Summer Baking Championship - General Discussion

[MerBearHou]

The first class station is a cool advantage.  I sure hope they don’t have that camera where they want people to go and share their feelings for a moment while they’re baking. That was so lame.

[CrazyInAlabama]

The preview of the dishes for this season look amazing.    I like the first challenge faux ice cream bars, no ice cream allowed.  So, I guess they're like longer cake pops.  This season the quick fire winners get to use the first class bake station with a lot of extras.    I love Carla's hat.   The outstanding desserts are Nayibe, Austin, German but a little messy,Dominick, Stephanie's is lovely. Chris, Tara's is adorable, Vonshia's is so cute, 

Not so successful are Rob, at least, according to Duff. Karol's are not holding together.

Vonshia gets the frist round win, and the special baking station. 

Main heat is turn a classic summer cocktail into a tart, with two primary ingredients that are mandatory.     

Tara's look amazing, but crust is too thick, Nayibe's looks great too, but a little lopsided.  DOminick's is spectacular, German didn't have the tastes required, Stephanie's is beautiful, DUff says the crust is too thick.  Dominick's is beautiful,.  Rob's looks like a sandy beach.    Karol's is simple and plain, crust it bready.   Vonshia's is gorgeous. 

Winner is Dominick.    A great group of bakers, and seem like a fun group.   German and Karol on the bottom, Karol goes home. 

Edited May 14 by CrazyInAlabama

[libgirl2]

Yay! We have a Dominican!! 

[MerBearHou]

I’m from Houston so I looked up Rob Lough to see where he is a chef.  Holy cow, he is with one of the most highly acclaimed restaurants in Houston.  I hope he has a good showing.  I liked his sandy scene in the 2nd challenge.  

Glad Karol is gone right out of the gate.  I could barely take one episode of her nasally “nooooo” over and over.  Her bakes were very sub-par.  See ya, Karol with a K (her words, not mine).  

[kathyk2]

I like the individual kitchen that's a reward that really is an advantage.

[Rammchick]

Funny to have just seen German on Chopped.

Carla's judging mostly consisted of her pulling faces.  The editing was hilarious with that.

[libgirl2]

2 hours ago, Rammchick said:

Funny to have just seen German on Chopped.

Carla's judging mostly consisted of her pulling faces.  The editing was hilarious with that.

Really? Did he do okay? It is a change to have an Italian baker after all the French bakers we have had. 

9 hours ago, MerBearHou said:

 

Glad Karol is gone right out of the gate.  I could barely take one episode of her nasally “nooooo” over and over.  Her bakes were very sub-par.  See ya, Karol with a K (her words, not mine).  

I wasn't really liking her either. 

[laredhead]

When a contestant begins explaining what they elaborate plan they have, and then begin running out of time, I start yelling at the TV - 'didn't you practice this at home with a timer before you arrived?'  Yeah, I know they can't hear me, but very often those elaborate decorating plans don't happen.  They end up looking like those failed Easter lamb cakes on Pinterest.  Yes, the correct person went home.

[libgirl2]

When the baker mentioned how good she is at making macarons, I thought for sure they would turn out bad. So glad they didn't. 

[Rammchick]

On 5/14/2024 at 3:24 AM, libgirl2 said:

Really? Did he do okay? It is a change to have an Italian baker after all the French bakers we have had. 

His episode was on 5/7, during their Battle Italiano.  He made it to the third round but didn't win. 

Edited May 15 by Rammchick

[libgirl2]

8 minutes ago, Rammchick said:

His episode was on 5/7, during their Competition Italiano.  He made it to the third round but didn't win. 

Thanks. I hope he does well. I wasn't quite overwhelmed with him last night however. 

[Maya]

I have a feeling the woman who won the preheat is going to go far. 

[libgirl2]

2 minutes ago, Maya said:

I have a feeling the woman who won the preheat is going to go far. 

I have the same feeling. 

[carrps]

Me, three.

[Texasmom1970]

On 5/13/2024 at 7:21 PM, MerBearHou said:

I’m from Houston so I looked up Rob Lough to see where he is a chef.  Holy cow, he is with one of the most highly acclaimed restaurants in Houston.  I hope he has a good showing.  I liked his sandy scene in the 2nd challenge.  

Maybe its because I live in The Woodlands but I had never heard of the restaurant. The food looks amazing, I think he will do well in this competition.

 

[MerBearHou]

1 hour ago, Texasmom1970 said:

Maybe its because I live in The Woodlands but I had never heard of the restaurant. The food looks amazing, I think he will do well in this competition.

 

It’s really wonderful.  Chef Bludorn has 3 restaurants in Houston now — the original Bludorn where Rob Lough works, one called Navy in the Rice University area, and a new Bludorn Tavern in Memorial.  Chef married Victoria Pappas of the Pappas restaurant family.  Glad to know you’re in the beautiful Woodlands!

Enjoyed this first episode.  Hoping Damaris fits in as a judge — I didn’t love her on the last baking competition where she judged, but maybe she’ll be more palatable this time around.  Carla is a delight.  

Edited May 15 by MerBearHou

[libgirl2]

10 hours ago, MerBearHou said:

It’s really wonderful.  Chef Bludorn has 3 restaurants in Houston now — the original Bludorn where Rob Lough works, one called Navy in the Rice University area, and a new Bludorn Tavern in Memorial.  Chef married Victoria Pappas of the Pappas restaurant family.  Glad to know you’re in the beautiful Woodlands!

Enjoyed this first episode.  Hoping Damaris fits in as a judge — I didn’t love her on the last baking competition where she judged, but maybe she’ll be more palatable this time around.  Carla is a delight.  

I like Damaris but she was really stiff and serious last season. I want to see her lighter side. 

[tennisgurl]

I love that they have one of these for every season now! Oh man, a whole bake based around being able to taste alcohol? Nancy is going to be pissed when she realizes she missed it! 

I really like the VIP baking area, that's a really nice advantage idea. I like all of the bakers so far, they seem fun and generally talented. Karol was definitely the right person to go, she was clearly totally out of her depth. 

Dominick's tart was my favorite, I thought it looked gorgeous, but I thought most of them looked great.

I've never seen Damaris but I like her so far, even if she's a bit stiff. Hopefully she loosens up. Maybe have a few more booze tarts? 

Edited May 15 by tennisgurl

[Salacious Kitty]

Be careful what you wish for. When Damaris loosens up, she REALLY loosens up! 😀

[libgirl2]

1 minute ago, Salacious Kitty said:

Be careful what you wish for. When Damaris loosens up, she REALLY loosens up! 😀

Yes, she does, that is the Damaris I'm used to. 

[Salacious Kitty]

She's hilarious when she harrasses Bobby Flay. She's also pretty goofy on GGG. 

[libgirl2]

12 minutes ago, Salacious Kitty said:

She's hilarious when she harrasses Bobby Flay. She's also pretty goofy on GGG. 

That is why I was so surprised last season on SBC when she was so somber. 

[MerBearHou]

15 minutes ago, Salacious Kitty said:

She's hilarious when she harrasses Bobby Flay. She's also pretty goofy on GGG. 

I enjoy her so much on those two shows.  She is so comfortable with Bobby and Guy and goofs around with them like they're truly siblings / friends.  

[Salacious Kitty]

Bobby made Damaris. She was his pet on Food Network Star, and they did a brunch show together. From there, she branched out to Beat Bobby Flay and GGG. She also guest judges on Supermarket Stakeout from time to time. She's had a better career at FN than most of the FNS winners, excluding Guy, of course. 

[Ohmo]

On 5/13/2024 at 8:17 PM, MerBearHou said:

The first class station is a cool advantage

I want this station to become a thing in HBC and Spring, too,

[laredhead]

11 hours ago, Ohmo said:

I want this station to become a thing in HBC and Spring, too

I agree.  Do away with all of the other advantages like picking the flavor, extra 10 minutes, and make the first class station the standing advantage.

[RoxiP]

Damaris is one of my favorite FNS winners.  

[2soon2tell]

And there wasn’t any last minute twist, at least that I could see. Yeah!

Edited May 17 by 2soon2tell
Fixed wasn’t.

[CrazyInAlabama]

How creative!   First the filled cakes, and then the sea theme cheesecakes. 

Stephanie, underbaked crust.   Chris is adorable octopus, 

I wish the show would have said no-bake or mandatory bake.  Rob's is cute.   Vonshia's is cute, another one with a thicker crust.  Dominick's first was a flop, second is sloppy crust on outside is a flop.  Tara-cheesecake, looks loose, the gelatin top looks tough and gummy, and cake looks like it didn't gel.  German's looks gorgeous, Austin, his looks great, and thin bottom crust, but it's an element he left out, so he put it on the bottom.     Leaders are Austin, and  German, and  Winner is: Austin.    Two on bottom:  Tara and Dominick.    Tara goes home. 

[mojoween]

What on earth was the calamity that was Tara’s cake?  How was hers so loose compared to everyone else’s?

Dominick had a terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad day.  Did not expect that.

Rob’s pirate tube should have won the preheat IMO.

[MerBearHou]

7 minutes ago, mojoween said:

Rob’s pirate tube should have won the preheat IMO.

I thought so too.  Both of the last-to-be-tasted won both rounds tonight.  

[mlp]

I don't have a favorite yet but I thought the right person went home.  Her cheesecake dessert was a total disaster.  

No twists so far.  Maybe the PTB have actually listened to viewers.  

[kathyk2]

1 hour ago, mlp said:

I don't have a favorite yet but I thought the right person went home.  Her cheesecake dessert was a total disaster.  

No twists so far.  Maybe the PTB have actually listened to viewers.  

I think the prizes are much better than in any competition so far. I've never seen a prize for winning a single challenge.

[libgirl2]

4 hours ago, kathyk2 said:

I think the prizes are much better than in any competition so far. I've never seen a prize for winning a single challenge.

That was a pleasant surprise. I would be nice if they throw in prizes a long the way. 

Poor Tara, everything was going wrong with that cheesecake. And Dominick really had a bad week. 

Edited May 21 by libgirl2

[CrazyInAlabama]

11 hours ago, mojoween said:

What on earth was the calamity that was Tara’s cake?  How was hers so loose compared to everyone else’s?

Dominick had a terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad day.  Did not expect that.

Rob’s pirate tube should have won the preheat IMO.

It was another no-bake cheesecake.   I think the challenge should specify no-bake, or conventional baked cheesecake, so it's fair.    Tara's simply didn't gel at all.     Some of the gelatin 'oceans' looked like rubber.   And the crusts were very thick, no wonder they didn't bake properly. 

[tennisgurl]

Wow, a whole Disney cruise for just a challenge win! I would love it if the show would give contestants more prizes throughout the game, it would be a lot more fun and be a lot better for contestants, who are mostly playing for publicity now, the prize money is nice but hardly life changing. 

Poor Tara, those were some rough bakes, and after she did so well in the first round. All it takes is one bad bake, and one run of bad luck. 

So far I like everyone enough, no obvious standouts yet but I thought Rib really stuck out in particular, his bakes were so much fun.

[carrps]

None of those cheesecakes looked good to me at all. I don't like no bake cheesecake (and I hate gelatin), so I'd have preferred that they make baked versions mandatory. I think the reason Rob didn't win was because he had so little filling in his cake. Really, it was a teeny tiny miniscule amount.

[Pi237]

Nice that theyre adding additional prizes. Hopefully, it'll continue because the chefs provide a lot of content around many many commercials for a teeny cash prize.

A lot of hot mess express bakes this week.  The one's gelatin poured out chunky and I gagged. 

[laredhead]

2 hours ago, Pi237 said:

A lot of hot mess express bakes this week.  The one's gelatin poured out chunky and I gagged. 

I would have had a hard time being a judge of those.  I don't particularly care for unbaked cheesecake, and I can't imagine combining it with gelatin topping.  Who thinks up these combos? 

[2soon2tell]

I’m sure cheesecake with a gelatin topper can be very photogenic, but who would want it in real life? It sounds like a horrible combination. Personally , I only eat gelatin when I need to for medical reasons.  Then again, I don’t want chili in my desserts and don’t feel the need for “texture” in an otherwise soft, creamy dessert, so what do I know.

[libgirl2]

12 hours ago, 2soon2tell said:

I’m sure cheesecake with a gelatin topper can be very photogenic, but who would want it in real life? It sounds like a horrible combination. Personally , I only eat gelatin when I need to for medical reasons.  Then again, I don’t want chili in my desserts and don’t feel the need for “texture” in an otherwise soft, creamy dessert, so what do I know.

Yea, the gelatin topper looks great but to eat it? No unless it has a really good flavor. 

[RoxiP]

Honestly a no bake cheesecake was a good idea with the short time they were given because that way the cheesecake didn't have to cool.

Not a fan of gelatin although I think it looks really cool when done well but I would have then moved it to the side and dug into the good stuff.

The guy who won really did do a cool thing by encasing his entire cheesecake in gelatin - and you could really see his starfish inside.  I also agree that Rob's design was really cute.

[tinkerbell]

I thought all of the cheesecakes topped with gelatin looked terrible.

Green slime with fish suspended in it is the most unappealing thing I've seen on baking shows.

[Salacious Kitty]

Overall, an unsuccessful challenge.

[CrazyInAlabama]

What an interesting first round.  Teams of two, and breakfast items, waffles, pancakes, crepes, and french toast.  They have to do two dishes, a sweet and savory.   Great pivot by Stephanie. 

Crab lasagna with crepes, German & Dominick (Duff says the lasagna is one of the best dishes ever on the show, and he hugs them).  Stephanie & Austin made french toast infused panna cotta, and croque monsieur, not as successful.  Rob and Chris fried chiken and jalapeno waffle, churro waffles, judges love both.   Vonshia & Nyibe lasagna pancake and banana foster pancakes, Duff says the tomato sauce is too sweet.   

Winners of first round are German and Dominick, they get exclusive access to Duff for 15 minutes for advice. 

Second round is mile high Summer pies, using berries.  I'm very worried for some of the bakers.  Some desserts are lovely.   Chris looks wonderful, Carla says "Dude!".   Austin's looks fantastic, but jam filling is too tart. Rob's is adorable, but too short, but tasty.  Vanshia looks tall, and gorgeous, filling is OK.  German's elderberry pie is tall, not gelled enough. Dominick's elderberry is OK, but looks unfinished, pie is soupy, flavor is good.   Nayibe's pie is very short, taste is OK but pie crust is underbaked.   Stephanie's looks fantastic and tall, taste is great.  

Top two are Chris, and Stephanie, winner is Chris. 

Bottom two are Dominick and Nayibe, Nayibe goes home. (I agree, underbaked crust is a really bad issue to have). 

Next week looks interesting. 

[kathyk2]

Who is keeping Dominick in the competition? He's been in the bottom two weeks in a row. I think the show is biased against women.

[MerBearHou]

Ridiculous that Dominick didn’t go home for that glop.  

[tvchick]

Agree about Dominick still being in the competition.  And maybe I missed it, but did Chris get a prize or anything for winning?  Last week's winner got a Disney cruise!

[mlp]

I agree that Dominic hasn't been doing well but I figured Nayibe would be going home when Carla turned her pie over and I saw that the crust was practically raw.  You can eat runny filling if it tastes OK but underbaked dough is just yuck.

[kathyk2]

Dominic had two bad weeks in a row and is still there. Tara was let go after one bad week the judging is inconsistent.