When a reality‑TV personality’s photo goes viral for all the wrong reasons, the reactions can be as varied as the audience. That’s exactly what happened when Jordan Ngatikaura, a former cast member of Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, uploaded a digitally altered image that sparked a frenzy across social media. The image, which was originally a Food Network promotional shot for the cooking series 100 Cooks, was reworked with AI Photoshop to give Ngatikaura a striking new look. The result was a photo that many viewers found unsettling, but it also drew praise from an unlikely source: Vanderpump Villa star Hagen Bach.
The AI Photoshop Incident
Jordan Ngatikaura’s original photo was a simple, high‑resolution promotional image released by Food Network. It featured the charismatic chef in a bright kitchen setting, a standard snapshot meant to showcase his culinary flair. However, Ngatikaura took the image to the next level by applying an AI‑driven Photoshop filter that dramatically altered his facial features and background. The new version presented a more polished, almost hyper‑realistic version of Ngatikaura, complete with a glossy finish and a subtle color shift that made the image look like a high‑end magazine cover.
When the edited photo was posted on Instagram, it quickly caught the eye of fans and critics alike. Some praised the technical skill behind the AI manipulation, while others accused Ngatikaura of attempting to deceive viewers by presenting a false image. The controversy was amplified by the fact that the original photo was a Food Network press release, which added a layer of professional credibility to the altered version.
Hagen Bach’s Take on the Controversy
Hagen Bach, who first met Ngatikaura during the filming of Season 3 of Hulu’s reality hit Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, was invited to share his thoughts on the incident in an exclusive interview with Page Six’s “Virtual Reali‑Tea.” Bach admitted that he was not the biggest fan of Ngatikaura’s work, but he couldn’t help but admire the audacity of the AI experiment.
In his own words, Bach said, “They were, honestly – they were just dads








