Halloween Baking Championship - General Discussion

[tennisgurl]

The show is definitely pushing Holly to be the winner, and while I like her just fine I wish that it was a bit more of an even match. I do think that her pavlova was the standout of that round, although honestly most of them just looked like sad lumps to me. That pancake one was especially awful to look at, so if nothing else I was afraid to look at it. So that would be a win?

 The women who left seemed nice but she was probably the right person to go home. 

I love all of the little narratives that are attached to each challenge, mainly because Jon is clearly getting so much delight out of playing this sort of baking horror host part. 

[carrps]

Whose the one with squeaky voice? I really liked the look of hers. The airbrushing was professional quality

And, yeah, I had to deduct points in my head from Hollie for saying Pav-a-lova. I mean it's her national dessert. Doesn't she know it was named for Anna Pavlova? Or does she think that's pronounced Anna Pavalova?

 

[dleighg]

I think part of the problem with them not looking professional is the need for them to be scary. That can work against a neat and polished look, with the blood and the teeth, and the goo, and the gore.

[Guest]

29 minutes ago, carrps said:

Whose the one with squeaky voice? I really liked the look of hers. The airbrushing was professional quality

Mandi. I liked hers too - she was runner-up in the alien challenge but I preferred hers to Hollie's.

[RoxiP]

Mandi's voice doesn't bother me nearly as much as James's does.  But then again that's their voices and how much control do they really have over them?

[mlp]

9 minutes ago, RoxiP said:

Mandi's voice doesn't bother me nearly as much as James's does.

When James speaks, I hear Dueling Banjos in my head but Mandi's high-pitched voice just makes me cringe.

[libgirl2]

2 hours ago, dleighg said:

I think part of the problem with them not looking professional is the need for them to be scary. That can work against a neat and polished look, with the blood and the teeth, and the goo, and the gore.

I was thinking the same thing. 

[Salacious Kitty]

43 minutes ago, mlp said:

When James speaks, I hear Dueling Banjos in my head but Mandi's high-pitched voice just makes me cringe.

James' voice reminds me of Ross Matthews.

[Pallida]

7 hours ago, dleighg said:

I think part of the problem with them not looking professional is the need for them to be scary. That can work against a neat and polished look, with the blood and the teeth, and the goo, and the gore.

I think that plus unreasonable time limits are issues. 

[jcbrown]

5 hours ago, Salacious Kitty said:

James' voice reminds me of Ross Matthews.

Yes! and thank you. I've been trying to figure out who he reminds me of.

[SemiCharmedLife]

On 9/27/2023 at 9:36 AM, dleighg said:

I think part of the problem with them not looking professional is the need for them to be scary. That can work against a neat and polished look, with the blood and the teeth, and the goo, and the gore.

I definitely agree this is part of the problem, along with the time constraints.  I feel the same way about Halloween Wars.  The gory themes aren't as aesthetically pleasing as "cuter" Halloween themes.  Case in point on this episode is Ryan's alien-- looked great.  He went the non scary, non gory route.  

I think Ryan could potentially walk away with most of the wins, but they are careful not to have one frontrunner.  His designs have been great and he has received good critiques on his flavors.

I am glad to see Hollie win the pavlova challenge.  She was really excited about getting something in her wheelhouse! Regarding her personal style, I can appreciate individual aesthetics and originality.  She seems like a genuinely fun person with a unique style.

[Cheyanne11]

On 9/29/2023 at 8:58 AM, SemiCharmedLife said:

She seems like a genuinely fun person with a unique style.

And she's just so weird--which she has to remind us all of in every episode. 

[carrps]

16 hours ago, Cheyanne11 said:

And she's just so weird--which she has to remind us all of in every episode. 

I guess that's what (slightly) bugs me about her. If you're a genuinely quirky, unique person, you don't have to describe yourself that way. You just are.

People who have to go on and on about their wackiness are usually trying to convince themselves. 

I'm not sure Hollie is that bad. And she doesn't bug me too much. 😉

 

[RoxiP]

Hopefully she will settle down if she makes it further in the competition.  It seems that many times during early episodes the contestants feel they have to be "on" for the camera an as the competition advances they start focusing more on their bakes, become more comfortable interacting with the cameras, and come across as more genuine.  I don't have an issue with Hollie and she seems to be a really good baker but that's just my general observation in almost all of these cooking competitions.

[Guest]

I was oddly thrown off by Zac and Stephanie switching seats for this episode. Why did they do that, I wonder?

I was also thrown off by Carla's smirky, muttered "promises promises" after Christa said she'd do better next time and left. Granted that Christa hasn't exactly been doing well, but I'm not a fan of the judges making snarky comments like that behind the contestants' backs; it's mean-spirited, and out of character for Carla. So I really hope that moment was cut in from somewhere else.

Will be very surprised if the 4 bakers in the top two pairs don't end up being the final 4. Pretty sure they've been the winners and runners-up in every challenge so far.

[Pi237]

That first challenge, the Mary one, was a hot mess.
 

I was distracted watching, did they send home the one that’s trying too hard to be John with his jokes & such?

[Guest]

7 minutes ago, Pi237 said:

I was distracted watching, did they send home the one that’s trying too hard to be John with his jokes & such?

Yes, Dan went home along with Shefali.

[Bumblebee84047]

13 hours ago, RoxiP said:

 I don't have an issue with Hollie and she seems to be a really good baker but that's just my general observation in almost all of these cooking competitions.

She bugged me the first couple of episodes, but I really warmed up to her tonight.  She was actually endearing a couple of times!

[libgirl2]

8 hours ago, tracyscott76 said:

 

Will be very surprised if the 4 bakers in the top two pairs don't end up being the final 4. Pretty sure they've been the winners and runners-up in every challenge so far.

I think they have. 

[dleighg]

I was very glad that Stephanie did not have to eat cake lying on her side!

Some of the body part renditions were a LOT better than others. I wonder what kind of minds come up with these challenges!

[libgirl2]

1 hour ago, dleighg said:

I was very glad that Stephanie did not have to eat cake lying on her side!

Some of the body part renditions were a LOT better than others. I wonder what kind of minds come up with these challenges!

I thought she would have to as well!!

[Maya]

I see we have circled back to the days of twists involving adding tomatoes and grape jelly to something that is fully conceived and ready to go in the oven. I was surprised everyone seemed to do pretty well with it. 

[libgirl2]

22 minutes ago, Maya said:

I see we have circled back to the days of twists involving adding tomatoes and grape jelly to something that is fully conceived and ready to go in the oven. I was surprised everyone seemed to do pretty well with it. 

They did seem to work them in well, but I would still prefer not to see them. Just bake. It is interesting that GBBO has gone "back to basics" because people were complaining of some of the things they have had to do the last few season. It started to feel less about the bake and more about feats of engineering. 

[Splashy]

16 hours ago, tracyscott76 said:

I was also thrown off by Carla's smirky, muttered "promises promises" after Christa said she'd do better next time and left. Granted that Christa hasn't exactly been doing well, but I'm not a fan of the judges making snarky comments like that behind the contestants' backs; it's mean-spirited, and out of character for Carla. So I really hope that moment was cut in from somewhere else.

Yes, that bothered me, too. Even if it was cut in from somewhere else, it was edited to look like she was referencing Christa. 

 

6 hours ago, dleighg said:

I was very glad that Stephanie did not have to eat cake lying on her side!

Yeah, I wondered about that; it would've been awkward!

The way the Killer challenge was set up was all very strange. They ranked the bakers? Then of course, the two who were sent home were also the two at the bottom of the ranking. Hijinks? Did I remember that correctly?

Edited to correct name spelling.

Edited October 3, 2023 by Splashy

[MerBearHou]

I actually didn't mind the rankings -- reminds me of how they do the Technical on Great British Baking Show.  I find it to be informative.

[Guest]

12 minutes ago, Splashy said:

The way the Killer challenge was set up was all very strange. They ranked the bakers? Then of course, the two who were sent home were also the two at the bottom of the ranking. Hijinks? Did I remember that correctly?

13 minutes ago, MerBearHou said:

I actually didn't mind the rankings -- reminds me of how they do the Technical on Great British Baking Show.  I find it to be informative.

It was informative, but it also did seem like an attempt to assure that one of the better bakers wouldn't be "dragged down" by one of the bakers that had been struggling and therefore eliminated. Assuming that one of the leaders would have been tops in the first challenge (Hollie), you also assume that they will pick another one of the good ones (Mandi) as their partner, and so on. So the lower end of the pack has no choice but to pair off with someone else at the lower end.

That does create the risk, though, of a pair of leaders both getting eliminated if one or both of them struggled in this challenge. Didn't happen...but it could have!

[RoxiP]

I thought for sure that Hollie would have chosen Ryan.

[libgirl2]

42 minutes ago, tracyscott76 said:

It was informative, but it also did seem like an attempt to assure that one of the better bakers wouldn't be "dragged down" by one of the bakers that had been struggling and therefore eliminated. Assuming that one of the leaders would have been tops in the first challenge (Hollie), you also assume that they will pick another one of the good ones (Mandi) as their partner, and so on. So the lower end of the pack has no choice but to pair off with someone else at the lower end.

That does create the risk, though, of a pair of leaders both getting eliminated if one or both of them struggled in this challenge. Didn't happen...but it could have!

True, you just knew how there were going to pick, but like you said, a bad can weigh down a good. I hate team challenges. 

[MerBearHou]

3 minutes ago, RoxiP said:

I thought for sure that Hollie would have chosen Ryan.

When Hollie chose Mandy instead of Ryan, I immediately thought Hollie did that to "help" Mandi.  Hollie's done so well and so has Ryan, and my very first thought was that Hollie made that pick to give Mandi a strong partner.

[Texasmom1970]

1 hour ago, libgirl2 said:

True, you just knew how there were going to pick, but like you said, a bad can weigh down a good. I hate team challenges. 

I am right there with you on team challenges. I want to see each bakers ability. Not watch a good baker carry a not so talented one or a not so great baker drag down the whole team! Seen it too much on other shows.

Edited October 3, 2023 by Texasmom1970
Forgot something :)

[Guest]

I don't mind when they do team challenges where there's a clear division of labor (each doing one half of a cake, or doing completely different desserts that have to pair together) and only one person is sent home. It still gives the interest of seeing how people work together without the unfairness of someone going home because their partner stumbled.

2 minutes ago, MerBearHou said:

When Hollie chose Mandy instead of Ryan, I immediately thought Hollie did that to "help" Mandi.  Hollie's done so well and so has Ryan, and my very first thought was that Hollie made that pick to give Mandi a strong partner.

Mandi hasn't done so bad herself, even if she hasn't won a challenge yet. It could have just been a girl power moment, or maybe Hollie was hoping Ryan would go down in flames with someone else and get eliminated.

[Salacious Kitty]

There may have also been a rule that didn't make it on air about not picking the person next in line. 

[libgirl2]

8 minutes ago, tracyscott76 said:

Mandi hasn't done so bad herself, even if she hasn't won a challenge yet. It could have just been a girl power moment, or maybe Hollie was hoping Ryan would go down in flames with someone else and get eliminated.

I lean towards the "girl power" but I also think Mandi has really great artistic talent and she likes to keep it gory. 

[Splashy]

2 hours ago, libgirl2 said:

I lean towards the "girl power" but I also think Mandi has really great artistic talent and she likes to keep it gory. 

Yes, I also thought Hollie was going to choose Ryan, but with Mandi's background in special effects, she could be a real asset. 

[SemiCharmedLife]

I didn't care for the challenges this week.  The first one was rushed and the results in most cases were not well done.  (I would have loved to try some of those bars, though!!!). The main challenge, combining two body parts was just weird, in my opinion.  Maybe they are running out of ideas.  

[tennisgurl]

I think that Hollie went with Mandi because they have similar baking vibes, they both like to keep it gory and bloody. Plus having two front runners on one team seems sort of...overkill? Personally I like Hollie just fine, she can be a bit much but she seems like fun, plus I thought that she and Mandi had a great bake. 

I think the blood mary challenges could have been better but I overall liked the body parts. I also admit I jumped when blood mary jumped out at the bakers, even though I knew it was coming. You got me, John!

That emoji mary was the lamest of the bunch, not awful, but just really lacking in fun the way I expect from this show.

[carrps]

On 10/3/2023 at 12:18 PM, RoxiP said:

I thought for sure that Hollie would have chosen Ryan.

 

22 hours ago, Splashy said:

Yes, I also thought Hollie was going to choose Ryan, but with Mandi's background in special effects, she could be a real asset. 

Yes, I assumed Hollie picked Mandi because her decorating skills are top notch. And they made a good pair!

 

[Grizzly]

Christa, what do spiders have to do with someone buried alive? She is lucky this wasn't the elimination round. Have to give Hollie props for her smooshed face. Not that I would eat any of the trifles with all the vegetables. 

Mandi's voice is really annoying me tonight. As the number of contestants shrink, I guess we hear more from everyone.

Oh Zac, I wouldn't be able to look at him. From the comments, I thought James had won.

[MerBearHou]

5 minutes ago, Grizzly said:

Mandi's voice is really annoying me tonight. As the number of contestants shrink, I guess we hear more from everyone

I had to hit mute so many times while Mandi was speaking so I’m relieved she’s gone.  I realize she can’t help her voice but it is like nails on a chalkboard for me.  She really had a bad night.  

[mojoween]

Feels like inevitability that Christa goes next.

I can’t believe in the first round she wasn’t dinged for not adhering to the theme (spiders? wha?) and also her trifle bowl was nearly empty.

I wouldn’t have wanted to eat any one of those trifles but would love to try Ryan’s coconut eyeball.

[BookWitch]

Never had a trifle. Are they worth it?

Seems like everyone was better at baking pies than cake. Didn't like some of the blends. I've never had gelatin blobs of anything. Doesn't look like they would taste very good. 

[mojoween]

A trifle done well is super yummy.  Unlike these judges, however, a good trifle to me is a smooth trifle.  Unless I’m eating Fudgie the Whale, I have no desire for crunch in my cake/custard.

[Guest]

Oh look, Hollie and Ryan won the challenges and Christa did poorly but not quite as poorly as someone else. What an unexpected outcome of this episode.

[littlebennysmom]

7 hours ago, MerBearHou said:

I had to hit mute so many times while Mandi was speaking so I’m relieved she’s gone.  I realize she can’t help her voice but it is like nails on a chalkboard for me.  She really had a bad night.  

Was my first week viewing this season and I thought, "if Mandi doesn't go home, I'm not watching anymore".  Glad to know it wasn't just me being an old crabby lady.

[dleighg]

Fennel does not grow underground.

Quote

Fennel may need to be staked once it reaches 18 inches tall, as some plants can grow up to 4 feet. The bulb grows at the base of the fronds but not underground.

 

[Salacious Kitty]

14 hours ago, tracyscott76 said:

Oh look, Hollie and Ryan won the challenges and Christa did poorly but not quite as poorly as someone else. What an unexpected outcome of this episode.

Christa must be next to go. Put her out of her misery. 

[carrps]

15 hours ago, BookWitch said:

Never had a trifle. Are they worth it?

I make an awesome trifle...or so I've been told. I made it once for a Christmas potluck at work, and one of the guys said I had to bring it to every potluck ever in the future.

Hollie's trifle face was awesome, but I agree none of those looked like something I'd want to eat. I was a little surprised at Hollie hating so many flavors. I guess I think bakers/chefs should have a broader palate!

Mandi had a really bad horrible no good day. The right one to be eliminated.

Was this the first time Hollie had not been one of the two in the winner category this whole season?

[Rammchick]

4 hours ago, dleighg said:

Fennel does not grow underground.

 

Turmeric and ginger don't technically either -- they're rhizomes.

[Splashy]

I can't believe the judges said absolutely nothing about Christa's trifle not having even a hint of the buried alive theme. Her stuff must taste really, really good. 

I've made trifles before, too, and when done right, they are delicious!

15 hours ago, mojoween said:

a good trifle to me is a smooth trifle

Yes, smooth. Yummy. I've never put anything crunchy in mine. It's not going to stay crunchy anyway, so why bother?

Edited to add: Stacy did really well this episode. She could be a sleeper. 

 

Edited October 10, 2023 by Splashy

[libgirl2]

Stacy had a really good day. She could be a real dark horse in all of this. You never know.