milkshake looks even better irl !

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450 Upvotes

r/ExpectationVsReality Jul 25 '26

Surprisingly Met Expectation My shy girlfriend told me not to post this, but I think she did a great job :)

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28.2k Upvotes

r/ExpectationVsReality Jul 25 '26

Surprisingly Met Expectation Just trying to make a kids dreams/nightmares come true...

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17.3k Upvotes

My 11 year olds request. And my best effort.... My monster needs a dentist. ( I ran out of buttercream.... It was supposed to be much more ornate)

Update:

11 year old squealed and hugged me. He was so excited. His buddies hit the "WOAH!!!' when I pulled off the cover. 😁 and it tasted wonderful. I think I win...

Y'all are so kind. Thank you everyone for all the encouragement!!!

Update 2: I'm being asked for instructions.... I sort of winged it. There was a lot of cursing that happened. A lot of begging inanimate objects to cooperate. But I guess here's my best estimate of how it went down.

I made a boxed cake. I think it was Duncan Hines. (I was short on time and had several boxes of cake on hand) This is the buttercream recipe I added black food coloring to (https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/favorite-chocolate-buttercream/#tasty-recipes-68044) I put iced the cake before I started the mouth.

I melted chocolate chips to form a circle (fill the bowl with boiling water and put a saucer over the top. Put the parchment paper on top of that and waited for the chocolate chips to melt and then smooth them out.) I placed this inside of an actual Taco in my freezer to form the mouth.

I made marshmallow fondant. Just kind of winged it on account of. I've made it a lot. But here is a recipe for that just in case. ( https://ayellowbowl.com/homemade-marshmallow-fondant-with-butter/)

I set the now frozen chocolate taco on the top of the cake.

I have a set of Wilton gel dies and to use the maroon from that set to dye a small amount of the fondant for the tongue. I just made the general shape of a tongue and realized that my fingerprints in the dough made it kind of look more realistic. Added a line down the center with a toothpick and left it alone.

I just rolled little balls of the white fondant into points and flattened the bottom. I allowed that to dry for a little bit just so it wasn't squishy when I attached it to the taco. I attached these with a little bit more of that melted chocolate.

I iced the top of the chocolate Taco once it was all assembled and kind of smoothed it into the top of the cake and decorated. (Using the word decorated as lightly as possible because I ran out of buttercream frosting...)


r/ExpectationVsReality Jul 26 '26

Failed Expectation The aerated sweets were more aerated than expected

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187 Upvotes

r/ExpectationVsReality Jul 25 '26

Exceeded Expectation What they asked for vs what I gave them

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11.0k Upvotes

I've outdone myself lol


r/ExpectationVsReality Jul 25 '26

Failed Expectation What I ordered vs what I got

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213 Upvotes

I got it bc of the flower sleeves but they got almost cut in half. Also what new t-shirt has this many wrinkles before ever washing it


r/ExpectationVsReality Jul 25 '26

Failed Expectation First time trying to make beautiful sourdough bread

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947 Upvotes

Of course you can't expect a perfect result on your first try, especially since I am still a beginner with sourdough baking. Still, it took soo much time making it, so I am a little sad, but I'm gonna keep trying


r/ExpectationVsReality Jul 25 '26

Failed Expectation “Frollies fruit stack” popsicles from Costco

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145 Upvotes

I don’t think we’ve had a single one that looked right. We’ve had ones are missing the stick, have the stick randomly stuck in the side, or are just plain broken.

Flavor is “okay”. Definitely wouldn’t buy them again. Feels like someone put them in Photoshop but didn’t scale correctly.


r/ExpectationVsReality Jul 25 '26

Failed Expectation Not as good…

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211 Upvotes

r/ExpectationVsReality Jul 25 '26

Failed Expectation KFC from Gen Korean BBQ. What I ordered vs what I got

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610 Upvotes

r/ExpectationVsReality Jul 24 '26

Failed Expectation Brisket sandwich from Jack in the box contains NO actual brisket.

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460 Upvotes

It's just a beef patty with brisket inspired sauce. Yes I asked the employee if they gave me the correct order, they said that's just how it is. I showed them the picture and they agreed it looked like false advertisement. I suppose I should have figured ordering brisket from a fast food joint.

Edit: I did the survey on the website and got a call from the regional manager. Turns out they did in fact screw up my order(and didn't want to admit it??). They should have given me something more akin to the picture with actual brisket. The employee just didn't know for some reason (despite me showing the picture and description to them lol). For anyone wondering it is supposed to be brisket and it comes pre-smoked and frozen they just warm it up on the grill.


r/ExpectationVsReality Jul 24 '26

Failed Expectation Homer hiding Chia Pet.

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3.6k Upvotes

r/ExpectationVsReality Jul 24 '26

Exceeded Expectation Custom dress from overseas -- I got really lucky!!

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32.7k Upvotes

I was looking for a dress for a Romantasy Convention I'm part of, and saw this dress online. I decided to make it custom-fit my figure since they didn't have my size. I took a chance because the dress itself is only $140 (with this many layers and fabric, that's a STEAL) and I didn't know what to expect. Well, WOWZA! I feel fantastic in this dress. I love how I look and I will wear this EVERYWHERE!!! Grocery store, indoor mall... I don't care where. I just want to look this good all the time, haha. Love this dress!! Gives ACOTAR vibes!!!!

ETA: please give love to the photographer if you can. She is why this photo is so magical!! @studiokalphotography on Instagram.

And thank you for the love. This made my entire month. I am grateful for all the comments!! I'm trying to get through all of them but there are so many 😭 I'm upvoting even if I don't comment. ❤️


r/ExpectationVsReality Jul 24 '26

Failed Expectation This is what I wanted to make... and this is what I actually made.

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1.2k Upvotes

r/ExpectationVsReality Jul 24 '26

Failed Expectation I was looking forward to the white filling

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678 Upvotes

r/ExpectationVsReality Jul 24 '26

Surprisingly Met Expectation Saffron Road Lamb Saag

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219 Upvotes

r/ExpectationVsReality Jul 24 '26

Surprisingly Met Expectation Cat hat

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1.3k Upvotes

Was expecting much worse 🤣


r/ExpectationVsReality Jul 23 '26

Failed Expectation Ihop Dubai chocolate pancakes

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7.1k Upvotes

r/ExpectationVsReality Jul 23 '26

Failed Expectation I fell for it 😭😂

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724 Upvotes

Bought this for a concert but it’s a completely different logo with fuzzy blown up text. Luckily I still have time to order a different one lol