S02.E01: Cake Week / S02.E02: Cookie Week

[Refresh]

3 hours ago, Machiabelly said:

Ashlynd reminds me of someone...either someone from the British show. Or maybe Cry Pie.

She reminds me of the young southern baker who was on last year's Food Network Holiday Baking Competition. Haley her name is. At least I think that's who she reminds me of.

8 hours ago, lordonia said:

They flew everyone to England? Good grief.

I'm curious if they send certain ingredients over. Because while a lot is the same, things like butter, European, are significantly richer than normal "American" butter.

Or maybe it's not that weird and there are exact equal ingredients but I know I swapped Euro butter for normal butter last year in a recipe I've made many times, and while it baked ok it was so rich I couldn't really eat it.

 

15 hours ago, Rinaldo said:

 

They're both perfectly pleasant company (I enjoy them when they turn up, separately or together, as guest clue givers on Celebrity Name Game), but they're not a comedic duo, nor have they ever pretended to be.

I like both Nia and Ian separately, like you say. But when they're together it's like two high school drama geeks improvising and topping one another. It's kind of cringey. Example, when Johnny mentioned that woman's bake was blue and white, and  Greek - Nia's comment "We have Christmas" was totally funny and natural, didn't seem scripted.   I've loved Ian on many a show (Cougartown, Felicity). Maybe it's that they're superfans of the show and can't temper their geeking out? Could be worse but its a bit awkward.

[meep.meep]

Mary may not have known what snicker doodles were, but she wasn't contemptuous about it like Paul would have been.

Poor Courtney.  

[stanleyk]

I didn't see the last version of this American series, but I love GBBO. I did enjoy this, even if it was a bit different. They have at least maintained the fundamental thing most people seem to respond to, which is decent people doing something they love in a friendly way, without reality-show characters and ridiculously aggressive talking-heads and all that unpleasant mess.

It's a bummer that they have to film the way they do, because I think the week at home that the British bakers enjoy is a big part of the appeal of that show. Not only are they able to practice and maintain sanity a bit better by being at home, but it makes it real in a way that sequestering ruins. Like people are talking about how they had to grade papers that week or take exams or had a busy week at work so they weren't able to practice as much as they'd wanted. Though the bakers seem good, it must siginficantly limit the pool when you need to be able to take two months away from home in a competition that is only for bragging rights.

I was glad to see Nancy go since the fact that she was so out of her depth made me uncomfortable. I was also not too sorry to see Courtney go. He was too much a performer, too "on" all the time for my tastes.

If one aspect of this show is Mary being exposed to random American baking things, I'm here for that. One of my favorite aspects of GBBO is learning about classic British baked goods that I wasn't familiar with. It's funny to see that flipped!

[meep.meep]

Another thing I loved:  Johnny bowing to Mary when it turned out she was right about Jeremiah having turned over his apple almond cake.

Does anyone know where I can get the recipe for that cake?

[becauseIsaidso]

I'm very happy to see this show. When I heard GBBO was gone in its original format, to be replaced by something that sounded horribly like a poorly done American Reality TV Competition (shudder) I thought if there was any member of the original cast to follow, it would be Mary....Loved that so many of the features of GBBO have been carried forward.

As for the Snickerdoodle bit, I wasn't at all surprised Mary had never heard of them; prior to watching GBBO, I had no idea that what I call 'bread flour' is called 'strong flour' across the pond...and until I went to England for the first time in 2004, I had no idea that my 'cookies' were their 'biscuits', my 'chips' were their 'crisps' and my 'French fries' were their 'chips', and I was absolutely disbelieving that anyone could eat holding the fork with tines pointing down - but I tried it, and now I find upside down fork in the left hand (with very few exceptions) to be the most comfortable and efficient way to eat...whoddathunkit?

[BW Manilowe]

2 hours ago, meep.meep said:

Another thing I loved:  Johnny bowing to Mary when it turned out she was right about Jeremiah having turned over his apple almond cake.

Does anyone know where I can get the recipe for that cake?

Ask & ye shall receive:

http://abc.go.com/shows/the-great-american-baking-show/news/recipes/mary-berry-apple-almond-cake-recipe

I think this is the only recipe they have up from the episode, but I'm not positive. I just Googled "Mary Berry's Apple Almond Cake" & got lucky--though I figured it might at least be posted somewhere without the connection to the show.

[Rapunzel]

I also thought that the Cookie "Week" episode might have been a non-elimination since they lost Antoinette (anyone hear what the family emergency was? I hope things turned out okay), however, as someone else mentioned, as there was a pretty clear loser they may save the non-elimination for another week when everyone is more equal and it's harder to pick a loser. I think they did that in another season, but I can't remember.

In any case, Courtney had to go. He was awful in both "weeks." That chocolate layer cake that he made in which he used gram masala and crème de cassis in it looked awful. It was just a brown, crooked, mess. The fact that, when Mary tasted it, she actually said something like "it was not a good chocolate cake," is pretty bad. That's pretty harsh criticism from Mary as she usually tries to always mention something positive as well, but she hated the look of it and the taste of it. Why couldn't have least used some color when decorated it? I honestly thought he was might have gone home over Nancy, but Nancy was a hot mess and definitely deserved to be at the bottom as well.

Next week is bread week, so we'll have to see how they do. I remember in season one they had to make croissants, and making those things from scratch is no joke. It is startling when you see how much butter is used to make those things - but that's why they taste so good! I wonder what they'll have this season.

[theatremouse]

1 hour ago, Rapunzel said:

I also thought that the Cookie "Week" episode might have been a non-elimination since they lost Antoinette (anyone hear what the family emergency was? I hope things turned out okay), however, as someone else mentioned, as there was a pretty clear loser they may save the non-elimination for another week when everyone is more equal and it's harder to pick a loser. I think they did that in another season, but I can't remember.

Am I remembering wrong or was she there for 2 of the 3 and was near tops for both? So I'm assuming they were still eliminating someone else under the premise they would not have eliminated Antoinette even if she were there and totally screwed up the showstopper. It was unclear to me if there were a possibility she might be back...although I suppose if transatlantic flights are involved and there isn't a true week in between filming with the Americans that may be not plausible.

[Rapunzel]

1 minute ago, theatremouse said:

Am I remembering wrong or was she there for 2 of the 3 and was near tops for both? So I'm assuming they were still eliminating someone else under the premise they would not have eliminated Antoinette even if she were there and totally screwed up the showstopper. It was unclear to me if there were a possibility she might be back...although I suppose if transatlantic flights are involved and there isn't a true week in between filming with the Americans that may be not plausible.

I believe you're right. I think she came in second on the biscotti challenge (Jerimiah won that one), and she mentioned she had never eaten biscotti before much less made any, and she was close to the top in the signature bake as well, but I can't remember what kind of cookie bars she made.

It was nice to see her doing so well in cookie week because she had some troubles in cake week as her first two cakes, her Bundt cake and Mary's apple almond cake, were both a bit undercooked on the bottom. She was still somewhere in the middle on those though and I think her showstopper was decent, but again, can't remember what she made.

[Rinaldo]

2 hours ago, Rapunzel said:

I also thought that the Cookie "Week" episode might have been a non-elimination since they lost Antoinette (anyone hear what the family emergency was? I hope things turned out okay), however, as someone else mentioned, as there was a pretty clear loser they may save the non-elimination for another week when everyone is more equal and it's harder to pick a loser. I think they did that in another season, but I can't remember.

(I was the someone else. ☺ )

In Great British Bake Off Season 5, Diane was injured and left between Weeks 4 and 5. They still went ahead and eliminated Norman in Week 5. But then in Week 6 Mary and Paul differed strongly on who should be eliminated, so they didn't eliminate anyone.

In season 3, they had an unscheduled non-elimination in Week 6, but for a different reason: one baker injured a finger and was unable to complete the showstopper, and it didn't seem fair to eliminate either him (for needing medical attention) nor anyone else, in his absence. But they did catch up by having a double elimination the following week.

[jhlipton]

I miss both "On Your Marks" and "Bake!" (which my wife and I would chirp along with!), but this version is pretty good and A, I, and N (for those with OCD) are doing a fair job.

On 12/2/2016 at 9:00 AM, proserpina65 said:

I have to say that Jeremiah seems like the odds on favorite, but that could change; I am blown away by his skill right now.

I have forgotten who it was but one fellow won "Star Baker" three weeks in a row (on the last GBBO?), but I don't think he made it to the finals.

On 12/2/2016 at 4:24 PM, Athena said:

A bundt cake is a bundt cake in the UK. 

Is a bundt cake a special recipe or is it any cake baked in the special [ans?

20 hours ago, theatremouse said:

 I think Courtney could've had a WAY easier time with assembly if he hadn't gone 100% icing-as-glue. Gotta bake these things like puzzle pieces, people!

The Indian woman used cross-pieces for some of her penguins.  I think there may have been others as well.

11 hours ago, stanleyk said:

I didn't see the last version of this American series, but I love GBBO. I did enjoy this, even if it was a bit different. They have at least maintained the fundamental thing most people seem to respond to, which is decent people doing something they love in a friendly way, without reality-show characters and ridiculously aggressive talking-heads and all that unpleasant mess.

YASSSSS! (as the kids say)

[xqueenfrostine]

On 12/2/2016 at 3:58 PM, lordonia said:

They flew everyone to England? Good grief. There are plenty of open grassy fields in the U.S. and air conditioning is available for tents. Producers of U.S. shows are not willing to film for months in order to let the contestants return home during the week, which means forced seclusion and shooting 10+ hours a day. That atmosphere is not really conducive to relaxed and friendly contestants.

How did that work?  Did they fly them to England every single weekend, or did they live there for 8 weeks?  That seems a lot more complicated than the UK version where a weekly commute seems more doable.

 

Quote

Is a bundt cake a special recipe or is it any cake baked in the special [ans?

It's all about the pan, though some types of cake recipes are better suited for bundt pans than others.  The depth and large surface area of the pan make these cakes really prone to drying out.

Edited December 4, 2016 by xqueenfrostine

[Rickster]

I'm going to defer on whether these US bakers are less talented than the British bakers based on the evidence of these first two episodes ( last year was a different story). I would agree the ability to practice should be an advantage, but for example I thought the cookie decorating was generally at a higher level than I saw in similar challenges on GBBO. I will hazard a guess that the UK bakers may be more broadly skilled in different types of baking so I guess we may see this come out in future episodes.

Edited December 4, 2016 by Rickster

[irisheyes]

It seems the bakers are getting along much like the GBBO bakers.  Liked how they joked about going out for karaoke (?) once they were done with the showstopper day. 

 

Also, did they adjust the ovens to use Fahrenheit temps?  And didn't the GBBO bakers have convection type ovens?  (I know some of the recipes I've looked up call for a fan speed.)

Edited December 4, 2016 by irisheyes

[proserpina65]

On 12/2/2016 at 5:56 PM, irisheyes said:

Mary Berry won't fly over here.  And, at 81, who can blame her?

She's 81?!?  She looks pretty good for her age.

[GaT]

I finally got to see both episodes, but I had to watch on my computer because liar, liar pants on fire Comcast (shows are on OnDemand the next day!) never put the show on OnDemand. Anyway, The show seems better this year than last, I don't know if it's actually better, or I'm just resigned to it not being as good as GBBO, but I enjoyed it. The bakers seemed to be better too, & Nia & Ian didn't bore me as much. I keep remembering how I went from not liking Mel & Sue at all to loving them, so who knows. I don't have a favorite yet, but I knew exactly who was going home both times, it's a shame about Antoinette, I liked her.

Isn't hemlock poisonous?  When Ashlin brought it out I thought everyone was going to die.

[bunnyface]

I finally got to see the show tonight.  I went to look something up (which I didn't find) because for some reason, I had the impression that Nia and Ian were producers of the show, which may explain why they are hosting.  I haven't confirmed that but something floating in the back of my head makes me think they were instrumental in it being revived in US.  Or I totally  made that up.  One of those things.  

But I did find an article about why Antoinette had to leave.  I didn't see it addressed elsewhere.  Her father passed away. 

I also found this, which made me laugh: 

"Berry is, of course, key in making this all work. She gives off a grandmotherly vibe, but the kind of grandmother who was a spy back in the day and still knows a dozen ways to kill a man with a pastry bag."

 

This was the article:

https://www.yahoo.com/tv/the-great-american-baking-show-succeeds-in-importing-a-british-classic-040148967.html

[mertensia]

I'm thinking she meant the Western Hemlock- Tsuga heterophylla- which is not a true hemlock, but a member of the Pinaceae family.

[cherrypj]

On 12/3/2016 at 9:45 AM, stanleyk said:

I didn't see the last version of this American series, but I love GBBO. I did enjoy this, even if it was a bit different. They have at least maintained the fundamental thing most people seem to respond to, which is decent people doing something they love in a friendly way, without reality-show characters and ridiculously aggressive talking-heads and all that unpleasant mess.

Definitely enjoying the focus on the food.

Never having watched the GBBO with any regularity (I mean to fix that), I can't compare INA with Mel and Sue. I love that ANI are married--I enjoy watching people who know each other well work together. For those that think they have no chemistry, who really cares? Not me. It's a professional setting, and the show's not about them.

By the way, can we get this thread renamed? Isn't it Season 2?

Edited December 4, 2016 by cherrypj

[theatremouse]

12 hours ago, xqueenfrostine said:

How did that work?  Did they fly them to England every single weekend, or did they live there for 8 weeks?  That seems a lot more complicated than the UK version where a weekly commute seems more doable.

I don't know if Mary Berry's contract/schedule required it actually be done over weekends as it is with the British contestants. I sort of assumed when they flew them over there that rather than them living there fore 8 weeks, it was more like 3 weeks, with them still taking 2 days each to film each episode, but basically doing them back to back with some off days here or there. And the episode title naming is just a holdover, not implying they had a week in between.

[Rinaldo]

8 hours ago, bunnyface said:

I finally got to see the show tonight.  I went to look something up (which I didn't find) because for some reason, I had the impression that Nia and Ian were producers of the show, which may explain why they are hosting.  I haven't confirmed that but something floating in the back of my head makes me think they were instrumental in it being revived in US.  Or I totally made that up.  One of those things.  

I haven't seen anything to suggest that Nia/Ian are anything other than employees here. So I guess that means "made it up"? Unless I'm the one who's mistaken....

51 minutes ago, cherrypj said:

By the way, can we get this thread renamed? Isn't it Season 2?

No, this is Season 1. What we had last year was The Great HOLIDAY Baking Show. Admittedly it's pretty much the same format and content, and IMDb does conflate the two into one entry. But given a new title, I have no problem having a new forum for this.

[Rapunzel]

16 minutes ago, Rinaldo said:

No, this is Season 1. What we had last year was The Great HOLIDAY Baking Show. Admittedly it's pretty much the same format and content, and IMDb does conflate the two into one entry. But given a new title, I have no problem having a new forum for this.

What was the very first American version called that had Jeff Foxworthy and Paul Hollywood as the hosts? That was before Nia and Ian hosted last year.

I guess, regardless of title, given that the format has been the same, this is kind of season 3. Either way, I don't think it matters much. I just know the first season in the US had different hosts than this season and the one last year.  

[Jesse]

The Foxworthy show was The American Baking Competition and on CBS, so a whole other thing, if still inspired by GBBO. 

[rereader2]

I'm so glad this show is back--or whatever, if it's officially a new show--but WHY OH WHY are they showing two shows in one night? It's too much, like snacking on cookies after stuffing yourself on cake. I hope they aren't going to keep that schedule up.

[Irlandesa]

20 minutes ago, rereader2 said:

I'm so glad this show is back--or whatever, if it's officially a new show--but WHY OH WHY are they showing two shows in one night? It's too much, like snacking on cookies after stuffing yourself on cake. I hope they aren't going to keep that schedule up.

I actually kind of like it just as I liked when PBS aired two a night for a few weeks.  But no, going forward it looks like just an hour each week.

[theatremouse]

I read something somewhere that looked like the first week and the last week they're airing two at a time. In the middle will be one.

[LaChavalina]

I'm really happy this is back. I think the idea of doing this show over the holiday season is kind of inspired. It means that even though we have the same themes, we get very different bakes than we see on the British version. That said, we Americans are not up to par on our showstoppers. Some of those cakes made me cringe.

Tangentially-- I got a laugh out of this Wikipedia article discussing the etymology of the name "Snickerdoodle." You know that bit about the fancy German name is just poppycock. If it were in any way European, Mary would know it!

[meep.meep]

My family is German and a term of endearment for small children is schnickelfritz.  So, maybe, not that far fetched.

[RealityCheck]

I finally got to watch the first episode.  I'm not good with names but pretty good with faces and I recognized Nancy.  After rummaging in my memory and doing some online research, I found where I saw her before.  Nancy Judd - she competed on Chopped in the first "Grandma vs Grandma" competition and was eliminated in the first round.  Nancy's cakes were the worst of the lot so I was satisfied with the outcome.

[Amy Beth]

I stumbled across this show last week. I have never watched the British version nor any of the American iterations before. I used to watch Top Chef, but haven't in several years.

Here are some random thoughts:

This is probably an odd complaint, but there was too much baking. 3 very involved projects in an hour (44 minutes of actual airtime) just tired me out. I would have preferred  2 projects and see more of the actual baking and the thought process behind the choices.

i also would have liked some more explanations behind the various challenges. Why did they choose a bundt cake challenge? Is that considered a harder or easier thing among bakers? Etc., etc. 

Why would you hold a baking contest in an outdoor tent instead of a climate-controlled kitchen? Baking requires precision. I can't imagine how frustrating it would be to have a recipe fail because you always baked at room temperature, not outside on a summer's day.

Since Nia Vardalos is involved, I assume there will be a baklava challenge forthcoming.

[stitcher73]

On 12/3/2016 at 0:27 AM, theatremouse said:

The people I was watching with said the same thing! But (their) googling didn't turn up anything. I wonder if she was on some Food Network show or something...

I was annoyed during the 3D cookies challenge, it seemed like maybe only one of the contestants went with the "cut out/fit together" approach. I think Courtney could've had a WAY easier time with assembly if he hadn't gone 100% icing-as-glue. Gotta bake these things like puzzle pieces, people!

I'm positive I've seen nancy on a Food network show...maybe it was a chopped w/grandmas?? 

[stitcher73]

found it!  http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865597977/Mormon-grandma-from-Alpine-appears-on-Food-Networks-Chopped.html?pg=all

 

Now I have to get back to work!!

[Athena]

1 hour ago, Amy Beth said:

I stumbled across this show last week. I have never watched the British version nor any of the American iterations before. I used to watch Top Chef, but haven't in several years.

Here are some random thoughts:

This is probably an odd complaint, but there was too much baking. 3 very involved projects in an hour (44 minutes of actual airtime) just tired me out. I would have preferred  2 projects and see more of the actual baking and the thought process behind the choices.

i also would have liked some more explanations behind the various challenges. Why did they choose a bundt cake challenge? Is that considered a harder or easier thing among bakers? Etc., etc. 

Why would you hold a baking contest in an outdoor tent instead of a climate-controlled kitchen? Baking requires precision. I can't imagine how frustrating it would be to have a recipe fail because you always baked at room temperature, not outside on a summer's day.

Since Nia Vardalos is involved, I assume there will be a baklava challenge forthcoming.

The excessive baking is what I like about this show. Some of the other international formats have 2 challenge but it's due mostly to time. I definitely think this is a UK thing because there is a lot of cooking on UK cooking competitions, much more than in the USA. It's more food focused.

The outdoor tent is a product of the original. In the UK, baking competitions are often held under tents and marquees at fairs etc. While the show has had some issues with baking outdoors if it's particularly hot, the weather in the UK is actually less variable in the sense that it rarely goes over or under a certain degrees. Generally the bakers have adapted to this format from Australia, UK, and etc. It's part of the novelty of the show.

 

On 2016-12-04 at 10:30 AM, cherrypj said:

By the way, can we get this thread renamed? Isn't it Season 2?
 

23 hours ago, Rinaldo said:

No, this is Season 1. What we had last year was The Great HOLIDAY Baking Show. Admittedly it's pretty much the same format and content, and IMDb does conflate the two into one entry. But given a new title, I have no problem having a new forum for this.

 

22 hours ago, Rapunzel said:

I guess, regardless of title, given that the format has been the same, this is kind of season 3. Either way, I don't think it matters much. I just know the first season in the US had different hosts than this season and the one last year.  

The Foxworthy show was on another network and failed so this is Love Productions second attempt to revive the show due the popularity of PBS airing the original show.

Instead of requesting a new forum, I requested it to be renamed since the first holiday baking show was only four episodes. However, there are inconsistencies online about whether this is the first season or second season, but all the thread titles can be easily changed.

[ae2]

3 hours ago, Amy Beth said:

This is probably an odd complaint, but there was too much baking. 3 very involved projects in an hour (44 minutes of actual airtime) just tired me out. I would have preferred  2 projects and see more of the actual baking and the thought process behind the choices.

I agree with you! Like the British version, there's way too much going on to comfortably fit 3 bakes into a single episode and really get into the details of the bakes. Later on when there are fewer contestants this will get better.

[movingtargetgal]

On 12/4/2016 at 2:44 AM, bunnyface said:

But I did find an article about why Antoinette had to leave.  I didn't see it addressed elsewhere.  Her father passed away. 

I also found this, which made me laugh: 

"Berry is, of course, key in making this all work. She gives off a grandmotherly vibe, but the kind of grandmother who was a spy back in the day and still knows a dozen ways to kill a man with a pastry bag."

I am so sorry to hear that Antoinette's father passed away while she was in England.  It must have been horrible to hear that kind of news when she was so far away from her family.  

The quote that describes Mary Berry is perfection. :)  It gave me a smile and a laugh on a dreary Monday morning.  Thank you Bunnyface for sharing it.  

[Rapunzel]

6 hours ago, Amy Beth said:

i also would have liked some more explanations behind the various challenges. Why did they choose a bundt cake challenge? Is that considered a harder or easier thing among bakers? Etc., etc. 

They did mention that the challenges throughout the competition are supposed to get harder and harder. Clearly, the challenges get harder within each week. Even though they don't pick the type of cake, cookie, bread, pastry, etc., they do get told in advance what type of cake they will be making and get to pick the recipe they will use in the "Signature Bake" challenges, so it should be something they've made before and are comfortable with, as you hear many of them mention they use traditional family recipes, or that when they make it for their family, they love it, etc. It's also how they know how to bring certain types of ingredients from home. In the second challenge, that is always one of Mary or Johnny's signature recipes that has steps, techniques, times, temperatures, and/or quantities/measurements omitted, though they are given all the ingredients. In the Showstopper, they are told the general type of cake, cookie, etc. they must make (meaning layer cake, or cookie-scape, not that they have to make gingerbread cookies for it or that they have to use a certain type of cake for their layers, etc.) and what the judges expect to see (i.e. Holiday theme, lots of colors, etc.), but this is their chance to really be creative and, since the judges expect to see many techniques here (different types of cookies, homemade jams, compotes, different types of icings, sugar work, artwork, etc.), they get 5 hours to do it. This format has been the same in all the various versions of the shows, I believe.

I think they also try to choose different types of items in each category to bake each season so that we're not always seeing a Bundt cake, a Victoria sponge, bar cookies, croissants, macarons, éclairs, etc. season after season.

6 hours ago, Amy Beth said:

Since Nia Vardalos is involved, I assume there will be a baklava challenge forthcoming.

I do believe they did have baklava done on one season of one of the shows.

As for why they cook in a tent, I wondered that as well, but I think Athena explains it pretty well:

4 hours ago, Athena said:

The outdoor tent is a product of the original. In the UK, baking competitions are often held under tents and marquees at fairs etc. While the show has had some issues with baking outdoors if it's particularly hot, the weather in the UK is actually less variable in the sense that it rarely goes over or under a certain degrees. Generally the bakers have adapted to this format from Australia, UK, and etc. It's part of the novelty of the show.

[dubbel zout]

3 minutes ago, Rapunzel said:

I think they also try to choose different types of items in each category to bake each season so that we're not always seeing a Bundt cake, a Victoria sponge, bar cookies, croissants, macarons, éclairs, etc. season after season.

I really liked how the technical in last year's GBBO finale used puff pastry because the judges remembered the finalists had had trouble with it during an earlier bake. It was a nice callback. 

[mlp]

Quote

Nancy Judd - she competed on Chopped in the first "Grandma vs Grandma" competition and was eliminated in the first round. 

Thank you!  I KNEW I'd seen her before but I just couldn't remember where.  And I've seen that episode of Chopped several times too.  Nancy looked a lot older and more "weathered" on the baking show.

[Rinaldo]

11 minutes ago, dubbel zout said:

I really liked how the technical in last year's GBBO finale used puff pastry because the judges remembered the finalists had had trouble with it during an earlier bake. It was a nice callback. 

And especially endearing when the finalists themselves realized that it had been selected specially to target their weakness, and they all laughed about it among themselves. That was a lovely moment of self-awareness, and embracing the joke on oneself.

[Tara Ariano]

In case you missed it, here's the Previously.TV post on the episode!

The Great American Baking Show Has Its Holiday Cake And Eats It Too

It's the return of the reality show that doesn't feel the need to cram a contrived fireworks factory down your throat.

[rhys]

I loved the one guy's bar cookies that were flower petal shaped. He added some frosted rosemary on the plate & it looked so festive.

I'm now going to refer to the hosts as Nian.

I want that red frig!

[justmehere]

12 hours ago, movingtargetgal said:

"Berry is, of course, key in making this all work. She gives off a grandmotherly vibe, but the kind of grandmother who was a spy back in the day and still knows a dozen ways to kill a man with a pastry bag."

The quote that describes Mary Berry is perfection. :) 

I think you mean sheer perfection!

[mlp]

In an odd little coincidence, the Chopped episode with Nancy Judd was re-run tonight.  She looked just the same but younger.

[vibeology]

On ‎12‎/‎3‎/‎2016 at 10:39 PM, xqueenfrostine said:

How did that work?  Did they fly them to England every single weekend, or did they live there for 8 weeks?  That seems a lot more complicated than the UK version where a weekly commute seems more doable.

I would imagine that they probably spend two to three weeks filming with maybe if the show was generous, or Mary insisted, a day between each episode. This isn't the sort of show that benefits from Bachelor/Project Runway/American Idol Hollywood week-style sleep deprivation and stress since the audience seems very much to want the friendly, skilled feel of the British show but money is money and the longer they're filming the more expensive the production. They probably rent short term apartments, for the contestants, everyone flies over at once and everyone flies back when its over, save Antionette's family emergency.

On ‎12‎/‎3‎/‎2016 at 10:40 PM, Rickster said:

I'm going to defer on whether these US bakers are less talented than the British bakers based on the evidence of these first two episodes ( last year was a different story). I would agree the ability to practice should be an advantage, but for example I thought the cookie decorating was generally at a higher level than I saw in similar challenges on GBBO. I will hazard a guess that the UK bakers may be more broadly skilled in different types of baking so I guess we may see this come out in future episodes.

I think that's one thing that has been consistent from every Americanized version of this show. Americans who bake are good at sweets like cakes, cookies, pies, cupcakes but are less familiar with savory baking, breads, pastries etc. Obviously there are going to be and have been contestants good at the other stuff, but the majority of the American bakers seem more comfortable with sweet desserts that they can make in a day because culturally that's what baking is for most Americans.

[dubbel zout]

53 minutes ago, vibeology said:

Americans who bake are good at sweets like cakes, cookies, pies, cupcakes but are less familiar with savory baking, breads, pastries etc.

I think this is a casting issue. Obviously no one knows what's going to happen until it happens, but if there's an emphasis on bakers who are more adept at the sweet end, that's on the show. Plenty of American bakers do both sweet and savory.

[KLovestoShop]

A British sponge is generally a cake made from flour, eggs, sugar and butter or some other "fat".  I really think Brits just call most cakes as sponge.  And in the UK, pies are more savory than sweet, fruit-based like in the US.  

Edited December 6, 2016 by KLovestoShop

[GaT]

5 hours ago, vibeology said:

I would imagine that they probably spend two to three weeks filming with maybe if the show was generous, or Mary insisted, a day between each episode.

When I watched the cookie episode (didn't notice during the cake one) I realized that Nia was wearing the same clothes for the entire episode. If they're actually doing all 3 challenges in one day, they only need to be there a few weeks at most, but they must be exhausted.

[theatremouse]

40 minutes ago, GaT said:

When I watched the cookie episode (didn't notice during the cake one) I realized that Nia was wearing the same clothes for the entire episode. If they're actually doing all 3 challenges in one day, they only need to be there a few weeks at most, but they must be exhausted.

I'm not sure it's safe to assume same clothes=same day filming. I think it's fairly standard to have them wear the same clothes for a whole episode, even if they  were not faking the "two day" bit, so they can shoot pickups and THs and whatnot. So same outfit may be mandatory per "episode" so it doesn't matter what day they film an intro spiel or whathaveyou.

Edited December 6, 2016 by theatremouse

[Mabinogia]

I figure they follow the UK format of two days, signature and technical on the first day then show stopper on the second day. I just think with the US version they don't get a week in between to go home and hang out with their families.

I think that week is what really sets the UK version apart, as the contestants aren't isolated from friends and family, they have time to practice each week and it gives the whole thing a more relaxing get together and compete with friends vibe.

Is there a big cash prize in the US version? I haven't been paying attention. I know in the UK they get a big glass cake plate and some flowers, which also lends to the less win or die attitude of the bakers.

[vibeology]

50 minutes ago, theatremouse said:

I'm not sure it's safe to assume same clothes=same day filming. I think it's fairly standard to have them wear the same clothes for a whole episode, even if they  were not faking the "two day" bit, so they can shoot pickups and THs and whatnot. So same outfit may be mandatory per "episode" so it doesn't matter what day they film an intro spiel or whathaveyou.

Exactly, they all wear the same outfits every day so they can film the talking heads out of order and I would assume for Nia and Ian, film their intros at whatever time makes the most sense for each production day's schedule. It just makes continuity easier for the production crew.