Halloween Baking Championship - General Discussion

[Dirtybubble]

From what I remember everyone's maze looked really nice.  I liked the one team that decided to make their maze out of brownies instead of rice crispy treats like everyone else.

3 hours ago, libgirl2 said:

The judges' costumes were tremendous.

I could not stop staring at Zac's shrub/bush costume!  OMG it was so distracting.  How could he even see in that?  

[RoxiP]

Buy I agree with the judge's comments....why make the maze brown and put that bright green icing on top?  If the maze is dead then it is dead.

[dleighg]

52 minutes ago, RoxiP said:

why make the maze brown and put that bright green icing on top? 

I had exactly the same thought. It did NOT look dead at all.

[tennisgurl]

This was the best round yet, every maze looked great and everything seemed to be delicious. The judges have been making good calls so far this season, and I LOVED their costumes! The costume team is really outdoing themselves, I am especially partial to dressing like ghost flapper. 

The creepy carnival and the fingers were my favorites. I really like that every maze had a different vibe, even though they all had the same theme. 

[Guest]

1 hour ago, dleighg said:

2 hours ago, RoxiP said:

why make the maze brown and put that bright green icing on top? 

I had exactly the same thought. It did NOT look dead at all.

It could have been the team second-guessing themselves and being afraid they'd get called out for not enough color. Lord knows we've heard that from the judges before (though admittedly it's more of an issue in the Holiday/Spring editions).

[seacliffsal]

I was sorry to see Justin go as I thought the carnevil idea was brilliant and it was his idea.  I thought it was the most creative.  The winning maze seemed more boring to me.

[libgirl2]

4 minutes ago, seacliffsal said:

I was sorry to see Justin go as I thought the carnevil idea was brilliant and it was his idea.  I thought it was the most creative.  The winning maze seemed more boring to me.

I think he failed on his balloon donut. 

[CrazyInAlabama]

I really enjoyed seeing the mazes.   

I loved Zac's costume, and Carla and the clippers.

It was time for Justin and Margarita.      

[Catfi9ht]

Agree with everyone on the quality of the maze decorations. I liked Margarita's and her partner's maze the best, but I agree with the critique on the individual treats. I like how all the contestants support each other. There's usually one drama queen contestant which doesn't seem to be the case this season, and it's really nice to be without contestant drama.

I was a little distracted during judging because I couldn't get over the fact that Zach had to stand in his costume while tasting and judging. Why would the costume department pick a costume he has to stand in the entire time?! It seems like a pretty basic oversight.

I also loved the creativity of the different treats for the hedge mazes. I was worried everyone was going to use cereal treats, but there were some pretty cool ideas!

[Dirtybubble]

12 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

I loved Zac's costume, and Carla and the clippers.

I liked how their costumes were incorporated into each other but dang that bush/shrub thing Zac was wearing--wow it was just too much.

[TexasTiffany]

Zac's costume was very dramatic and clever paired with Carla being the gardener with the clippers. But, I wondered who he pissed off since that costume was terribly cumbersome. He couldn't sit down. couldn't really see well, and had a hard time eating the contestant's cakes. At first, I thought Zac was a green poop emoji.

In that other episode, Zac wasn't there during one of the tasting and judging segments. John gave us a clever excuse that Zac stayed too long in the bubble bath or something to that effect. I wonder what really happened. Why was Zac not there during the tasting? Makes me wonder.

I did enjoy Carla and Stephanie judging by themselves though. With it being an extended episode and Zac absent, we got to see more of Carla's and Stephanie's funny comments and insights about the cakes. Loved their interaction. We don't usually get to see those segments b/c of time constraints and editing to get everything in the episode. (I've liked the longer episodes. it's been silly fun.)

I'm glad Marcus is gone. I think the judges were tired of Marcus' excuses, too. We saw Stephanie and Carla's faces not believing his long winded story during the croquemboot round. Zac was over it as well. It just seemed that Marcus was out of his element on this show. 

I've been streaming the past seasons, too. One of the scariest costumes was Stephanie's evil clown. She's a good sport. I'm really liking her, Carla, and John this season. 

[SilverLake0315]

9 hours ago, TexasTiffany said:

I wonder what really happened. Why was Zac not there during the tasting? Makes me wonder.

Someone said he tweeted that he ate too much during the first challenge.

On 9/26/2022 at 10:53 AM, KayVeeTeeVee said:

Personally, I'm eager for the next Kids Baking Championship with the best judges ever - Duff Goldman and Valerie Bertinelli. 

The bloom is off the rose for me with Duff after the way he acted (online) during the last Spring Baking Championship.

[libgirl2]

4 hours ago, SilverLake0315 said:

Someone said he tweeted that he ate too much during the first challenge.

The bloom is off the rose for me with Duff after the way he acted (online) during the last Spring Baking Championship.

That's right, he was pretty nasty. Dude, a lot of people thought the show (and host) sucked. We, the audience, pay for these shows in viewership. Don't bite the hand that feeds you. 

Edited September 29, 2022 by libgirl2

[jcbrown]

17 hours ago, TexasTiffany said:

Zac's costume was very dramatic and clever paired with Carla being the gardener with the clippers. But, I wondered who he pissed off since that costume was terribly cumbersome. He couldn't sit down. couldn't really see well, and had a hard time eating the contestant's cakes. At first, I thought Zac was a green poop emoji.

...

I've been streaming the past seasons, too. One of the scariest costumes was Stephanie's evil clown. She's a good sport. I'm really liking her, Carla, and John this season. 

I had the same thought, that Zac might've pissed off the costume designers. I was okay with that , though, since I find him a bit annoying. He thinks he is much more adorable than I do.

Agreed that Stephanie is a really good sport. The pizza rat costume certainly proved that once again! I also love Stephanie and Carla together.

[Passing Strange]

On 9/29/2022 at 8:31 PM, jcbrown said:

I find him a bit annoying. He thinks he is much more adorable than I do.

He thinks he is much more adorable than he is.

Have they always used "rice cereal" treats on this show?

[ZootSuitWyatt]

3 hours ago, Passing Strange said:

He thinks he is much more adorable than he is.

Have they always used "rice cereal" treats on this show?

Yes, there are other generic names they use for obviously branded candies, but that's the one I always remember.

[Grizzly]

Interesting twist on the imposter challenge. Make it look rotten. I don't know how the judges ate some of those. John steals the show as usual. "Hard pass" to spending quality time with him. Zac gets an easy costume this week as Bob Ross. The judges' skin must take a month to recover from this show. The baking instructor does seem to be the front runner. With Alexei a close second.

[Guest]

Phooey! Maricsa was my favorite ☹️ She looked like she had been crying, too, in her talking head at the end. At least I still have Kristy and Jill to root for, and they're all nice enough.

Gotta love a baking show that includes statements like "Time to make my brains" and "To start my maggots, I..." 😆

I love when someone gets a genuine, unguarded laugh from John, as Jill did when they were waiting out Maricsa's head start and he said "How about some quality time with John?"... "No thanks"

Edited to add: As someone who's criticized Zac's judging style before, I want to give credit where it's due. He, and all the judges, were pretty nice and sympathetic to those who struggled - pointing out the issues while not being too snarky.

Edited October 4, 2022 by tracyscott76

[CheshireCat]

That was quite the enjoyable episode. I enjoyed both challenges and the judging as well. It was very constructive and not as subjective as it often was. 

I thought all the desserts of the first challenge looked good, although the one that won was among the ones I liked a little less. I thought the pie, Alexey's spaghetti, the Chinese food and the pancakes looked the best. That mold looked incredibly real on all of them!

I wonder if the dessert which won looked different in person. It was hard to take it all in on the show, so it's entirely possible.

I'm not sure why Alexey's second dessert won. Yes, it looked good but I missed the Halloween aspect of it.

I thought Blayre's or the one with the Champagne worms (don't remember if it was Jill or Kristy) would win this round. Both Blayre and the contestant with the Champagne worms had good shells, good concepts and the judges seemed to like the taste.

How did Lauren's shell get so hard? It was white chocolate, wasn't it? Sure, if it's tempered right it gets hard and she obviously did a good job tempering it but it didn't look all that thick so I was surprised it was that hard.

I never thought about it before but I think it kind of sucks that the person who wins the second challenge doesn't get anything. More often than not, the second one is the more difficult/time consuming one and yet, there's no real reward.

[libgirl2]

5 hours ago, CheshireCat said:

I'm not sure why Alexey's second dessert won. Yes, it looked good but I missed the Halloween aspect of it.

The judges loved the shell and mentioned how it complimented the dessert, so that might be why. Plus I think many of the other ones were a bit underwhelming. 

8 hours ago, tracyscott76 said:

Phooey! Maricsa was my favorite ☹️ She looked like she had been crying, too, in her talking head at the end. At least I still have Kristy and Jill to root for, and they're all nice enough.

I wasn't surprised by the bottom two but I was surprised as they are two of the better bakers on the show. 

[Guest]

2 hours ago, libgirl2 said:

I wasn't surprised by the bottom two but I was surprised as they are two of the better bakers on the show. 

I agree that Maricsa was one of the better bakers (and as previously stated, my favorite), but she never seemed to get as comfortable with the competition atmosphere as some of the others. It seemed like she was often having issues with the ovens and/or the timing, and it would deflate her a bit. Because she's so talented, she was usually able to overcome and put together something good, but I think it just caught up with her this time. I'd like to see her on one of the "one and done" shows like Christmas Cookie Challenge or something to see how she does there.

7 hours ago, CheshireCat said:

I'm not sure why Alexey's second dessert won. Yes, it looked good but I missed the Halloween aspect of it.

I thought Blayre's or the one with the Champagne worms (don't remember if it was Jill or Kristy) would win this round. Both Blayre and the contestant with the Champagne worms had good shells, good concepts and the judges seemed to like the taste.

Kristy the instructor did the Champagne worms. I could easily be proven wrong if she crashes at some point, but I think Kristy is kind of steamrolling everyone at this point. She does consistently good work, and she's calm af, even when things don't go smoothly - but they usually do. I wouldn't put it past the show to spread the winner love around a bit so no one person seems to dominate. And I'm fine with that, as long as the named winner of each round did something good, as Alexey did. It keeps some suspense about who's going to win.

[Spunkygal]

I’m really surprised at how Maricsa bombed in the second round! Her Caesar salad looked terrible in a good way and obviously tasted wonderful but when she started that second round saying she was going to use meringue as her break through element because she thought everyone would use chocolate, I thought why not caramel! I didn’t think it would work and it didn’t. But the treat inside the dome was boring. Sounds like she was first going to do a donut with a filling but then had to pivot and decided on a cream puff. What in the world did she do for 2 hours and 10 minutes? I really thought she would be one of the three finalists. None of the bakers is irritating to me, so I’m enjoying the season. 

Stephanie as the Moan-a Lisa looked awesome! It looked uncomfortable to wear but the makeup department did an amazing job in making her look like part of the painting. I’m tired of Zak. John is such a perfect host. 

[BookWitch]

Carlas zombie/dead  makeup was spot on. Kinda gross to look at. The cakes are getting better.  It's interesting that they were able to  make the rotten food so well! 

[mojoween]

I really thought Lauren and Maricsa were destined for the finale.  The decision really could have gone either way, Lauren’s inside was raw, but Maricsa had no break.

Hopefully Lauren gets back on track next week.  I’m enjoying this season, there isn’t anyone to root against and it’s refreshing.

It’s funny how Alexey was like “Maricsa Maricsa your cake is done” and she ended up winning the challenge.

Edited October 4, 2022 by mojoween

[Guest]

19 minutes ago, mojoween said:

It’s funny how Alexey was like “Maricsa Maricsa your cake is done” and she ended up winning the challenge.

It seemed like a happy accident because the cake ended up slightly overdone, but she was using it to simulate croutons, which are usually a bit hard anyway.

[libgirl2]

It seems like they are taking a page from GBBO and not letting someone coast by due to their past bakes. At least not this episode. Both were just not good and it wouldn't have been fair to stick someone in the bottom two or send someone home who had a good bake. 

[Spunkygal]

Two of Maricsa’s items for this weekend.

[Dirtybubble]

1 hour ago, Spunkygal said:

Two of Maricsa’s items for this weekend.

All of these bakers seem to be talented, but some seem to struggle with the time constraints and the twists.  I mean seriously who uses Sauerkraut in any type of dessert?!  When I saw that sad, deflated looking jack-o-lantern thingy I knew she was gone.  

15 hours ago, tracyscott76 said:

Edited to add: As someone who's criticized Zac's judging style before, I want to give credit where it's due. He, and all the judges, were pretty nice and sympathetic to those who struggled - pointing out the issues while not being too snarky.

ITA!  All 3, especially Zac, always seems to have something positive to say even when there's something else wrong.  I watch A LOT of reality tv and there always seems to be 1 judge who is just a butthole but all 3 seem to be very pleasant here.  LOVED everyone's costumes and John continues to be a joy to watch.  The other Halloween shows (Halloween Wars, Cookie Challenge, etc.) the hosts seem to be so bland and stiff compared to John ❤️

[libgirl2]

Just now, Dirtybubble said:

All of these bakers seem to be talented, but some seem to struggle with the time constraints and the twists.  I mean seriously who uses Sauerkraut in any type of dessert?!  When I saw that sad, deflated looking jack-o-lantern thingy I knew she was gone.  

ITA!  All 3, especially Zac, always seems to have something positive to say even when there's something else wrong.  I watch A LOT of reality tv and there always seems to be 1 judge who is just a butthole but all 3 seem to be very pleasant here.  LOVED everyone's costumes and John continues to be a joy to watch.  The other Halloween shows (Halloween Wars, Cookie Challenge, etc.) the hosts seem to be so bland and stiff compared to John ❤️

I remember someone using kraut in I believe it was the dreaded spring baking championship this year. If I remember correctly, the judges loved it. I seem to remember the baker (who I thought was Romy), dried it first in the oven. I could be wrong. 

[Guest]

59 minutes ago, libgirl2 said:

I remember someone using kraut in I believe it was the dreaded spring baking championship this year. If I remember correctly, the judges loved it. I seem to remember the baker (who I thought was Romy), dried it first in the oven. I could be wrong. 

Renee (the returning contestant who ultimately won) had to use it in last year's Halloween Baking Championship, during the final 4. They all had to use their most feared ingredient, and Renee's was sauerkraut. Can't recall what she did with it, but it got her straight into the finale so it must have been alright. (Could have been used in Spring as well, but I just watched the rerun of last year's Halloween edition so it's fresher in my mind).

[libgirl2]

46 minutes ago, tracyscott76 said:

Renee (the returning contestant who ultimately won) had to use it in last year's Halloween Baking Championship, during the final 4. They all had to use their most feared ingredient, and Renee's was sauerkraut. Can't recall what she did with it, but it got her straight into the finale so it must have been alright. (Could have been used in Spring as well, but I just watched the rerun of last year's Halloween edition so it's fresher in my mind).

I remember conversation on here of people using it in cakes or have family that have used it in cakes. Its supposed to be really good. 

Edited October 4, 2022 by libgirl2

[crazycatlady58]

1 hour ago, libgirl2 said:

I remember conversation on here of people using it in cakes or have family that have used it in cakes. Its supposed to be really good. 

Done correctly it is very good.

[tennisgurl]

I'm surprised that Maricsa was sent home, she's done so well but I guess it only takes one bad bake. I think she has been one of the ones who struggled the most with the competition format and the time limit, that's probably what messed her up in the end, but I really thought she would be around for awhile. These were interesting, less Halloween centric than most of the bakes, especially the gross first round, but I like that they did something a bit different. 

I continue to adore all of the costumes the judges have been wearing, that Moan-a-Lisa looked ridiculously uncomfortable but also so cool. I'm impressed that they can eat anything in those outfits, let alone talk about it and give thoughts. 

I don't really have a favorite quite yet, I like everyone so far.

John is such a great host, he's not super over the top but he is clearly having a ton of fun leaning into the spooky fun. 

Edited October 4, 2022 by tennisgurl

[CoderLady]

18 hours ago, tracyscott76 said:

[...] As someone who's criticized Zac's judging style before, I want to give credit where it's due. He, and all the judges, were pretty nice and sympathetic to those who struggled - pointing out the issues while not being too snarky.

And as someone else who has criticized Zac, I agree. In fact, I think all the judges have been making their combination of compliments and informative criticisms something to look forward to. I haven't stopped pre-cringing (is that a word?) when the judging starts but I keep being pleasantly surprised just about every time now.

[Dottie D]

The only thing I have to add is that this show is such a pleasure to watch.  Enjoyable contestants, non-obnoxious host, and pleasant judges.

[TVbitch]

The bottom two seemed equally bad, so I'm surprised Maricsa's first round win didn't play into the decision and spare her. I guess unlike Bake Off, that first bake doesn't count towards anything except the "advantage" you can win. (Which in this case, was not really much of an advantage.) 

[SemiCharmedLife]

I am so disappointed that Maricsa was eliminated.  I thought she was a front runner, with her original flavors and creativity.  When the judges critiqued her second dish, I did think she was going to be leaving, but then Lauren had a very hard shell on hers, and raw components.  I thought Lauren's mistakes were worse than Maricsa's (but I'm not tasting the dishes) and she did win the first round, so I was surprised when they made the announcement.  

[libgirl2]

1 hour ago, SemiCharmedLife said:

I am so disappointed that Maricsa was eliminated.  I thought she was a front runner, with her original flavors and creativity.  When the judges critiqued her second dish, I did think she was going to be leaving, but then Lauren had a very hard shell on hers, and raw components.  I thought Lauren's mistakes were worse than Maricsa's (but I'm not tasting the dishes) and she did win the first round, so I was surprised when they made the announcement.  

I guess at that point it was a toss up. In all honesty, I think Lauren's dish looked better so that might have given her the slightest of an edge. 

[Iseut]

Maricsa was my favorite, but I can see why she was sent home; just too many things went wrong in that second bake. Such a bummer. So far I really like all of the bakers, though, so I will be disappointed every time someone leaves. 

I wonder if the costume/makeup designers on this show have been nominated or won any Emmys or other awards? I'm always blown away by the wonderful job that they do. Wish I had that skill and creativity for Halloween! Stephanie's Titanic-esque frozen socialite was my favorite (and quite a glam-up from the also-brilliant pizza rat she had been the week before!), and Carla's doll makeup was awesomely hideous. 

[Spunkygal]

Scroll down to see Maricsa’s FB post about her elimination:

https://www.facebook.com/Lacasitabakeshop/

[Salacious Kitty]

8 minutes ago, Spunkygal said:

Scroll down to see Maricsa’s FB post about her elimination:

https://www.facebook.com/Lacasitabakeshop/

Aw, that was sweet. I'm sorry she suffers from anxiety. I do as well. I'm glad she overcame it and made some tasty treats.

[Dirtybubble]

On 10/9/2022 at 10:44 AM, Spunkygal said:

Scroll down to see Maricsa’s FB post about her elimination:

https://www.facebook.com/Lacasitabakeshop/

Aw what a lovely woman.  I'm sure her time on the show will boost her career

[Spunkygal]

Open wound cakes—now THIS is what I expect In a Halloween Baking Championship! Even though she was eliminated, Lola’s toenail cake was spectacular! I don’t care that the toe itself could have been crafted better. That nail was so icky. And Kristi’s (is that the former baking instructor?) gushy wound was perfect. I really enjoyed this episode. 

[rocketinu]

I'm still laughing at John's reaction to a couple of those cakes. He had to take a minute.

Edited October 11, 2022 by rocketinu

[mlp]

I think John was really grossed out and bothered by some of those cakes.  His walking away briefly didn't seem scripted to me.  I did wonder how long he was actually gone.  I noticed that he didn't eat anything after he came back.

I liked the drag queen's cake in round one.  (can't think of his name right now)  I was glad he won that segment.  I didn't get the River Styx cake at all.

[CrystalBlue]

2 hours ago, mlp said:

I think John was really grossed out and bothered by some of those cakes.  His walking away briefly didn't seem scripted to me.  I did wonder how long he was actually gone.  I noticed that he didn't eat anything after he came back.

I liked the drag queen's cake in round one.  (can't think of his name right now)  I was glad he won that segment.  I didn't get the River Styx cake at all.

His name is Zac Mercer aka Miss Carrie and I'm glad he won with his burning witch cake -- it was the best!  I didn't get a white cake representing the River Styx either.

[MerBearHou]

1 hour ago, CrystalBlue said:

His name is Zac Mercer aka Miss Carrie and I'm glad he won with his burning witch cake -- it was the best!

Love him!  So talented and fun and is fantastic in his camaraderie with the other bakers and John.  So glad Zac won last night!

[libgirl2]

8 hours ago, Spunkygal said:

Open wound cakes—now THIS is what I expect In a Halloween Baking Championship! Even though she was eliminated, Lola’s toenail cake was spectacular! I don’t care that the toe itself could have been crafted better. That nail was so icky. And Kristi’s (is that the former baking instructor?) gushy wound was perfect. I really enjoyed this episode. 

That gushy wound cake she made was gross! I like Alexi and I think he can bake a delicious and elegant cake he misses a bit of the Halloween theme. It's like he is there but not quite there as the other bakers. 

Zac's witch cake was great! Very glad that he won. 

[dleighg]

The woman who made the "intestines" cake in the second round-- I couldn't believe she was yanking at her tart from the top and sides to get it off the bottom tart tin. Who does that???? Of course it's going to break. She really got away with it though with the judges saying that the intestines were so heavy that they broke the tart. Uh, yeah, right.

[Spunkygal]

17 minutes ago, dleighg said:

The woman who made the "intestines" cake in the second round-- I couldn't believe she was yanking at her tart from the top and sides to get it off the bottom tart tin. Who does that???? Of course it's going to break. She really got away with it though with the judges saying that the intestines were so heavy that they broke the tart. Uh, yeah, right.

Wasn’t that the former baking instructor? I kept wondering why (after she released the sides) she didn’t take a spatula and gently slide under it to release it when she saw she was having problems with it.