Best Baker In America - General Discussion

[Spunkygal]

3 hours ago, Rammchick said:

I figured for sure this show was going to transfer over to Discovery+.  Yay!

Oh, I hope not! The article didn’t mention Discovery+ so hopefully not! I’m sure not getting a subscription for that network.

[Rammchick]

1 hour ago, Spunkygal said:

Oh, I hope not! The article didn’t mention Discovery+ so hopefully not! I’m sure not getting a subscription for that network.

This whole situation with Discovery+ has me so angry -- shows that I enjoyed previously on cable have been moved to their streaming channel.  And although the new shows they've put exclusively on streaming are attractive, I'm not going to spend more for something I already have and frankly pay TOO MUCH for.  Grrr.

Edited April 7, 2021 by Rammchick

[Spunkygal]

15 minutes ago, Rammchick said:

This whole situation with Discovery+ has me so angry -- shows that I enjoyed previously on cable have been moved to their streaming channel.  And although the new shows they've put exclusively on streaming are attractive, I'm not going to spend more for something I already have and frankly pay TOO MUCH for.  Grrr.

If TPTB keeps giving D+ all the good new shows, might as well relabel FN as FNC (Food Network Crap). I’ll just look for these new D+ shows via the mysterious web sources. Thanks to @TVbitch for some pointers on this. 

[Irlandesa]

2 hours ago, Spunkygal said:

Oh, I hope not! The article didn’t mention Discovery+ so hopefully not! I’m sure not getting a subscription for that network.

I found another article that specifies that it is coming to The Food Network. 

[Spunkygal]

https://mobile.twitter.com/gesinebp?lang=en
 

Yikes, Gesine’s Twitter says to download D+ to stream the series. The guide for my DVR doesn’t look forward ahead enough to May 3 yet  for me to confirm if it’s on FN. maybe it will be shown on both FN and D+????

ETA: Another tweet of hers mentions FN. I won’t panic yet! 🤣

Edited April 7, 2021 by Spunkygal

[Irlandesa]

9 minutes ago, Spunkygal said:

https://mobile.twitter.com/gesinebp?lang=en
 

Yikes, Gesine’s Twitter says to download D+ to stream the series. The guide for my DVR doesn’t look forward ahead enough to May 3 yet  for me to confirm if it’s on FN. maybe it will be shown on both FN and D+????

But another tweet below says it appears on The Food Network.  I think shows that air on The Food Network, HGTV and a few other channels stream on Discovery+ either simultaneously or after it airs on TV.  Plus, you might be able to rewatch older seasons on the service.  It's also an alternative for those that may have cancelled cable.

 

Edited April 7, 2021 by Irlandesa

[mlp]

I am delighted that this show will be back and I very much like the change to Carla and Gesine.  I've never understood why Scott was hosting this show or hosting and judging on Chopped Sweets.  

Just for the record, I subscribed to Discovery+ and I'm very happy with it.  It's not expensive and there are more shows available than I can watch in a lifetime.

[Rammchick]

17 minutes ago, Irlandesa said:

But another tweet below says it appears on The Food Network.  I think shows that air on The Food Network, HGTV and a few other channels stream on Discovery+ either simultaneously or after it airs on TV.  Plus, you might be able to rewatch older seasons on the service.  It's also an alternative for those that may have cancelled cable.

 

That's fine with me, so long as it's shown on cable as well.  I think a few of the shows have advertised that you can stream the premiere before they debut on the FN.

[Grizzly]

I felt bad that the chefs not in the bottom 3 had to stand there to watch. After a 4 hour bake, they must have been exhausted. 

I thought that guy who didn't even make a pie should've been sent home. He didn't satisfy the challenge.

[Maya]

Love that there’s so many women in the competition.

The one who got eliminated was PISSED after the pie caken challenge LOL. 

[MerBearHou]

8 minutes ago, Maya said:

The one who got eliminated was PISSED after the pie caken challenge LOL. 

No kidding!  She was such an Eeyore — just a little cranky — even Carla pointed it out.  Enjoyed this first episode mostly — lots of beautiful bakes.  I don’t like that the safe bakers get to chime in on the non-safe bakers’ productions — too much opportunity for a popularity contest once they know each other better.  I also don’t like how MUCH chatter there was to / around those bakers who were baking for their lives to stay.  That second effort at the key lime pavlova was a shocker — she got it done under crazy time pressure and it apparently tasted great.  

Edited May 4, 2021 by MerBearHou

[Leeds]

Does anyone know whether they get advance notice for what they'll be making?  At least for the first round.

[mlp]

15 hours ago, Leeds said:

Does anyone know whether they get advance notice for what they'll be making?  At least for the first round.

I don't *know* anything but it seems like they must.  I can't imagine that all those people came up with fully formed plans on the spur of the moment plus at least one of them used an odd ingredient I'd never even heard of and that surely is not routinely stocked.  The producers had to know in advance to have it on hand.  (It was something to do with palm leaves I think.)

I liked this show in previous seasons because the contestants had real world credentials and the show had a bit of gravitas not seen in other FN competitions.  The bakers had time to do good work and they didn't get blind-sided with stupid twists.  I'm not sure I like the direction Carla is going with her theatrics.  I like Carla but, for this show, I want her to play it straight.  Gesine is fine.

I've always liked Jason but not the OTT use of his shtick that I thought the producers encouraged and probably required.  I was very glad to see him just being himself.  He definitely knows his stuff.

On a shallow note............ Carla is very flat-chested and that dress she had on did her no favors.  

[Irlandesa]

13 minutes ago, mlp said:

I'm not sure I like the direction Carla is going with her theatrics.  I like Carla but, for this show, I want her to play it straight. 

I know.  I absolutely loathed the way she did the announcement of who was in the Bottom 3.  It was just unnecessary and drawn out drama.

[Leeds]

12 minutes ago, mlp said:

I don't *know* anything but it seems like they must.  I can't imagine that all those people came up with fully formed plans on the spur of the moment plus at least one of them used an odd ingredient I'd never even heard of and that surely is not routinely stocked.  The producers had to know in advance to have it on hand.  (It was something to do with palm leaves I think.)

 

On a shallow note............ Carla is very flat-chested and that dress she had on did her no favors.  

That's what I was thinking about knowing in advance.

Ironically, I had meant to add that I thought Carla's dress was very pretty (I don't do pretty myself).  As a fellow flat-chester, I was glad to see her embrace her physique.  Obviously mileage varies! 

3 minutes ago, Irlandesa said:

I know.  I absolutely loathed the way she did the announcement of who was in the Bottom 3.  It was just unnecessary and drawn out drama.

Particularly when they tried to draw out the final 3 suspense by going to commercial break before announcing the third.  Duh, they've already announced two, there's only one baker left . . . .

[CrazyInAlabama]

Carla Hall needs to turn it down a few notches.     I liked the other two judges, Jason seems to have calmed down a lot, and Gesine (?) was good.    I'm not sure some of the other bakers had a clue about how much Bourbon to use.   I like the bake off idea.   The Key Lime pie challenge sounds yummy.  However, the one contestant saying she doesn't like pie, or Key Lime was honest, but a bad move.   Nothing looked awful, and that's the difference between the other shows, there are only pros in this one.   

[springbarb]

Jason is still a bit too much for me, though he's not quite as bad as he's been on other shows. He and Carla both need to take it down a bit--though neither is as bad as they've been elsewhere.

I was amused at the other chefs watching, like on Zumbo's Just Desserts.

As always, it's refreshing to see a group of really talented bakers. I enjoy the season/holiday baking championships, but this really shows the differences in talent.

[Texasmom1970]

I must not be paying attention to life. Had no idea a pie within a cake was a thing. Seems odd to me. Too many bakers for me to pick any favorites yet.

Side note: In her sleeveless dress I was impressed with Carla's toned arms.

[MerBearHou]

8 minutes ago, Texasmom1970 said:

I must not be paying attention to life. Had no idea a pie within a cake was a thing. Seems odd to me

Agreed!  I think a piecaken sounds absolutely awful.  Texture would be a gross issue for me.  But it was fun to watch them try — they didn’t seem daunted by it.

[TexasTiffany]

I've never had a PieCaken, only seeing one featured on these baking shows. I wouldn't mind tasting one, but I'm certainly not going to create one at home. 

I too thought it was an odd admission from that baker who said she doesn't like pie, nor key lime. Does she think the judges will somehow give her extra points for doing them despite her aversion? I think it's more likely that the judges will be thinking she doesn't do those items, so she's less practiced putting her as an underdog. I would not have shared that info. 

I didn't like that the safe bakers were able to comment on and talk to the remaining bakers. I'd rather the editing focus on the ones in the bake-off. 

 

[Leeds]

4 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

  Nothing looked awful, and that's the difference between the other shows, there are only pros in this one.   

I thought the one made by the guy in the bottom 3 looked terrible, like something a not very good amateur would make.  It was majorly leaning, the middle was raw, and the decoration was sloppy and unattractive.

[kirklandia]

I realized that my interest was flagging during the last part of the show. Then it occurred to me that I have never really thought about the different approaches taken by competition shows.
Some begin with a preheat, with an advantage to the winner and no one eliminated, followed by an elimination challenge. Some start with a competition resulting in a bunch of people being safe, followed by a play-off among the people at the bottom. (I imagine there are other  iterations I haven't thought of.)

Perhaps ending the show by focusing on the worst performers is not the best way to hold the viewer's attention?

Then again, maybe later in the season, when there are fewer competitors and I feel like I have gotten to know them and may have favorites, I will be more invested in the outcome of the battle for the bottom.

 

Edited May 5, 2021 by kirklandia

[LittleIggy]

Glad to see Jason again! He’s just fun. I liked the new judge, too. As long as Carla keeps it mainly dialed back, we’ll get along. I liked the other contestants’ commentary during the bake-off.

[TVbitch]

Looks like some great bakers! 

Okay, as I watched the first part of the show, I was like, oh, thank God, Carla is going to be tolerable. ....but no. Halfway through she started with the antics and vocalizing and local theater reaction shots. Carla, as much as you would like it to be, it is NOT ABOUT YOU. 

[dleighg]

18 hours ago, mlp said:

Carla is very flat-chested and that dress she had on did her no favors. 

It's funny, I noticed that she is flat-chested and I thought that dress looked fabulous on her!

[dleighg]

On 5/3/2021 at 10:39 PM, Grizzly said:

I thought that guy who didn't even make a pie should've been sent home. He didn't satisfy the challenge

seriously. I think he ought to have been eliminated outright with no bake-off! What was he thinking?

[HyeChaps]

IMO Gesine is a delight as a judge, but a little boring when she had her own baking show. 

[Spunkygal]

15 minutes ago, HyeChaps said:

IMO Gesine is a delight as a judge, but a little boring when she had her own baking show. 

Oooh, going to have to respectfully disagree. I thought her show was delightful. I really miss it. I’d rather have her low-key, yet knowledgeable presentation than that of most of the hosts on FN who are, IMO, loud, obnoxious and often don’t present anything better than I can produce. 

[Irlandesa]

1 hour ago, Spunkygal said:

Oooh, going to have to respectfully disagree. I thought her show was delightful. I really miss it.

Me too.  It was so instructive.

 

20 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

Jason seems to have calmed down a lot

I think this is more "dial it up, Jason." He's still going to have his quirks and sayings but it doesn't feel like he's being forced to amp it up.

[Rammchick]

17 hours ago, TexasTiffany said:

I've never had a PieCaken, only seeing one featured on these baking shows. I wouldn't mind tasting one, but I'm certainly not going to create one at home. 

They're just lucky the brief wasn't for a Cherpumple (cherry, pumpkin and apple pies stacked in a cake).  I've eaten Turducken once -- that was enough.  

And btw, I'm sure many of you know this, but for those who don't, Gesine Prado is Sandra Bullock's sister.

[springbarb]

20 hours ago, kirklandia said:

I realized that my interest was flagging during the last part of the show. Then it occurred to me that I have never really thought about the different approaches taken by competition shows.
Some begin with a preheat, with an advantage to the winner and no one eliminated, followed by an elimination challenge. Some start with a competition resulting in a bunch of people being safe, followed by a play-off among the people at the bottom. (I imagine there are other  iterations I haven't thought of.)

Perhaps ending the show by focusing on the worst performers is not the best way to hold the viewer's attention?

Then again, maybe later in the season, when there are fewer competitors and I feel like I have gotten to know them and may have favorites, I will be more invested in the outcome of the battle for the bottom.

This setup is very reminiscent of Zumbo's Just Desserts--all the bakers compete, and in that, the bottom two battle it out to avoid elimination while the safe bakers watch from the side. (Zumbo's at least gave the other bakers chairs to sit in.) I actually don't mind it; it beats a preheat that doesn't seem to matter except for the advantage given to the winner, which at times could be very helpful and at times was...not. I do think it'll get better as we get to know the bakers more and are more invested.

[Cheyanne11]

5 hours ago, Rammchick said:

And btw, I'm sure many of you know this, but for those who don't, Gesine Prado is Sandra Bullock's sister.

Oh, wow, I didn't know that!

After watching this, I don't think I'd care for a piecaken.  I'm big on textures and the thought of what being buried in a cake would do to a pie crust doesn't sound appealing.

[ruffy666]

On 5/4/2021 at 2:05 PM, Irlandesa said:

I know.  I absolutely loathed the way she did the announcement of who was in the Bottom 3.  It was just unnecessary and drawn out drama.

Boy this is my absolute pet peeve when reality shows do this.  "I hate to inform you........" commercial break "I hate to inform you that we LOVED your dish and you'll be back for another week!"  It's so corny and so full of producer f*ckery, I hate it.  

[Grizzly]

This week was much better, they really cut back on the fake drama. The right person went home based on what we saw. Those cakes all sounded amazing. Wish I could've tasted them.

[TexasTiffany]

It was creative of her to make those little flies. I know it is Shoo-Fly Pie, but those still kind of grossed me out. 

[susannah]

On 5/5/2021 at 1:22 PM, Rammchick said:

They're just lucky the brief wasn't for a Cherpumple (cherry, pumpkin and apple pies stacked in a cake).  I've eaten Turducken once -- that was enough.  

And btw, I'm sure many of you know this, but for those who don't, Gesine Prado is Sandra Bullock's sister.

Unbelievably, I just figured this out tonight! I knew Sandra has a sister named Gesine, which I thought was such an unusual name, and that her mother's name was Helga. I knew nothing more about her sister except that she worked in Sandra's production company. Then tonight, Gesine, what? Another one with that name? spoke of her mother, Helga, and slowly the light went on! I had to Google her to find out what she is doing in professional baking.

And for my 2 cents, I like Carla but have never liked Jason's cornpone schtick. It makes him sound very uneducated.

[Lamb18]

I wish they would style Carla better but it seems like she is foreordained to be a "wacky" character. But she is actually an elegant person. If she'd had her hair up and the scarf removed from her neck that elegance would have shown through.

[joanne3482]

12 hours ago, Grizzly said:

The right person went home based on what we saw.

I didn't think so. It seemed to me they criticized Caitlyn much harsher on her Shoo-Fly Pie than Felicia. There were several things wrong with Caitlyn's and Felicia's only critique was that the crust needed more salt. 

Right now I'm rooting for Aaron and Clarice although there's no real rationale for that except that Aaron is from Tucson and I'm from that area. 

[Irlandesa]

5 minutes ago, joanne3482 said:

I didn't think so.

Me neither, other than I do think Caitlyn's pie looked more elegant.  But Felicia won last week, didn't she?  Or she was in the top 3.  I liked her a lot and I'm sad she's gone.

I am glad that they're back to Bottom 2 instead of 3.

[MerBearHou]

Like Gesine is over the drip cake, I am sooo over “deconstructed”.  I thought it was the right call to send Felicia home.  Her first cake was questionable in terms of # of layers and she had to cut them in half to get enough layers which made the cake wonky.  Her 2nd cake tasted good but bland and wasn't enough to beat Caitlyn's Shoo-fly.  

Lots of tears tonight which always drives me bonkers in a cooking competition — except Gesine’s about the cake her mom made her as a little girl.  That was so dear.  She is really accomplished in her own right and very, very smart.  I’ve followed her for a long time -- big fan.  

Glad Michele did so well after a rough 1st week.  Also glad it was just a bottom two.  Still not liking the input and noise from the safe bakers but I can see that a totally quiet room would be unsettling as well.  

Carla’s walk of shame was a little more toned down this week — keep going in that direction, girl, as Jason might say.  

Edited May 11, 2021 by MerBearHou

[Rammchick]

5 hours ago, susannah said:

Unbelievably, I just figured this out tonight! I knew Sandra has a sister named Gesine, which I thought was such an unusual name, and that her mother's name was Helga. I knew nothing more about her sister except that she worked in Sandra's production company. Then tonight, Gesine, what? Another one with that name? spoke of her mother, Helga, and slowly the light went on! I had to Google her to find out what she is doing in professional baking.

 

As you might expect, their mother, Helga, was German (and why Gesine is pronounced Gazeen-a and not Gazeen).  I know Sandra is fully fluent and I suspect Gesine is as well.  

Edited May 11, 2021 by Rammchick

[CrazyInAlabama]

I think Felicia was the one to go when she put too few layers in the Smith Island Cake.   However, under-baked crumble by Caitlyn sounded awful.      I really liked Felicia, and I hope she is happy, and living her best life.     

[susannah]

5 hours ago, Rammchick said:

As you might expect, their mother, Helga, was German (and why Gesine is pronounced Gazeen-a and not Gazeen).  I know Sandra is fully fluent and I suspect Gesine is as well.  

Yeah, I read Sandra's bio again and read that they lived in Germany until Sandra was 12, and performed in their mother's operas at times, in Germany, as children. German might have even been their first language. I didn't know how Gesine was pronounced as seem to always miss her introductions.

[Spunkygal]

13 minutes ago, susannah said:

Yeah, I read Sandra's bio again and read that they lived in Germany until Sandra was 12, and performed in their mother's operas at times, in Germany, as children. German might have even been their first language. I didn't know how Gesine was pronounced as seem to always miss her introductions.

I read somewhere that she used to say it rhymes with “subpoena!” 😀

[Koalagirl]

11 hours ago, Lamb18 said:

I wish they would style Carla better but it seems like she is foreordained to be a "wacky" character. But she is actually an elegant person. If she'd had her hair up and the scarf removed from her neck that elegance would have shown through.

Carla used to be a fashion model. You can easily find her photos by googling Her and she also showed some of her past photos on You Tube

[mlp]

Carla did seem to have toned it down last night, thank goodness.  I still don't like having the other contestants standing around watching the bake-off at the end and even tasting things.  

I have no problem with Gesine being over drip cakes.  That's her personal preference.  However, there's no way it should affect her judging.  That's not fair to the contestant.

I don't think Jason's "cornpone" is an act.  I think that's the way he talks.  I noticed that the baker from Kentucky called him "honey" when she was talking to him.  It was natural to her just like it is to him and it made me smile.

[susannah]

2 hours ago, mlp said:

I have no problem with Gesine being over drip cakes.  That's her personal preference.  However, there's no way it should affect her judging.  That's not fair to the contestant

I agree. I thought it was odd that she said that. Personal preferences should not enter into it, but everything judged on its own merits. Also looking at you, Duff, with the cupcake thing.

[emmawoodhouse]

4 minutes ago, susannah said:

I agree. I thought it was odd that she said that. Personal preferences should not enter into it, but everything judged on its own merits. Also looking at you, Duff, with the cupcake thing.

Unlike Duff with the ASSIGNED cupcake, Gesine got over it and praised the cake.

[Irlandesa]

Just because she critiqued the drip style wouldn't necessarily mean she'd hold it against the baker in judging unless it came down to decoration and that's always going to be subjective. 

[dleighg]

8 hours ago, mlp said:

I have no problem with Gesine being over drip cakes.  That's her personal preference.

and I think it was more that she wanted to see something surprising. Doing a drip cake is a decoration that requires no real thought- it's just an add-on that doesn't arise creatively out of the challenge.