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Halloween Baking Championship - General Discussion


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1 hour ago, TVbitch said:

the guy who came in second to Aaron just can't seem to learn to "take one thing off" as Coco Chanel would advise. 

I just finished reading Colette's Claudine books which are set around 1900. She has a ton of descriptions of the clothes Claudine and other women were wearing -- from adolescence through womanhood. Really fascinating, and your comment reminds me of how revolutionary Coco Chanel was. I can't imagine being a middle to upper class Victorian woman and putting up with all they had to wear.

 

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On 10/9/2024 at 10:47 AM, tennisgurl said:

Zac as Mummy Dearest was an all time great costume, he looks quite lovely as Joan Collins! 

Joan Crawford. But he'd probably be a great Joan Collins as Alexis Carrington, too!

On 10/8/2024 at 12:49 PM, Pi237 said:

Carla’s makeup was insanely good as well. I keep watching her chew, trying to figure it out.  

Same here - that was amazing.

Can't leave Stephanie out; she was adorable as a mummy influencer 🤪

 

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(edited)

I have concerns about tomorrow's episode, given the recent destruction and devastation in Florida:

Quote

Wizard of Labs
Season 10, Episode 5 • New

John Henson challenges the bakers with high-velocity tornado desserts; the bakers get gooey as they present judges Carla Hall, Zac Young and Stephanie Boswell with melted witch desserts.

 

Edited by BMGepinniw
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(edited)

Season 10, Episode 5, "Wizard of Labs"  New, 10/14/2024, 

"To celebrate 85 years of the wonderful Wizard of Oz, John Henson is in the lab's atmospheric chamber measuring the velocity of tornado desserts so that the bakers can honor Dorothy's rough trip to Oz. Then, the bakers visit the acid pit, where the spirits have been melting things. Inspired by those who have melted before, especially the Wicked Witch of the West, the bakers make melted witch desserts to appease the spirits, as well as judges Carla Hall, Zac Young and Stephanie Boswell."

Remaining bakers: 

Thierry Aujard, Lillian Chng, Aaron Davis, Joel Gonzalez, Manny Martinez, Hollie Rivera, (Eliminated bakers were Samantha, Carly, JL, and Megan)

Thriller Challenge: Wizard of Oz inspired tornado desserts, with items from in the lab.  Hollie's is a mess, Thierry's is great sugar work, but he always does sugar work, Manny's is good, Joel's is creepy and good, Aaron's is interesting, deconstructed microscope in a tornado, Lillian's looks like a flying poop emoji.  

Winner is: Manny (he gets immunity) 

Killer Challenge: Melted Witch Desserts with witch in mid-disintregration, and ooze.  

The judges costumes are fantastic. Stephanie as a tornado, Zac as a cow, and Carla as a front door. Joel-great work lots of elements, Hollie's looks messy, and cake is wet.  Thierry-Key Lime witch head is ugly, and witch's face is awful, and more sugar work, very sour cake.   Lillian-ugly and messy.  Aaron-great effort with cheesecake, judges love the decoration,  Manny-great decoration but no ooze, good thing he has immunity.  

Top Two: Joel and Aaron

Winner: Joel

Bottom Two: Thierry and Hollie

Eliminated: Thierry 

Edited by CrazyInAlabama
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On 10/8/2024 at 11:21 AM, Rammchick said:

  Agreed that she needed more time, but that's when you assess the time you do have and figure out if you can pull it off successfully.  In this case, she took a shot and it didn't work out.

But what could she have done instead for a "laminated" dessert? Isn't lamination in baking a very specific thing? It's not like she could have done a napoleon and called it laminated. 

I also didn't think the umami options were equivalent. To me, red miso seemed much harder than soy sauce or parmesan. 

On 10/8/2024 at 1:08 PM, Kendra143 said:

I may be in the minority but I really like Aaron. Thierry not so much, and Lillian can go any time.

I have no opinion on Aaron, but Lillian is one of my faves! :) 

 

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Theirry was a one trick pony with the blown sugar.  He relied on it too much on every single bake.  I hope Hollie is done next week.  I haven't been too impressed with her.

I was so happy that Joel won tonight!  I really don't want Aaron to win.  He comes across as entitled and smug.

I like Lillian.  She is having a good time and it shows!

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1 hour ago, Frost said:

Theirry was a one trick pony with the blown sugar.  He relied on it too much on every single bake.  I hope Hollie is done next week.  I haven't been too impressed with her.

I was so happy that Joel won tonight!  I really don't want Aaron to win.  He comes across as entitled and smug.

I like Lillian.  She is having a good time and it shows!

I liked Thierry and thought he'd make the final four at least but I can't argue about him overdoing the use of blown sugar.  Still, I was surprised they eliminated him for a too tart dessert when Hollie served a mess on a plate that didn't look like anything at all and they agreed her cake part was wet.  

I like Lillian a lot but I don't think she'll make it past final four.  I was happy for Joel.  

Aaron, like him or not, is doing very well.  Now that Thierry is gone, I think he may very well win based on merit.

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I knew Thierry was done for when I saw his witch. It didn't look melted and it really didn't look much like a witch. And I also think he was so caught up in the sugar hat that he missed an opportunity to make something better. In the first round, again, it was all about the sugar tornado and the cake, not so much. That hurt him. 

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(edited)

The judges costumes were so much fun, I especially loved Carla's tornado outfit. Color me surprised that we based our theme on the Wizard of Oz's anniversary and not whatever new movie/cruise/whatever bit of corporate synergy they're supposed to be promoting. I guess they can tie this into Wizard anniversary merch? 

I like Thierry and think he's a great baker, but he really went too nuts on that sugar and his skull looked horrible, and not in a fun spooky way. I would have gone with Hollie, she has been a lot less consistent, but I can see why they cut Thierry, he's more stuck in his comfort zone than Hollie, who at least takes risks. 

I'm so happy that Joel won, I loved his bakes, so creepy as well as cute, he looked so happy he was glowing. Everyone who is left is a very good baker, it comes down to who handles the pressure best and what mood the judges are in per bake. 

Aaron might be on the smug side, but he really is a great baker, I can see him taking the whole thing and it wouldn't be undeserved. I stull don't love the precedent being set with him though, let some new bakers have a chance before bringing back former contestants who want another shot.

Lilian is always having so much fun, so I have fun watching her!

Edited by tennisgurl
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2 minutes ago, tennisgurl said:

I guess they can tie this into Wizard anniversary merch? 

I did see a blink-and-you'll-miss-it promo for some high resolution DVD of the movie that you can buy.

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3 minutes ago, tennisgurl said:

The judges costumes were so much fun, I especially loved Carla's tornado outfit. Color me surprised that we based our theme on the Wizard of Oz's anniversary and not whatever new movie/cruise/whatever bit of corporate synergy they're supposed to be promoting. I guess they can tie this into Wizard anniversary merch? 

I like Thierry and think he's a great baker, but he really went too nuts on that sugar and his skull looked horrible, and not in a fun spooky way. I would have gone with Hollie, she has been a lot less consistent, but I can see why they cut Thierry, he's more stuck in his comfort zone than Hollie, who at least takes risks. 

I'm so happy that Joel won, I loved his bakes, so creepy as well as cute, he looked so happy he was glowing. Everyone who is left is a very good baker, it comes down to who handles the pressure best and what mood the judges are in per bake. 

Aaron might be on the smug side, but he really is a great baker, I can see him taking the whole thing and it wouldn't be undeserved. I stull don't love the precedent being set with him though, let some new bakers have a chance before bringing back former contestants who want another shot.

Lilian is always having so much fun, so I have fun watching her!

I was also surprised by the Wizard of Oz theme. I never found it to be a scary movie, though I know some people feel that way. I'm kind of glad they went with a classic. 

That witch's head (I didn't think it was a skull) just look amateurish. 

Lilian is a delight and is just going with the flow and having fun. 

Aaron seemed a bit toned down this episode. 

2 minutes ago, dleighg said:

I did see a blink-and-you'll-miss-it promo for some high resolution DVD of the movie that you can buy.

Same for about a second. 

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26 minutes ago, libgirl2 said:

I was also surprised by the Wizard of Oz theme. I never found it to be a scary movie, though I know some people feel that way.

*Flying monkeys* shudders...

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9 minutes ago, Rammchick said:

*Flying monkeys* shudders...

Growing up, I don’t think I saw the 2nd half of the Wizard of Oz for ages.  The flying monkeys terrified me.

Thierry is quite talented with his sugar work but it took up so much of his time.

Happy for Joel’s win!  

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12 minutes ago, Rammchick said:

*Flying monkeys* shudders...

They never bothered me. I was more scared by Regan! 

1 minute ago, MerBearHou said:

Thierry is quite talented with his sugar work but it took up so much of his time.

Happy for Joel’s win!  

That is the thing and his baking suffered. 

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2 hours ago, MerBearHou said:

Thierry is quite talented with his sugar work but it took up so much of his time.

 

So many great bakers end up being brought down due to time management...

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2 hours ago, MerBearHou said:

Thierry is quite talented with his sugar work but it took up so much of his time.

All I could think of was a flashback to Top Chef: "This is Top Chef, not Top Scallop"

"This is the Halloween Baking Championship not the Halloween Sugar Championship"

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I was more terrified by the tornado than I was anything else. It seriously traumatized me for years. Flying monkeys were only second place.

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This may be an unpopular opinion, but I’m beginning to tire of this show.  The so-called “spooky” desserts looked more like messy blobs of green, red, and black with amateurish decorations sloppily sculpted and plopped on top.  They simply don’t have enough time to create anything worth watching.  Since I can’t taste anything, I rely on the appearance to help make sense of the competition.

The other problematic issue for me, is the description and pictures of each contestant’s dish.  There’s always a long list of ingredients that rolls off the tongue—“I’m making an almond.flour.swiss.roll.with.a.layer.of.chopped.pineapple-bourbon-flambééd.banana.and.a.layer.of.feuilletine.and.pistachio crumble.for.crunch.covered.with.an.espresso-chocolate.mirror.glaze [breath] served.with.a.dollop.of.marscarpone.mixed.with.red-chili.ice.cream.that.needs.to.blast.chill.to.set.in.time.” (of course it won’t).  Then they each explain their decorations that consist of mostly inedible blobs that vaguely resemble body parts scattered across the dessert.

I can barely keep up and I really don’t know what they’re trying to make because it rarely looks like the picture they flashed for half a second.  And I really doubt they are making up these desserts on the spot.  It’s too convenient that they have every ingredient available, no matter how obscure.

Looking forward to the holiday baking shows.  At least they’re pretty to look at.

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I’ve always thought they knew the themes in advance; how else could they think of a dessert with ten ingredients fitting the challenge in a few seconds. I also mentioned the pictures like someone else did: if they are making something with funnel cakes there will be pictures of them eating funnel cakes. Making a scarecrow? There will be childhood scarecrow pictures.  I think things are more planned out than we know but that doesn’t make it easier to make something in such a short time.

I agree the decorations seem lacking. Maybe they could do better if they used less ingredients. I rarely see desserts in restaurants or bakeries with so many ingredients. 

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50 minutes ago, LoveIsJoy said:

This may be an unpopular opinion, but I’m beginning to tire of this show.  The so-called “spooky” desserts looked more like messy blobs of green, red, and black with amateurish decorations sloppily sculpted and plopped on top.  They simply don’t have enough time to create anything worth watching.  Since I can’t taste anything, I rely on the appearance to help make sense of the competition.

The other problematic issue for me, is the description and pictures of each contestant’s dish.  There’s always a long list of ingredients that rolls off the tongue—“I’m making an almond.flour.swiss.roll.with.a.layer.of.chopped.pineapple-bourbon-flambééd.banana.and.a.layer.of.feuilletine.and.pistachio crumble.for.crunch.covered.with.an.espresso-chocolate.mirror.glaze [breath] served.with.a.dollop.of.marscarpone.mixed.with.red-chili.ice.cream.that.needs.to.blast.chill.to.set.in.time.” (of course it won’t).  Then they each explain their decorations that consist of mostly inedible blobs that vaguely resemble body parts scattered across the dessert.

I can barely keep up and I really don’t know what they’re trying to make because it rarely looks like the picture they flashed for half a second.  And I really doubt they are making up these desserts on the spot.  It’s too convenient that they have every ingredient available, no matter how obscure.

Looking forward to the holiday baking shows.  At least they’re pretty to look at.

I remember that great creepy one from last year.  It was an arm, I think   With stitches. And when they cut into it, the stitches broke and this red stuff oozed out.  John just stood up, excused himself and left the stage, lol. That was a great scarey dish  

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1 hour ago, LoveIsJoy said:

The other problematic issue for me, is the description and pictures of each contestant’s dish.  There’s always a long list of ingredients that rolls off the tongue—“I’m making an almond.flour.swiss.roll.with.a.layer.of.chopped.pineapple-bourbon-flambééd.banana.and.a.layer.of.feuilletine.and.pistachio crumble.for.crunch.covered.with.an.espresso-chocolate.mirror.glaze [breath] served.with.a.dollop.of.marscarpone.mixed.with.red-chili.ice.cream.that.needs.to.blast.chill.to.set.in.time.” (of course it won’t).

LOL  I'm not sick of the show but I take your point.  I also would much rather see a clean, polished, professional looking dessert than whatever that mess was that Hollie presented.  I also agree withh everyone who has said that not all cakes need two fillings and a crunchy layer.  I can't recall ever having a cake with crunch - unless it was burned on the bottom.

1 hour ago, Madding crowd said:

I’ve always thought they knew the themes in advance; how else could they think of a dessert with ten ingredients fitting the challenge in a few seconds.

I've been saying the same thing since Cupcake Wars.  There's no way anyone comes up with a complex plan in 5 seconds while running for utensils and ingredients.  Even the running is silly because they can't see the back of the whatever where the info is until they grab it.  

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7 hours ago, mlp said:

I also would much rather see a clean, polished, professional looking dessert than whatever that mess was that Hollie presented.

Yeah they were saying "you really got the decorating this time." I was thinking it looked like she threw stuff on the plate.

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I do think they need more time. Just watching GBBO, I notice they get plenty of time (and even then people don't think it is enough). When they said an hour and a half.... why not 3? Imagine how much better things could turn out. 

And I'm sure they know enough about the challenge in advance to have a few ideas in their heads. 

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I’m also pretty sure that after John explains the challenge, they turn off the cameras and give a much fuller explanation of the rules etc. then turn them back on for the “race” to the ingredients/choices. They do this on Top Chef. So the contestants probably have more time to come up with their idea. 

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I think the contestants get a full list of what the challenges will be before taping.  Their cheesy "Oh!!! Wow. Okay." when John announces a challenge and the running for their ingredient are just part of the shtick of the show. 

How am I just now noticing Joel pronounces it Jo-el?! I'm rooting for him! 

LOVE Wizard of Oz, but does a movie really need an 85th Anniversary? I mean, come on. 😁

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2 minutes ago, TVbitch said:

LOVE Wizard of Oz, but does a movie really need an 85th Anniversary? I mean, come on. 😁

It was the last movie I expected them to come up with. 

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3 hours ago, libgirl2 said:

I do think they need more time. Just watching GBBO, I notice they get plenty of time (and even then people don't think it is enough).

Except for the technical, the signature and show stopper rounds are all rehearsed, in that the baketestants know what they're going to make and have practiced (hopefully).  So they should know how long it will take them to make their item.  Here, we're lead to assume that no one has any foreknowledge of the ingredients/flavors/themes ahead of time.  Not giving them enough time lends to the "on the fly" idea (and I definitely agree with you).  I can't recall a single thing anyone made so far this season that I thought was amazing-looking.

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1 hour ago, TVbitch said:

How am I just now noticing Joel pronounces it Jo-el?! I'm rooting for him.

I noticed that right from the start. I named my youngest son Joel, and it's just pronounced Joel (like Jole). I always thought it was strange that his was pronounced Jo-el, and it was confusing with the other contestent (who has since gone home) who's name was J.L. i think.

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2 hours ago, bigmag said:

I noticed that right from the start. I named my youngest son Joel, and it's just pronounced Joel (like Jole). I always thought it was strange that his was pronounced Jo-el, and it was confusing with the other contestent (who has since gone home) who's name was J.L. i think.

Jo-el is the Hispanic pronunciation. I've known a few. 

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13 minutes ago, carrps said:

I get enough pretty on the other shows. I love this one because of the host, the judges, those costumes(!), and the good humor.

 

Me too. It's a fun show. 

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(edited)

I enjoy how the judges embrace their elaborate costumes. They look like they're having fun. Especially Zac doing his best Joan Crawford Mummy Dearest a couple of weeks ago. 

Edited by Salacious Kitty
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I think this mad scientist theme isn’t working out like they thought it would.  With the lab theme, everything ends up melty rather than scary or gross.

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58 minutes ago, DEL901 said:

I think this mad scientist theme isn’t working out like they thought it would.  With the lab theme, everything ends up melty rather than scary or gross.

I thought it was going to be more steampunk

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(edited)

I am just catching up, watching all the episodes through this week. Aaron could be a ringer; I have seen him on at least three food network shows. I'm not crazy about how some of the contestants mug for the camera (this includes Aaron). Some are so fake, laughing at stupid jokes or showing "surprise" and "delight" at lame stuff. Oh well! It's the price they pay to be in the competition. The host and judges are great, and the challenges have been pretty good, too.

9 hours ago, libgirl2 said:

It was the last movie I expected them to come up with. 

I think Food Network was promoting a special edition DVD of the movie.

Edited by faraway
better words
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On 10/15/2024 at 8:24 PM, LoveIsJoy said:

This may be an unpopular opinion, but I’m beginning to tire of this show.  The so-called “spooky” desserts looked more like messy blobs of green, red, and black with amateurish decorations sloppily sculpted and plopped on top.  They simply don’t have enough time to create anything worth watching.  Since I can’t taste anything, I rely on the appearance to help make sense of the competition.

Yes I've noticed that as well.  A lot less spook this season and a lot for blob.  I don't if there was something lost in translation with Theirry because he never really seemed to "get it" as far as decorating goes.  IDK, he was ok but it could have been either him or Hollie as far as I'm concern.

Manny still my favorite but he better start whomping some a$$ here or Aaron is just going to walk away with the win 😒

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14 minutes ago, Dirtybubble said:

Yes I've noticed that as well.  A lot less spook this season and a lot for blob.  I don't if there was something lost in translation with Theirry because he never really seemed to "get it" as far as decorating goes.  IDK, he was ok but it could have been either him or Hollie as far as I'm concern.

Manny still my favorite but he better start whomping some a$$ here or Aaron is just going to walk away with the win 😒

I like Manny but he isn't consistent. I do think he will be in the final as long as he doesn't screw up big time. 

Thierry would have been better off in the Spring BC. I could see him creating really lovely work. The Halloween theme just doesn't fit him. 

As for the tornado theme. Why did they need lab equipment and how does that work with the Wizard of Oz? 

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11 minutes ago, libgirl2 said:

As for the tornado theme. Why did they need lab equipment and how does that work with the Wizard of Oz?

yeah it really didn't make sense at all. They wanted the Wizard of Oz theme and then just shoehorned the lab theme into it. I guess the lab stuff was supposed to swirl in the tornado? But honestly, the tornado sticking up out of the cake just seemed awkward. Nobody is eating that thing so what's the point?

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(edited)
22 minutes ago, dleighg said:

yeah it really didn't make sense at all. They wanted the Wizard of Oz theme and then just shoehorned the lab theme into it. I guess the lab stuff was supposed to swirl in the tornado? But honestly, the tornado sticking up out of the cake just seemed awkward. Nobody is eating that thing so what's the point?

None of the tornadoes looked good and no one ate them. I thought there is always emphasis on everything being edible. 

Honestly, a microscope? Sure Dorothy used one of those. 

Edited by libgirl2
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Pfffffft. You call that an unpopular opinion?! Hold my beer! 😄

I think the show is too much about the host, the theme, the judges, the costumes, and the stories. Spring BC is headed in the same direction, I think, as Jesse's lines & skits & jokes seem to be expanding exponentially.

Whether they're giving us creepy & gory, springy, summery or holiday - I just want to see the bakers think and create and improvise.  That's what's entertaining to me and why I started watching these series in the first place.

(And no, I am not related to -nor have I been lobbied by- Bobby Deen! lol)

 

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2 hours ago, Rammchick said:

Maybe I'm missing something, but what did Carla's costume (a door?) have to do with tornados?

I think it was a cellar door. 

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8 hours ago, Salacious Kitty said:

No, there was a wreath around Carla's head. It was a front door, blown off its hinges, I guess. 

That is right. Even that should have been in the tornado instead of lab equipment. 

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12 hours ago, Salacious Kitty said:

No, there was a wreath around Carla's head. It was a front door, blown off its hinges, I guess. 

I got the cow (though you'd have to have seen the movie to get it) but the door was a bit of a reach, I thought, since it looked so pristine and pretty.

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On 10/9/2024 at 2:11 PM, TVbitch said:

I don't yet see anyone that can challenge Aaron to win this thing.

I feel like Aaron has to have something over on the producers/judges.  First to get invited back for a 2nd Baking Championship, especially when he made it to the finals in his first attempt.  (Meaning he wasn't brought back because he was an early boot who got screwed in his previous season due to some questionable production flaw.)  But also, I think the judges in this season are raving unnecessarily over every dessert he puts in front of them.  Don't get me wrong, I think he's a great baker.  I just see them criticizing the other bakers for things that they are ignoring (or even praising) on his.  The judging just seems exceptionally biased towards him, for some reason.  

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