Halloween Baking Championship - General Discussion

[CrazyInAlabama]

2 hours ago, mlp said:

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.

He was on Holiday Baking Championship Season 9.  

A lot of the contestants on the various shows look familiar.  I suspect a lot of them are on other contest shows, Christmas Cookie, and the other seasonal baking championships.   Some have also been on Guy's Grocery Games through the years too.  

I really want to see Manny Martinez's work.  His bakery in San Antonio is The Grim Bakers, all scary themed products.   

Edited September 17, 2024 by CrazyInAlabama

[libgirl2]

I remember Aaron. Gosh that wasn't that long ago. 

[libgirl2]

They addressed the Aaron thing.

[Grizzly]

Oh I liked Aaron. Glad to have him back. And Manny, he of the 2 tone hair and mustache, also looks familiar. Maybe he did the cookie challenge? Joel said he was a sugar artist, maybe he was on Halloween Wars. I'm at the age where just about everyone looks vaguely familiar.

[libgirl2]

6 minutes ago, Grizzly said:

Oh I liked Aaron. Glad to have him back. And Manny, he of the 2 tone hair and mustache, also looks familiar. Maybe he did the cookie challenge? Joel said he was a sugar artist, maybe he was on Halloween Wars. I'm at the age where just about everyone looks vaguely familiar.

Manny does look familiar 

[Grizzly]

And Thierry, when his hair was under control, was on one of the War shows.

[libgirl2]

47 minutes ago, Grizzly said:

 

27 minutes ago, Grizzly said:

And Thierry, when his hair was under control, was on one of the War shows.

 

Samantha is familiar. Maybe The Big Bake?

[MerBearHou]

John Henson and Stephanie Boswell could be comedy cousins — their wit is so quick, wry, sometimes corny, and so similar in vibe.  I adore both.  

[DEL901]

8 hours ago, libgirl2 said:

They addressed the Aaron thing.

Aaron was on another show last year…maybe Big Bake Christmas???

[libgirl2]

1 hour ago, DEL901 said:

Aaron was on another show last year…maybe Big Bake Christmas???

No, he was on one of the baking championships and I remember seeing him on Holiday Wars.

Edited September 17, 2024 by libgirl2

[DEL901]

1 hour ago, libgirl2 said:

No, he was on one of the baking championships and I remember seeing him on Holiday Wars.

I know he was on one of the baking challenges, but I couldn’t remember which one of the team-based Christmas shows he was on. 

[libgirl2]

54 minutes ago, DEL901 said:

I know he was on one of the baking challenges, but I couldn’t remember which one of the team-based Christmas shows he was on. 

I seem to remember his team did not win. 

[DEL901]

3 minutes ago, libgirl2 said:

I seem to remember his team did not win. 

Me too. I think they started strong, but went out just before the finals iirc.

[Salacious Kitty]

5 minutes ago, libgirl2 said:

I seem to remember his team did not win. 

Do they ever bring back actual champions from other shows to compete? 

Edited September 17, 2024 by Salacious Kitty

[mojoween]

Carly is a lot.  She was all up in that girl next to hers business when that girl was trying to talk to the camera.

JL’s flavors are only going to carry him so far, he needs to tighten it up.

[dleighg]

I was slightly surprised that they were flavoring the isomalt (and sugar) glass. I don't think I've ever seen those things get eaten before in judging.

[Salacious Kitty]

2 minutes ago, dleighg said:

I was slightly surprised that they were flavoring the isomalt (and sugar) glass. I don't think I've ever seen those things get eaten before in judging.

The judges dinged someone for not flavoring their isomalt. 

[libgirl2]

33 minutes ago, dleighg said:

I was slightly surprised that they were flavoring the isomalt (and sugar) glass. I don't think I've ever seen those things get eaten before in judging.

Weren't they told that the judges would it it?

[dleighg]

37 minutes ago, libgirl2 said:

Weren't they told that the judges would it it?

maybe they were but all I heard was that it had to be edible. Which covers a lot of ground.

[MerBearHou]

The 3 weakest bakers were VERY weak.  I'm OK with Samantha going first -- her plate was a globby mess.  

Speaking of mess, Carly is one.

I really enjoyed Aaron on the other shows so I hope he goes far on this one.

So great to see John, Stephanie, Carla.....and Zach back (for me, in that order ;). This show is a highlight in the Fall season for me -- just the warm fuzzies around Halloween and autumn. 

Edited September 17, 2024 by MerBearHou

[Pi237]

 

Personal preference, but I hope there's not a lot of pistachios used in their dishes. Seems to be a go-to on these shows, and I instantly taste them every time and can't get the taste out of my mouth even though I haven't eaten any. Weird, I know. 

 

"Plastic wrap was invented by Satan" TRUTH.  Get these contestants some Glad press and seal!

[Pi237]

Glad this show is back. Love the judges costumes. Its just fun, and Johns the best host. 

Holly's bubbles looked a little like boobs. 

Thierry's was Eh until the smoke. 

Megan's jack o'lantern was Awesome. 

Samantha's was a bit of a mess, but she even said that it was. Great shade of green tho. 

Aaron's looked like blueberry soup. I was surprised they raved over it. He's really doing the most with the poems and all, but I like him. 

Lillians looked like a bowl of literal poo lmao 

Manny's was too white. His lizard was cute but would've looked awesome air brushed as Carla mentioned. You didn't see the detail. 

JL's was a neon yellow with nipple- less boobs mess. 

Carly needs a xanax, but she's nice just nerves. Hers was 'eh'

Joel's looked so cool.  Maybe a little Mardi gra in colors but his orbs were awesome!

 

 

 

[carrps]

I recognized Aaron right away. I'm glad they addressed where I knew him from, or I'd have been going crazy all episode.

My absolute favorite group of judges/host. Don't forget John. "There are four people at this table." Ha.

I see a few that will be early cannon fodder, but a lot of these people seem to be talented enough that they'll be fun to watch.

The results of the cryptochamber freezing were cute/corny, but I enjoyed the bit. I wonder if they'll do a big "unfreezing" at the end of the show.

ETA: In the first segment, Carla stole my post-COVID hairdo. I knew she had good taste!

Edited September 17, 2024 by carrps

[Pi237]

I liked John’s: 

“why are you so nervous ?”

”I’m always nervous”

”this generation…..”

and Zack’s subtle, “pass me your roach”

 

[mlp]

1 hour ago, Pi237 said:

and Zack’s subtle, “pass me your roach”

Hee.  That made me actually LOL.

Poor Carly.  She probably does well in her own environment working at her own pace but the competition setting isn't for her.  I doubt she'll last much longer but I think I'd like her if I met her in person.

So far, I like all the contestants except Megan.  She comes across (to me) as being a little too impressed with herself.  And with being on TV.  Her pumpkin was good though.

Loooove John Henson.

 

[carrps]

21 hours ago, Pi237 said:

and Zack’s subtle, “pass me your roach”

I snort-laughed.

19 hours ago, mlp said:

So far, I like all the contestants except Megan. 

I don't mind her. She has an East Coast vibe that I see in a lot of friends/acquaintances. It took me a while to get used to this one guy I knew from Long Island, but we ended up best buds.

 

[Splashy]

Baker: I'm just fan-girling over the 3 of you!

John: THERE ARE 4 PEOPLE AT THIS TABLE.

Me: *laughing my head off*

Oh, John, many of us here on the message board are always fan-girling over you!

Glad to see Aaron; I remember he was really good. 

That jack o'lantern cake was fantastic and looked delicious! But I also love pumpkin & sweet potato things, so there's that. 

JL is giving some Adam Driver vibes when he's shown from certain angles.

Joel seems to have a lot of finesse in his bakes. His bubbles were amazing.

 

Edited September 19, 2024 by Splashy
fixed some wording

[TVbitch]

It seems quite a few of these contestants have turned up on multiple shows. I guess even the contestants who don't win must get enough out of it to keep entering. Are they given a payment of some sort for being on the show, or just building their brand?

[libgirl2]

10 hours ago, TVbitch said:

It seems quite a few of these contestants have turned up on multiple shows. I guess even the contestants who don't win must get enough out of it to keep entering. Are they given a payment of some sort for being on the show, or just building their brand?

I honestly don't know but I can see them building their brand and hoping for exposure. 

[Dirtybubble]

On 9/17/2024 at 11:33 AM, MerBearHou said:

So great to see John, Stephanie, Carla.....and Zach back (for me, in that order ;). This show is a highlight in the Fall season for me -- just the warm fuzzies around Halloween and autumn. 

So true!  It just warms my heart to see Jon Henson back on my t.v.  

I really like the mad scientist theme they have this year.

Interesting group on bakers this season; it will take a while to sort out who's who

[CrazyInAlabama]

They're rerunning the first episode right before the second episode.   Monday 6-8 pm for episode 1, and  8 to 10 pm central for episode 2.  

Next Monday is another 2 hour episode, and the next Monday is two hours also.  I'm guessing they're going to finish this show before Halloween.  

Edited September 20, 2024 by CrazyInAlabama

[dleighg]

Personally that first episode seemed interminable to me. For the elimination, bake, they kept bringing out more contestants, and I was like "there's still MORE???"

[carrps]

Yeah, the initial few episodes of these competition shows usually do seem interminable. Top Chef, too.

[Bumblebee84047]

On 9/17/2024 at 1:06 PM, carrps said:

I recognized Aaron right away. I'm glad they addressed where I knew him from, or I'd have been going crazy all episode.

 

Me too!  I was just about to Google him when Jon mentioned he had been on Holiday Baking Championships previously.

[Dirtybubble]

19 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

They're rerunning the first episode right before the second episode.   Monday 6-8 pm for episode 1, and  8 to 10 pm central for episode 2.  

Next Monday is another 2 hour episode, and the next Monday is two hours also.  I'm guessing they're going to finish this show before Halloween.  

If I remember correctly the final episode is the Monday before Halloween.  And the week after that begins the Christmas Baking Championship 🤪

It's a fun, light distraction from the hardships of real life.  A nice breath of fresh air from the nastiness that usually comes with reality tv *cough BRAVO cough*

 

[CrazyInAlabama]

That's one reason I watch all of the baking championships, definitely Halloween Baking is my favorite of them all.   The contestants are competitive, but not nasty and help each other sometimes too.   

[CrazyInAlabama]

Remaining 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 (Minus Samantha who went home last week). 

 

Season 10, Episode 2 "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice" new 9/23/2024

"John Henson has a problem in the haunted Paranormal Research Lab, and he's hoping to summon the spirit of Beetlejuice to help broker a deal with the other spirits. To butter up the ghost with the most, John asks the bakers to make black and white desserts using black and white ingredients. Then, John challenges the bakers to create Shrinker desserts that feature a tiny desert on top and large dessert on the bottom. In the end, judges Carla Hall, Zac Young and Stephanie Boswell banish one baker to the cyro-chamber."

Thriller challenge-Black and white desserts using black and white ingredients.   Winner gets immunity from the killer challenge.   I love how the bakers help each other, and encourage each other.  JL's is the worst, and Carly's wasn't the best decorated.   The other bakers really excelled this time. 

Winner: Joel  

Killer challenge: Shrinker desserts, tiny dessert on top, large dessert on the bottom.  I love that Joel is taking advantage of his immunity to try risky flavors in his dessert, so he's going Southwestern.  However, JL just charcoaled his cake.

I love watching Thierry's sugar work.  I'm worried for JL, he's having lots of problems, and so is Carly.   I love the decorating on Thierry's desserts.  Megan has issues with the sizes of her desserts.  Aaron's looks fantastic.  Lillian's looks fantastic, and the judges are unequal in their criticisms.  Manny's looks great, and gets a lot of praise.  Joel took chances, and judges criticize his decorating, judges say taste is wonderful, and spicy hot. Carly's pie never set up, and taste is OK.  JL's is decorated well, taste is praised.   (Character is actually Betelgeuse). 

Top Two:  Manny and Thierry

Winner: Thierry

Bottom Two:   Carly, and Hollie

Sent to Cryochamber and eliminated: Carly

Edited September 26, 2024 by CrazyInAlabama

[mojoween]

You could see through the teevee just how dense Carly’s cupcake was, and that’s not good.  Her macarons looked so damn good though.

Lillian feels like she would be tough to have a conversation with in real life.  I don’t think it’s a language barrier, because she GETS sarcasm, she just deploys it too frequently.

How, in the small scare, were Lillian and Thierry (and a couple others) able to make such elaborate designs in the time they were given, and JL made … that?

[libgirl2]

I'm not sure how I feel about the immunity advantage. Basically, the baker could serve an empty plate and be safe. They could even sit out if they wanted to. 

[carrps]

23 minutes ago, libgirl2 said:

I'm not sure how I feel about the immunity advantage. Basically, the baker could serve an empty plate and be safe. They could even sit out if they wanted to. 

It works on Top Chef. Most cheftestants want to impress the judges, and those judges will remember if you skated through any challenges. If they're smart, they'll do what Joel did and stretch, maybe beyond their grasp, but even a semi-failure can be a "win" if you wow the judges.

 

[libgirl2]

2 minutes ago, carrps said:

It works on Top Chef. Most cheftestants want to impress the judges, and those judges will remember if you skated through any challenges. If they're smart, they'll do what Joel did and stretch, maybe beyond their grasp, but even a semi-failure can be a "win" if you wow the judges.

 

I don't watch Top Chef so I was not aware other shows were doing so. I guess I understand the point of it, but if it is really bad, I just don't think it is quite as fair. 

[dleighg]

I was confused by the spelling of "Betelguese" on the wall, and Aaron writing "Here lies Betelguese" on his dessert. The show episode (and the movie) is called Beetlejuice. So what's going on? (I confess I never saw the movie. I looked up the date and I was busy writing my dissertation at the time).

And what is with Joel's hair? Is that a terrible toupee or what?

[libgirl2]

2 minutes ago, dleighg said:

I was confused by the spelling of "Betelguese" on the wall, and Aaron writing "Here lies Betelguese" on his dessert. The show episode (and the movie) is called Beetlejuice. So what's going on? (I confess I never saw the movie. I looked up the date and I was busy writing my dissertation at the time).

And what is with Joel's hair? Is that a terrible toupee or what?

I think Betelguese is the real spelling of the character's name. 

[Frost]

JL looks like he's the contestant that will stick along way longer than he should, because there will be somebody worse for a particular bake.

Maybe it's jitters, but there seem to be a number of weak bakers this season.  Some very strong ones, like Thierry, Joel, and maybe Lillian, as well.  

[libgirl2]

8 minutes ago, Frost said:

JL looks like he's the contestant that will stick along way longer than he should, because there will be somebody worse for a particular bake.

Maybe it's jitters, but there seem to be a number of weak bakers this season.  Some very strong ones, like Thierry, Joel, and maybe Lillian, as well.  

Yea, I think past seasons of the Baking shows have had stronger bakers overall. I like Manny and Thierry. I'm not impressed by the female bakers though. I wonder which they will keep around until the end. 

Edited September 24, 2024 by libgirl2

[Maya]

I like Holly but being in the bottom two this early is a bad sign.

What is JL even doing here? 

[mlp]

2 hours ago, libgirl2 said:

Yea, I think past seasons of the Baking shows have had stronger bakers overall. I like Manny and Thierry. I'm not impressed by the female bakers though. I wonder which they will keep around until the end. 

That's pretty much what I've been thinking too.  I like Lillian but I doubt she'll make the finals based upon what we've seen.  I give Aaron some credit for coming back to a competition and trying again but I haven't liked his attitude a lot this time.  So far I'm pulling for Thierry.

[libgirl2]

6 minutes ago, mlp said:

That's pretty much what I've been thinking too.  I like Lillian but I doubt she'll make the finals based upon what we've seen.  I give Aaron some credit for coming back to a competition and trying again but I haven't liked his attitude a lot this time.  So far I'm pulling for Thierry.

Aaron has had his "moments". 

[Dirtybubble]

3 hours ago, libgirl2 said:

I think Betelguese is the real spelling of the character's name. 

Yeah it is.  I've seen the 1st movie 100 times but haven't seen the 2nd one yet

[CrazyInAlabama]

2 hours ago, Dirtybubble said:

Yeah it is.  I've seen the 1st movie 100 times but haven't seen the 2nd one yet

Thanks, I wondered why they spelled it Betelgeuse.

Edited September 24, 2024 by CrazyInAlabama