The cauldron was actually kept beneath a black cloth and hidden from view and beneath the stage. The petals were taken from each team and without anybody seeing taken below the stage to the cauldron where they were attached to the pipes out of sight of the crowd. When the process was completed, the cauldron, with the pipes at that stage still flat, was raised to the level of the stage but still kept under cloth. Only when the cloth was removed, did the cauldron appear.