S03.E03: Keep Your Family Close, and Your Pans Closer

[Quilt Fairy]

Finally, the show I remember!  That was a great episode.  And can I say, Joel McHale f*ing makes this show!

[Irlandesa]

I liked that everyone mostly got the first challenge but it came down to little nuances to determine the winner...like knowing that fancy foccacia often comes with a design on top.

But madeleines for the second challenge?  That was tough.  Even after the explanation, I felt lost. 

[mertensia]

I don't understand how they were supposed to know madeleine pans were missing. Please help a boomer with chemo brain.

 

 

 

[Tdoc72]

Yes, this one was very hard. 
 

I do like inclusion of the red herring clues, like the chicken parm in the freezer or last week’s PB&J. I don’t remember that from prior seasons. 
 

So far, in the group, i like the married couple. The husband looks like a Campbell soup kid!  

[freeser]

5 hours ago, mertensia said:

I don't understand how they were supposed to know madeleine pans were missing. Please help a boomer with chemo brain.

I'm right there with you.  Yeah, make the clues hard to figure out, but there should be some way for the contestants to logically make sense of them.

It was asking way too much for them to think they should 'get' that the note thanking them for borrowing the pans meant that the actual baking pans were missing and that they were for madeleines.

[CrazyInAlabama]

The challenges are impossible.  I've given up even trying to figure anything out.   However, when the two contestants thought it was key lime instead of macha powder, I knew they were toast.   

[Ms Lark]

I thought the only "obvious" madeleine hint was pretty obscure. A little chip of candy melt with ridges?  The rest were fairly vague.  Plus, wouldn't the note be on the pans you returned? Give the team a 👎 for coming up with that one. If no one got it, that's on the show. Disappointing.

Otherwise, it's still one of my (current) favorite baking competitions. Mostly due to Joel, who is knocking it out of the park, and the whole concept.

Edited October 11 by Ms Lark

[AZChristian]

When they read the note about the "two pans" which were borrowed, I assumed the note was left with the two returned CAKE pans that were sitting there . . . leading one to believe that the cupcake pan was the one to use.  Never crossed my mind that there was a whole different set of two pans that were gone . . . those being the madeleine pans.  There are tough clues and there are obscure clues.  This falls into the latter category.

[BradandJanet]

I also thought the note referred to the cake pans and would have made some kind of spongy cupcake .I didn't think of two different flavors but hope my partner would have. 

[silversage]

Sees picture on fridge, “nice picture!” then thinks now let me get back to finding clues.

[kris4n6]

5 hours ago, AZChristian said:

When they read the note about the "two pans" which were borrowed, I assumed the note was left with the two returned CAKE pans that were sitting there . . . leading one to believe that the cupcake pan was the one to use.  Never crossed my mind that there was a whole different set of two pans that were gone . . . those being the madeleine pans.  There are tough clues and there are obscure clues.  This falls into the latter category.

Yes, that's exactly what I thought too!  I thought the note meaning there were missing pans was pretty ridiculous.  I do wonder why no one thought to make two different items, one lavender and one matcha, as I don't think the tastes really go together (and I'm saying that as someone who did not think of it either, lol).

I was pleased with myself that I figured out it was focaccia before the contestants did.  I don't get why that one team cut it up though - why have a pretty design to replicate and then cut it?  I was with the half of the team that didn't want to do it.

[chitowngirl]

That place must have smelled AMAZING with all that focaccia baking! 
 

I watched on Hulu and when the bakers thought that the food in the oven was on fire and then cut to a commercial, the commercial that came up was for Dominos…and they ordered from Dominos because the food caught on fire in the oven! 😄
 

Katelyn and Ronan are so adorable!

[Irlandesa]

The only thing I can think of regarding the pans is that the kitchen always has standard equipment the contestants were allowed to go through before the competition and they thought they'd notice that the madeleine pans were missing compared to what's usually in there.

[seacliffsal]

The elimination bake took this show from fun to frustrating to me.  And, I don't watch shows just to be frustrated.  Agree with an above poster that one usually writes a thank you note when returning borrowed items!  This whole 'you should have realized that the pans that were used were no longer there...' clue.  I really don't care if every baker correctly identifies the baked good and then the differences come down to taste, design, etc.

I know they keep justifying ridiculous clues with 'this is season 3...' because we're watching the show because we enjoyed the first two seasons.  It's similar to Survivor in which they think they have to keep changing the things that the viewers (for 47 seasons!) actually enjoyed.

I want a fun baking show during which I can try to guess the clues along with the contestants.  Not a show in which I have to try to think of what's missing from the kitchen rather than what's there.

Let me enjoy nice bakers, fun clues, and Joel!

[Tdoc72]

On 10/11/2024 at 3:16 PM, kris4n6 said:

I was pleased with myself that I figured out it was focaccia before the contestants did.  I don't get why that one team cut it up though - why have a pretty design to replicate and then cut it?  I was with the half of the team that didn't want to do it.

My reply (because I can’t get it out of this box):

I don’t know why they wanted to cut it and ruin the design either. The judges would have cut it to taste it after looking at it. Made no sense. 

Edited October 12 by Tdoc72

[blackwing]

So….. we are supposed to believe that the mystery bakers made green tea and matcha madeleines, left the kitchen in shambles with dirty items everywhere and powder on the counters… but they managed to wash the madeleine pans and loan them out to a friend who then entered their kitchen to leave them a mystery note thanking them for the loan of the madeleine pans?   Ummm… ok?

That was really ridiculous.  It makes more sense to me that someone returned the clean cake pans with a note… leading to the mystery bakers making cupcakes with a lavender and earl grey cream filling. 

On 10/11/2024 at 2:44 AM, Tdoc72 said:

So far, in the group, i like the married couple. The husband looks like a Campbell soup kid!  

The wife is perhaps my least favourite of all the contestants.  The constant fretting and crying is super annoying.  And I can’t stand her voice, she sounds like a kindergarten teacher explaining things to children. 

[seacliffsal]

1 hour ago, blackwing said:

So….. we are supposed to believe that the mystery bakers made green tea and matcha madeleines, left the kitchen in shambles with dirty items everywhere and powder on the counters… but they managed to wash the madeleine pans and loan them out to a friend who then entered their kitchen to leave them a mystery note thanking them for the loan of the madeleine pans?   Ummm… ok?

That was really ridiculous.  It makes more sense to me that someone returned the clean cake pans with a note… leading to the mystery bakers making cupcakes with a lavender and earl grey cream filling. 

The wife is perhaps my least favourite of all the contestants.  The constant fretting and crying is super annoying.  And I can’t stand her voice, she sounds like a kindergarten teacher explaining things to children. 

Hmmmmm.  This got me thinking that the fact that the madeleine pan was loaned out that it was impossible for the bake to be madeleines.  You are so right-your explanation clearly shows how the 'justification' for the dessert to be Madeleines is ridiculous.  The whole thing didn't make sense to me when I was watching the episode and your explanation clarifies why it didn't make sense!  Thanks!

[DanaK]

9 hours ago, seacliffsal said:

Hmmmmm.  This got me thinking that the fact that the madeleine pan was loaned out that it was impossible for the bake to be madeleines.  You are so right-your explanation clearly shows how the 'justification' for the dessert to be Madeleines is ridiculous.  The whole thing didn't make sense to me when I was watching the episode and your explanation clarifies why it didn't make sense!  Thanks!

They could have been loaned out after the Madeleines were baked though

[AZChristian]

3 hours ago, DanaK said:

They could have been loaned out after the Madeleines were baked though

Good point, but how could they then expect the bakers to use them to make Madeleines for the show?  That would be like leaving all those clues about ingredients, but then not having those ingredients available in the show's pantry.

[blackwing]

On 10/13/2024 at 6:09 AM, DanaK said:

They could have been loaned out after the Madeleines were baked though

They must have been, since Yolie said that the scallopped shape pattern on the chocolate remnants was the absolute identifier that confirmed madeleines were made (having already gotten there by saying that very few cake batters need to be chilled).

I just think it rings untrue that the pans were loaned out to the friend AFTER already being used in the CSK by the mystery baker.

As said by one of the contestants, the fact that the note referred to pans seemed like a suggestion that friend borrowed the cake pans and returned them (washed and cleaned) with the note thanking the mystery baker.  Meaning the mystery baker couldn't have used the cake pans to make the mystery dessert since the friend had them.

The addition of the cupcake tin thing in that case was just cruel.  It makes sense to me that if the cake pans weren't in the CSK for the mystery bake, and the cupcake tin thing was, then the mystery baker made cupcakes.

It just seems like there are too many red herrings and too many ways to manipulate and interpret things in whatever way they want.  Yolie could say "there was a cupcake tin in the CSK, but the absence of a container of tin liners and the absence of any remnants on the tin meant it was not used" just as easily as she could have said "the note referring to the borrowing of the cake pans meant that the cupcake tin was used".

Instead, it's a third option... "the cryptic note which wasn't anywhere near any of the cake pan or cupcake tin which vaguely referred to a pan meant that the friend borrowed the pan that the mystery baker had just used, and then left a note for the mystery baker thanking them for the pan even though they hadn't bothered to return it yet".

If Yolie was going to do this, then at the very least they should have removed cake pans from the kitchen.  It should have been cookie sheets or something that is obviously not a pan.  And there should have been something that more clearly pointed to madeleines, like saying "C'est magnifique".

I don't buy their defensiveness on the show and in the media that "this is Season 3, we have to make it hard".  Even the clues in Season 1 were hard.

[ruffy666]

I, too, was frustrated by the really vague/misleading clues for the elimination bake.  Having said that, I've never made madeleines so the "chilled" comment would've been totally lost on me (as it was for most of the contestants...)  I think the misdirect with the pans was extremely unfair; they could've made it more reasonable by saying something like "thanks for the 2 pans" and having only one cake pan in the dishwasher so you'd have a better chance of tossing out the red herring. 

oh well, i guess the fact is you don't NEED to bake the right thing, you just need to bake something tasty that features most of the right elements to stay in the game.  i knew right away that lime zest spelled doom for that team.

[BMGepinniw]

On 10/11/2024 at 8:28 AM, AZChristian said:

When they read the note about the "two pans" which were borrowed, I assumed the note was left with the two returned CAKE pans that were sitting there . . . leading one to believe that the cupcake pan was the one to use.  Never crossed my mind that there was a whole different set of two pans that were gone . . . those being the madeleine pans.  There are tough clues and there are obscure clues.  This falls into the latter category.

Oh my!  I just looked in my cupboard, and my madeleine pans are gone, you guys!!  I think Joel took them!!  /s  But seriously, I think the judges have gone too far in their efforts to make it more difficult.

Edited October 15 by BMGepinniw

[AZChristian]

6 hours ago, BMGepinniw said:

Oh my!  I just looked in my cupboard, and my madeleine pans are gone, you guys!!  I think Joel took them!!  /s  But seriously, I think the judges have gone too far in their efforts to make it more difficult.

You are the first person I've ever known to actually HAVE Madeleine pans.  I'm in the presence of greatness.

[seacliffsal]

18 minutes ago, AZChristian said:

You are the first person I've ever known to actually HAVE Madeleine pans.  I'm in the presence of greatness.

I so agree with you-how many people even have these pans to realize they are what are even missing and therefore must have been loaned out.

[proserpina65]

I didn't realize this had started again and missed the first two episodes! 😪

Anyway, loved this episode.  It was fascinating to watch every team correctly guess that the first challenge was foccacia (which can have sauce and/or cheese even though this particular one didn't) and everyone miss that the elimination challenge was madeleines.  That one was tough as hell.  I wasn't surprised that no one realized what it was.

And yes, Joel makes the show.

On 10/11/2024 at 9:28 AM, AZChristian said:

When they read the note about the "two pans" which were borrowed, I assumed the note was left with the two returned CAKE pans that were sitting there . . . leading one to believe that the cupcake pan was the one to use.  Never crossed my mind that there was a whole different set of two pans that were gone . . . those being the madeleine pans.  There are tough clues and there are obscure clues.  This falls into the latter category.

Yeah, I really don't know how anyone was supposed to get madeleines from any of the clues.

On 10/12/2024 at 9:11 AM, seacliffsal said:

I want a fun baking show during which I can try to guess the clues along with the contestants.  Not a show in which I have to try to think of what's missing from the kitchen rather than what's there.

I don't mind there being decoy items, but to have to guess what pans might be missing is ridiculous.  Hell, I don't think I've ever seen a madeleine pan in my life, although I have eaten madeleines.  They're alright, but I prefer cupcakes.

On 10/15/2024 at 2:41 AM, BMGepinniw said:

Oh my!  I just looked in my cupboard, and my madeleine pans are gone, you guys!!  I think Joel took them!! 

Joel can take my madeleine pans anytime.  (Oops, did I say that out loud? lol.  I would have to buy some first, though.)