S02.E12: Bake It ‘Til You Make It

[DanaK]

Quote

The chefs are faced with their toughest challenge yet. For the first time ever, the contestants are tasked with baking a next-level dessert that looks as delicious as it tastes. Some chefs will rise above the rest, while others crumble in the all-new "Bake It 'til You Make It" episode of Next Level Chef airing Thursday, April 27 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on Fox.

 

[DanaK]

Michelle eliminated 

[Chicago Redshirt]

So another bit of cannon fodder goes. I thought Chef Stretch had finally reached his expiration date. Three eliminations in a row is a lot, and he started off so strong. I'm thinking he's done next week. They can't keep all three remaining chefs of Team Nyesha around and have it go down to just one chef apiece for Blais and Grrrr, or worse two for Blais and none for Grrr. 

I was super rooting for the top dishes to be Omi and Pilar and for Chris to be left in the middle again. When he kept on talking about how he was doing something like a psychopath, I was like, "Sure you aren't actually a psychopath?" Because he always seems a little unhinged to me.

As a non-chef, it seems to me that "baking" is a form of "cooking." But apparently chefs see them as different.

My unspoiled prediction as to the remaining chefs:

Next to go: Stretch

After him: Chris

After him: Omi

Leaving a three-way finale of Pilar, Mehreen and Tucker. I'd be fine with that final three, or really any of the remaining contestants except Chris.  

I kind of like Tucker, but what was with her giving Stretch the Bachelor Handshake? 

Mehreen is cute as a button. But making a corn-based cake seems like a terrible idea. And it seemed like the peaches got lost in the execution.

[mertensia]

7 hours ago, Chicago Redshirt said:

So another bit of cannon fodder goes. I thought Chef Stretch had finally reached his expiration date. Three eliminations in a row is a lot, and he started off so strong. I'm thinking he's done next week. They can't keep all three remaining chefs of Team Nyesha around and have it go down to just one chef apiece for Blais and Grrrr, or worse two for Blais and none for Grrr. 

I was super rooting for the top dishes to be Omi and Pilar and for Chris to be left in the middle again. When he kept on talking about how he was doing something like a psychopath, I was like, "Sure you aren't actually a psychopath?" Because he always seems a little unhinged to me.

As a non-chef, it seems to me that "baking" is a form of "cooking." But apparently chefs see them as different.

My unspoiled prediction as to the remaining chefs:

Next to go: Stretch

After him: Chris

After him: Omi

Leaving a three-way finale of Pilar, Mehreen and Tucker. I'd be fine with that final three, or really any of the remaining contestants except Chris.  

I kind of like Tucker, but what was with her giving Stretch the Bachelor Handshake? 

Mehreen is cute as a button. But making a corn-based cake seems like a terrible idea. And it seemed like the peaches got lost in the execution.

Lots of chefs on TV, at least, differentiate between cooking and baking.  

That said, how had Michelle and her hair never made a cake?

That brownie/chocolate cake Tucker made was so sadly thin. Sure it baked but she should have double it or used two pieces sandwiched or something.

 

[DEL901]

27 minutes ago, mertensia said:

Lots of chefs on TV, at least, differentiate between cooking and baking.  

That said, how had Michelle and her hair never made a cake?

That brownie/chocolate cake Tucker made was so sadly thin. Sure it baked but she should have double it or used two pieces sandwiched or something.

 

I think the big difference between cooking and baking….when you cook, you can season and tweak and modify as you go on.  With baking you generally need precise measurements and once it goes in the oven, all you can do is work on the icing and decorations.  The taste is set.   And apparently introductory chemistry students are sometimes asked to bake to understand chemical reactions and the need for precision by baking a couple of versions of recipes with certain ingredients modified so they can compare.  

[WendyM]

A couple of things: the hair, the hair, the hair. Why does someone with the longest hair not tie her hair back when she cooks? How does it not catch on fire? And if I auditioned or even thought of auditioning for a cooking show, wouldn't I at least try doing something I'd never tried before such as...baking? Have these people never watched television?

[KeithJ]

I was very worried for Mehreen this whole episode.  They announce it's a baking challenge and we get a confessional from her saying that she loves baking and even bakes more than cooking.  That's usually the kiss of death for contestants.  I thought for sure she would be going home (even though she did end up in the bottom three).

 

Edited April 28, 2023 by KeithJ

[milkyaqua]

Yes, the hair not tied back is annoying.  Same as the, I don't cook this type of cuisine, never heard of this cuisine, what kind of cuisine is that, etc.  And the, oh, I have to bake something?  It's a cooking competition.  Get a clue and prepare.

And yes, a lot of cooks/chefs distinguish between cooking and baking.  Most restaurants are going to have a dessert program and a chef heading it where that's their specialty and yes, it's because baking is usually described as needing to be exact in measurements for desserts especially baked goods to come out correctly.

Was fine with Michelle going (when she said cheesecake I was like, who the heck does a baked cheesecake in an hour?).  Chef Stretch is way beyond borrowed time.  Chris and his babbling about being a psychopath just had me going, "Well, you pretty much are so..."  As soon as Ramsey questioned Mehreen about her cornmeal cake and then brought up the syrup I knew she was going to get dinged.  I get she was trying to add moisture to the cornmeal before baking it (and I've seen recipes that called for hydrating cornmeal before using it in a dessert prep) but when she kept ignoring his suggestion for the syrup and then decided to do three instead of two layers of it, and not enough of the other components to compensate, I figured she was going to elim.

[GHScorpiosRule]

1 hour ago, milkyaqua said:

As soon as Ramsey questioned Mehreen about her cornmeal cake and then brought up the syrup I knew she was going to get dinged.  I get she was trying to add moisture to the cornmeal before baking it (and I've seen recipes that called for hydrating cornmeal before using it in a dessert prep) but when she kept ignoring his suggestion for the syrup and then decided to do three instead of two layers of it, and not enough of the other components to compensate, I figured she was going to elim.

Yup. And all I have to say is when Gordon Ramsey suggests something...then you take/heed his advice!

While I like Mehreen, her constant blinking and wide-eyed looks just remind me of a deer-in-the-headlights.

Agree about Michelle. I also found her fake eyelashes so very distracting. And her cheese cake looked absolutely disgusting.

[Kaycee]

I was suprized how many of the Chefs struggled with baking both professional and home cooks. 

Michelle never making a cake before would have faired better making a cupcake or sheet cake instead of cheesecake in an hour. Things that need to set are too big of a risk to take. The easier the better and bet on other chefs doing worse on their bakes and being sent into elimination. 

Tuckers cake looked very cracked on the work area before she cut into a serving to put on her final plate. On my TV, it looked like it was very dense.

[oliviabenson]

Yikes. 
 

If I was Michelle is cut off 90% of that hair/extensions etc. she is all hair.

I find the show very boring and am barely paying attention.

 

[rlc]

Tucker did not bake a cake- she baked brownies.

 

[mlp]

I think it's odd that Michelle didn't have the sense to tie her hair back and even more odd that none of the mentors told her to.  Would they allow that in their kitchens?  I doubt it.  Anyway, she seemed nice enough but I wasn't sorry to see her go.  

Nyesha's favoritism wrt Pilar is sooooooooooooo obvious.  It makes me want to root against both of them.  If Nyesha can't be neutral, she shouldn't be a judge.  

Chris isn't likable but I think he's a better cook than most of the rest of them.

 

 

 

[blackwing]

On 4/28/2023 at 7:54 AM, WendyM said:

A couple of things: the hair, the hair, the hair. Why does someone with the longest hair not tie her hair back when she cooks? How does it not catch on fire? 

The hair doesn’t bother me.  This is a reality TV show.  They want the contestants to look attractive.  If this were a real kitchen, those with long hair might be wearing hairnets.  And those look particularly ugly.  
 

I think the contestants almost certainly visit the Hair and Makeup tent before stepping onto the floor. 

On 4/29/2023 at 2:29 PM, rlc said:

Tucker did not bake a cake- she baked brownies.

 

Yep.  I cry foul.  She should have been in the elimination instead of Nuri.  Nuri was criticised for the look of his dessert but his taste was good.  Tucker cooked an overly dense brownie and tried to call it cake.  

[Chicago Redshirt]

On 4/29/2023 at 3:35 PM, mlp said:

I think it's odd that Michelle didn't have the sense to tie her hair back and even more odd that none of the mentors told her to.  Would they allow that in their kitchens?  I doubt it.  Anyway, she seemed nice enough but I wasn't sorry to see her go.  

Nyesha's favoritism wrt Pilar is sooooooooooooo obvious.  It makes me want to root against both of them.  If Nyesha can't be neutral, she shouldn't be a judge.  

Chris isn't likable but I think he's a better cook than most of the rest of them.

I think the premise of the show is finding a balance between the mentors rooting for their original team members and being objective judges. Now it could be that GR and the rest do not really care if his handpicked team fails or succeeds, or they really do. My sense is that they do have a rooting interest in their actual team, but they are giving equal opportunity advice to all the chefs on their floor. 

Even putting aside my bias against Chris (and Blais) aside, I think his results have him toward the bottom of the remaining chefs. 

Using the chart at Wikipedia:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Next_Level_Chef_(American_season_2)

Chris has yet to cook the best overall dish IIRC, and this episode talks about how he's generally been in the middle kitchen. I think he tries hard, but this episode was the first one where he wowed the judges more than most. I want to say that each of the other remaining chefs did have a moment of glory or two where they did the consensus best dish, and other than Stretch, they all have the same or fewer times when they were at risk. 

 

[kirklandia]

When Chris has one of his manic outbursts, he reminds me of someone.  
(Maybe because my daughter just went to the Friends Experience) I finally figured out who!
Remember when Joey moved out, and Chandler ended up with crazy roommate Eddie?

Edited May 1, 2023 by kirklandia

[gaPeach]

On 4/29/2023 at 4:35 PM, mlp said:

Nyesha's favoritism wrt Pilar is sooooooooooooo obvious.  It makes me want to root against both of them.  If Nyesha can't be neutral, she shouldn't be a judge.

Yes!  I mentioned this last week when cooking along Tucker. Each week it gets worse.  

[blackwing]

On 5/1/2023 at 2:11 AM, kirklandia said:

When Chris has one of his manic outbursts, he reminds me of someone.  
(Maybe because my daughter just went to the Friends Experience) I finally figured out who!
Remember when Joey moved out, and Chandler ended up with crazy roommate Eddie?

Hah.  Adam Goldberg is currently on Queen Latifah's "The Equalizer" as the resident tech genius.  A lot different character than Crazy Eddie.

I fear that the show is telegraphing a Chris win.  He had seemingly by far the most confessionals in this latest episode, and for the past two episodes they've been constantly hitting us over the head with his narrative that he's been stuck in the middle and it's time to move up.  Aargh.

I think Chris will be in the finals as the male representative and Blais rep.  Tucker's already in from Team Ramsay.  Which leaves one slot left for Team Nyesha.  I love Pilar but I like Omi too.  Either of them would satisfy the "cannot have three white people in the finals" rule.  Seems like things are leaning towards Omi being in the finals.  

[Chicago Redshirt]

3 hours ago, blackwing said:

Hah.  Adam Goldberg is currently on Queen Latifah's "The Equalizer" as the resident tech genius.  A lot different character than Crazy Eddie.

I fear that the show is telegraphing a Chris win.  He had seemingly by far the most confessionals in this latest episode, and for the past two episodes they've been constantly hitting us over the head with his narrative that he's been stuck in the middle and it's time to move up.  Aargh.

I think Chris will be in the finals as the male representative and Blais rep.  Tucker's already in from Team Ramsay.  Which leaves one slot left for Team Nyesha.  I love Pilar but I like Omi too.  Either of them would satisfy the "cannot have three white people in the finals" rule.  Seems like things are leaning towards Omi being in the finals.  

I hate that the great likelihood is the thumb is on the scale in terms of who might make it to the finals that is very much more based on demographics than actual cooking.

I would love for the show to prove me wrong and have the three best cooks based on actual results (which if the past is at all predictive would probably be Tucker, Pilar and Omi). But it is probably true that they can't/won't want a finals trio that has a) no representatives from one of the mentors b) no men c) not all White nor all POC. (I don't think at this point it is possible to have an all White finale. I am not 100 percent sure Chris is White. His surname is "Spinosa," from what I see online so he could be Latino.)

I don't think that they are telegraphing a Chris win, though. He may have the most confessionals, but his confessionals make him look like a crazy person rather than "there's a guy who is the best in the competition." Maybe he will take his game up to...an additional notch? I'm not sure of the right phrase. Or maybe he will be the cannon fodder I hope he is.

They did give Omi Puerto Rican theme music, so I could see her winning a Finale slot or overall.

[blackwing]

43 minutes ago, Chicago Redshirt said:

I hate that the great likelihood is the thumb is on the scale in terms of who might make it to the finals that is very much more based on demographics than actual cooking.

I would love for the show to prove me wrong and have the three best cooks based on actual results (which if the past is at all predictive would probably be Tucker, Pilar and Omi). But it is probably true that they can't/won't want a finals trio that has a) no representatives from one of the mentors b) no men c) not all White nor all POC. (I don't think at this point it is possible to have an all White finale. I am not 100 percent sure Chris is White. His surname is "Spinosa," from what I see online so he could be Latino.)

I don't think that they are telegraphing a Chris win, though. He may have the most confessionals, but his confessionals make him look like a crazy person rather than "there's a guy who is the best in the competition." Maybe he will take his game up to...an additional notch? I'm not sure of the right phrase. Or maybe he will be the cannon fodder I hope he is.

They did give Omi Puerto Rican theme music, so I could see her winning a Finale slot or overall.

Agree that it's irritating that the best competitors won't make the finals, and that the combo of who makes it in seemingly has to abide by all of these unwritten (or perhaps written) rules. 

At this point, my final would Pilar, Mehreen, Omi.  But that means no men will be in the finals.  All three are minorities which I thought would violate a rule... but last year we had Pyet (Native American), Mariah (black) and Raoul (black) in the finals.  

I thought Chris was Italian.  He seemed to have a special bond with fellow Italian Michelle even though they were on different teams.  I think he even used some Italian word or phrase when he was trying to calm her down or reassure her.

I think Chris and Tucker have the least interesting stories of the remaining contestants.  I think the story the judges would most like to see win is Omi... Puerto Rican cuisine, I could see the judges wanting to mentor her and open up a restaurant with her.

[oliviabenson]

And Omi has a disabled husband. I think Omi will win.