Summer Baking Championship - General Discussion

[libgirl2]

21 minutes ago, tracyscott76 said:

I thought Alyssa's trifle had by far the best layers - they looked just like those tropical sand art things you can get in bottles or jars. A bit confused by the judges' comments about her cake texture. Does the texture of cake change that much when you crumble it up, as she did? I guess that makes it easier for other things to soak into it and make it soggy?

Zoe is going to get runner-up complex.

I think she broke it apart too much and it got soggy. 

Edited June 6, 2023 by libgirl2

[mojoween]

With Ally’s departure, Zoe has vaulted into the favorite.  She said something super sweet to Alyssa in the pre-heat, and then she finished her (awesome) pie, and helped Carlos, who, if Zoe didn’t help, would have been standing at the judges table with his pie in his hands.

Also Zoe seems to be really good at her baking.

Anrika, sad as it is to say, is probably next to go, and then it’s going to be anyone’s game between Zoe, John, Johann and Alyssa.

The cable guide said this show is hosted by Jesse Palmers, heh.  When he sat at the judges table during the pre-heat it was clear that the shorts he was wearing were quite a bit shorter than the ones he normally wears outside.  I also had no idea he was married.  I thought he was still a bachelor, no pun intended.  

[libgirl2]

49 minutes ago, mojoween said:

With Ally’s departure, Zoe has vaulted into the favorite.  She said something super sweet to Alyssa in the pre-heat, and then she finished her (awesome) pie, and helped Carlos, who, if Zoe didn’t help, would have been standing at the judges table with his pie in his hands.

Also Zoe seems to be really good at her baking.

Anrika, sad as it is to say, is probably next to go, and then it’s going to be anyone’s game between Zoe, John, Johann and Alyssa.

The cable guide said this show is hosted by Jesse Palmers, heh.  When he sat at the judges table during the pre-heat it was clear that the shorts he was wearing were quite a bit shorter than the ones he normally wears outside.  I also had no idea he was married.  I thought he was still a bachelor, no pun intended.  

Zoe is very good but I would like to have seen her make something else with the chocolate instead of sunglasses. They were an example and I thought she could have come up with something different. Though, they do fit the summer theme. 

[pally]

On 5/31/2023 at 4:33 PM, MoonKitty said:

Maybe I'm not paying close attention, but the season seems like one big bunch of "take this specific main flavor and this bizarre other flavor and make a dessert  with some other random-ass tacked on requirement without making it suck too badly." Yes, I know that really just sums up the majority of the FN baking championship genre--and maybe I've reached my saturation point--but when a contestant has to bake something with  . . . say . . . matcha and coffee (last week), it's just screwy. 

And, I never, ever thought I would agree with one of Nancy's favorite critiques, but a lot of the desserts don't look very summery! (There. I said it. Please don't hate me. 😇)

They must have foreseen the complaints after that episode was filmed because this week's was as straightforward as they ever get.  No crazy flavors and each preselected flavor was essentially equivalent to the others.
I thought that Johan was the only baker to really upscale his cream pie.  I could see that pie in a high-end restaurant

[springbarb]

Johan's was more impressive, but I REALLY wanted to try Zoe's.

[Salacious Kitty]

I disagreed with the elimination. I thought runny pie was worse than whatever Carlos did. I guess they focused on taste, and Carlos had a bad track record of not bringing flavor. 

[Gramto6]

Yeah I thought the runny pie gal was a goner too. But with these shows, who knows?

[mlp]

1 hour ago, Salacious Kitty said:

I thought runny pie was worse than whatever Carlos did.

I thought so too at first.  Then I remembered that Duff said her flavors were all great so that probably gave her the pass.  

Johan's pie was stunning.

[Salacious Kitty]

11 minutes ago, mlp said:

I thought so too at first.  Then I remembered that Duff said her flavors were all great so that probably gave her the pass.  

Johan's pie was stunning.

Yeah, that was my point about judging ending up being weighted more in favor of flavor rather than construction.

[AZChristian]

Maybe they took into account how poorly Carlos did in the pre-heat.

[Shermie]

On 6/6/2023 at 6:05 AM, MsMalin said:

People in Nevada are quite touchy too about the pronunciation of their state name.

How do they want it pronounced? I’ve only heard Ne-vah-dah.

[dewelar]

14 hours ago, Shermie said:

How do they want it pronounced? I’ve only heard Ne-vah-dah.

They pronounce it Ne-VA-duh, with a short 'a' like in "ham".

Edited June 8, 2023 by dewelar
Clarify

[RoxiP]

There is also a town in Texas named Nev A duh...long A.  I think they pronounce the name of their town wrong...LOL!

[CrazyInAlabama]

My aunt's name was Nevada, pronounced Nah-Vey-dah (with the long A).  Don't know why it's pronounced like that. 

I guess it's like previous shows with contestants pronouncing Macaron, and Macaroon the same, or the Pecan pronounciations too.    I like the different pronunciations, and regional accents.    

I wish Carlos the best, but he was inconsistent.   I bet he's fantastic on his bakery products he does for customers. 

Edited June 8, 2023 by CrazyInAlabama

[carrps]

Wasn't too thrilled with this episode. I make a kick-ass trifle that everybody loves. And I'm a purist on trifle.

None of the cream pies looked that good to me. Again, they put too much in the desserts and too many extraneous doo-dads on top. I understand they're trying to impress the judges or whatever, but I'd much prefer a straightforward cream pie of whatever type. 

There was a coffee shop near where I worked that had an awesome peanut butter cream pie -- just a peanut butter cream layer and whipped cream with a sprinkling of peanut bits. And The Apple Pan (a relatively famous hamburger place in L.A.) has great cream pies. Oddly, their apple pie is my least favorite (too bland), but their cream pies are soooooo good -- boysenberry, chocolate, coconut, banana, and cherry. Only the cherry is slightly jazzed up: it has a custard layer with the cherries on top. Man, I wanna drive there right now and get one!

Marie Callender's when they first opened had meringue on their pies. I always asked them the scrape it off and replace it with whipped cream. Who wants yucky meringue on their "cream" pie??? Too many meringue pies in this episode, too.

[libgirl2]

29 minutes ago, carrps said:

There was a coffee shop near where I worked that had an awesome peanut butter cream pie -- just a peanut butter cream layer and whipped cream with a sprinkling of peanut bits. And The Apple Pan (a relatively famous hamburger place in L.A.) has great cream pies. Oddly, their apple pie is my least favorite (too bland), but their cream pies are soooooo good -- boysenberry, chocolate, coconut, banana, and cherry. Only the cherry is slightly jazzed up: it has a custard layer with the cherries on top. Man, I wanna drive there right now and get one!

Marie Callender's when they first opened had meringue on their pies. I always asked them the scrape it off and replace it with whipped cream. Who wants yucky meringue on their "cream" pie??? Too many meringue pies in this episode, too.

I love meringue. My mom used to make it when I was little and give it to me as a treat. 

I am just not a fan though of cream pies. The only time I would eat a pie like this was back in the old Denny's day. The Denny's by us had pies (fresh or not, I don't know) and I would have a slice of key lime every time I was there, which was every Saturday night with  my friends. 

I don't really associate cream pie with summer. All the heat would make it runny. 

[Guest]

Whew! I would have been royally peeved if Alyssa had left over John, both based on that specific dessert and on general principle.

Good episode for Zoe - finally got a win, and was in the top two for the main heat.

Damaris was more Damaris-y this episode, with the "hey crunchy!" and talking about eating her way out of a bathtub full of Zoe's peach filling. Maybe she's getting more comfortable with Duff and Carla - to my knowledge she's never worked with them before, so maybe she was keeping cool at first. And now she's letting her freak flag fly a bit more 😆

[Adeejay]

“I don’t understand why your colors are not in the same order as the flag.”  The heck?! 

The criticisms these judges come up with are just ridiculous.  If you don’t have anything to say, it’s okay to stay quiet.

Edited June 13, 2023 by Adeejay

[Guest]

3 minutes ago, Adeejay said:

“I don’t understand why your colors are not in the same order as the flag.”  The heck?! 

The criticisms these judges come up with are just ridiculous.  If you don’t have anything to say, it’s okay to stay quiet.

I wondered the same thing as he was pouring his glaze, to be honest. They were out of order. And Yohann, more than the rest of them, emphasized that this was to represent the rainbow flag - so I can see why she was like "but it's not in order...?"

Edited June 13, 2023 by tracyscott76
Word change for clarity

[kathyk24]

30 minutes ago, tracyscott76 said:

Whew! I would have been royally peeved if Alyssa had left over John, both based on that specific dessert and on general principle.

Good episode for Zoe - finally got a win, and was in the top two for the main heat.

Damaris was more Damaris-y this episode, with the "hey crunchy!" and talking about eating her way out of a bathtub full of Zoe's peach filling. Maybe she's getting more comfortable with Duff and Carla - to my knowledge she's never worked with them before, so maybe she was keeping cool at first. And now she's letting her freak flag fly a bit more 😆

Zoe should have won both heats. Her cake had more detail than Yohann's cheesecake. How can the judges complain about desserts being too sweet when they had to include sugary cereals?

[Salacious Kitty]

6 minutes ago, kathyk24 said:

Zoe should have won both heats. Her cake had more detail than Yohann's cheesecake. How can the judges complain about desserts being too sweet when they had to include sugary cereals?

They really seem to be weighting taste over decoration in this iteration. 

[rlc]

Yeah, I would have been pissed if John stayed this week. That was no rainbow cookie- it was a cake. Rainbow cookies are 1-2 inches high. That was a slab of cake.

[libgirl2]

7 hours ago, rlc said:

Yeah, I would have been pissed if John stayed this week. That was no rainbow cookie- it was a cake. Rainbow cookies are 1-2 inches high. That was a slab of cake.

If John would have just made an actual cookie, he would have stayed but sorry that was a cake!

[RoxiP]

I thought those meringue things of Ahnrika's (sorry, drawing a blank on both what those meringue things are called and how to spell her name - I blame chemo (even though I'm almost a year past it...LOL)) looked like cow patties.  

[libgirl2]

4 minutes ago, RoxiP said:

I thought those meringue things of Ahnrika's (sorry, drawing a blank on both what those meringue things are called and how to spell her name - I blame chemo (even though I'm almost a year past it...LOL)) looked like cow patties.  

I really thought she was heading home but the judges did say they tasted nice and light. 

[Rammchick]

I think John was the correct choice to go home.  In most cases, I don't think his work is the calibre of the others.

[libgirl2]

38 minutes ago, Rammchick said:

I think John was the correct choice to go home.  In most cases, I don't think his work is the calibre of the others.

I thought his work was for the most part, but I really think Zoe has pulled away from the pack. 

[Guest]

17 minutes ago, libgirl2 said:

I thought his work was for the most part, but I really think Zoe has pulled away from the pack. 

Alyssa had a little trouble with the main heat this episode, but it seems like she and Zoe are both above the rest (though Zoe took some time to settle in). Anrika is talented and very personable, but doesn't seem as inventive as the other two. And I think that Yohann, while also nice and clearly talented, has been getting a bit of "French pastry chef" extra credit.

Edited June 13, 2023 by tracyscott76

[libgirl2]

1 minute ago, tracyscott76 said:

Alyssa had a little trouble with the main heat this episode, but it seems like she and Zoe are both above the rest (though Zoe took some time to settle in). Anrika is talented and very personable, but doesn't seem as inventive as the other two. And I think that Yohann, while also nice and clearly talented, has been getting a bit of "French pastry chef" extra credit.

I felt the same way too! It seems everyone of these competitions we get a French Pastry Chef and feel we need to ooh and ahh over them. Yes, he is talented but I don't think he is the best one there. 

[mlp]

6 hours ago, libgirl2 said:

I really thought she was heading home but the judges did say they tasted nice and light. 

I thought her dessert looked like a mess.  All the judges conveniently overlooked the fact that her meringue was tan and overdone, a major technical error.  If they had wanted her to go home, they would have jumped all over that instead of picking at the minor flaws on John's (which really did look like a cake).  I actually like Anrika better than John so I'm not unhappy that she stayed but I think the decision was questionable.

[Starry-Eyed]

19 hours ago, Adeejay said:

“I don’t understand why your colors are not in the same order as the flag.”  The heck?! 

The criticisms these judges come up with are just ridiculous.  If you don’t have anything to say, it’s okay to stay quiet.

It's not just the order of the flag, though. Rainbows have an actual color order... one I assumed everyone learned in primary school. It's just plain weird to make a rainbow dessert with the colors next to each other like that and NOT put it in order. It's totally a valid criticism.

[springbarb]

2 hours ago, Starry-Eyed said:

It's not just the order of the flag, though. Rainbows have an actual color order... one I assumed everyone learned in primary school. It's just plain weird to make a rainbow dessert with the colors next to each other like that and NOT put it in order. It's totally a valid criticism.

Duff even pointed it out--ROY G BIV. I was annoyed that Damaris walked it back a bit. My husband also immediately pointed out the wrong order of the colors.

When I saw what John was doing, I was like, "So...a cake?" and then I got concerned that the judges would overlook it. I was very glad they didn't.

I also thought Anrika's pavlova was going to flop, but it clearly tasted good, and her decoration covered the problems enough.

[Maya]

Pavlova is turning into the risotto of baking shows - just don’t do it!!

[tinderbox]

Isn’t cheesecake technically considered a cake?  I thought one of the judges would have mentioned it, even in passing.  

[AZChristian]

8 hours ago, tinderbox said:

Isn’t cheesecake technically considered a cake?  I thought one of the judges would have mentioned it, even in passing.  

Good question.  I googled and found this online:

"Is cheesecake a pie or a cake?

The structure of cheesecake is composed of a somewhat pastry shell with a custard-like filling and sometimes contains fruit. Despite the confusing terminology, cheesecake is by no means a cake. Also, since cheesecake isn't topped with pastry, it cannot be a pie. Cheesecake is, and forever will be, a tart."

===========

[ShelleySue]

Is anyone else imagining Zoe becoming a judge on future Food Network competition shows?

[Guest]

17 minutes ago, ShelleySue said:

Is anyone else imagining Zoe becoming a judge on future Food Network competition shows?

She doesn't really give off a judge vibe to me, but she does seem to be the most "TV-ready" of the bunch. Perhaps she'll be one who appears on other shows from time to time as a competitor (Christmas Cookie Challenge, Halloween Wars, etc.) Considering how she's doing here, I wouldn't mind that!

Edited June 14, 2023 by tracyscott76

[Rammchick]

13 hours ago, Maya said:

Pavlova is turning into the risotto of baking shows - just don’t do it!!

You're so right -- they never get enough time to do it properly.

[meep.meep]

10 hours ago, tinderbox said:

Isn’t cheesecake technically considered a cake?  I thought one of the judges would have mentioned it, even in passing.  

He specifically made no-bake cheesecake so no.

No-bake cake is a bowl of sweet mud.

[RoxiP]

The first episode Zoe was my least favorite - she was way too over the top and (IMO) performing...having said that she has toned it down (or perhaps become more comfortable) in the last few episodes but I can't say I would watch a show where she was the host(ess).  

[Grizzly]

6 hours ago, RoxiP said:

The first episode Zoe was my least favorite - she was way too over the top and (IMO) performing...having said that she has toned it down (or perhaps become more comfortable) in the last few episodes but I can't say I would watch a show where she was the host(ess).  

It's the eyelashes. I'd like to see her without those and then maybe I could root more for her.

[SweetSable]

On 6/13/2023 at 3:45 PM, mlp said:

I actually like Anrika better than John so I'm not unhappy that she stayed but I think the decision was questionable.

John made a cake which was completely against the rules of this challenge - that alone is good enough reason to send him home.

On 6/13/2023 at 7:43 PM, springbarb said:

It's not just the order of the flag, though. Rainbows have an actual color order..

Rainbow Flag

Created in 1978 by Gilbert Baker, the iconic Pride Rainbow flag originally had eight stripes. The colors included pink to represent sexuality, red for healing, yellow for sun, green for serenity with nature, turquoise for art, indigo for harmony and violet for spirit. In the years since, the flag has been reduced to six colors: the flag no longer uses pink, and the turquoise and indigo have been replaced with royal blue.

I was hoping someone would do a tie-dye decoration using the flag colors.

Edited June 15, 2023 by SweetSable

[RoxiP]

Honestly I don't care how many colors or what order they fall in the pride flag or a rainbow have - I just thought the mirror glaze on top of his cheesecake was beautiful and deserving of a win.  I was more irritated by the Duff's remark about how he struggled with bakes that were outside of the traditional French bakes - well DUH!  That's what he was trained in...why wouldn't he struggle in some of these unusual tasks that are required of them (as have almost every other classically trained French baker that has ever been in this competition...hello...SPRINKLES!).  

[Guest]

24 minutes ago, RoxiP said:

Honestly I don't care how many colors or what order they fall in the pride flag or a rainbow have - I just thought the mirror glaze on top of his cheesecake was beautiful and deserving of a win.  I was more irritated by the Duff's remark about how he struggled with bakes that were outside of the traditional French bakes - well DUH!  That's what he was trained in...why wouldn't he struggle in some of these unusual tasks that are required of them (as have almost every other classically trained French baker that has ever been in this competition...hello...SPRINKLES!).  

The order of the colors didn't end up being a big deal - he won the challenge after all. But I think it was a perfectly natural question.

As far as Yohann struggling when doing things outside of traditional French bakes (though I don't think that's quite what Duff said, even if it's what he meant): maybe these classically trained French bakers/pastry chefs should broaden their horizons a bit if they're going to go on a general-purpose baking show. If he struggles with non-French desserts, that's on him - it's not the show's responsibility to cater to any particular kind of baker. And sometimes they do have them make traditional French desserts, and then it's time for some of the others to struggle.

When other (i.e. American) bakers say they've never done something before, they often get called out here for not practicing desserts that are likely to turn up on the show. Why shouldn't French pastry chefs be likewise called out, here or by the judges? (To be clear, I'm not saying Yohann has this attitude - he seems to be rolling with it the best he can)

[libgirl2]

Both good points being made. Yes, this is not something they were trained in but then again, you know what the show is about and its good to study up on things you aren't familiar with. Its like GBBO, someone comes in and never made bread... Hello! They always make bread on the show. 

None of this is hurting him. I am convinced he can make pretty much anything. Maybe they need to throw in a cookie salad? 

[AZChristian]

52 minutes ago, libgirl2 said:

None of this is hurting him. I am convinced he can make pretty much anything. Maybe they need to throw in a cookie salad? 

You.  Go stand in the corner.  Now.

;-)

[Texasmom1970]

On 6/6/2023 at 5:26 PM, Salacious Kitty said:

I disagreed with the elimination. I thought runny pie was worse than whatever Carlos did. I guess they focused on taste, and Carlos had a bad track record of not bringing flavor. 

I'm just gonna be straight with it I think this episode and the next there has been some creative judging as I shall put it. Especially this one I am sorry even if it taste great it her pie did not set. They must really wanted to get rid of Carlos. I never understand their criteria for eliminations!

[orangekit]

I think they eliminated the right person . Now if they could eliminate Damaris it would be great !

She is just negative and nit picks . And her nasally , twangy voice is like nails on a chalkboard! I always thought she was bizarre when she was on Beat Bobby Flay with her stupid antics , but I had seen her on other shows and found her likable .  
Besides needing to be superior critical she is the one judge who really isn’t a baker but acts like she’s an expert !  

Hopefully she’ll join Molly and not come back .

[Guest]

2 minutes ago, orangekit said:

I think they eliminated the right person . Now if they could eliminate Damaris it would be great !

She is just negative and nit picks . And her nasally , twangy voice is like nails on a chalkboard! I always thought she was bizarre when she was on Beat Bobby Flay with her stupid antics , but I had seen her on other shows and found her likable .  
Besides needing to be superior critical she is the one judge who really isn’t a baker but acts like she’s an expert !  

Hopefully she’ll join Molly and not come back .

Is Carla really a baker, though? Prior to appearing as a judge on these baking competitions, she was known for being on Top Chef - a cooking show, not a baking show. I'm guessing she can bake, but who's to say she's any better or worse at it than Damaris? Baking isn't what either of them is known for. Duff is the only confirmed, professional baker on this particular panel.

Obviously whether or not one likes Damaris' voice or personality is a matter of opinion, but I'm sorry, Damaris is not "just negative". She has plenty of effusively positive things to say, but for some reason her critical comments are the only things that some people remember. People were saying she was rude to the contestants, when Carla is saying things like "it looks like your cake fell on the floor" and "your gelatin is like salami." Duff has his share of negative comments as well, and his commentary on John's rainbow cookie was the epitome of nitpicking: "there's a stray crumb on the corner."

[goldenpuppy]

4 hours ago, orangekit said:

I think they eliminated the right person . Now if they could eliminate Damaris it would be great !

She is just negative and nit picks . And her nasally , twangy voice is like nails on a chalkboard! I always thought she was bizarre when she was on Beat Bobby Flay with her stupid antics , but I had seen her on other shows and found her likable .  
Besides needing to be superior critical she is the one judge who really isn’t a baker but acts like she’s an expert !  

Hopefully she’ll join Molly and not come back .

I agree , I am glad John went instead of  Alyssa .

I used to find Damaris funny, but now I just find her just weird and unlikable . When she’s not weird she’s crabby  and not nice at all .

I have seen Damaris on Beat Bobby Flay and she is over the top weird and obnoxious , but I thought she might be tolerable on this show . She is Debbie Downer and I agree about her annoying voice!  Hard to believe she won FNS with that voice .