Spunkygal

Regarding avoiding media: I know, @TVbitch, my defense is that I’m getting over a cold and wasn’t thinking clearly in between bouts of peeing my pants from coughing so hard! 🤣 I agree with your comment about Anna. She wasn’t the worse substitute but I welcome Monica back with open arms! Can’t wait to watch the episode!

Bah humbug to me. I was spoiled on who won by my IG feed this morning. Oh well, I still can’t wait to watch the episode. I’m sad it’s over until next season.

Thanks for the heads up on the good news @MerBearHou! https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-11509013/Matt-Lucas-QUITS-presenter-Great-British-Bake-Off.html

Sadly this is true. My enjoyment of their show has slowly waned. Now they’re in a Hallmark movie like the other HGTV and FN pimps. I laughed when Erin made a big deal of them installing the wood bathroom floor themselves but spending apparently big $$ on the Moroccan tile in the shower. I didn’t see what was so freaking special about that tile, both before and after installation. I could go to Floor & Decor and buy something similar for a fraction of the price and it would look just as nice. I am going to do what I do with other one hour HGTV and FN shows — watch the first 7 minutes and then FF to the end.

Aarti did look nice this week and I STILL miss the fruit carvers!

The right team won by a mile but I loved all three cakes. I guess I thought the dog bone cake was cuter than the judges thought. Heck, extra credit to sugar guy for doing all those beautiful lights! And I was practically raised on corn chips so loved the sound of the flavor combo. But wow, Charlie decorating the baseball bat tree was perfection! Those baseballs were perfection. I disagreed that the pumpkin cake wasn’t holiday-ish enough. They had plenty of decorations to evoke a holiday feel. It was obvious weeks ago that they were setting up an Erin vs. protege (forgot her name) showdown. I mute every time a judge comes up to interrupt and waste the contestants’ time. It really annoys me. I also mute every time the three judges are off to the side discussing the creations. Is next Sunday really the final? Seems like this is concluding a week too soon.

And Sagar has an infectious giggle! But yes, oh my, the food that all eight of them served at the pop up looked scrummy. I wonder if Monica will return next season. Her announcement that she would not be judging this season made it sound like her absence was temporary. Anna’s ok but I would welcome Monica back!

Episode 15:

Well done, Netfoot! Knowing me, I’d turn around and spend most of the $190 on bagels! 🤣

Gorgeous display! Maybe put the rolling pin upfront so it’s easier to see?

I don’t think $25 is too much to ask either but if you’re inclined to do so, you could go down to $20 if the prospective buyer shows keen interest. Bon chance!

I’m watching a rerun of HW from 2019. Jonathan Bennett is host ❤️ and Shinmin and Jason Smith are judges. I had forgotten about Jason! He used to be a judge on all the FN baking competitions after his successful Holiday Baking Championship appearance. In the Spunky household, he was affectionately referred to as Cornpone but it wasn’t meant in a mean way. Heck honey, we’re southern too! I wish they’d bring him back and forget Aarti.

Walking sticks are a great idea!

You’re welcome!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Holiday_Baking_Championship_episodes

Pretty good episode! It was evident early on that the Victorian Santa would win. It was a gorgeous creation. They could have served sawdust cake and won. Stone Age Santa was really good. I didn’t agree with the criticism of the “elephantine “ hand. He’s a Neanderthal for goodness sake! His hand hadn’t evolved yet! 🙄 Loved the writing on the rock. Medieval Santa was also really amazing. It looked like the dragon was truly flying over the castle. Since it was a foregone conclusion that Victorian Santa would win, they had to nit pick about the sword being hidden. Eh, it could have been placed better, but the rest of the piece made up for that ding, IMO. And Jeff going on and on about the “caboose” — shut up Jeff. I liked where the 60s Santa theme was going. Too bad that the beetle looked so rough. And I didn’t mind that Santa had on an orange shirt and blue jeans. Debbie Downer (Aarti) said they should have used the traditional red/green colors on him. WTH? Couldn’t she have said that about all the other teams? What was the point of creating a Santa evocative of the assigned timeframe if they have to use traditional colors? She works my last nerve. What has she ever done? Yes, compared to the other teams, they should be sent home but they had good ideas and elements. That guitar was gorgeous.

That shell is stunning. You definitely could get a pretty penny for that. So unique!

What a gorgeous bowl! I’m so excited for your next venture to the market!

Episode 11:

I think it’s just a contrived rivalry for this show. Santa is always going to win any rivalry he’s got going on! And I’m not just saying that cause he’s watching!

I’m not a fan of the Santa v Frost theme so I wasn’t invested in this episode. That wasn’t fun for me but others may disagree. Stephanie looked horrible. She’s such a pretty lady. Why?!?!!

That’s because Ree is staged and inauthentic, IMO.

I think the team that made the honey badger was sent home. I can’t remember their names either!

This was so much more enjoyable than GBBO this season. I loved all the challenges. The challenges made sense unlike the ridiculous Mexican themed and Roaring Twenties shows. The hosts didn’t drive me nuts and weren’t intrusive upon the bakers. I actually smiled at some of the hosts’ jokes/puns, something I rarely do with Matt and Noel these days.

Rutabaga is one of my favorite veggies and there’s no way I’d put it in a cake, whether it’s raw, poached, fried, crystallized or moussed. Yuck. That’s all I’m going to say. I b!tch about the demise of this show every week and I know my rants are tiresome. The right team won.