Halloween Baking Championship - General Discussion

[MerBearHou]

James and Ryan both had issues with their final bakes so it really was Hollie’s that deserved the win — hers was Carnival-ly and well-executed from all sides and apparently tasted great.  I’m OK with her winning based on the finale bake.  

The funny thing I’ve felt about Hollie and her “I’m so super edgy” persona is that I think she’s actually pretty sweet.  She’s seems to have a great relationship with her dad who she has so warmly talked about (she got a little teary about him on this finale) as well as her son and sister.  Tonight she even said she’s “frightening” but I don’t buy it.  Either she’s a great actress and has a very different side away from the show (which she very well may) or she’s really a softie with a colorful, tattooed, pierced, crazy-haired, tries too hard to be edgy, exterior.  

Edited October 31, 2023 by MerBearHou

[Salacious Kitty]

I thought they gave the nod on taste to Ryan, but his theme wasn't fully realized. Hollie got the win based on her superb decoration and a good, but not wow, cake. 

I guess the favorite won this time. They aired the covid year on Saturday, and the baker with the fewest wins won the whole shebang. 

[Irlandesa]

9 hours ago, Salacious Kitty said:

I thought they gave the nod on taste to Ryan, but his theme wasn't fully realized.

Yes.  And he did that to himself. Boxed egg whites are pasteurized, and they don't usually whip up very well.  I learned about that when I thought I could cheat the system and make an angel food cake from scratch using boxed egg whites. 

I was okay with the win.  She had great-looking cakes, they liked her flavor and she won the first challenge. 

Edited October 31, 2023 by Irlandesa

[libgirl2]

7 hours ago, MerBearHou said:

James and Ryan both had issues with their final bakes so it really was Hollie’s that deserved the win — hers was Carnival-ly and well-executed from all sides and apparently tasted great.  I’m OK with her winning based on the finale bake.  

The funny thing I’ve felt about Hollie and her “I’m so super edgy” persona is that I think she’s actually pretty sweet.  She’s seems to have a great relationship with her dad who she has so warmly talked about (she got a little teary about him on this finale) as well as her son and sister.  Tonight she even said she’s “frightening” but I don’t buy it.  Either she’s a great actress and has a very different side away from the show (which she very well may) or she’s really a softie with a colorful, tattooed, pierced, crazy-haired, tries too hard to be edgy, exterior.  

I knew she was going to win as soon as I saw her cakes and then when they tasted fine. Then you had the guys who each had some issues that normally wouldn't be a problem, but this was the finale. Seaweed really was a bad ingredient and I felt bad for James. 

I get a feeling she is a very sweet person too. She really seemed to get along with the guys and vice versa. Whether people like her or not, she deserved the win. 

[Dibs]

I don't see a forum for "Halloween Cookie Championship" or whatever it is, but I watched a couple of episodes yesterday with Duff and Rosanna someone as emcees and judges.  Seemed to be one-and-done episodes with the winner announced at the end?  At any rate, my rant is about all the sob stories (I notice the male contestants don't do this, but the females are like clockwork).  One's baby was a preemie, another's has diabetes, etc.  So $10k would really help!  I feel like I'm watching a cross between Food Network and GoFund Me.  Also, choosing flavors or designs because "it's my son's/daughter's favorite" or "my family loves this."  The men generally leave their families out of it, and I wish the women would, too.  It's predictable and trite, and it gets tiresome.

Edited October 31, 2023 by Dibs

[MerBearHou]

Seaweed as an ingredient in a finale -- come on!  There's no way that is a good idea -- either too much (like poor James had) or "we can't taste the seaweed" because the baker was nervous to over-add.

Love Stephanie but I am sure I heard her say "macaroon" at least a couple of times tonight when describing a macaron.  

[libgirl2]

12 minutes ago, MerBearHou said:

Seaweed as an ingredient in a finale -- come on!  There's no way that is a good idea -- either too much (like poor James had) or "we can't taste the seaweed" because the baker was nervous to over-add.

 

Yea, it really was a killer of an ingredient. I was really hoping he would have gotten it right or at least acceptable to the judges. 

Edited October 31, 2023 by libgirl2

[RoxiP]

Hollie's finale cake was really amazing - the amount of detail she was able to put into it - no doubt she deserved the win although I personally thought her cake flavor sounded dreadful (but I'm not a sour taste person).  Her little boy sure is a cutie.

[libgirl2]

22 minutes ago, RoxiP said:

Hollie's finale cake was really amazing - the amount of detail she was able to put into it - no doubt she deserved the win although I personally thought her cake flavor sounded dreadful (but I'm not a sour taste person).  Her little boy sure is a cutie.

Yea, count me out on the sour stuff. 

[Frost]

I was disappointed in James' two headed monster.  Since it's the primary theme of his dessert, I think he should have done it in a baked component, not modeling chocolate.  Make a stack of cakes and then carve it into 2 heads.

I also thought it was interesting that everyone used fondant and the judges were ok with it.  I'm sure I remember judges in the past saying nobody really likes to eat fondant.  I assume they don't like to eat gobs of modeling chocolate either.

Ryan must not have watched past seasons.  There have been a couple of bakers who tried to whip up the boxed egg whites with no success.  I thought his idea of "lost souls" being trapped behind glass, but he definitely needed more time to pull it off.

[libgirl2]

3 minutes ago, Frost said:

I was disappointed in James' two headed monster.  Since it's the primary theme of his dessert, I think he should have done it in a baked component, not modeling chocolate.  Make a stack of cakes and then carve it into 2 heads.

I also thought it was interesting that everyone used fondant and the judges were ok with it.  I'm sure I remember judges in the past saying nobody really likes to eat fondant.  I assume they don't like to eat gobs of modeling chocolate either.

Ryan must not have watched past seasons.  There have been a couple of bakers who tried to whip up the boxed egg whites with no success.  I thought his idea of "lost souls" being trapped behind glass, but he definitely needed more time to pull it off.

I agree on the two headed dragon. He should have gone ahead with cake. That would have been something else if he pulled it off. Those his cakes did look really good. 

I knew when he grabbed those boxed egg whites, he was doomed. If he had used fresh from the start, he could have won. His cake sounded amazing. 

Like  you, I am surprised to with the fondant. You hear judges complaining about it on so many shows. 

[Suzn]

Me too!  It sounded awful.

Hollie's act wore very thin for me.  It was so obviously put on rather than authentic and she was excessively pleased with herself.  Her creations looked good but I don't think they were that special for taste.  I think taste should carry more weight than looks and poor James with the seaweed didn't stand a chance - it was apparently nasty tasting and he would have be dinged if they couldn't taste it.

I really wanted Ryan to win.  His results were always very refined and sophisticated.

[dleighg]

26 minutes ago, Suzn said:

It was so obviously put on rather than authentic and she was excessively pleased with herself. 

I guess I see her differently. Anyone who is willing to modify her body to that extent isn't "putting on an act" IMHO. And last episode, when one of the judges came out all "tattoo'd" and she said "my sister"-- I mean it would have been weird if she DIDN'T make some kind of comment, right? 

Not that I personally have a single tattoo on my body, nor any desire to....

[libgirl2]

11 minutes ago, dleighg said:

I guess I see her differently. Anyone who is willing to modify her body to that extent isn't "putting on an act" IMHO. And last episode, when one of the judges came out all "tattoo'd" and she said "my sister"-- I mean it would have been weird if she DIDN'T make some kind of comment, right? 

Not that I personally have a single tattoo on my body, nor any desire to....

I have said it before, I think that is her personality. She is a very gregarious and outgoing person. 

[Suzn]

10 minutes ago, dleighg said:

I guess I see her differently. Anyone who is willing to modify her body to that extent isn't "putting on an act" IMHO. And last episode, when one of the judges came out all "tattoo'd" and she said "my sister"-- I mean it would have been weird if she DIDN'T make some kind of comment, right? 

Not that I personally have a single tattoo on my body, nor any desire to....

It wasn't tattoos I was referring to, but her constant mugging and never missing a chance to talk about how edgy and dark she is. 

[Splashy]

2 hours ago, MerBearHou said:

Love Stephanie but I am sure I heard her say "macaroon" at least a couple of times tonight when describing a macaron.

She did. *sigh*

2 hours ago, libgirl2 said:

Seaweed as an ingredient in a finale -- come on! 

I know; they give the bakers something like this, and then complain about how awful it tastes!

4 hours ago, Dibs said:

I don't see a forum for "Halloween Cookie Championship" or whatever it is, but I watched a couple of episodes yesterday with Duff and Rosanna someone as emcees and judges.  Seemed to be one-and-done episodes with the winner announced at the end? 

Halloween Cookie Challenge. There doesn't seem to be a forum for it. I may create one next year because I like the show (hopefully it will be back). Yes, they are all stand-alone episodes. I like that it's a different set-up from the BC shows. 

Anyway, yes, I don't like when any shows insert too much of the contestants' family or personal information into it. I don't mind in the beginning when they need to introduce the contestants to us, so I expect to learn a little bit about them. I think TPTB believe that we will "bond" with them by showing the sob stories, etc. Eh, I don't need that to get me to watch. I watch to see their baking skills & creativity. 

So I expected Hollie to win, and I think she deserves it. She did a great job on her final bake, and her decorating was very clean! James' was a bit off, as others have mentioned, and Ryan just could have used a little more time to add some finesse.

[libgirl2]

5 minutes ago, Splashy said:

I know; they give the bakers something like this, and then complain about how awful it tastes!

Halloween Cookie Challenge. There doesn't seem to be a forum for it. I may create one next year because I like the show (hopefully it will be back). Yes, they are all stand-alone episodes. I like that it's a different set-up from the BC shows. 

 

Yes! Sure some tastes can work. I never knew sauerkraut could be a really good in a cake but some of these ingredients just don't work. Ever.  

[DEL901]

1 hour ago, Suzn said:

It wasn't tattoos I was referring to, but her constant mugging and never missing a chance to talk about how edgy and dark she is. 

But she always laughed as she said it so I took it as her responding tongue in cheek because edgy and dark is the stereotype for someone so tatted, but she was just a big dork  

Ryan made such a huge tactical error and James’ dragons looked pretty basic   Hollie’s decorating was amazing.  She is a great artist and I think she deserved the win.

 

Edited October 31, 2023 by DEL901

[Maya]

49 minutes ago, libgirl2 said:

Yes! Sure some tastes can work. I never knew sauerkraut could be a really good in a cake but some of these ingredients just don't work. Ever.  

So unfair. At least give them all seaweed and see who can make a dessert that doesn’t taste like goldfish water or whatever Zack said. 

[libgirl2]

15 minutes ago, Maya said:

So unfair. At least give them all seaweed and see who can make a dessert that doesn’t taste like goldfish water or whatever Zack said. 

As soon as I heard goldfish water, I knew he was doomed. 

[tennisgurl]

I know that Hollie isn't everyone's cup of tea, but she grew on me and she very much deserved to win. The top three bakers all deserved to be there and while I was generally rooting Ryan I think Hollie was the clear winner in this one. Her last bakes looked amazing and apparently tasted great, so of course she was going to be the winner. 

Seaweed for a cake? Really? The judges can hardly be surprised that a cake like that is going to be a mess. 

Another fun spooky season! 

[Salacious Kitty]

4 minutes ago, libgirl2 said:

As soon as I heard goldfish water, I knew he was doomed. 

Thankfully it wasn't an elimination challenge. 

[libgirl2]

9 minutes ago, Salacious Kitty said:

Thankfully it wasn't an elimination challenge. 

But I think it did weigh heavily into the finale. 

[Salacious Kitty]

1 minute ago, libgirl2 said:

But I think it did weigh heavily into the finale. 

They're supposed to judge on the final bake alone. At least that's how it's been in the past. 

[libgirl2]

6 minutes ago, Salacious Kitty said:

They're supposed to judge on the final bake alone. At least that's how it's been in the past. 

Yes, but we know that isn't always the case. 

[Salacious Kitty]

1 minute ago, libgirl2 said:

Yes, but we know that isn't always the case. 

Since they don't show much of the deliberations, we can't say how much the Thriller did or didn't weigh in. 

[mojoween]

Anyone else think when he said the three flavors it was going to be black pepper, black sesame seeds and black garlic?  That would have made so much more sense than seaweed, which was COMPLETELY out of left field compared to the other two flavors.

[Claire85]

Hollie did get John’s name tattooed on her! She posted it on her Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reel/CzEQ8-GrtUX/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

[libgirl2]

11 minutes ago, mojoween said:

Anyone else think when he said the three flavors it was going to be black pepper, black sesame seeds and black garlic?  That would have made so much more sense than seaweed, which was COMPLETELY out of left field compared to the other two flavors.

I thought so and I have seen it used before and it works. 

[dleighg]

23 minutes ago, Claire85 said:

Hollie did get John’s name tattooed on her!

I'm amazed she had room left LOL. It's good looking, though.

[carrps]

When they showed that picture of Hollie with her dad, and the bright sunlight faded out her tats, she looked amazingly like Ashley from Maine Cabin Masters.

[Irlandesa]

18 hours ago, Maya said:

So unfair. At least give them all seaweed and see who can make a dessert that doesn’t taste like goldfish water or whatever Zack said. 

Seaweed is a tricky ingredient, but there are dessert recipes out there with seaweed in them. I think it adds a saltiness when done right.

Like any other ingredient, including black garlic and sauerkraut, they're looking at who can put enough in so that its effect is detectable but not too much that it ruins the dessert.

 

18 hours ago, libgirl2 said:

But I think it did weigh heavily into the finale. 

I don't think seaweed was a factor at all. The judges know seaweed is a difficult ingredient that is supposed to trip up the contestants.  I don't think they hold it against them in the next round. In fact, that final round is set up for all of the finalists to knock it out of the park so the best baker of the round wins.

Based on the judging, I think Ryan was #1 in flavor and Hollie #1 in design and they found Hollie's flavor better than Ryan's design.  

 

Edited November 1, 2023 by Irlandesa

[libgirl2]

8 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

Seaweed is a tricky ingredient, but there are dessert recipes out there with seaweed in them. I think it adds a saltiness when done right.

Like any other ingredient, including black garlic and sauerkraut, they're looking at who can put enough in so that its effect is detectable but not too much that it ruins the dessert.

 

 

It is true they usually have some "interesting" ingredients that they throw in there, but I don't think I have ever seen seaweed. Maybe we will see it again? 

[ruffy666]

I'm bored at work today so here's my word-vomit after watching the finale:

Ryan's cake looked really amateurish and we know he's capable of way more than that... but he's a pastry chef, right?  He should absolutely have known better than to attempt to use boxed egg whites for a chiffon cake which is so heavily dependent on a perfect meringue.  

I was vaguely annoyed by James all season and I don't quite know why.  His cake looked ok but I feel like his artistic taste level is all over the map.  Some of his ideas are fully WTF (but of course that's entirely subjective) and the way he kept sorta trash-talking Ryan and Hollie was off-putting even if it was intended to be all in fun.

I agree with the poster(s) above that I think Hollie is a softie and maybe had some confidence issues that she chose to address externally (I could do without all the mugging for the camera but hey that's reality TV for ya...)  I have a bunch of tattoos and most of them are dumb but I find it empowering in an odd way that I'm sure many folks wouldn't understand.

[Pi237]

Love the tattoo! I liked Hollie. They all play it up for the camera, and I’m sure it’s producer driven for the most part.  She didn’t seem to take herself too seriously, and was really talented. 
I’m glad she won.

I also appreciated Ryan introducing new flavors we’ve never heard of on this show before. Granted, we can’t taste them, but just hearing something other than ‘lemon and raspberry’ or blood orange, etc was nice. 
 

great season. Onto Holiday Baking Championship!

[Splashy]

 

Another Halloween now gone 😪

 

1 hour ago, Pi237 said:

great season. Onto Holiday Baking Championship!

 

Yep, see you over there! ☃️

[TVbitch]

Ah, I was rooting for Ryan, but he fumbled on the day. 

Oh well, let's hope next year John's family is running a spooky petting zoo, so we can have some fun and cuteness mixed with the gore ...like man-eating sheeps and vampire ducklings!

[Dibs]

I see "Christmas Cookie Challenge" begins this week.  The pioneer woman and the former football player seem to be the only judges again this year.  Looking forward to it but, please, no sob stories!!!

[Splashy]

14 hours ago, Dibs said:

I see "Christmas Cookie Challenge" begins this week.  The pioneer woman and the former football player seem to be the only judges again this year.  Looking forward to it but, please, no sob stories!!!

I would SO love to watch this, but I cannot due to (who my brother refers to as) That Prairie Girl. Ugh. I tried a couple of years ago, but I just couldn't do it. So frustrating to have to miss it. 😡

But there seem to be lots of other shows to follow this time of year, so I guess I'll be ok. 🙃

Sorry, I'm off topic!

Edited November 2, 2023 by Splashy

[Guest]

4 hours ago, Splashy said:

18 hours ago, Dibs said:

I see "Christmas Cookie Challenge" begins this week.  The pioneer woman and the former football player seem to be the only judges again this year.  Looking forward to it but, please, no sob stories!!!

I would SO love to watch this, but I cannot due to (who my brother refers to as) That Prairie Girl. Ugh. I tried a couple of years ago, but I just couldn't do it. So frustrating to have to miss it. 😡

But there seem to be lots of other shows to follow this time of year, so I guess I'll be ok. 🙃

Sorry, I'm off topic!

FYI, there is a topic for Christmas Cookie Challenge, here: https://forums.primetimer.com/topic/63727-christmas-cookie-challenge/page/11/

 

[SemiCharmedLife]

On 10/31/2023 at 11:23 AM, Splashy said:

 

I know; they give the bakers something like this, and then complain about how awful it tastes!

 

I agree with you wholeheartedly on this point.  What a shame for James.  I absolutely agree with the poster who said if he had gone mild on the seaweed, the judges would have complained they couldn't taste it.  The twists really upset the apple cart, and it isn't always fair.

[SemiCharmedLife]

Congrats to Hollie- she really hit it out of the ballpark with her final piece!  Aesthetically, it was the best, with all the details, even going around the sides and back.  I'm sure Ryan's cake was delectable, based on the judges' comments.  Congrats to both him and James for being amazing competitors.  I had so much fun watching!

[Cheese]

Returns Monday, September 16th with John Henson as Host, and Judges are Stephanie Boswell, Carla Hall, and Zac Young

Quote

This year’s Halloween schedule begins Monday, September 16th at 9pm ET/PT when Halloween Baking Championship takes on steampunk vibes. The series returns with more creativity and competition as 10 talented bakers from across the country create awe-inspiring desserts inspired by the haunted science lab known as ‘Henson Laboratories.’ Each week, host John Henson chairs the chaos as the bakers battle it out in two heats, and for the first time, a chance at immunity is on the line. Judges Stephanie Boswell, Carla Hall and Zac Young decide who will earn the title of Halloween Baking Champion.

 

[carrps]

Hurray! My favorite of all the baking contests.

[libgirl2]

The theme sounds fun! 

Edited August 27 by libgirl2

[CrazyInAlabama]

I love how they have a theme that carries through the season.   

I looked at the show website, and was suprised that they have only one home baker this season (at least I think it was only one).   However, many of their 'home bakers' like Jason Smith are anything but amateurs.     I can't wait for the show to start, I really love how fun the show is. 

Edited September 6 by CrazyInAlabama

[starlightlost]

The new season premieres on September 16th! 🎃👻🕸️ 

 

 

Edit- oops I see that was already posted lol as you can see, I'm excited 👻

Edited September 13 by starlightlost

[Cheese]

Looks like it is a 2-hour episode tonight!

[CrazyInAlabama]

Contestants for Season 10: 

Megan Aucone, Pastry Chef and Cake Artist from Sayreville, New Jersey

Thierry Aujard, Executive Pastry Chef from Norristown, Pennsylvania

Lillian Chng, Home Bakery Owner from San Diego, California

Aaron Davis, Pastry Lead from Surprise, Arizona (on Season 9 of Holiday Baking Championship, he made the finale, but didn't win).

Joel Gonzalez, Executive Pastry Chef from Scottsdale, Arizona

JL Hinojosa, Pastry Chef de Partie from Austin, Texas

Manny Martinez, Bakery Owner from San Antonio, Texas (His bakery is called The Grim Bakery, all scary themed products. They do scary themed desserts for other holidays too. ) 

Hollie Rivera, Assistant Pastry Chef from Winnipeg, Manitoba

Carly Robertson, Bakery Owner from Lehi, Utah

Samantha Santiago Torres, Executive Pastry Chef from Chicago, Illinois

 

New, 9/16/2014, Season 10, Episode 1 "Laboratory Story"

From the show site:  Ten bakers explore the Chemistry Laboratory at Henson Labs, where the safety rating is negative 35. Lately, the spirits who haunt the lab have been demolishing all the beakers and petri dishes, so host John Henson leans into this devastation and tasks the bakers with creating broken glass desserts that feature sugar glass. Then, there's been a horrible spill in the Chem Lab, so John has a little fun with it and asks the bakers to create sinister bubbling desserts inspired by the toxic mess. Judges Carla Hall, Zac Young and Stephanie Boswell test their poison tolerance before sending one baker to the cryo-freeze.

I love the judges costumes, and how the show has the same theme throughout the season.   First challenge is the Thriller challenge, and second challenge is the Killer challenge. 

So good to see John back, with Carla, Stephanie and Zac. 

Thriller (First) challenge: Sugar glass desserts.  Dessert has to be enclosed in or part of a sugar glass lab glass, and it has to be edible.  Thriller challenge winner gets an advantage, and exemption from the Chiller challenge.   I don't think having to do different shapes is fair.  Doning a laboratory slide is much easier then having to do a flask or test tube, or bulb shapes. Manny, Lillian, Samantha, Aaron,  and Thierry do a great job.  Thierry and Aaron are top two, 

Winner of Thriller challenge is: Aaron, he gets immunity from the Killer challenge.  

Killer (Second) Challenge: Bubble desserts. (One baker is my least favorite, she just totally mispronounced Mascarpone). I love the judges' costumes.  Great entries from: Hollie, Thierry, Aaron, Lillian, Manny, JL (but weak decorating), Joel (fantastic decorating).

Lots of criticism for Samantha, Megan, Carly (sadly, a baking fail, dessert won't come out of the pan)

Top two are: Joel, and Thierry

Bottom two are: Samantha, and Carly

Winner of Chiller challenge is: Joel

Contestant sent to the cryo-chamber is: Samantha. 

Edited September 17 by CrazyInAlabama

[mlp]

I like all the holiday shows and I love John Henson so I'm excited that this one starts tonight.  The only downside is that the start of the shows means it'll be Christmas before we know it and I'm not ready for that.

I looked at the contestants pictures on the FN site and I'm pretty sure we've seen Aaron before and fairly recently but I can't remember where.