Best Baker In America - General Discussion

[joanne3482]

I was bummed Aaron went home. He was from Tucson and so that made me happy. I do not like Kaitlyn and I was sad her entreme with the wings made it on through. 

I do like the regional dish thing. I think that's interesting and I LOVE that there's no random twist in the middle like "you've been working hard on making a citrus dessert now add this completely arbitrary licorice flavoring somewhere in there even though all your cakes are in the oven already and it will not compliment your citrus in the least." 

[ShelleySue]

Everytime the judges are tasting something and they praise it, the camera pans to Michele and he's scowling.  I assumed he was always upset that the competition was tough.  But he just made a marshmallow-knot thing to symbolize the friendships he's made on the show.  Now I'm wondering if the scowls are just editing and he's not like that in real life.  Has anyone else notice that?

I had to look up Dalgona coffee.  Now I'm going to have to make it.  I love coffee and it looks delicious.

[mlp]

8 hours ago, dleighg said:

I'm not the original poster but it bothers me as well. They are not "being-a-judge-worthy," they have simply survived for the moment. So it seems "above their place" to be commenting on their peers (and at least one future competitor).

Exactly.  Plus.......  The original format had some "class."  This version and Carla's antics have changed the atmosphere from serious to circus despite having some excellent pastry chefs as contestants.

[CrazyInAlabama]

I don't like it when they don't do an elimination.    Do the producers think I didn't figure out that they just want to get another episode in?    

[dleighg]

Just now, CrazyInAlabama said:

Do the producers think I didn't figure out that they just want to get another episode in?

yeah you could see that coming a MILE away

[emmawoodhouse]

24 minutes ago, dleighg said:

yeah you could see that coming a MILE away

There's one in every competition, save some seasons of Top Chef.

[susannah]

6 hours ago, ShelleySue said:

Everytime the judges are tasting something and they praise it, the camera pans to Michele and he's scowling.  I assumed he was always upset that the competition was tough.  But he just made a marshmallow-knot thing to symbolize the friendships he's made on the show.  Now I'm wondering if the scowls are just editing and he's not like that in real life.  Has anyone else notice that?

I had to look up Dalgona coffee.  Now I'm going to have to make it.  I love coffee and it looks delicious.

I noticed that too, and it made him look like a real jerk. Of course everyone wants to win, but scowling and giving dirty looks to the others because they did something well doesn't say "winner" to me. That really obnoxious Italian guy was the same way, making snide comments about the others, etc.

[susannah]

17 hours ago, dleighg said:

I'm not the original poster but it bothers me as well. They are not "being-a-judge-worthy," they have simply survived for the moment. So it seems "above their place" to be commenting on their peers (and at least one future competitor).

It is different on Top Chef Last Chance Kitchen, where the peanut gallery is those who have already been eliminated, so it's clearly all friendly in that case.

I see your point, and it is true. Maybe they should just encourage, but not taste or comment?

[TVbitch]

I've been trying to figure out why I am not enjoying this show very much. Yeah, Carla is way too "LOOK AT ME" for my taste, and having the peanut gallery of safe bakers is excruciating. But I think it really comes down to the editing. It's frantic and manipulative.

Showing bakers scowling or frowning when another baker is praised is total BS. They insert random shots of them from other moments to provoke us.  

But even more annoying than that is the quick cut editing. I can't get into watching them bake, because we never stay on one shot or one baker for more than a second before they cut to the judges, or another baker, or the peanut gallery. This is not a freaking action movie --can we just stay in one place for 5 seconds! I can't following the narrative of the each baker's choices and processes. It's frustrating to me, and I'm not learning stuff I could be learning. Instead of understanding stretchy gelato and other things, we have to repeatedly cut to the superfluous observations of the judges and to the peanut gallery jumping up and down and squealing such insightful things as "Cute!" "Ahhhh!" or "Yum!!!"   

 

Edited June 4, 2021 by TVbitch

[mlp]

18 minutes ago, TVbitch said:

I've been trying to figure out why I am enjoying this show very much.

I assume you meant not enjoying in which case I totally agree.

[TVbitch]

1 hour ago, mlp said:

I assume you meant not enjoying in which case I totally agree.

Thanks @mlp, I fixed it! 

[Inga]

I like this show a lot, not as much as spring and holiday baking championship, but I’ll take when those shows are not on. I don’t mind Jason, i think he comes across as very knowledgeable. I like Carla, but not this season in this show, i agree that her theatrics are ruining it. Although I’ll say i do like her better than Marcela Valladollid. Gesine is of course very knowledgeable and i enjoyed her baking show, however some of her comments on here are just too much, it’s like calm down already.  I like the regional dessert idea but agree some are just stupid, boring or strange. I thought jello challenge was actually kind of cool because they made sophisticated jello desserts. My favorite is Candice although i know she isn’t going to win. She’s a hot mess most of the time but i like her Brooklyn attitude. I’m over Jackie. Who the hell puts passion fruit with coffee, coconut and hazelnut? I knew that would be on the bottom.

[bilgistic]

I agree that the shots of Michele scowling and grunting are snarky editing. His body language and energy seem nervous, anxious and frantic; I picked up on it because I'm like he is. He had his arms crossed and was as far away from the judges as he could be during their critique--standing against the opposite work table. He seems like a highly skilled baker, but a timed competition isn't where he shines.

[Maverick]

 Another double episode tomorrow?   What's that's burning smell?  No, it's not cake...it's FN burning this one off. 

[TexasTiffany]

I tend to like Carla, Jason, and Gesine. They know their baking. I think the producers are messing with the show. They wanted a different format and want the judges to be more animated to make this work. 

I don't care about the opinions and comments of the other bakers. Especially the nasty side glances and grunts from Michele. I'd rather see everyone baking in the last half of the show, rather than a couple of people. 

18 hours ago, Maverick said:

 Another double episode tomorrow?   What's that's burning smell?  No, it's not cake...it's FN burning this one off. 

ITA. They know it's not going well. I usually catch re-runs of the baking shows. This one I will keep channel surfing past. 

[Adeejay]

Clarice was robbed!  Gesine is full of it.  I find it annoying that her opinion seems to be the one that counts.  

[LittleIggy]

I wanted Katrina to win, but I liked all three of the finalists. I also liked all three of the judges. I haven’t been a Carla fan in the past, but after the first couple of episodes she toned it down. I love Jason. Gesine is new to me but did a good job, IMO. 
I loved Carla’s white coat although I would want one in a different color.

Edited June 8, 2021 by LittleIggy

[joanne3482]

I was team Anybody but Kaitlyn (which I have no leigit reason not to like her honestly.) After Clarice was knocked out I was hoping for Katrina. I'm meh on Jackie's win because I feel like she was in the bottom more than Katrina (which I know isn't supposed to count because it is based on the bake of the day but it still bugs). 

A tsunami cake just seemed weird to me. I had to Google since I'd never heard of one. I feel like the name is a little troubling given that real people die in tsunamis. 

[Cetacean]

First time I've watched this and overall it was OK. I didn't mind the peanut gallery as much as some, I think if I was a contestant it would be fun to taste the other baker's finished products.  I think the shouting of inane comments needs to discouraged, however.

While Jason has toned down his supposedly folksy schtick, he gets on my last nerve most of the time.  As others have said, those stupid statements he makes are not constuctive in the least. 

I miss Gesine's Baked in Vermont series.  Her Devil's Cream Cake recipe is a go-to for me for a "fancy" dessert.  Everyone who has ever had it just loved it.  Not difficult to make and just luscious.

I had never heard of a tsunami cake either and had to look it up.  It just looks like a hot mess to me and something you'd have to consume totally, I doubt it would store well.  And, yes, an unfortunate name since a tsunami is a natural catastrophe.

[Madding crowd]

The first episode was the usual brown, unappealing dessert but the finale was a little better. I watch a lot of cooking and baking shows and the judges usually feel free to like something without finding something negative to say. On this show there was not one dessert where the judges didn’t say “my only complaint is”. There is no perfection in the world. The ending Hawaiian desserts didn’t look ‘wow’, but they seemed a lot of work. 

[Irlandesa]

I can understand the appeal of the effect of a tsunami cake in person.  It made for not great TV.  The acetate surrounding the cakes was covered in frosting so when it was coming off, it obscured the beginning of the effect from the cameras.

And did anyone think that the talent pool wasn't as high this year?  None of the tsunami cakes fully worked the way they were supposed to.  I have to think we've seen cleaner and more elegant desserts in past seasons.

[CrazyInAlabama]

The Tsunami cakes were fine as a contest item, but I certainly can't see the appeal of having your cake glaze or icing flooding the table.       I would have liked to see a more decorating centered final showpiece.     

The Tsunami cake might have been a better main challenge for earlier in the contest.  

[GaT]

On 6/6/2021 at 9:07 PM, Maverick said:

 Another double episode tomorrow?   What's that's burning smell?  No, it's not cake...it's FN burning this one off. 

Yeah, there were too many episodes, I was waiting for it to finally be over, especially with these 2 hour blocks, that is waaaay too long.

[Grizzly]

I'm all for Eddie Jackson being on my tv asap.

[mlp]

Of the final 3, I was hoping Katrina would win but, after seeing the final displays, I thought the winner was clear and agreed with the judges.  It's hard to tell on TV but it didn't look to me like Katrina's Tiki met the height requirement.  The judges didn't say anything (that we heard) so I could be wrong.  

If there is another season, I hope FN reverts to their original format.  I much prefer serious bakers and a show with a little dignity.  I do like Jason and Gesine and know both can do serious.  I like Carla but not on this show.  

[ruffy666]

It's always funny when they say "The {Tsunami Cake} trend has been taking the internet by storm!" and it was like 10 videos on instagram over the period of a few weeks.  But we can probably all agree that I don't necessarily have my finger on the pulse of great American bakers either.  Most of the ones I saw were doll cakes where the 'tsunami' creates the sparkly dress for the doll, a la Cinderella, but again... maybe I'm scraping weird corners of the internet.

But yeah I think so many of these recipes, while they're still technically edible, are just so far beyond what a functional cake should be.  Does anyone really want their cake to sit in a big puddle of brightly-colored glop?

[TVbitch]

I thought Mao Asada was an ice skater, not a donut hole. 

 

[Grizzly]

I think I just saw Clarice on Beat Bobby Flay. It was from 2018.

[lark37]

On 6/8/2021 at 9:17 AM, joanne3482 said:

I was team Anybody but Kaitlyn (which I have no leigit reason not to like her honestly.) After Clarice was knocked out I was hoping for Katrina. I'm meh on Jackie's win because I feel like she was in the bottom more than Katrina (which I know isn't supposed to count because it is based on the bake of the day but it bugs)

I'm fairly certain that Jackie was only in the bottom once which was the non elimination episode. Katrina was in the bottom at least 3 times but not as many times as Kaitlyn.  Judging by that last tsunami cake only, Jackie was the correct winner imo although I liked all 3 of them. I agree with whomever said this seasons bakers didn't seem as qualified or talented as previous season bakers like Andy, Adam or Jean Francis. I liked Gesine as a judge so much better than Marcella. I've always liked Carla too, but I have serious doubts about Jason's judging qualifications and his "good old' boy" shtick drives me crazy. The old format was better too- Giving all the bakers a chance to make 2 different bakes before elimination.

Edited June 11, 2021 by lark37
Grammar

[springbarb]

On 6/11/2021 at 9:37 AM, lark37 said:

 I've always liked Carla too, but I have serious doubts about Jason's judging qualifications and his "good old' boy" shtick drives me crazy.

I think my problem is that I remember Jason from when he was a contestant on Holiday Baking and Food Network Star, so I know that his background is as a home chef. Which doesn't mean that he doesn't have knowledge, but I just have a hard time accepting him being seen as the expert when the contestants likely have more training, experience, and knowledge than he does. Also, to be catty, he's apparently only 43?!

[Cetacean]

3 hours ago, springbarb said:

I just have a hard time accepting him being seen as the expert when the contestants likely have more training, experience, and knowledge than he does.

Ditto.  He won some other show but that does not make him an expert by any stretch of the imagination.  Not sahying he's not skilled but so is my sister (has a business) and she'd never dream of passing herself off as an expert.

[crazycatlady58]

2 hours ago, Cetacean said:

Ditto.  He won some other show but that does not make him an expert by any stretch of the imagination.  Not sahying he's not skilled but so is my sister (has a business) and she'd never dream of passing herself off as an expert.

Well I guess Food network thinks well enough of him to keep him on the payroll. 

[tinkerbell]

On 5/25/2021 at 1:08 PM, Madding crowd said:

I’m probably an outlier here but this show is not as fun for me as the Spring Baking shows. Using the state desserts seems like it would be  interesting but most of the results are brown, lumpy concoctions that seem to have ten desserts in one. On top of that, I don’t mind having all the bakers use cookies or rice treats but when every dessert has to be Huckleberry flavored or butterscotch, it’s boring.

Yeah, the tasks are a bit weird - " make the most popular dessert from state X, but then also add this extra ingredient, and then make it reflect your home state as well."  

WHY?  Why not just do their best version of the dessert?

[Cetacean]

10 minutes ago, tinkerbell said:

...add this extra ingredient, and then make it reflect your home state as well."  

That was just silly.  No state has one ingredient that speaks for the whole population.

[mlp]

5 hours ago, Cetacean said:

No state has one ingredient that speaks for the whole population.

No but there are a few things that immediately call a particular state to mind.  Peaches - Georgia.  Pineapples - Hawaii.  And so on.  I do agree that the challenges bordered on a bit ridiculous.  Too many variables.  As said above, just let them do their best version of whatever.

[Gramto6]

1 hour ago, mlp said:

No but there are a few things that immediately call a particular state to mind.  Peaches - Georgia.  Pineapples - Hawaii.  And so on.  I do agree that the challenges bordered on a bit ridiculous.  Too many variables.  As said above, just let them do their best version of whatever.

Huckleberries, MT

[kathyk24]

On 6/14/2021 at 2:18 PM, Cetacean said:

That was just silly.  No state has one ingredient that speaks for the whole population.

I disagree Massachusetts is known for cranberries Maine for blueberries and Vermont maple syrup.

[Cetacean]

Well, Michigan is known for a lot of things including apples, peaches, and cherries.  There is no single thing that defines our state.  Even Bumpy Cake (a Sanders staple) is a favorite in the lower peninsula but hardly known in the upper peninsula.  In the UP, it's pasties. 

Certainly there are a few states with a shining example but I'm betting most do not.

[Grizzly]

We did get to experience some desserts we don't see every day.

[RoxiP]

On 5/26/2021 at 3:06 PM, ShelleySue said:

 

 I know that this was filmed during COVID and they are all "in a bubble" and have probably formed relationships with each other. But in reality how can you be rooting for three people who are competing against each other?  Does that make any sense?  Of course you want them all to do their best, but you can't want them all to win because that isn't possible.  Then you add to that the fact that the safe bakers will be competing with the remaining playoff bakers in the next round.  Maybe I'm too competitive of a person because I'd want the best baker to slip up and the weakest baker to continue so that weakest baker would be my competition. (I know athletes do better against stronger athletes, but I'm neither an athlete nor a great baker!).

I'm currently obsessed with the Great British Baking Show and the competitors are all very supportive of one another despite the fact that they are all competing against one another.  Such a great show!

[ShelleySue]

7 minutes ago, RoxiP said:

I'm currently obsessed with the Great British Baking Show and the competitors are all very supportive of one another despite the fact that they are all competing against one another.  Such a great show!

I love Great British Baking Show too and prefer it to anything that's on Food Network.  But the two shows are completely different.  GBBS participants are amateurs and the prize is a cake plate.  Best Baker participants are professionals and the prize is $25,000.  There is a lot more at stake, including reputations. Plus we've seen how winning one of the Food Network competitions can launch a whole Food Network Career (Guy Fieri, Jason Smith, Adam Young, etc).  They all have to have that in the back of their minds when they apply to be on of the Food Network competitions.

[Cetacean]

15 minutes ago, ShelleySue said:

here is a lot more at stake, including reputations. Plus we've seen how winning one of the Food Network competitions can launch a whole Food Network Career (Guy Fieri, Jason Smith, Adam Young, etc). 

Some GBBO winners have gone on to become famous.  Nadiyah Hussain, a winner in 2015, has gone on to write books, has a TV show and baked Queen Elizabeth's 90th birthday cake.  Many others have gone on to write cookbooks.

I love the dynamic of GBBO (as well as the Great Canadian Baking Show) because of the civility.  SO refreshing to watch them all supporting each other.

[Spunkygal]

And GBBO can boost the careers of contestants who didn’t win to other gigs. Liam is a co-host of Bake Off:The Professionals. I find him highly annoying on that show but his exposure on GBBO was certainly helpful!

https://thegreatbritishbakeoff.co.uk/bakers/liam/

[RoxiP]

On 7/2/2021 at 3:51 PM, Spunkygal said:

And GBBO can boost the careers of contestants who didn’t win to other gigs. Liam is a co-host of Bake Off:The Professionals. I find him highly annoying on that show but his exposure on GBBO was certainly helpful!

https://thegreatbritishbakeoff.co.uk/bakers/liam/

Oh I didn't care for him at all.  I did 't care for Nadiyah either so I haven't watched any of her shows.

 

[RoxiP]

If it makes anyone who doesn't have Discovery Plus feel any satisfaction this season hasn't aired on the streaming platform yet.  It will probably air after the winner is crowned!

[Irlandesa]

1 hour ago, RoxiP said:

If it makes anyone who doesn't have Discovery Plus feel any satisfaction this season hasn't aired on the streaming platform yet.  It will probably air after the winner is crowned!

This season already aired.

[RoxiP]

Well bummer!

I was hoping to have something new.

[Cetacean]

On 8/13/2021 at 12:44 PM, RoxiP said:

I was hoping to have something new.

On my Disney channel they are repeating it multiple times in the next week or two.

Oops, wrong thread.  Sorry!

 

 

Edited August 14, 2021 by Cetacean