History Main / TheKetchupTest

Sometimes, it [[ABloodyMess turns out to be ketchup or strawberry jam]] (something that's red, goopy and fake), especially if another character has been doing a Chicken Little impersonation over the supposed bloodstain. In RealLife, it's possible that some animals (bloodhounds, brown bears, tyrannosaurs, larger sharks) may have a sufficiently powerful sense of smell, this (or simply sniffing the blood) might actually allow them to [[MysteriousAnimalSenses determine the species or even the individual victim involved]].

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* In {{WebVideo/Idiotsitter}}, during the episode "Fight Day", Gene surprises Billie in a dark garage, and paint cans fall on her. Hours later when Billie wakes up, she's got red all over her shirt and screams, before she realizes its paint.

* ''ComicBook/CaballistincsInc''': During the mission at the Luddgate studio, Hannah tastes some of the blood the team finds all over the floor. It's not real, being merely KensingtonGore, but the blood itself is drippling down from mid-air.

In which a character touches a blood stain with his fingers, usually in order to make sure that it actually is blood.

Sometimes, it [[ABloodyMess turns out to be ketchup or strawberry jam]], especially if another character has been doing a Chicken Little impersonation over the supposed bloodstain. In RealLife, it's possible that some animals (bloodhounds, brown bears, tyrannosaurs, larger sharks) may have a sufficiently powerful sense of smell, this (or simply sniffing the blood) might actually allow them to [[MysteriousAnimalSenses determine the species or even the individual victim involved]].

In which a character touches a blood stain with his fingers, usually in order to make sure that it's actuallblood.

In which a character touches a blood stain with his fingers, usually in order to make sure that it's blood.

Sometimes it [[ABloodyMess turns out to be ketchup or strawberry jam]], especially if another character has been doing a Chicken Little impersonation over the supposed bloodstain. In RealLife, it's possible that some animals (bloodhounds, brown bears, tyrannosaurs, larger sharks) may have a sufficiently powerful sense of smell, this (or simply sniffing the blood) might actually allow them to [[MysteriousAnimalSenses determine the species or even the individual victim involved]].

* The title character of ''Manga/InuYasha'' is half-{{inugami}} and has the supernaturally sensitive and accurate canine sense of smell to show for it, with the result that he's frequently shown noticing the scent of blood over considerable distances, and can recognize when the blood belongs to someone he knows personally.

* Though it wasn't blood that he tested it with, Gil Grissom did this twice in ''{{CSI}}''. The first time, Brass merely stared in horror at him; the second, Catherine warned him how unsanitary it was.

* Lehrigen, a human from the ''Wild Hunt'' subseries of ''ElfQuest'', is an expert hunter and tracker, and can tell human and elfin blood apart by smell and/or taste.

* Dumbledore in ''[[Film/HarryPotterAndTheHalfBloodPrince Half-Blood Prince]]''. "Dragon blood."

* Actually somewhat justified in ''{{Cornered}}'', since a lot of shelves were knocked over, and it could have very well been ketchup.
* The 2001 obscure Nickelodeon movie, "Snow Day", had the elementary students try to derail the snowplow man's efforts to remove the snow from the streets since it will reopen their snowed-in school. One of their less successful methods was having one of the students lie in the middle of the street in wait of the snowplow man with ketchup on his shirt pretending to be unconscious. Bemused, the snowplow man simply stands next to the boy, dipping his frenchfries in the ketchup and eating them.
* ''LoadedWeapon1'' has an example where it's ketchup, given it's a parody.

* [[Series/ChappellesShow Dave Chappelle]] explains that since semen is also a tool used by police to frame the black guy while doing their jobs, they might check that instead.

* In an episode of ''{{Fringe}},'' the ketchup test is notably {{averted}}. The team finds a reddish stain on a piece of evidence left at a kidnapping scene, believing it at first to be blood, but they bag it and submit it for analysis only to discover that it is not blood but hot sauce.

* ''[[Series/TheXFiles The X-Files]]'', episode "Revelations": Mulder dabs his finger in "blood" and '''licks''' it. He promptly informs Scully that it has too much sugar.

* [[VideoGame/ResidentEvil1 I hope this is not Chris's blood...]]

* This is how the [[Film/Terminator3RiseOfTheMachines T-X]] can determine the identity of her victims if there is ever any doubt. (DNA scanners in her tongue. Who'd have thought it?)

* The title character of ''Manga/InuYasha'' is half dog {{youkai}} and has the supernaturally sensitive and accurate sense of smell to show for it, with the result that he's frequently shown noticing the scent of blood over considerable distances, and can recognize when the blood belongs to someone he knows personally.

--->'''Billie:''' Oh, its just paint.
--->'''[[DumbBlond Tansy]]:''' Well its about to be...not paint. [[DontExplainTheJoke Blood, is what I'm saying.]]

* InuYasha claims he can do this. Of course, he's a dog [[http://inuyasha.wikia.com/wiki/Hanyou hanyou]].

* [[ChappellesShow Dave Chappelle]] explains that since semen is also a tool used by police to frame the black guy while doing their jobs, they might check that instead.

* Played with in the "Thanksgiving" trailer in ''{{Grindhouse}}'', when two small-town detectives are investigating a murder scene amid the titular holiday parade:

This is the infuriatingly [[FridgeLogic illogical]] scene found in many action films, in which a character touches a blood stain with his fingers, seemingly in order to make sure that it's blood. In RealLife, doing this is a good way to get yourself implicated when the lab analyzes it, or at least brought up on charges of tampering with evidence. Oh, and did we mention you've just found a lovely new home for any viruses or bacteria the victim happened to be carrying?

See also SniffSniffNom, FingertipDrugAnalysis. ''Not'' to be confused with [[Radio/APrairieHomeCompanion The Ketchup Advisory Board]] [[hottip:*: Although those natural mellowing agents may account for the unscientific behavior...]].

!! Examples:

* ''{{The X-Files}}'', episode "Revelations": Mulder dabs his finger in "blood" and '''licks''' it. He promptly informs Scully that is has too much sugar.

* [[ResidentEvil1 I hope this is not Chris's blood...]]

* Dumbledore in HalfBloodPrince. "Dragon blood."
* Gimli tops it by tasting the orc blood in Peter Jackson's rendition of ''TheLordOfTheRings''...which raises the question of how he even knows the difference to begin with...

* In ''The Keening Blade'' (DragonAge) the slightly-mad Maude samples the bloodstains available in Warden's Keep:

* In the prequel to ''DragonAgeTheCrownOfThorns'', the middle Aeducan child sends a red-soaked nug into a feast full of dwarven nobility. After mayhem ensues, the visiting King Maric tries some and announces it's cherry jam.