Season Three Episode Talk

[cherrypj]

Sunday night! It's a date!

[GaT]

Wow, this version is so much better than the Halloween version, who would ever have thought I would miss Bobby Dean?

[zxy556575]

Yes, yes. Lorraine and Nancy have very different palates. No need to beat us over the head with the eye rolling and exasperated sighs. To the judges -- please try to be adults about simple differences of opinion.

None of the contestants stood out, although they all seem pleasant. The 21-year-old with her own bakery makes me wonder if it was a family business that she took over, or family money. (Eh, I looked it up -- mother and daughter deal.)

All the food looked tasty enough. The decorating was OTT on a lot of the bundts, though. Dial it back, folks. No reason to use those fancy pans and then cover up the designs. I've never had or made a bundt with filling so that was interesting.

I really wanted to taste Patty's with the pink ribbon -- it was either "very not sweet" or had a "cloying sweetness." Jeez.

Edited November 7, 2016 by lordonia

[LizBug]

If Lorraine's palate is so desensitized that she can't taste the spices and other ingredients. why is she a judge?  Seems unfair to the contestants,

[Writing Wrongs]

I liked how Duff said there was no sweetness in the dessert and Lorraine said it was too sweet. Geez.

[Ilovecomputers]

I can't believe the Meyer lemon cake won the challenge. I heard the baker say that the holidays are when lemons are in season, but so what?  It didn't look holidayish/wreathlike at all. None of the bakers' bundts looked liked wreaths--how hard would it have been to lay them around the cake so that it resembled a wreath?  I liked the look of Vincenzo's the best, but I really wanted to taste either the pecan praline cake or the pina colada cake--which has the flavors of a hummingbird cake. The sugar work on the pecan cake looked like hair, though, and not what I want on my fork. 

Mr. Kentucky Moonshine, I like your style, but scale it back a bit. Sauerkraut cake intrigues me. Oh and why does that one guy keep reminding us that he's really just a weak and sickly thing all the time?

[stormy]

OMG Mr. Kentucky's cake looked like Superman's Fortress of Solitude.

[Maya]

10 hours ago, GaT said:

Wow, this version is so much better than the Halloween version, who would ever have thought I would miss Bobby Dean?

This is SO much better than the Halloween version! I really like Duff as a judge. 

I liked the holiday beverage challenge. All the wreath cakes looked too wet and underbaked on the inside though. 

[justjen]

2 hours ago, Ilovecomputers said:

Oh and why does that one guy keep reminding us that he's really just a weak and sickly thing all the time?

"I look macho, but I am really a carefully created Jenga-like set-up of precious glass snowflakes in human clothes." - That one baker, probably

The guy who actually bothered me the MOST and who I definitely thought was going home was that one guy who didn't put leaves on this wreath because he has never seen leaves on wreaths (or whatever his reasoning was, I was only half listening...time change and all). He didn't complete one of the challenge elements! You can't go on a game show and then decide that you want to ignore part of the rules! Or okay, I guess you could, but that makes you look like a jerkasaurus!

[mlp]

I love this show.  I like Duff and Lorraine and I was happy to see Bobby Deen back.  I do not like Nancy Fuller but she was a relief after Damiano on the Halloween show.  I do wish Nancy and Lorraine would stop sniping at each other.  It's not cute or amusing.  Duff looks so much better since he gave up on stubble and grew a proper short beard.

So far, I like all the contestants too.  The little guy from Kentucky sounds, to my ear, exactly like David from Worst Bakers which is weird because David is from somewhere in NYC.  

You would think making a bundt cake look like a wreath would be simple but the only one that really said "wreath" to me was the one with a bow that was an odd shade of pinkish-orange.  That baker also had some cookies frosted with an unappetizing shade of green.  

[BusyOctober]

I don't like Nancy Fuller at all.  I think she is the kind of judge who picks her favorites based on personality then can't undo that bias to be an impartial judge.  I don't like her personality either.  I don't watch her show nor have I ever tried any of her recipes, so I can't speak to her cooking abilities.  She just rubs me the wrong way for some reason.  She acts very superior and bossy-pants.  I also can't stand her 'eyeglasses as a headband' accessorizing.  It's so obvious her hair is styled around them & the glasses are ever-so delicately perched/inserted into her coif (like a tiara) vs. how most of us just push them back on top of our heads.  Duff is very likeable and a good judge.  I also like that he is a buffer between Nancy & Lorraine.  No love lost there, am I right?

As for the contestants, so far so good.  The young lady who just turned 21 is very accomplished and has good instincts. Patti's wreath cake looked most wreath like, but overall, I thought it was a dumb challenge.  Some of those bunt pan designs were difficult to translate into something that is supposed to be viewed vertically/hanging up.  I like the guy with the dark hair and beard - Matt??  I think it's because he looks a lot like the cute barista at the coffee shop near me.

[Ilovecomputers]

48 minutes ago, mlp said:

I love this show.  I like Duff and Lorraine and I was happy to see Bobby Deen back.  I do not like Nancy Fuller but she was a relief after Damiano on the Halloween show.  I do wish Nancy and Lorraine would stop sniping at each other.  It's not cute or amusing.  Duff looks so much better since he gave up on stubble and grew a proper short beard.

So far, I like all the contestants too.  The little guy from Kentucky sounds, to my ear, exactly like David from Worst Bakers which is weird because David is from somewhere in NYC.  

You would think making a bundt cake look like a wreath would be simple but the only one that really said "wreath" to me was the one with a bow that was an odd shade of pinkish-orange.  That baker also had some cookies frosted with an unappetizing shade of green.  

Didn't Damiano compete in last year's HBC?  He seemed charming and fun and I daydreamed a bit about him wooing me through baked goods, but I digress. I saw him turn up on the Next Food Network Star a couple of times and he seemed charming and fun and I knew Food Network had plans for him. He won, of course, and when I saw him on Halloween Wars he had no humor at all and no constructive  criticism at all. That Next Food Network Star show is not something I'd want to win anyway--all the past winners except Guy F have turned up as judges in these endless cooking show contests like Guy's Grocery Games or Chopped. They must have Mylanta by the case on set 'cause I know I'd be hurling in the bathroom from all the dreadful concoctions of raw/undercooked/burned food. 

I'm puzzled how that woman got such awful color combinations. I've made red velvet cake many times and red food coloring is pretty easy to achieve. 

[Refresh]

4 hours ago, Ilovecomputers said:

Mr. Kentucky Moonshine, I like your style, but scale it back a bit.

 

1 hour ago, mlp said:

The little guy from Kentucky sounds, to my ear, exactly like David from Worst Bakers which is weird because David is from somewhere in NYC.  

I like him too, but he is seriously reminding me of South Park's Mr. Garrison. Just... all of it. I know that's horrible, but I feel safe admitting it here.

Comparing Halloween to Holiday (people in their slots): I like Duff sooo much better than the wet noodle Damiano. Nancy and Sandra Lee are the same to me, both know it alls, mostly annoying but with good points occassionally. I like Carla better than Lorraine. Bobby vs. the Ventriloquist - eh, same to me, Hosts are generally irritating but necessary. But somehow the Holiday show feels so much better and happier than Halloween, even though the players don't add up. It may just be the contestants. 

Wreath challenge: If you're used to seeing a wreath of pine needles then I kind of get the no leaf reaction but leaves on a wreath is not a huge conceptual jump, so I was annoyed that guy just didn't follow the rules.

I also have never had or made a stuffed bundt. I would have done it the way the loser did, piping it in. Which could have still worked if the cake wasn't warm? Anyone tried?

I don't' like the idea of picking dough out or cutting off the bottom. I like an intact cake.

[Mittengirl]

I am surprised so many have never heard of a stuffed bundt cake.  I believe it was "invented" back in the '50s, called tunnel of fudge cake and was a Pillsbury Bake-off winner.  Many of these were eaten at church luncheons back in the day.

Yet again this season people are being told their presentation has no flavor.  I don't get it.  They are all experienced bakers.  How can so many not get the flavor strength right?

I don't like Lorraine, she seems very snooty.  Like only peons would dare disagree with her.  

[crazycatlady58]

On 11/7/2016 at 7:23 PM, Mittengirl said:

I am surprised so many have never heard of a stuffed bundt cake.  I believe it was "invented" back in the '50s, called tunnel of fudge cake and was a Pillsbury Bake-off winner.  Many of these were eaten at church luncheons back in the day.

Yet again this season people are being told their presentation has no flavor.  I don't get it.  They are all experienced bakers.  How can so many not get the flavor strength right?

I don't like Lorraine, she seems very snooty.  Like only peons would dare disagree with her.  

I remember  the tunnel  of fudge cakes, I  made some (a lot of years  later, I am old just  not that old) and I did not add the stuffing after I made the cake it was baked in the cake. It just seems  odd as you said none of they bakers were not familiar  with this.

[Refresh]

48 minutes ago, crazycatlady58 said:

I remember  the tunnel  of fudge cakes, I  made some (a lot of years  later, I am old just  not that old) and I did not add the stuffing after I made the cake it was baked in the cake.

 

1 hour ago, Mittengirl said:

I believe it was "invented" back in the '50s, called tunnel of fudge cake

OMG! Maybe that was a repressed memory, because it's all coming back to me. When I was a kid (1980s) and baked from mixes, I do remember I tried that once after begging my mom to buy it in the grocery. But yes, you bake in the tunnel, and the texture of the tunnel being more pudding-like. Thanks for posting that. Serious flashback.

Edited November 8, 2016 by Refresh
not so many exclams.

[laffytaffy997]

7 hours ago, Refresh said:

 

I like him too, but he is seriously reminding me of South Park's Mr. Garrison. Just... all of it. I know that's horrible, but I feel safe admitting it here.

Oh my god....you are so right and I'm not going to be able to unsee that now.

[joanne3482]

I've never heard of the tunnel of fudge cake or a stuffed bundt cake. I kept thinking of that scene in My Big Fat Greek Wedding where the mom "fixes" the bundt cake brought by Ian's mom. She put a flower pot in the "hole."  Also I don't understand how the bakers were putting the cream filling in after the fact? Everything I've looked up says put down a layer of cake mix, put the filling and then put more cake mix and then bake. 

[dewelar]

This was such a breath of fresh air after the abomination that was this year's Halloween show. Everyone seemed like they were having so much more fun, and the bakers seem a good bit more competent, lack of Bundt knowledge aside (which, as noted above, is very much a classic recipe). While I like Carla a lot, I like the dynamics of these judges quite a bit -- even the sniping between Nancy and Lorraine adds something to the mix.

I do take some issue with the wreath part of that challenge, though, since some of those pans do not lend themselves to that kind of decoration. Some of the non-wreath-y ones looked better -- Patti's, which looked most like a wreath to me, ended up in the bottom two -- but then I expect these shows not to be concerned with actual rules by now. Amber's might not have been too bad if she hadn't gone overboard with the spun sugar -- it looked more like a bird's nest than a wreath. I like Cheryl, but that thing should not have won. Her snow job (heh) on the judges aside, that broke what should have been the more important rule: it wasn't a HOLIDAY wreath. Ah, well, this is why I don't get invested in the competition part of these shows and just watch for the entertainment value.

Looking forward to the rest of the season!

[Crucial]

I am so happy this is back.  Wow, what a difference in shows. I love Carla, too bad she didn't have judges like this - but she did with Ron.  Jason (the southern guy) he reminds me of Todd Chrisley from Chrisley Knows Best (I hope I spelled that right - I watch it but never paid attention to the spelling). They are both one in the same with their sayings.  I love Bobby Dean and I think he is perfect as host.  His we are back with both Nancy and Lorraine snipping back was too funny.  Love this show

[festivus]

I'm fine with Cheryl's win. Not everyone's holiday is about peppermint or gingerbread. If lemon is what reminds her of the holidays then that's what she should make. I know that's the one I most wanted to try.

[dewelar]

1 hour ago, festivus said:

I'm fine with Cheryl's win. Not everyone's holiday is about peppermint or gingerbread. If lemon is what reminds her of the holidays then that's what she should make. I know that's the one I most wanted to try.

Lemon is one of my favorite flavors as well, so I might have cut her some slack on it...if she hadn't said specifically that her flavors reminded her, not of the holidays, but of fall. I will grant that it had quite the prominent display of leaves, though :).

[LuciaMia]

Quote

I do wish Nancy and Lorraine would stop sniping at each other

Just caught up with this episode, and I have to agree that Lorraine is a bit of a drip.

Also had to laugh how the judges kept saying "Im not getting a wreath here." They were baked in tall, rather elaborate bundt tins, so they would out looking like tall cakes,no matter how many edible leaves and red bows you put on them.

[GaT]

1 hour ago, LuciaMia said:

Also had to laugh how the judges kept saying "Im not getting a wreath here." They were baked in tall, rather elaborate bundt tins, so they would out looking like tall cakes,no matter how many edible leaves and red bows you put on them.

I wondered why nobody just cut the top layer off of their cakes so that they just had a flat circle that could easily be a wreath.

[CherZ]

It's still to early for me to have favorites etc but I can't stand Patti for some reason. She has some weird facial expressions...or something. I can't quite put my finger on it.

[tobeannounced]

Is Patti the older lady?  I don't really care for her.  Seems to be trying too hard to be quirky.

And appropos of nothing, is a blast chiller really a thing, or is that just something used on these shows?

[Maverick]

 Blast chillers are primarily used in commercial food manufacturing to cool cooked product rapidly, preventing the formation of bacteria.  

[tobeannounced]

Ooh, I want that white chocolate peppermint pie recipe!  Checked the site.  Looks like recipes from last week.  I hope they put it up.

[LittleIggy]

Damiano didn't win FNS. That annoying Tregay (fleek!) did.

[Ilovecomputers]

This episode makes me want to buy/try some quince. I love everything about grapefruit and I would have loved to try Vincenzo's cookies even if the combinations sounded odd. Had to laugh about the mock-pecan pie that tasted like beans. Makes me think of Ritz cracker mock-apple pie. I've never had that but I know several people who swear they can't tell the difference. Cheryl is going to be tough to beat. I guess taking a little risk and failing trumps tried and true or bland desserts.  Tough call. How does bakery owner Patty seem to struggle so much? Do they sell only doughnuts?

[GaT]

My DVR cut out just as they were going to eliminate someone. Who got sent home?

[CraftyHazel]

Maddie, the 21-year-old.

[cherrypj]

3 hours ago, GaT said:

My DVR cut out just as they were going to eliminate someone. Who got sent home?

The second episode came down to Maddie and Shawne, who provided my favorite moment in the first episode, when he whacked off the pineapple stems with his hands. (I had to try it myself. It works!)

The bean pie reminded me of making "thin mints" with Ritz crackers. It killed me when the bean pie didn't come through. That the judges laughed, rather than tearing Jason a new one, was nice.

Finally, super-duper hope Cheryl isn't another Michelle (Halloween) with the, "Anyone else done yet? Anyone in the oven yet? No? Just me? Haha!" Fuck off with that.

[NYGirl]

I can't believe the older lady saved herself!  I thought for sure she was going after that cookie debacle.

[justjen]

I was only kind of paying attention while watching elimination part of the show because they get exhausting after a while, but was Maddie basically just eliminated (I won't say "sent home" because they're ALL sent home...they don't live at the studio) because she was so boring?

[tobeannounced]

Yeah, pretty much.  I think if you want to win $50,000, you need to do more than make grandma's apple pie and a bland berry pie.  Any home baker can do that.

[Frost]

I'm glad Duff called out the older lady on her 'deconstruction' twaddle.  That was just a straight out lie and it always bugs me when people on these shows get away with that.  I'm glad she managed to pull herself together for the pie portion, although she is trying too hard to be quirky and I won't mind when she goes home.

I'm from Minnesota so I was rooting for Maddie.  But I can see where boring pies would send her home, especially when she doesn't really have an outgoing personality to make up for it.

Vincenzo's bonzo Italian schtick is wearing on me.   There's a happy medium between boring and in your face - find it!

I always thought of quince as something in fruitcake, so I figured it was a raisin or currant like fruit.  Huh.  I'm intrigued.

[zxy556575]

1 hour ago, Frost said:

I'm glad Duff called out the older lady on her 'deconstruction' twaddle.  That was just a straight out lie and it always bugs me when people on these shows get away with that. 

I was glad he did, too, but I don't blame Patti for giving it a try. I've seen plenty of food show contestants get scolded for naming a dish incorrectly: "This tastes great, but it's not X. I'm offended that you would call it that."

So at least she didn't try to pass it off as a sandwich.

[Maya]

Are cookies a traditional Thanksgiving food? I don't doubt people eat them on Thanksgiving, but calling them "traditional" might be a stretch, with the whole cooking with grandma build-up.

Speaking of, I'm never sure if winning the "extra pair of hands" is really a good thing. I think the person would get in the way. 

Edited November 14, 2016 by Maya

[Ilovecomputers]

10 minutes ago, Maya said:

Are cookies a traditional Thanksgiving food? I don't doubt people eat them on Thanksgiving, but calling them "traditional" might be a stretch, with the whole cooking with grandma build-up.

Speaking of, I'm never sure if winning the "extra pair of hands" is really a good thing. I think the person would get in the way. 

The so-called advantages to winning the first round haven't seemed very advantageous. Vincenzo seemed to use the extra help in the last 15 minutes of the challenge, but then, a lot of that time was spent hugging, dancing etc.

[NYGirl]

Look..on any show...at any time...no matter when or what ..when a contestant tries to do something to "hide" what they are supposed to be doing or like Patti did, say it's something else, or make a mistake, you KNOW the judges are going to ding you for it.  I'm sure somebody is watching the tapes and tells them what happened.

It especially happens on Project Runway when Tim says something and the contestant ignores it.  The judges ding them for that exact same thing...  Coincidence?  I think not

[SingleMaltBlonde]

10 hours ago, justjen said:

I was only kind of paying attention while watching elimination part of the show because they get exhausting after a while, but was Maddie basically just eliminated (I won't say "sent home" because they're ALL sent home...they don't live at the studio) because she was so boring?

I could tell her apple pie was bland just from looking at it.

[BW Manilowe]

6 hours ago, Maya said:

Are cookies a traditional Thanksgiving food? I don't doubt people eat them on Thanksgiving, but calling them "traditional" might be a stretch, with the whole cooking with grandma build-up.

Speaking of, I'm never sure if winning the "extra pair of hands" is really a good thing. I think the person would get in the way. 

I think the show's a "general" holiday baking show, not just Thanksgiving. So yeah, cookies are OK. Last week they did bundt cakes that were supposed to look like wreaths, after all.

[Feline Queen]

I wonder why the Stonewall Kitchen brand label was covered up on the pink grapefruit marmalade? 

The white chocolate peppermint pie looked delicious.

I don't think Patty is trying to act quirky, I think she really is that screwy. Same with Vincenzo. I don't think it's an act with him either. But I'd rather have someone who's over the top happy than one who's a moody jerk. 

I did laugh at the depression pie that tasted like the beans that were supposed to be the poor man's substitute for pecans. Jason's good ol' boy schtick is more annoying to me than Vincenzo's personality. 

[SingleMaltBlonde]

18 hours ago, Feline Goddess said:

I did laugh at the depression pie that tasted like the beans that were supposed to be the poor man's substitute for pecans. Jason's good ol' boy schtick is more annoying to me than Vincenzo's personality. 

Oddly this is something my Grandmother would totally do and swear it tasted like pecans because actual pecans are too expensive.  This is the same woman who burnt pudding and called it chocolate chip:-)

[grisgris]

Why does FN always come up with the same "cast" for these competitions? Southerner, temperamental millennial, home bakers, transplant from abroad, mouthy Italian fromm back east, average joe, young pup, nutty older lady and high-strung KIA woman.

We've got them all right here, folks!

I think that Patti is an odd duck, too. She reminds me of another kooky older woman (Susan?) from a previous season. They were about the same age and Susan had reddish hair.  Wasn't there a Caribbean guy last year who got dinged for using his same base  dough in both of his cookies. I was holding my breath when the black lady (sorry, don't quite know all of their names yet) did that, but the judges either didn't notice or didn't comment.

I also wondered why the younger dark-haired guy (Matt?) kept bringing up that he gets sick during the winter?  That's not the most joy-inducing holiday season to draw inspiration from, the MENTION it. He seems like he's a good baker, though. And lots of drama!  If he's trying to garner sympathy from the judges, well, that didn't work in week one with the first loser who mentioned that she was a single mom who needed the money.

So far, nobody stands out for me.

I kind of thought the Nancy-Lorraine sniping was an act. Lorraine was on Nancy's show last year and they acted like they were the best of buddies.  It seemed genuine to me and they even laughed about how they don't agreed behind the judges table. Who knows these days, what's real and what's manufactured for the camera?

[BW Manilowe]

22 hours ago, Feline Goddess said:

I wonder why the Stonewall Kitchen brand label was covered up on the pink grapefruit marmalade? 

The white chocolate peppermint pie looked delicious.

I don't think Patty is trying to act quirky, I think she really is that screwy. Same with Vincenzo. I don't think it's an act with him either. But I'd rather have someone who's over the top happy than one who's a moody jerk. 

I did laugh at the depression pie that tasted like the beans that were supposed to be the poor man's substitute for pecans. Jason's good ol' boy schtick is more annoying to me than Vincenzo's personality. 

The brand name was probably covered up because the company didn't pay for product placement.

[Refresh]

3 hours ago, SingleMaltBlonde said:

Oddly this is something my Grandmother would totally do and swear it tasted like pecans because actual pecans are too expensive.  This is the same woman who burnt pudding and called it chocolate chip:-)

I'm have a thing for vintage recipes, the good the bad the ugly. There was a book that came out the last year or so called "A Square Meal" by Andrew Coe and Jane Ziegelman that is about Depression era food. Super interesting to see Jason using these types of recipes (though his aren't specifically Depression era). But he's in a stocked kitchen, he doesn't actually need to use beans, he could've used pecans or some other nut. Sort of interesting but it won't win for him, I don't think.

Vincenzo's desserts seem just too much, too many flavors. I'll have to believe the judges palettes that butterscotch and grapefruit marmalade went together, because I'm having a hard time imagining that, especially when made with butterscotch chips (which are too sweet and artificial tasting I think). But maybe he's some alchemy wizard.

[bkathi]

I think Jason's mistake was giving them the big pie with a pecan crumble? dust? whatever it was.  Too easy to compare beans to the pecans that way. 

[BW Manilowe]

OK... I watched a repeat of the pie ep earlier today & maybe I'm confused or something. Bobby said they couldn't use electrical appliances to make the pies. How did they end up--at the very least--with baked crusts without using ovens? I mean, few if any of those pie recipes were "no bake", "no mix", "no refrigerate", etc. At least from what I remember seeing.