Bakers Vs. Fakers - General Discussion

[Meredith Quill]

Your Bakers vs. Fakers Topic!

[halopub]

Realscreen: Buddy Valastro pits “Bakers vs Fakers”

I wasn't wowed by the pilot ('Bakin with Bacon') but I guess Cooks vs. Cons must be getting decent enough ratings to justify the spinoff. Valastro is a better fit than Paul Hollywood to host this kind of show.

Edited January 31, 2017 by Drogo

[mlp]

I agree halopub.  I like Paul Hollywood and would watch him on any show but I don't think his personality is suited to the Cooks vs. Cons format or atmosphere. He's a serious baker and probably not into gimmicks.  Buddy is serious about his cakes too but he has the bombastic personality that can carry this off.   I enjoy Cooks vs. Cons so I'm looking forward to the new show.

[Meredith Quill]

When/where did episode 1 air, anyone?

[halopub]

The pilot was a one-off at 11 PM, on Food Network, back in October. A couple of us discussed it in the Paul Hollywood thread.

[mlp]

Quote

When/where did episode 1 air, anyone?

It didn't really.  The first episode with Buddy is scheduled for January 25th.  The one mentioned above was a one-off.  I have no idea why.  Maybe it was a trial to test the concept or maybe Paul Hollywood was considering it then in the aftermath of the BBC selling The Great British Baking Show.  I sure don't know.

I was typing and hit Save before seeing your comment halopub.

Edited January 8, 2017 by mlp

[Meredith Quill]

Ah ok, thanks :)

[Drogo]

Hot peppers are used in spicy cupcakes. Later, school snacks are transformed into winning dishes.

[Drogo]

Judges who know a thing or two about baking are put to the test deciphering the sweet creations of professionals who are competing against hobbyists. First up: Pies are made with bacon; and corn must be featured in treats.

[Kohola3]

What a blowhard Forrest was.  Made me sick talking down to the girls, especially Courtney.  

[Drogo]

Classic brownies are combined with aromatic ginger in the first challenge. Then, delectable desserts must feature the surprise ingredient of crackers in Round 2.

[mlp]

I'm not sure how Damaris got to be a baking authority but I was happy to see Lorraine who is.  I've always liked her and I was glad to see her on a show where she wasn't being needled by Nancy Fuller.  

I like Cooks vs. Cons so I was predisposed to like this show too and I did.  Buddy is qualified to judge baking and he wasn't any more OTT than he always is.  His personality is a good fit for a show like this but, just like Cooks vs. Cons, I do wish the judges (and Buddy) would tone down their reactions a bit.

I was sure the guy who drives for Uber was a baker.  He really fooled me.

[steven T]

I guess I understand why the girl won ( can't remember her name). but I knew she didn't use enough of the hot spice in her cupcake after watching all these baking shows.  I just don't get how if you don't really follow the challenge how you can really go forward.  I know her cupcake tasted better than the other two, but at least they tried to use the hot spice in them.  Of course the cupcakes would taste better leaving the hot spice out which I think for the most part the girl did since she used so little.  I feel like if you don't taste any of the heat you should go home.

[Meredith Quill]

I finally got to watch this the other night. I enjoyed guessing who was who and thought it was a fun show. I'll keep watching!

[Drogo]

The bakers and fakers must use beer in their chocolate chip cookie creations; the contestants must use fresh herbs in Round Two; judges Damaris Phillips and Zac Young join host Buddy Valastro.

[steven T]

I thought maybe i tuned into Worst Bakers In America.  They couldn't make brownies with ginger come out right.  Even the winner had good brownies with hardly any ginger, second place overbaked, the next baked a blondie, which was stupid, with hardly any ginger and only survived because the eliminated bakers brownie was underbaked.   I'm going to start being less harsh on those non talented kids on the Kids Baking Championship after this.

[mlp]

It did seem like there were a lot of mistakes tonight.  

I liked the woman who left first but I knew she was a faker when I saw the glittery nail polish.  I thought the guy with the ugly, ugly little beard was a baker.  He seemed really good.  He looked a lot better in street clothes without the bandana  but the beard was still icky.  I couldn't decide between the other two and, after they turned out to be the two bakers, I could see why.  I was hoping one of the men would win because the red-headed woman was too impressed with herself for me.

[Ms Lark]

My problem with the whole concept of this is: someone who bakes sheet cakes at Costco (which is a perfectly respectable job) would be classified as a "professional baker," i.e., they get paid for doing it, but someone who competed in the Great British (or American) Bake Show (strictly amateur) would be a "faker." Personally, I know whose cakes I'd rather eat and I wouldn't call them fakers by any stretch!

[mlp]

That's an interesting point although I think the operative word is "professional."  Everyone else, no matter how skilled, falls into the category of faking being a professional baker no matter how good they are.  I wonder if the judges watched the GABS and if they'd recognize one of the finalists if she showed up as a contestant.

[Kohola3]

I agree that the term "professional" is pretty loose.  Apparently if you get paid for it you are a professional.  However we've seen (at least on other shows) people who bill themselves as "chefs" who are hired out to cook in people's homes.  Who knows what kind of quality they bring.  And the term "chef" is supposed to mean someone who supervises "cooks".  If you are a one man operation not sure that chef is a correct title.  But I could be wrong.

[Drogo]

Cheese must be featured in fruit cobbler dishes.

In Round 2, rice is the surprise dessert ingredient.

[CrazyDog]

I can't believe Lorraine, of all people was so impressed by the woman screwing up a crust then dumping it into a parfait cup. I thought the others, even with their flaws, were way more creative.

[steven T]

still not understanding why the baker thought he could get by using canned peaches and store bought pastry and i knew he was a baker not faker, because a faker would never be that obvious. i guess his specialty was cakes but it shouldn't have been that hard to make something from scratch.  i would be embarrassed if i was him.  the rest of the cobblers looked real good.

[Amarsir]

I figure you could get by with one premade component but not both. It's the difference between using time efficiently and just not making enough effort.

[mlp]

I didn't understand his thinking either.   I was sure he was a chef just from watching him work so he must have known that canned peaches don't taste a lot like peaches and the texture is nothing like fresh ones.  It was almost like he was sabotaging himself but I can't imagine why he would have done that.

[Drogo]

Bread pudding must be infused with hard candies; and breakfast cereal is the mandatory ingredient in the second dessert challenge.

[Wings]

This was a slam dunk for me, I guessed them all correctly without hesitation.  I knew the balloon man was a faker immediately.   His vessel was too deep and when I saw how he decorated it I said, I bet he is a clown for kids birthday parties.  Close enough! 

Pumpkin and chocolate is not a classic combination in my world.  It is a hell no.  

I tagged the guy with the water bath a faker immediately, too.  You see a lot of bread pudding on Chopped and no one bothers with a water bath.  If I hadn't been sure, I was, his final dish was nuts.  Icing on the side with cheesecake?  Another hell no.  He could not let that go despite the velvet cake being no more.  

I didn't falter on the women even though one made a mess of her cheese cake.  They both had baker written on their forehead.  

The host sounds like a mob guy no one trusts to do the heavy hitting.  

Edited February 23, 2017 by wings707

[mlp]

You did a lot better than I did.  I figured the woman who used large chunks of butterscotch was a faker.  I liked the balloon guy although I think I'd be embarrassed to admit that's what I did for a living.

I like Buddy.  He does have that Joisey accent and he's loud and extroverted but he's legit.  That's who he is and he's always the same no matter what show you see him on.  His huge, boisterous Italian family is the opposite of my small, reserved one and I'd probably find them exhausting if I spent much time with them but I'm secretly a little bit jealous.

I've never heard of pumpkin and chocolate together either.  It doesn't sound bad to me but I'd never describe the combination as "classic."

Edited February 23, 2017 by mlp
Forgot something.

[steven T]

I don't understand why Damaris was saying the puerto rico bread pudding was not bread pudding.  It had bread and was pudding, so where was the issue? Because it wasn't chunks of bread and the texture was different?  She was making an issue out of nothing.  I noticed the other judge had no comment.

[mlp]

I don't understand how Damaris is suddenly a baking expert.  She does the same thing on this show that she does on GGG - goes overboard with her "expertise."  She's very pretty and I don't dislike her but her voice is hard to take.  I wish she'd talk a lot less.

[steven T]

I just don't think the FN knows what to do with the Next Food Network Star winners.  They never end up getting their own show, or it doesn't last long and the only thing left is for them to judge various cooking competitions.  It should be called the Next Food Network Judge.  I'm hoping they don't have another Next Food Network Star because its not needed and a waste of time.  Damaris baking expertise is questionable, but she did bake on the show she did have and was creative with her desserts.  I guess she is just as qualified as Fuller.

[Drogo]

Contestants turn lemons into lemon bars, and host Buddy Valastro and judges Nancy Fuller and Zac Young get a caffeinated kick as the surprise ingredient of coffee is steeped into the lemony treats. The next round is full of twists, as pretzels challenge the bakers and fakers to avoid getting too salty.

[Drogo]

Pro and amateur bakers face a deep-fried dilemma as the mighty doughnut must be rolled up with the crunchy surprise ingredient of potato chips. Host Buddy Valastro and judges Damiano Carrara and Zac Young get cultured in round two, as yogurt must be smoothed into the winning dessert.

[spiderpig]

Leave lemon bars alone!  They are perfect as is.

I was happy for Pretzel Nurse.

[Wings]

6 hours ago, spiderpig said:

Leave lemon bars alone!  They are perfect as is.

I was happy for Pretzel Nurse.

I totally agree. Lemon bars are sacred. 

The cup cake looked delicious.  I had her pegged as a baker because so many bakeries  specialize in them, some exclusively.  It has become a hot fad in the sweet world. 

[spiderpig]

1 hour ago, wings707 said:

The cup cake looked delicious.  I had her pegged as a baker because so many bakeries  specialize in them, some exclusively.  It has become a hot fad in the sweet world. 

Cupcakes are perfect take-to-work desserts.  You never see half a cupcake left on the platter, like doughnuts or bagels.

[Psychobunny]

I knew that one was a baker as soon as she said she was "in the weeds". While an amateur might know the phrase, they probably wouldn't use it spontaneously when they were stressed.

[Drogo]

Good ideas pop up as a cheesecake battle challenges bakers and fakers to augment their desserts with the surprise ingredient of popcorn.

Then, host Buddy Valastro and judges Alex Guarnaschelli and Daphne Oz must find a winner when marshmallows create sticky situations for the remaining bakers.

[Psychobunny]

I just want to ask the woman who won if she ever gave up a child for adoption, because there was this kid Cole on Kid's Baking...

Seriously-back away from the glitter!

[spiderpig]

Does anyone even watch this anymore?  It's back with a difference host, but I simply leave it on as background noise while cleaning the litter box so I can get it off my DVR.

[mlp]

I'm in the process of watching about 6 of them that piled up in my DVR.   I think I'm one of very few people who liked this show although a little Zac Young goes a long way.  I like Lorraine Pascal.  She's much more personable on her own than when she's forced to deal with Nancy Fuller on the holiday shows.

[novhappy]

I just watched like 4 of them and have never seen a more boring contrived show