@nicolemichele5 Published June 26, 2026, 12:00 p.m. ET Photo: FX See more of our coverage in your search results.
Add Decider on Google Where to Stream: The Bear Powered by Reelgood More On: The Bear ‘The Bear’s Abby Elliott Reveals Sugar’s Secret Tattoo That Was Cut From Natalie And Pete’s Sex Scene ‘The Bear’ Season 5 Honors The Late Rob Reiner With A Touching Tribute New Shows & Movies To Watch This Weekend: ‘The Bear’ on Hulu, ‘Little Brother’ on Netflix + More Who’s Calling Carmy In ‘The Bear’ Season 5? ‘The Bear’s Unknown Caller, Explained The Bear‘s fifth and final season is officially out in the world, and as the cast members reflect on the Emmy-winning show’s legacy and say goodbye to their characters they’re also spilling some tea…
Before The Bear Season 5 hit Hulu on Thursday, June 25, DECIDER hopped on a Zoom call with star Abby Elliott, who plays Natalie Berzatto aka Sugar. While discussing Sugar’s storylines, mother/daughter scenes with Jamie Lee Curtis, and embracing Nat’s inner chef, Elliott let us in on a secret: Sugar has a lower back tattoo that never made it on screen!
Since The Bear largely takes place in a deeply stressful professional environment that requires intense focus, there isn’t as much room for romance as there is in other workplace comedies and dramas. But in the middle of a service from hell, Sugar and her hubby Pete (Chris Witaske) steal a moment alone and share some rare physical intimacy.
While the chefs are cooking, Pete’s outside on trash duty. So in Episode 6, Sugar heads outside to check on him. As the two stand face-to-face under a tent in the rain, they realize it’s been years since they’ve shared such a peaceful moment together. Reveling in the quiet, Sugar takes a deep breath and tells Pete he looks cute in his collector’s edition BERF shirt. He returns the compliment, marveling how cute she looks in her garbage bag poncho. And just like that, Sugar whips her bag off and passionately kisses her man.
In the middle of the rain right outside The Bear during a grueling service, the two undress each other and share a steamy sex scene — one that almost featured at shot of Sugar’s hidden lower back tattoo.
“What didn’t make it into the final cut is we had a lower back tattoo for Sugar. It was a dolphin with a design around it that she got in probably 2007. And the dolphin goes back to Season 1 [when I was] talking to costumes,” Elliott told DECIDER over Zoom. “I’m like, ‘Sugar’s grown up in Chicago, so maybe really fantasized about the ocean her whole life. And maybe she’s kind of obsessed with dolphins. Season 1 you’ll notice I’m wearing a dolphin necklace. So we called it back. And I don’t think it was needed in the final cut, but there was one shot of the dolphin tattoo.”
This Sugar lore is everything. And yes, we went back to find her dolphin necklace in The Bear‘s pilot!
Even though the tattoo didn’t make the final cut, Elliott still felt the “really fun” scene with Witaske was important for Sugar and Pete.
“I was so excited to just have this fun, joyful, sweet romantic moment where there’s no tension. Sugar’s not stressed over a bill. You have all the shit and chaos going on inside, and then they’re under the tarp and it’s peaceful for one shining moment,” The Bear star reflected. “I had so much fun doing that scene with Chris, because I feel really comfortable with him. He’s my buddy after five years. We have so much fun together, and I couldn’t have asked for a better scene partner.”
Stay tuned for DECIDER’s full interview with Elliott, and be sure to check out the rest of our coverage of The Bear Season 5 for more thoughtful insights, analysis, and recaps.
Stay tuned for more coverage of The Bear Season 5 from Decider.
