Halloween Baking Championship - General Discussion

[rocketinu]

1 hour ago, RoxiP said:

Bachelor dude - Jesse Palmer?

Yes. He is also a popular sports analyst  on ESPN during college football season so we might not see him again.  Liked him tho.

[Dirtybubble]

4 hours ago, MerBearHou said:

Totally agree!  I couldn’t believe when John said it was a split vote — what????  Her “pie” was drippy and borderline inedible and I feel sure they were being generous when they said it tasted good.  

That is what I really like about these judges, especially Carla and Zac, they soften the blow with a compliment.  They always find something nice to say so to compliment her on the taste at least was pretty nice.

Oh and speaking of Zac I was LIVING for his Liza Minnelli costume!  Something tells me this isn't the first time he's done a Liza impersonation.  =D

[notcreative enough]

3 hours ago, jlc said:

I noticed that John Henson is always sitting down at the judges table, but he is the only one I have seen do this. I wonder if he is ok. 

And the bachelor dude is my favorite, second to Bobby Deen.

The other episode we caught a shot of him eating. I half watch so I dont know if there was one in this episode. The hosts dont really eat unless you count Nancy feeding Jessie like a baby. Maybe John put it in his contract that he gets to taste yhe food even if he doesnt get a vote. And they dont want us to see that he is eating. 

[hula-la]

14 hours ago, Spunkygal said:

I could be wrong but I think something similar to a crepe cake was one of the challenges on the Great British Bake Off. I don’t recall which season it was.  Of course, I think it had a more interesting European sounding name on that show than crepe cake.

It’s also known as a Gâteau de crêpes (which translates to crepe cake), or mille crêpe (mille for thousand—referencing all the layers). 

[joanne3482]

Honestly when Julie moved Jocelyn's food in the freezer, I thought it was going to be some big drama about how it is her fault Jocelyn's not-pie didn't set. Glad that wasn't a thing. 

[jlc]

50 minutes ago, joanne3482 said:

Honestly when Julie moved Jocelyn's food in the freezer, I thought it was going to be some big drama about how it is her fault Jocelyn's not-pie didn't set. Glad that wasn't a thing. 

I thought the very same thing especially since Jocelyn said put it on the bottom, and they showed her moving Jocelyn's down.

[luvapickle]

On 10/15/2019 at 1:24 PM, rocketinu said:

Yes. He is also a popular sports analyst  on ESPN during college football season so we might not see him again.  Liked him tho.

He's doing the holiday one:

http://thefutoncritic.com/news/2019/10/16/food-network-makes-the-holiday-season-merry-and-bright-with-more-series-specials-and-stunts-than-ever-before-celebrating-christmas-hanukkah-and-new-years-238312/20191016food01/

[Jesse]

On 10/14/2019 at 11:30 PM, Maya said:

A stack of crepes and buttercream doesn’t sound very good to me. Has anyone here tried a crepe cake? 

When I made a crepe cake, I did whipped cream and lemon curd between the layers, and it was delicious, if I do say so myself!

[CrazyInAlabama]

I have to wonder how the judges bring themselves to taste some of the sadder looking creations.     The one that looked like soup this week would scare me, and the one that had the seriously underbaked crust was disgusting to look at.      

[MerBearHou]

6 minutes ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

I have to wonder how the judges bring themselves to taste some of the sadder looking creations.     The one that looked like soup this week would scare me, and the one that had the seriously underbaked crust was disgusting to look at.      

I have thought the same thing.  About .5% of the time on Great British Bake-Off, they will refuse to take a bite of something that looks raw or seriously underbaked -- don't blame them one bit!

[Pepper the Cat]

Well  dang. I was so pulling for Julie! So sad to see her go.

[mojoween]

5 minutes ago, Pepper the Cat said:

Well  dang. I was so pulling for Julie! So sad to see her go.

Me too!  Body of work should have kept her in over Jessica hands down.

Jessica has pouty face that is off-putting.  And I mean, granular cinnamon sounds horrific.

[MerBearHou]

I was so glad for Pete (not-rePeat)!  Karl is amazing.  Jessica bugs the heck out of me.  Way too cutesy.  But as much as I like Julie (and maple), it was right for her to get the boot based on tonight’s 2nd bake.  Very sub-par compared to the other 3 bakers’ creations.

Edited October 22, 2019 by MerBearHou

[mlp]

I've figured Pete and Karl for finalists all along but I thought Julie would be the third.  It's too bad that she had problems because IMO she's been way better than Jessica all along.

A few nights ago, I decided to watch an old Cake Wars that's been on my DVR for a long time and there was a much younger Pete.  He won.

There's a video on the FN site, HBC section, that shows a lot of the work that happens behind the scenes of this show.  It has bits about creating the set, providing supplies and equipment and costuming the judges.  I thought it was quite interesting.

[MerBearHou]

2 minutes ago, mlp said:

I've figured Pete and Karl for finalists all along but I thought Julie would be the third.  It's too bad that she had problems because IMO she's been way better than Jessica all along.

A few nights ago, I decided to watch an old Cake Wars that's been on my DVR for a long time and there was a much younger Pete.  He won.

There's a video on the FN site, HBC section, that shows a lot of the work that happens behind the scenes of this show.  It has bits about creating the set, providing supplies and equipment and costuming the judges.  I thought it was quite interesting.

Agreed - I thought Julie would be there till the end.  Great to know about the behind-the-scenes stuff.  I’ll seek that out!  

Oh, and John Henson is a gem.  

[luvapickle]

I love John in the host role-but being he has a comedy background that helps him along.

Pete, Karl seemed like a cinch from the beginning. I get what they mean with him doing cheesecake. However, if(&I do mean if) they don't know what challenges are coming up-sometimes you can't spread out what item you're going to use as a base.  Now he could have done pumpkin cake, but he has done cake before also. So....in my opinion as a pro baker-we do have items we specialize in, or do better at. It's a competition & he's doing great. So unless they were all on an even keel so to speak, no reason why he couldn't do a cheesecake.

As for not getting something you like-I have to deal with nuts which I'm allergic to & some nuts smell horrid to me(again no, they're not rancid). But I deal with it because it's what the customer wants. I would have taken black licorice, anise, or fennel anytime. 

[Rammchick]

I'm beyond exasperated with this show.  We've been over the issue of the stupid twist many times, but at least make it somewhat fair, FN!  Two of the twists were much harder to pull off in the time allotted than the others. How do you depict a mortician on a cake?  Pete hit them over the head with the "RIP Joe the Plumber" epitaph, and he was praised for it.  Come on.  The twist is already unnecessary and ridiculous but at least make all the choices a similar difficulty.

[Dirtybubble]

Yeah the twist seemed a bit odd to me--to somehow incorporate an obituary into a marble cake....ok.  Most did pretty good with it though.  I'm sad to see our sweet, pixie cutie from Canada go but yeah her cake just wasn't up to par with Pete & Karl's.  I'm going to go ahead and call Karl as the winner of this season.  Even if he doesn't win the money his business is going BOOM because of his exposure.  Every one of his creations has been a success.

[dleighg]

fennel does not grow underground!!!!!  Off my soapbox.

Edited October 22, 2019 by dleighg

[Eliza422]

12 hours ago, mojoween said:

Me too!  Body of work should have kept her in over Jessica hands down.

Jessica has pouty face that is off-putting.  And I mean, granular cinnamon sounds horrific.

When I saw her dumping all that cinnamon in the different bits of her cake I thought she would be going home. I thought it would be all gritty.

[LittleIggy]

That did not look anything like a Mayan pyramid. Love John Henson to bits!

[Maya]

They are stuck between a rock and a hard place with the flavors. Too much cinnamon, not enough beet, “respecting the fennel too much” (actual quote).

[Spunkygal]

1 hour ago, Maya said:

They are stuck between a rock and a hard place with the flavors. Too much cinnamon, not enough beet, “respecting the fennel too much” (actual quote).

There is nothing worse than disrespecting your fennel! 😆

[Eliza422]

9 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

That did not look anything like a Mayan pyramid. Love John Henson to bits!

I know Mayan Pyramids, and you, sir, did not create a Mayan Pyramid!!!!

I'm very happy with John Henson as the host.

[dewelar]

4 hours ago, Eliza422 said:

14 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

That did not look anything like a Mayan pyramid. Love John Henson to bits!

I know Mayan Pyramids, and you, sir, did not create a Mayan Pyramid!!!!

No, not in the least. Native American burial mound, maybe, but the grey not-really-marbling wouldn't have fit that, either.

This has been a very pedestrian season overall. Nothing particularly bad, but nothing that's wowed me either, so I suppose it has served its purpose as perfectly cromulent time filler for me.

[jlc]

15 hours ago, dewelar said:

No, not in the least. Native American burial mound, maybe, but the grey not-really-marbling wouldn't have fit that, either.

This has been a very pedestrian season overall. Nothing particularly bad, but nothing that's wowed me either, so I suppose it has served its purpose as perfectly cromulent time filler for me.

I agree, it has been kinda boring. I have enjoyed it a lot, but it is kinda boring. Starting to get tired of Zac, hate Katie Lee, love Carla and John, and the baker Carl, reminds me of the French baker maybe last year on holiday baking show? I thought they were related when I first saw Carl this year, until he started talking. Lol. And Jessica is obnoxious as all get out!!! Man I hope she does not win!

[joanne3482]

Julie was my favorite. I'm sad she's gone. And I guess I fell asleep during the episode because I didn't know she was gone until I read it here. 

[TVbitch]

Why is Larraine not on the panel? I much prefer her to Katie Lee.

Larraine really speaks her mind and will totally disagree with the others. And I am fascinated by the TEENY TINY bites she takes. 

[trudysmom]

On 10/24/2019 at 5:34 AM, jlc said:

hate Katie Lee

I don't hate her, the person, but her VOICE.  Oh sweet lord nails on a chalkboard every time she opens her mouth. I had to stop watching The Kitchen because I can't stand the screeching.

[kj4ever]

22 hours ago, trudysmom said:

I don't hate her, the person, but her VOICE.  Oh sweet lord nails on a chalkboard every time she opens her mouth. I had to stop watching The Kitchen because I can't stand the screeching.

Oh good GOD preach.  I can't barely make it through this show now that she's on it.  I miss Lorraine, but she was one of my favorites besides Ben.

Damn, I really liked Julie and wished that other woman went.

[Spunkygal]

On 10/24/2019 at 4:11 PM, joanne3482 said:

Julie was my favorite. I'm sad she's gone. And I guess I fell asleep during the episode because I didn't know she was gone until I read it here. 

She was my fav, too. I liked how she explained to make marshmallow creme to another contestant when he asked.

[susannot]

Haven't watched this before but binge-watched today and I am really enjoying it.  The bakers are extremely creative and talented.  

I have always loved Zac Young ever since Top Chef Desserts. So happy that he became a Food Network star instead of that smarmy creep Morgan who beat him.  Zac is charming and hilarious.  At the time I said I wished I had a younger brother who was just like him.

Love Carla too.  The judges' costumes are insane!!

The less said about Katie Lee, the better.  She is pretty, I'll give her that.

I think Pete will win.

[susannot]

Zac as Fabio!  Wild!! 

Am I mistaken, or did all the other judges just mock Katie Lee's flat screechy voice?

[Spunkygal]

So before this finale aired, I was rooting for Karl or Pete. Now I’m officially rooting for Pete. Karl put a mask on and to lighten the mood, he ran up behind Jessica to scare her. That kind of crap pisses me off. I hate that. Go Pete!

[Maya]

My DVR cut off before they said the winner. Who won?

[Popples]

2 minutes ago, Maya said:

My DVR cut off before they said the winner. Who won?

Karl

[mlp]

I liked Karl and I'm happy for him but I really wanted Pete to win.  They both have serious skills.  I was afraid Pete was dooming himself when he was describing the flavors and colors he planned to use - much too light and summery for the challenge.   I wonder if that's what tipped the scales.

[MerBearHou]

17 minutes ago, mlp said:

I liked Karl and I'm happy for him but I really wanted Pete to win.  They both have serious skills.  I was afraid Pete was dooming himself when he was describing the flavors and colors he planned to use - much too light and summery for the challenge.   I wonder if that's what tipped the scales.

I felt exactly the same way.  Karl is such a talent but oh, I was hoping Pete would win.  He did a tremendous job in the finale and I think his more lighthearted final bake cost him the win.  I was bugged that Karl incorporated aspects of Pete and Jessica’s “twist” into his bake — just seemed disingenuous.  He said he was honoring them by including them but I didn’t buy it.  Oh well, fun season w a talented winner.  I enjoyed HBC again. 

[LittleIggy]

I’m glad Karl won. 

[GaT]

2 hours ago, Maya said:

My DVR cut off before they said the winner. Who won?

Mine too, how annoying.

[Spunkygal]

Well, Karl is a deserving winner and I enjoyed the show. John Henson makes a delightful host and I wish Lorraine would come back as a judge. I hope to see you all over on the Holiday Baking Championship forum soon where we can gripe about Nancy Fuller’s “not enough booze” comments! 

[mojoween]

I didn’t have a favorite and would have been happy with either Karl or Pete.

But Karl got the fewest criticisms of his cake so it seemed like the proper outcome.

I figured out what bugged me about Jessica...every time she appeared, she was making some sort of noise.  No matter what was happening, she was commenting.  I know that’s a me thing but still...shhh.

[Dirtybubble]

6 hours ago, Spunkygal said:

Well, Karl is a deserving winner and I enjoyed the show. John Henson makes a delightful host and I wish Lorraine would come back as a judge. I hope to see you all over on the Holiday Baking Championship forum soon where we can gripe about Nancy Fuller’s “not enough booze” comments! 

WORD! to all of this post!!  This show is just a pleasure to watch; I enjoy all of the judges and the host as well. 

I was worried Karl might not win because his cake looked a bit busy to me.  There was a lot of stuff on there with the heart AND incorporating the other 3 bakers in there so I'm super happy he won.  He was the most consistent with his creations and just all around super guy IMO. 

Now onto Christmas Baking Championship!!

[luvapickle]

9 hours ago, Spunkygal said:

Well, Karl is a deserving winner and I enjoyed the show. John Henson makes a delightful host and I wish Lorraine would come back as a judge. I hope to see you all over on the Holiday Baking Championship forum soon where we can gripe about Nancy Fuller’s “not enough booze” comments! 

Lol, I think as in all tv shows, the judges are given characters. Nancy-boozy, Lorraine, itty bitty, & Duff-open your mouth wide....

[dleighg]

3 hours ago, mojoween said:

I figured out what bugged me about Jessica.

when she was talking about her daughter she said "I can take my daughter to Paris, so HER and I can finally eat some true French pastries."

I'm a grammar geek, but doesn't that sound WRONG to almost everyone? In what world can that sound correct?

[Spunkygal]

10 minutes ago, dleighg said:

when she was talking about her daughter she said "I can take my daughter to Paris, so HER and I can finally eat some true French pastries."

I'm a grammar geek, but doesn't that sound WRONG to almost everyone? In what world can that sound correct?

Oh my, yes! Drives me nuts.

15 minutes ago, luvapickle said:

Lol, I think as in all tv shows, the judges are given characters. Nancy-boozy, Lorraine, itty bitty, & Duff-open your mouth wide....

I do agree. In fact, I posted something along these lines on the Gingerbread forum about Jason. The only thing that irritates me about him is when he uses bad grammar with the cornpone verbiage. “I like the way you done that.” Grrr!

[joanne3482]

22 minutes ago, dleighg said:

when she was talking about her daughter she said "I can take my daughter to Paris, so HER and I can finally eat some true French pastries."

That bugged me more because she was saying her kid was obsessed with Paris.  The photo of that kid, she couldn't have been more than 3 or 4. Seems fairly young to  be "obsessed with Paris" to me. 

[Rammchick]

13 hours ago, GaT said:

Mine too, how annoying.

I've learned to always add extra time to the Food Network shows because the DVR always cuts them off before the end.

I thought it was appropriate that Katie Lee was dressed as candy corn -- a candy that an awful lot of people don't like 😉

[dewelar]

43 minutes ago, Rammchick said:

I've learned to always add extra time to the Food Network shows because the DVR always cuts them off before the end.

It isn't just DVR -- Sling's on-demand feature cut it off too, and I had to go back to the program guide and watch the beginning of the next show. That's actively evil.

Anyway, I think this episode was the best of the season. Kind of glad it's over, though, as Mrs. Dewelar and I are done with Halloween already. Looking forward to all the holiday shows (Holiday Baking Championship, Christmas Cookie Challenge, the new Ultimate Hanukkah Challenge -- after last season not so much the Thanksgiving one, though we'll probably still watch it)!

[Popples]

57 minutes ago, Rammchick said:

I thought it was appropriate that Katie Lee was dressed as candy corn -- a candy that an awful lot of people don't like 😉

For a split second I thought she was a traffic cone, then I guess my brain registered the yellow and white.