Holiday Wars - General Discussion

[Maverick]

 Discovery Family has been airing older Food Network holiday shows for the past few weeks.   This weekend they showed the unofficial first season of Holiday Wars (when it was titled as part of the Cake Wars series).   This version was still based on the Halloween Wars format, with carvers, two rounds, and extra assistant and the teams still did backgrounds.   It was so much better than the current version.   

 They're also showing old Food Network Challenge episodes on Discovery Family and today's had a Christmas carol theme.  One of the decorators did the 12 Days of Christmas.   He did figures representing several of the gifts but then did ornaments in a tree to represent the rest due to time constraints.  I remember the guy because he worked decorating grocery store cakes and he ended up winning and competing in a few more Challenges (this was toward the end of the series).   It was weird seeing that episode from more than a decade ago and then having a team do the same thing tonight.  

[Rammchick]

17 hours ago, Spunkygal said:

There’s no question that the right team went home. Those characters were scary! But I liked the “lead” lady on that team.  And yay that the episode had a more festive theme than aliens or other nonsense. If the 12 Days of Christmas team had used characters other than the boring, stiff gingerbread couple, they probably would have won. That tree and those ornaments were darling. 

I did have to laugh, though, when Shinmin said that about the gingerbread people being unexpressive.  What did you expect from something flat made out of dough?!

[mlp]

I agree that the right team won but I thought the raccoons were the cutest.  That display looked very good until the camera closed in and you saw that it wasn't finished as cleanly as that team's previous works.  

It continues to bug me that we see contestants cut big wedges from their cakes but the judges somehow have nice neat rectangles on their plates.  Where do those slices come from?

[mojoween]

Did the losing team think they were on Halloween Wars?  Because those characters were terrifying.

I would hope Jennifer’s cakes are good, since she’s already won a baking show.  Also I want her to live here and make me cakes and ice cream.

I love Three Pipers Piping but they just haven’t yet knocked it out of the park.  Maybe they are saving it.

Hmm.  The lead lady from the losing team had that high baby voice when she talked to anyone, but didn’t sound like that at all during her last interview.

[Grizzly]

I thought for sure Egypt would be sent home. The display was not as Grinch centric. Jen's baking saved them. Loved the film noir display. That's the team I want to win. We're at the end of the competition and I don't know any of the contestant's names except the ones we've seen before.

[mlp]

The film noir display was fabulous - Grinch, streetlight, Cindy Lou Who.  All of it.  There was no suspense about the winner at all.  The others looked like high school projects next to it.  That team has done so well all along that I hope nothing goes wrong next week and they win.

[Taeolas]

That Grinch-noir display is possibly the best I've seen across all the Wars; certainly one of the Top 5. 

The real challenge was in deciding who was going home, and really it felt like a tossup. When the Noir team described their plans, it felt like a Grinch. But the other two descriptions didn't really feel right. (Granted I have no idea how I'd do either to be honest). 

 

I wonder if the Grinch-Hero team was ultimately sent home because they got the judges help at the end. So they had enough help/advice to have a finished piece, but it cost them a few points (literally) in the end because of it.

[Guest]

Can't really argue with the result, but I will miss Angela (oh, were there other people on that team?)

(Just kidding, I liked all three of them just fine...but Angela was rather striking ♥️)

Edited December 13, 2021 by tracyscott76

[Rammchick]

Just the very fact that the Grinch's heart was too big in the Egypt piece made that second tier for me.  But there was no competing with Grinch noir -- that was exceptional.

[mojoween]

Bullshit.  The world’s tallest sand dune made out of cereal was no match for superhero Grinch.  I love Three Pipers Piping and am so sad they didn’t make the finale.

Grinch Noir was super awesome and the green cake was a great touch.

[Rammchick]

19 hours ago, mojoween said:

Bullshit.  The world’s tallest sand dune made out of cereal was no match for superhero Grinch.  I love Three Pipers Piping and am so sad they didn’t make the finale.

Grinch Noir was super awesome and the green cake was a great touch.

The superhero piece was really good, but the judges said the Egypt piece got put through on taste.

[YupItsMe]

On 12/6/2021 at 6:36 PM, mojoween said:

<snip>

I would hope Jennifer’s cakes are good, since she’s already won a baking show.  Also I want her to live here and make me cakes and ice cream.

<snip>

I knew she looked familiar! Do you remember which show it was?

[Guest]

1 hour ago, YupItsMe said:

I knew she looked familiar! Do you remember which show it was?

Jennifer won Season 4 of Holiday Baking Championship.

[Spunkygal]

“On December 26, the reigning champions of Halloween Wars and Holiday Wars face off in a New Year’s themed battle involving team mascots and champagne inspired cakes. The winning team gets a trip to NYC for the biggest NYE party in the world.”

Airs December 26 at 8 pm CT. 

[Spunkygal]

I wish that Bakers in Toyland had executed the bottom half of their presentation better. It got so muddled near the gorgeous flames and the “smoke.” They were spectacular all season and should have crushed the finale. That elf hanging off the back was darling and I loved Santa’s face! Dough Babies were smart in having Santa sit in the spaceship so they only had to construct the upper half of his body. Those gifts should have been cleaner. I’m rooting for the Halloween Wars champs over Dough Babies next week. 

Hope you fellow Wars watchers have a safe and happy Christmas! 

[seacliffsal]

I couldn't believe that Bakers in Toyland didn't win.  Both cakes had issues, but I thought that amongst the "high points" between both teams that Bakers in Toyland excelled.  

I don't really care for all of the judges interactions with each other-I felt like they focused on the judges more than the competition.  Oh well.  Yes, I will most likely watch again next year for I am weak...

[Maverick]

 Yes, WAY too much focus on the judges.  The original Halloween/Holiday Wars format, the judges made a few comments from their table and then offered their critiques during judging.  Now they constantly bugging the contestants, giving them ideas, helping them fix their pieces, having side conversations and just generally taking too much focus away from the show.   Last night had a particular odd interaction.  Aarti about wet herself when Jen fried the doughnuts in lard and you could tell the other two were so not onboard.  Then during judging Aarti's telling her she shouldn't have used pure lard.  It made Aarti look ill equipped to judge a baking competition.  Much like the baker who didn't know if you needed a mixer to make a doughnut.

 Another annoyance with this format/group of judges is how much they coddle the contestants.  Last night alone they were practically passing out participation ribbons because everyone's a winner and you're so amazing because you made a doughnut!!  

[mlp]

FN just went black at my house about 3 seconds before they announced the winner.  SO frustrating.   I can't believe Baker in Toyland didn't win after being the best team all season.  I liked their display best last night too except for the positioning of the flames.  Their Santa face and elf were great.

[Grizzly]

The perfect display would be Bakers in Toyland's Santa, elf and flames on Dough Angel's vehicle. The space ship was going straight up so Santa wouldn't have that wind blown face that everyone oohed and ahhed over. I thought it was hideous.

[trudysmom]

That. Was a disappointing sh__show.  A huge, BLACK spaceship thing atop four legs colored to look like 'flames' and gift boxes that the judges said looked rough and unfinished. That craptastic piece won?  Bakers in Toyland were robbed.  And for some unreasonable reason it irked me to have Jen of the winning team use the "angel food crunch" in her cake.  That was totally from Stephanie's cake on their season of HBC.  I know she didn't own it, patent it or anything, but for Jen to use and act like it was her original idea pissed me off.  

[Rammchick]

2 hours ago, trudysmom said:

 And for some unreasonable reason it irked me to have Jen of the winning team use the "angel food crunch" in her cake.  That was totally from Stephanie's cake on their season of HBC.  I know she didn't own it, patent it or anything, but for Jen to use and act like it was her original idea pissed me off.  

To be fair, Stephanie didn't create it either -- despite calling it angel food crunch (which is surely where Jen got the name), it's honeycomb candy or toffee, sometimes also called seafoam.  

[mojoween]

“Modernize Santa’s sleigh”.  Siiiiiiigh.

Meh.  I’ll still watch if they do these shows, but hopefully the format goes back to normal, and soon.

I WATCHED Halloween Wars this season, but I’m pretty sure the three people who came out for the next competition I have never seen before in my life.  The terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad format is messing with my memory.

[mlp]

The right team won IMO (unlike the previous show).  The giraffe was cute but even I could tell that the octopus was more polished and professional looking.  I did wonder if a real giraffe is flexible enough to bend its neck the way it was positioned but no one said anything so maybe they can.  

[Rammchick]

10 hours ago, mlp said:

The right team won IMO (unlike the previous show).  The giraffe was cute but even I could tell that the octopus was more polished and professional looking.  I did wonder if a real giraffe is flexible enough to bend its neck the way it was positioned but no one said anything so maybe they can.  

They do bend down like that to drink, but not so sure about being able to put their head between their legs!

[mojoween]

I hated the octopus because blech, octopus, but it really was the more polished design.  And they loved his pop rocks which helped!

I guess the producers didn’t see all the tweets about how Times Square on NYE is one of the worst experiences a person can have, heh.

[hilaryvm]

I thought it was clear that the octopus was the winner.  The giraffe was odd because they made it look realistic but then put a party hat and kazoo on it with its head in what looks like an unusual position.  I think it would have been more successful to make the giraffe a bit more cartoon like (or more like what a giraffe would look like on baby decorations). 

2 hours ago, mojoween said:

I guess the producers didn’t see all the tweets about how Times Square on NYE is one of the worst experiences a person can have, heh.

I agree - I wouldn't be interested in even competing if that was the prize.  Who wants to go to Times Square on New Years' Eve even without Covid concerns?

[RealityCheck]

Host Jeff Mauro and judges Shinmin Li and Aarti Sequeira return on the season of HOLIDAY WARS on Sunday, November 6th at 9PM ET/PT.

[Spunkygal]

34 minutes ago, RealityCheck said:

Host Jeff Mauro and judges Shinmin Li and Aarti Sequeira return on the season of HOLIDAY WARS on Sunday, November 6th at 9PM ET/PT.

Yuck. I’m so sick of Jeff and Aarti. They contribute nothing. But I’m a HolIday Wars slut, so I’ll watch. 

[Guest]

2 hours ago, Spunkygal said:

Yuck. I’m so sick of Jeff and Aarti. They contribute nothing. But I’m a HolIday Wars slut, so I’ll watch. 

I don't watch the Kitchen, so the only thing I've seen Jeff on lately was the most recent Worst Cooks in America, and I thought he was pretty good there.

[Spunkygal]

For anyone who wants to relive the glory days of this show, particularly the episodes with wonderful “where’s the bling” Charles Phoenix and Sherry Yard as judges, note that it was called Cake Wars Christmas back then. According to IMDB, it looks like he was a judge in 2015 and 2016. It has been entertaining watching those old episodes. Everyone had fun back then and the challenges were actually Christmas and/or winter theme related. It’s been said before, but I miss those larger sized displays. 

Edited October 25, 2022 by Spunkygal

[mlp]

9 hours ago, Spunkygal said:

For anyone who wants to relive the glory days of this show, particularly the episodes with wonderful “where’s the bling” Charles Phoenix and Sherry Yard as judges, note that it was called Cake Wars Christmas back then.

Where are you finding those?  I love Charles Phoenix and all his gaudy suits.  I like both Eddie and Aarti but I don't think either of them is right for this show.  Charles would be perfect.

[Spunkygal]

27 minutes ago, mlp said:

Where are you finding those?  I love Charles Phoenix and all his gaudy suits.  I like both Eddie and Aarti but I don't think either of them is right for this show.  Charles would be perfect.

Food Network GO  https://watch.foodnetwork.com/video/cake-wars-food-network-atve-us/christmas-the-nutcracker

its free but you do have to click on your satellite or cable provider

[Grizzly]

Stupid twist, I thought the eliminated team had the best display. Their cart and elf were very clean, well proportioned, and colorful. I liked Shinmin's dress.

[Taeolas]

The twists may be stupid, but they are part of the competition. So if you don't have some aspect in the final presentation, it's a huge point loss. So I can understand why the team got the boot because of it. And as far as twists go, this one felt more reasonable than most; none of the teams had a problem integrating the twist into their design. 

[RoxiP]

I think part of the issue is that the one girl (the one with the baby voice) seemed to be doing most of the work.  I also think she had some control issues and her team was kind of annoyed that she didn't let them help...but then they dropped the ball on one of the few things she had no control over!  It is always a shame to me when someone who is truly talented (and baby voice to the contrary that woman seemed really talented) gets eliminated in these team shows for something that isn't her responsibility.

Why did Jeff feel the need to yell so much?  You really don't have to do that Jeff.  

[Maverick]

 That would be Great, whose been on Halloween Wars a few, complete with her presenting to the judges in rhyme.  She does pretty good work but as I recall she can be a bit highstrung/testy, which isn't uncommon with these "Wars" contestants. 

 I thought it was BS eliminating them.  If either of the other two teams had done anything.close to their level of work I could see being strict on the twist.  But they had far and away the best product.  Now we're stuck with two mediocre teams, on a show that's already mediocre due to all the tinkering and twists. 

[Spunkygal]

2 hours ago, Maverick said:

 That would be Great, whose been on Halloween Wars a few, complete with her presenting to the judges in rhyme.  She does pretty good work but as I recall she can be a bit highstrung/testy, which isn't uncommon with these "Wars" contestants. 

 I thought it was BS eliminating them.  If either of the other two teams had done anything.close to their level of work I could see being strict on the twist.  But they had far and away the best product.  Now we're stuck with two mediocre teams, on a show that's already mediocre due to all the tinkering and twists. 

Are you referring to Briea, the young lady who said she was recently married? 

I actually fell asleep at the beginning of the second hour. I see I didn’t miss anything. I am really tired of Aarti and have been tired of Jeff for a few years now. So after the theme is announced, I’ll be FF’ing until the end. Shinmin is very generous for returning to this watered-down version every year. 

Edited November 8, 2022 by Spunkygal

[CharlizeCat]

Ron Ben-Israel is a judge on The Big Bake and in the midst of holiday bakes. That show is one that I have seen zero promotion for. Could they possibly trade Aarti out for him and bring him to HW? At least RBI, like Shinmin, is an expert in his field. I don't recall seeing Aarti bake anything. Ever.  Wishful thinking, I know. 

[Grizzly]

Talking about the first semifinal episode. I completely agree with the bottom 2 teams and was good with either going home. The woman baker with the loose, long, dark hair skeeved me out. And the painting reindeer looked like a corgi.

The judges should of had to taste the twist snack. Do agree with the winning team. And I really like Hunter, the sugar guy on the team that did the fishing scene.

[Maverick]

 I am tired of hearing the Jeff and especially Aarti (after weeks of her on the Halloween show) rag on the contestants.  They like reproving parents that always have to follow up whatever faint praise they dole out with a smackdown of how you're really a failure.  Like you (and Eddie) won Food Network Star.  Maybe climb off that high horse you don't belong on.   It would be one thing if they just offered criticism of the final product during judging, but they yammer on during the whole damn show.   

 There were a few good pieces, given the constraints the show puts on them (chiefly forcing them to make the main piece a cake that has to be served) and the twist element continues to annoy and reduce the overall quality of the pieces.   Wasn't the woman on the winning team this week part of the infamous Underbakers team on Halloween Wars?

[libgirl2]

 I was happy when Jeff Mauro won NFNS, he is from my area and I liked him. I don't mind watching him but I have to say, he is really annoying on this show! Dude, stop with the New York accent! You are from Chicago!

This whole show I'm not liking very much. 

[Spunkygal]

I hate two hour episodes.

Aarti’s stylist must hate her.

Jeff, if you want to pursue that stand up comedian gig, please leave FN. ASAP.

No melon carving? 😡

I still hate the judges wandering around and giving comments throughout creation. 

I still hate that there’s no small taste and they have to do cake. We already have The Big Bake for that. The twists should be the tastes. 

TL:DR    I hate this reiteration. 

[Snarkastikate]

On 11/14/2022 at 7:19 PM, Spunkygal said:

I hate two hour episodes.

Aarti’s stylist must hate her.

Jeff, if you want to pursue that stand up comedian gig, please leave FN. ASAP.

No melon carving? 😡

I still hate the judges wandering around and giving comments throughout creation. 

I still hate that there’s no small taste and they have to do cake. We already have The Big Bake for that. The twists should be the tastes. 

TL:DR    I hate this reiteration. 

100% agree with everything you say.  The Big Bake is more like Holiday Wars than this reengineered version.  I don't even watch anymore.  I don't like the set, the judges, the host, and the caliber of artists (sorry).  Watched a repeat show last night from a few years ago, the host was that annoying ginger dude from the Man vs Food show.  That show was basically Holiday Wars, it was all about the massive stunning creations.  (Life size Mrs Claus!).  Why can't they get those folks back? 

[Guest]

Team Yule-igans (the winning team that did the beavers) is collectively adorable and I am rooting for them. 

[mlp]

I thought the right team won and I felt sorry for most of the teams having to use root vegetables.  There's a reason that no one puts rutabaga in cakes.  Yuck.  I like parsnips but I wouldn't want that flavor in a dessert.  I felt that the whole challenge was unfair from the gitgo.  One team had sweet potatoes which can easily be used just like pumpkin and they were competing with a team that had rutabaga. Impossible.

[Grizzly]

I thought the owl and beavers were the best. Skunk was fine and his sweater was hysterical. Wolf turned out better than I expected. Right team went home and I expect that other team to go next. Hate them having to use vegetables in their cake. And the twist should be edible that the judges have to eat and judge like on Big Bake.

[mojoween]

That honey badger was awful.  Why was he standing?!?  The difference between sculpting abilities among these teams is stunning.

[Spunkygal]

15 hours ago, mlp said:

I thought the right team won and I felt sorry for most of the teams having to use root vegetables.  There's a reason that no one puts rutabaga in cakes.  Yuck.  I like parsnips but I wouldn't want that flavor in a dessert.  I felt that the whole challenge was unfair from the gitgo.  One team had sweet potatoes which can easily be used just like pumpkin and they were competing with a team that had rutabaga. Impossible.

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. 

[Rammchick]

I wish they'd show the piece when they eliminate a team.  The names barely register, even though I'd just sat through an hour of  watching them.  Which one was sent home this week?

Edited November 22, 2022 by Rammchick

[Spunkygal]

2 hours ago, Rammchick said:

I wish they'd show the piece when they eliminate a team.  The names barely register, even though I'd just sat through an hour of  watching them.  Which one was sent home this week?

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