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Christmas Cookie Challenge - General Discussion

Lisin

By Lisin
in Christmas Cookie Challenge

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Guest

Guest

1 hour ago, TVbitch said:

I think I am up-to-date on this show and it seems like they are rotating hosts. 

Eddie Jackson has been the host from the beginning. Ree Drummond was a permanent judge from the beginning, but got bumped up to co-host in 2020. So it's been relatively stable, host-wise, though the judges have changed a lot.

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NYGirl
NYGirl

This show annoys me in that it's only about the decorating and not the cookie itself.  All of the cookies look so thick and they basically use the same recipe or a variation thereof.  I wish it was mo

kj4ever
kj4ever

Thanks!  I got better after those....Here's a tree and Santa I made.  I kept thinking they could have done the branches like this on the Star cookies turned into trees and it would have looked a lot b

Spunkygal
Spunkygal

Well, the judges got it right last night and picked the right winner. So clever to use Tang to amp up the orange taste. I didn’t like the Witchmas chick or her designs. Just compete in the Halloween c

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CheshireCat

CheshireCat

I caught a rerun of the episode where they had to bake the board game for the final challenge. I wonder if they knew in advance if that was going to be the task or, at least, the direction it would go in because coming up with a game concept is not easy and coming up with one in minutes under pressure... I think at least one of them would have drawn a blank. And the game of the winner (the game where you had to collect the presents to refill the Santa sack) was a pretty creative and original concept.

Overall, it was a lot for such a short amount of time. Half an hour more wouldn't have hurt.

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Guest

Guest

I don't mind a little suspension of disbelief when it comes to them supposedly finding out what they have to do right then and there. It's such a happy little show that usually keeps the stakes and drama pretty low, and lets the fun come through. Eddie and Ree have a good rapport, and it all just breezes by quite pleasantly. I thought all three forts were really cute and well done (though I kept waiting for someone to point out that penguins aren't at the north pole)

The cookies are massive, though 😆

CheshireCat

CheshireCat

13 hours ago, tracyscott76 said:

I don't mind a little suspension of disbelief when it comes to them supposedly finding out what they have to do right then and there.

I don't mind at the beginning but it always bothers me when they act surprised over a twist, no matter which show it is. I mean, haven't they watched any of the show before so that they don't know what's coming? I'm sure they're asked to act surprised but I think it's stupid because we all know what's coming.

I forgot that the episode was on Sunday (I think they changed it last year and it was Monday before) but it'll be on again Thursday night, so I'll catch it then).

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CheshireCat

CheshireCat

7 minutes ago, Maverick said:

Looks like the first episode doesn't air in FN until Thursday.  Odd that they put it online so early.  

 My guide doesn't show it for next Thursday, just reruns of Holiday Baking Championship.  Is this going to + only after the first episode?  

I checked the FN website and it looks like episode 2 isn't airing until Nov 20.  https://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/christmas-cookie-challenge/episodes/crafty-christmas

ETA: I just saw that episode 3 is listed for Nov 13.

CheshireCat

CheshireCat

On 11/7/2022 at 10:54 AM, tracyscott76 said:

 (though I kept waiting for someone to point out that penguins aren't at the north pole)

I don't think it would have looked as cute with polar bears 😉

I was doing something while watching but the couple that went home after the first challenge, was she a cookie baker? I didn't see a lot of difference between her and her husband's cookie.

The cookie that Eddie said was crunchy on the outside and buttery on the inside was so not baked all the way through. You could see the dark spot in the middle of the backside of the cookie even on TV.

I agree that all forts were cute and well done but I think the winning couple went the extra mile by making it 360° and by having this little detail of a gingerbread man who had been hit in the back and having the snow ball there and the powdered sugar. Loved that.

Were the cookies different in size and thickness from previous seasons?

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Maverick

Maverick

3 hours ago, HyeChaps said:

I regret that they no longer have a panel of judges with baking expertise (even if one was Ree). 

 They've really cheapened the show.  No guest judge, 4 contestants instead of five.  Oh yeah, and no prize except a tacky "gold" ornament.   If I showed up and they found out that was the only prize, I'd get a bag of holiday Oreos and call it a day.

 I hope the couples thing was a one off because I didn't find it very enjoyable. 

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libgirl2

libgirl2

4 hours ago, Maverick said:

 They've really cheapened the show.  No guest judge, 4 contestants instead of five.  Oh yeah, and no prize except a tacky "gold" ornament.   If I showed up and they found out that was the only prize, I'd get a bag of holiday Oreos and call it a day.

 I hope the couples thing was a one off because I didn't find it very enjoyable. 

I thought they won cash. 

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CheshireCat

CheshireCat

5 hours ago, Maverick said:

 They've really cheapened the show.  No guest judge, 4 contestants instead of five.  Oh yeah, and no prize except a tacky "gold" ornament.  

I'm pretty sure they still win $10,000. It's just in the ornament for some reason.

While we don't know and don't get to see it, I can still imagine that the judges at the Holiday Baking Championship award points and determine the winner that way. With Eddie and Ree I always get the feeling that they taste the cookies, look at the designs and then, as if they were in a bakery picking what to buy, they announce the winner.

With that said, I watch both shows because I want to see the end result of both bakes and not much else. 🙂

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CheshireCat

CheshireCat

So, Lindsey's cookies were not neat enough for her to stay but Mark's weren't, especially when compared to Sharon's?

The ideas of the bread and globe costume were cute but the proportions on the globe costume were completely off, the peas and Santa hat were not where the head would be.

Yeah, okay, the isomalt was visible on Sharon's cookies but seriously? Those costumes fit those gingerbread men as if they were tailored! They were but it's cookie dough and they didn't spread one bit of an inch too much.

Also, could Ree and Eddie have waved those cookies around a bit more? They seemed to want to make them break and when that didn't work they found something to complain about - namely the spices. Which they complained weren't present in Gorge's cookies and he stayed. (Was he the one whose cookies also had all the same color and weren't really wearing visible costumes aside from a scarf and beard and whose cookies were basically too crisp, too?)

I didn't really like Sharon's personality but it seemed that Ree and Eddie didn't either and decided she was going home because of that. Or they wanted men so they could be cute and call them "gingerbread men" during the second part of the bake.

Uh, Mark, gingerbread spread in the oven, what a surprise? Who could have expected that? Gingerbread is only one of the doughs that spreads the most if not the dough that spreads the most. But sure, be surprised about that.

Gorge's building and polar bear were beautiful. The rest looked like a mess on TV and the elf didn't look proportional at all. Did he have any legs and feet?

I always irritates me when they suggest to add something like vanilla to a cookie. Not every cookie has to taste like vanilla or needs vanilla. I often feel like they think a cookie should taste a certain way and when it doesn't, they suggest something should be added to make it taste like that instead of being open-minded about the taste and being open for a new taste.
As far as this recipe is concerned, I had never heard of that cookie and had quick look on Google. There's one roll-out recipe (interestingly in English, in German you either get thumbprints which are, apparently, called Angel Eyes in German for whatever reason or you get a basic roll-out dough for angel-shaped cookies 😂 ) and that's with marzipan. Marzipan is an almond paste, if you make it yourself, it's made from ground almonds, powdered sugar and rosewater. Marzipan should absolutely not taste like vanilla, it's supposed to taste like almonds. Argh!

Yeah, Ree, I'm sure Chad would have taken more time to make the sign if you had given him more time. 🙄 I'm pretty sure she understands that the sign was the least of his worries.

I think I'm okay with Chad winning. I did like the sketch a bit better than the end result but overall, I think it was the cleanest and best.

Mark's idea was cute but yeah, the outside was a bit empty.

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ShelleySue

ShelleySue

7 hours ago, CheshireCat said:

The ideas of the bread and globe costume were cute but the proportions on the globe costume were completely off, the peas and Santa hat were not where the head would be.

Yeah, okay, the isomalt was visible on Sharon's cookies but seriously? Those costumes fit those gingerbread men as if they were tailored! They were but it's cookie dough and they didn't spread one bit of an inch too much.

I couldn't see how Ree and Eddie were eating the "Ginger Bread" and "Peas on Earth" cookies. Did they eat all of that fondant or did they peel it off? I'm asking because fondant is nasty stuff and there was a lot on those cookies. Speaking of nasty stuff . . . If I saw that much isomalt on a cookie I'd call my dentist before I bit into it. You can literally break a tooth on a glob of it. I wasn't so concerned with what was visible, but what was hidden underneath when they were biting into it.

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CheshireCat

CheshireCat

7 hours ago, ShelleySue said:

I couldn't see how Ree and Eddie were eating the "Ginger Bread" and "Peas on Earth" cookies. Did they eat all of that fondant or did they peel it off?

I didn't catch that either but they didn't comment on his or Lindsey's fondant and I think they ate a fondant-free part.

7 hours ago, ShelleySue said:

I'm asking because fondant is nasty stuff and there was a lot on those cookies. Speaking of nasty stuff . . . If I saw that much isomalt on a cookie I'd call my dentist before I bit into it. You can literally break a tooth on a glob of it. I wasn't so concerned with what was visible, but what was hidden underneath when they were biting into it.

Ree had a white part from the snowman, so I think the isomalt wasn't everywhere. Otherwise, she would probably not have been able to break off a white part only.

I would not have used isomalt either but good thing she did considering how Eddie and Ree were waving those cookies around. I'm still not over that.

Spunkygal

Spunkygal

I laugh my butt off when Walmart Ree criticizes any of them for a shortcut. Don’t get me wrong, I shop at Walmart every week. But she markets her cheap crap merch there, has a “cooking” show with tons of short cuts and gloop and then criticizes these bakers who bake and decorate rings around anything she could produce. Isomalt Granny should have stayed. 

BTW: Mrs Claus just texted me. Fondant should be banned from every cookie show. 

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ShelleySue

ShelleySue

17 hours ago, Spunkygal said:

BTW: Mrs Claus just texted me. Fondant should be banned from every cookie show. 

I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think fondant has it's place on some cakes. I have a friend whose daughter is a pastry chef and I've seen her do some incredible cakes using fondant. Most of them are for kids' birthday parties and are superheroes, spaceships, animals, etc. When the cakes are served to the kids the fondant is peeled away, although knowing kids, they would eat the fondant if it was on the plate.  BUT there is absolutely no place for fondant on a cookie. A cookie is eaten by hand and you eat the entire thing. I can't imagine picking up a cookie from a plate and having to pick off layers of it before eating it. But then again I refuse to eat anything that's brightly colored, especially with black, because I can taste artificial food coloring. I buy cakes from a bakery that uses all natural coloring.  The colors aren't as vibrant, but they don't have that (at least to me) funny taste. I'm always surprised when the judges don't mention the taste of the food coloring which is why I assume I must either be sensitive to it, or I'm just crazy. I never know what they are going to criticize. Eddie will mention the pickiest of details but not word about too much fondant.

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MerBearHou

MerBearHou

1 hour ago, ShelleySue said:

Eddie will mention the pickiest of details but not word about too much fondant.

The minute all of that fondant went on, I thought "oh no, kiss of death".  Couldn't believe when Ree and Eddie didn't say a peep. 

Agreed, fondant is great for a design effect, but not for eating whatsoever.

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mlp

mlp

On 11/14/2022 at 3:16 AM, CheshireCat said:

Also, could Ree and Eddie have waved those cookies around a bit more? They seemed to want to make them break and when that didn't work they found something to complain about - namely the spices.

I've seen them do that on previous seasons and don't really understand it.  Cookies can break when handled.  Unless they are going to hang them up or make a structure, accidental breakage shouldn't be a big issue IMO.  Looks and taste are far more important.

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ruffy666

ruffy666

On 11/11/2022 at 8:03 AM, Maverick said:

 They've really cheapened the show.  No guest judge, 4 contestants instead of five.  Oh yeah, and no prize except a tacky "gold" ornament.   If I showed up and they found out that was the only prize, I'd get a bag of holiday Oreos and call it a day.

They still get cash on this show, but on some of the other shows they've changed the prize to a trip somewhere or maybe a stove or something and I do find that odd.  The $10k prize amount hasn't changed since the inception of these shows AFAIK and even that is hardly worth what it once was.

CheshireCat

CheshireCat

I caught the end of a season 5 rerun, the one where they had to make snowmen as the display challenge and a few thing stuck out to me.

First, I thought this was an incredibly difficult task for the limited time that they have. As is properly decorating spheres wasn't difficult enough, they also had to be stacked. If I compare that with the board game challenge, the actual baking process of a board game seems more suited for such a competition.

Second, one of the contestants, a bakery owner claimed that too much moisture makes the dough spread. That had me go 'uh' because it's too much fat which makes the dough spread and too much moisture which makes the dough gooey (I speak from experience ;-) ). Kind of like a yeast dough only without the yeast but it still rises more than regular cookie dough and doesn't spread but shrink. After it happened to me, I read up on it and it's a combination of things: the gooeyness comes from too much gluten, and the cookies bake the way they do because excess moisture evaporates too quickly in the hot oven, air forms which pushes the dough up and because the dough loses too much moisture, it shrinks, like something that dries out. Curiously enough, the cookies also come out very flakey almost like puff pastry.
I do what she did and let anything that contains moisture simmer. I also add butter/fat to balance the moisture.

Third, another contestant was making gingersnaps and she said that she needed a structurally sound cookie so she was using more flour and then she was surprised that the dough was too crumbly. That, too, made me go 'uh' because if you change the ratio of flour-binding agent then, of course, it's going to be more crumbly.
One of the things that makes cookies structurally more sound are eggs. As does (white) sugar due to the caramelization process.

I don't know why she threw her dough away right away, though. I would have added half a tablespoon to a tablespoon of cold butter and kneaded it in like I would into a shortcrust cookie (I guess, that's what it's called. There's no translation for the cookie I mean, just for the pastry dough but the preparation process is the same.

I get that you may not think about the butter in the heat of the moment but shouldn't bakers/bakery owners know the other two things?

It's a pity that the one snowman didn't hold up but I appreciated Eddie and Ree whose criticism was very supportive. They didn't rub it in and they really focused on the good and complimented her on the details they could see and the taste.

And I probably wouldn't have thought about it either but I wish the baker (who was from Seattle) would have said that it was late in the year and the snow was too wet too hold up. But I get that she was so disappointed. I noticed that she looked like she had been crying - which I would have, too!

CheshireCat

CheshireCat

If there ever was an episode where it was obvious that they had decided who the winner was beforehand, I think it was this one.

Beth's first cookie was a mess (can I say ugly mess?). She also didn't meet the challenge and while one baker goes home because the background doesn't have a wood-look, she stays because her cookie tastes so good? The other baker's (I was unable to retain her name but even if I did, I wouldn't attempt to spell it) cookie tasted really good, too, and I think the actual string art should weigh heavier than the background. So, there are two contestants who had good, clean, string art, one had a background that didn't work, the other had a cookie that didn't work but Beth stays because her cookie tasted so great? Yeah, I don't think so. The moment they announced that, I had a strong suspicion she would win. For whatever reason.

Cory's Cardinal was great and he made the twig/greenery out of strings, too. It's ridiculous that he was sent home. (I've never tasted pre-cooked bacon but how can it have a metallic taste to it?)

I didn't understand why Meridyth decided to put the caramel apple into her icing when she knew that fat and royal icing don't mix. And why did she not add caramel-apple flavor to her sugar cookie? It's a sugar cookie. Other than sweet, it has no taste to it, so it seems like the perfect base. That made no sense.
It's a pity she had difficulties with the carnival flavor because her carousel looked so cute. I wasn't a fan of the flat top but the rest looked so neat and the animals were so cute.

I can't remember the baker's name with the dog carousel but that one was cute. Since Meridyth messed up, this one was the clear winner for me.
Sometimes Eddie's criticism is laughable - he isn't sure if the dog house is very carousel-like or however he phrased it? Yeah, deal with it. For her carousel, it is. Criticism like that reminds me of one of my art teachers who told us to draw a fantasy town and when my town had a building with triangular windows, he told me there was no such thing. (First of all, it was fantasy and second, there is such a thing. But it was the same teacher who told me there are no red bridges after I draw the Golden Gate Bridge when we were supposed to draw something from our vacation...)

How often have Ree and Eddie told a baker that their decoration looked rushed and then eliminated them for that after the first round? And Beth's carousel wins? Did they see the gingerbread house panels? Those windows were crooked and more than rushed and what was that blob on color on the top and what was that "churro dust" on top that wasn't even on all of the panels? Where did her animals have great detail? The ones I saw were simple shapes, with huge fields of one color and very little detail.

Oh, and then there's the flavor part: Meridyth' Eight Spice cookie (which basically sounded like a German gingerbread spice mix) was too mild in how she used the flavor but Beth's "mild" gingerbread was great? Could they have been any more obvious?

I really don't know why Beth was supposed to win but she didn't deliver and it was a very unsatisfactory episode.

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mlp

mlp

I'm glad you took the time to remember and write all that, CheshireCat, because I was thinking the same things.  I liked the gal who won but I thought the dog rescue woman was a lot more deserving.  Eddie's comment about the doghouse making it hard to recognize it as a carousel (or whatever he said) made no sense at all.  I didn't think Cory should have been sent home either.

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dleighg

dleighg

I had to chuckle at the contestant who said she'd been an adjunct professor at Columbia but it "wasn't her cup of tea." No surprise; my SIL has been an adjunct at a different Ivy, and I've been one at a non-Ivy, after early retirement just to see how I liked it. The pay absolutely sucks. You cannot make a living at it.

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mojoween

mojoween

“And here are some arctic animals from the North Pole” mmm ok sure Beth, because I see a penguin on there.

Her inside gingerbread panels weren’t consistent and her first design didn’t meet the string challenge while Cory’s did, so Beth of course wins the whole damn thing.  Her piping on the animals was nice, I’ll give her that.  But that blobby color on the top because her cookies fell was wretched.

Merydith, the other girl didn’t steal anything from you.  When Eddie hit the bell, you stood there until they reminded you the challenge started.  Her whining was getting annoying.

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Jaded

Jaded

On 11/20/2022 at 8:20 PM, CheshireCat said:

If there ever was an episode where it was obvious that they had decided who the winner was beforehand, I think it was this one.

The judging for this show really does feel staged and inauthentic. I don't watch it often but when I do it the judging comes across like they are reading preprepared lines that they practiced all day.

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ShelleySue

ShelleySue

11 hours ago, Jaded said:

The judging for this show really does feel staged and inauthentic. I don't watch it often but when I do it the judging comes across like they are reading preprepared lines that they practiced all day.

I finally realized that a lot of the lines are rehearsed few weeks ago when Ree said something to one of the contestants about them both having red hair.  A few seconds later Eddie showed up wearing a red wig -- as if he just happened to spontaneously find one backstage when her heard them talking.

On 11/20/2022 at 9:20 PM, CheshireCat said:

I didn't understand why Meridyth decided to put the caramel apple into her icing when she knew that fat and royal icing don't mix. And why did she not add caramel-apple flavor to her sugar cookie? It's a sugar cookie. Other than sweet, it has no taste to it, so it seems like the perfect base. That made no sense.

I was wondering that too.  It didn't have to be that caramel apple. She didn't even have to add flavoring to the cookie.  She could have used dried apples in the dough and some sort of caramel icing.

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mojoween

mojoween

Kellie appeared to be very talented but oh wow was she over the top.  Her facial expressions when Ree and Eddie were explaining the second part were beyond exaggerated.

Ree and Eddie don’t normally bug me, but they were dialed up to 11 yesterday.  Jay Anthony do you have cookies in the oven?  Jay Anthony have you made anything?  Jay Anthony Jay Anthony Jay Anthony!  Kayla *GASP* your roof broke!  

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Grizzly

Grizzly

6 hours ago, mojoween said:

Kellie appeared to be very talented but oh wow was she over the top.  Her facial expressions when Ree and Eddie were explaining the second part were beyond exaggerated.

Ree and Eddie don’t normally bug me, but they were dialed up to 11 yesterday.  Jay Anthony do you have cookies in the oven?  Jay Anthony have you made anything?  Jay Anthony Jay Anthony Jay Anthony!  Kayla *GASP* your roof broke!  

I think Kellie was auditioning for her own show. She's obviously talented and made the best cookies but I think having celebrity clients has gone to her head. She was overacting to get screen time. Didn't like how Eddie helped her with pairing her herb flavor.

I felt bad for Jay Anthony but what was he doing with his time? At least the judges liked the taste of his cookie. Small comfort, I'm sure.

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MerBearHou

MerBearHou

20 minutes ago, Grizzly said:

I think Kellie was auditioning for her own show. She's obviously talented and made the best cookies but I think having celebrity clients has gone to her head. She was overacting to get screen time. Didn't like how Eddie helped her with pairing her herb flavor.

I had the exact same thoughts!  She was way too theatrical and seemed to be auditioning which is an automatic turn off for me, no matter how talented.  

Also thought Eddy was a difference maker with the rosemary guidance -- not OK, judge Eddy.

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bilgistic

bilgistic

I just started this season's episodes, but I have to be petty and comment on Ree's hair. It's BRIGHT ORANGE, and one flat color. Because she's so fair, she'd look great with brown (or more realistic "red"). She looks beautiful with darker hair in this picture.

189825b881a0f977b592223763dc5ed0--pionee

This is (supposedly) her natural color, which is also darker and more flattering.

molly1.jpg

This is a photo from an October article. So orange.

Ree-Drummond-3-2000-f65fda1ab20348449de5

I'm sure people (my mother) don't like my red-violet hair, but it's at least flattering to my skin. I'm so pale that I'm translucent. My natural color is "dishwater blonde," so I've been dyeing it since my early 20s.

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ShelleySue

ShelleySue

Both Mr. ShelleySue and I come from long lines of red heads. All of his siblings have red hair.  My grandmother had red hair as did some of her siblings.  My mother's brother and sister had strawberry blond hair but my mother had brown hair like my grandfather.  Neither my husband nor I have red hair.  All of our children have brown hair with red highlights.  We have seen varying shades of red hair in our lives but we have never, ever seen orange hair except out of a box. Just a personal observation, red hair seems to fade with age faster than other colors. I don't mean that it turns to gray, but the red pigment turns to brown or blond. At least that's my personal observation and I'm not sure if it's true for everyone. 

About last night's episode -- Is it just me or is Eddie getting pickier? He just gets on my nerves with his attack on the tiniest details. I know that he is now billed as a "chef" but is he a baker? Sorry for my lack of knowledge, but did he start out as football player turned host turned chef turned judge or was he a chef before he became a host?

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