Holiday Gingerbread Showdown - General Discussion

[CrazyDog]

The carnival was gorgeous. I loved the details and little elements they added. The Santa mug shot and mistletoe in the kissing booth were so cute. But I really didn't like the assistant. At all. So, mixed thoughts.

I didn't even recognize Stephanie at all. The duck like mouths always look so hard and uncomfortable.

[CheshireCat]

I agree, the carnival was gorgeous. And it was not just the carousel, everything was so adorable!

I do agree that the reindeers looked animated, though. They looked like carousel figures rather than real ones (not that I cared ;-))

Overall, I want to see that display again but this time, they get all the time they need to make it perfect. Isn't there a store somewhere that wants this as a Christmas display?

I didn't really understand the criticism of having the baking twist in an edible bowl. They're asking for it to be integrated into the display, are they not? And this one was perfectly integrated. So what is it that they want?

The gingerbread walls of the spa really did look fantastic. You could almost smell the wood. And the penguin was SO cute.

The factory did look a bit like a prison from the outside. It did look good but I have a hard time imagining that Santa would have such a bland looking workshop.

I thought Kalen's remark that it was unfinished was almost rude. He does realize how little time they have, doesn't he? If they had done more on the outside and less on the inside, he probably would have said that they should have concentrated less on the outside and more on the inside.

I do appreciate that the judges aren't commenting on things that went wrong. The bakers are very aware of that themselves, so there's no need to rub salt into the wound. I really like that.

4 hours ago, Grizzly said:

 I know I've seen Annissa before.

Yeah, I thought she looked familiar, too.

[libgirl2]

7 hours ago, Grizzly said:

Carla! That outfit is hideous! Kalen is subtle in comparison. I know I've seen Annissa before. The other 2 look familiar too. Ooo an assistant getting a little uppity. The structure of the factory is impressive but I think all their details will get lost inside. Aw the spa didn't quite come together but the massage penguin was adorable. And the tub and chair were good too. Carousel is probably the most complete scene.

I recognized the woman on the spa team right away. She is Meghan Morris who won Haunted Gingerbread Showdown a few years ago. She is very good so I was surprised last night. I guess time got the better of her. 

[mlp]

The assistant with the hideous hairstyle didn't seem to understand that she wasn't in charge.  Reva (can't recall her last name) did the same thing when she was an assistant a few seasons ago although she was nastier and kept it up much longer.  At least this gal settled down and worked.

I thought the workmanship on the factory display was the best but it turned out less interesting and appealing than the carnival.  

[libgirl2]

8 minutes ago, mlp said:

The assistant with the hideous hairstyle didn't seem to understand that she wasn't in charge.  Reva (can't recall her last name) did the same thing when she was an assistant a few seasons ago although she was nastier and kept it up much longer.  At least this gal settled down and worked.

I thought the workmanship on the factory display was the best but it turned out less interesting and appealing than the carnival.  

I was excited by the bizcocho being part Dominican. It wasn't quite what I am used to because we pretty much call all cake that. 

[Grizzly]

Carla and Kalen riffing on Gummi glue was priceless. Stephanie's hair is not a good color on her. Just based on the ideas, I like the dueling castles the best. Seems to embody the theme the best. The one where Santa and Frost are on different sides of the building shouldn't win.

[CheshireCat]

I thought the elves from the winning display lacked some kind of cuteness but overall, the display seemed to capture the theme the best. I also thought it was a really cute idea.

I didn't like that their baking twist won because it was the least well-integrated and they do say that it's supposed to seamlessly integrate. Regardless of what they said, they had other plans for the baking twist and it did look like they had to have it on there, so they put it there because they ran out of time.

For the Emporium display, I agree with the judges that it would have been better to have some elves decorate on the Jack Frost side.
Otherwise, it was an impressive display and I liked the intricacy of it.

The last one was a shrug for me. I didn't think it captured the theme at all. I did not get snowstorm but snow-covered and snow-covered is not exactly something that Santa's not used to.

Why were the judges eating the baking twists with knife and fork?

2 hours ago, Grizzly said:

Stephanie's hair is not a good color on her.

For some reason, she reminded me of the lady of the house of the Addam's Family (I don't know what the characters are called).

[mlp]

I was sort of surprised when the same team won twice but I agreed with the judges' decisions.  

2 minutes ago, CheshireCat said:

For some reason, she reminded me of the lady of the house of the Addam's Family (I don't know what the characters are called).

Morticia.  I had the same thought.  Stephanie seems to be experimenting with hair, makeup and botox and I can't imagine why.  She has always been a nice-looking woman and she's spoiling her girl-next-door vibe.  None of the changes are doing her any favors.  

The teams have only one week to make all their gingerbread.  They must do little else that week.  If I had to pack and ship all that I'd be a nervous wreck worrying about breakage in transit.  They probably are.

[Spunkygal]

I’m not a fan of the Santa v Frost theme so I wasn’t invested in this episode. That wasn’t fun for me but others may disagree. Stephanie looked horrible. She’s such a pretty lady. Why?!?!!

[Maverick]

I agree Stephanie looks bad in this.   The stylist for this sucks at their job.  Or hates the hosts.   Or both.

[mlp]

3 hours ago, Maverick said:

I agree Stephanie looks bad in this.   The stylist for this sucks at their job.  Or hates the hosts.   Or both.

Agreed.  They've had Carla in some awful outfits that she couldn't pull off - and she can even make horrific Halloween costumes look good.  I liked her hairdo but that ensemble she was wearing was the pits.  Stephanie looked worse, all in black and her hair looked like it had been straightened and greased.  Not a good look.  The male judge looks like he probably wears his own stuff.  :)

[libgirl2]

12 hours ago, Spunkygal said:

I’m not a fan of the Santa v Frost theme so I wasn’t invested in this episode. That wasn’t fun for me but others may disagree. Stephanie looked horrible. She’s such a pretty lady. Why?!?!!

she is starting to look hard and plastic. 

[bilgistic]

I thought that team that had the "three snowmen who look like the judges" should've put a duckbill on the "Stephanie" snowman.

I'm going to hell.

[SemiCharmedLife]

On 11/22/2022 at 6:42 PM, Spunkygal said:

I’m not a fan of the Santa v Frost theme so I wasn’t invested in this episode. That wasn’t fun for me but others may disagree. Stephanie looked horrible. She’s such a pretty lady. Why?!?!!

I have never heard of this rivalry between Santa and Jack Frost.  Is it from a movie or book?  I didn't care for the theme at all, though it's probably from my own ignorance.

[Popples]

2 hours ago, SemiCharmedLife said:

I have never heard of this rivalry between Santa and Jack Frost.  Is it from a movie or book?  I didn't care for the theme at all, though it's probably from my own ignorance.

The only being I've heard Jack Frost having a beef with was Frosty the Snowman in that Rankin-Bass cartoon.

[Spunkygal]

2 hours ago, SemiCharmedLife said:

I have never heard of this rivalry between Santa and Jack Frost.  Is it from a movie or book?  I didn't care for the theme at all, though it's probably from my own ignorance.

I think it’s just a contrived rivalry for this show. Santa is always going to win any rivalry he’s got going on! And I’m not just saying that cause he’s watching!

[Darian]

I usually hope no one has any major disasters, and while I may have a favorite team, I usually just think the judges get it right. This week is going to be different and interesting. Someone I know personally and despise with every fiber of my being (won't spill who) is competing and I may have to spoil myself before watching to see if they win. They can bake, so they have a shot.   

[MerBearHou]

1 hour ago, Darian said:

I usually hope no one has any major disasters, and while I may have a favorite team, I usually just think the judges get it right. This week is going to be different and interesting. Someone I know personally and despise with every fiber of my being (won't spill who) is competing and I may have to spoil myself before watching to see if they win. They can bake, so they have a shot.   

Oooooh, I am intrigued!!

[libgirl2]

On 11/24/2022 at 10:47 AM, SemiCharmedLife said:

I have never heard of this rivalry between Santa and Jack Frost.  Is it from a movie or book?  I didn't care for the theme at all, though it's probably from my own ignorance.

They did in one of the Santa Clause movies. I want to say the third. 

[Grizzly]

Did Beth have the same amount of time as the others? My goodness, that was a lot of stuff. Especially when compared to the hot air balloon display. Small town Kentucky was cute and gave the best example of a parade.

[Guest]

This felt like part of Goldilocks and the 3 Bears: one display was too much, one was too little, and one (the winner) was just right.

I thought Stephanie looked really cute this week!

[mlp]

1 hour ago, tracyscott76 said:

This felt like part of Goldilocks and the 3 Bears: one display was too much, one was too little, and one (the winner) was just right.

That's a perfect description!  The "too much" parade was attention grabbing but, as the judges pointed out, it was just too crowded.  That team brought many, many of their little people with them and then made more.  The  "too little" team was talented but they spent too much time on the not-very-attractive floor to the detriment of the overall appearance of their display.  I loved the Kentucky town and was happy that they won.

[CheshireCat]

Wow, that one team had a lot of gingerbread. And a lot of color, too. I wonder if it maybe would have looked better if they had toned down the color a bit.

That was a classic example of reality not necessarily translating well into art. Parades in a city are certainly crowded but they would have needed more space for their display to work. I really liked their storefronts and the truck but the rest was just too much.

The winning display was the best, no doubt about it. I think the judges' description of it looking like a picture book was a really good description. The way they arranged the houses did make it look like one of those pop-up picture books. I really liked the solution.

I also liked that their moving element was the parade. And that firetruck was awesome! (I liked all of their floats but the firetruck was something else).

I liked the one with the hot air balloon as well and didn't think it looked too empty. But did they have spectators? I think that was what was missing. But they had some really cute elements/floats and those soldiers looked incredible!

I didn't think any of the baking twists looked all that appealing or that well integrated but it's too bad that they don't put recipes on the Food Network website. I'd have loved to try the Crownie. That sounded interesting.

[Darian]

Yeah, I wanted a crownie when I saw it. I thought the right team won because it most evoked parade, but I loved the balloon and that team's elements. 

I've never gone into a competition actively hoping someone loses, and didn't like it. I usually hope everyone does well, though if it's a long competition, I might hope a competitor bombs out. But all three were good, just two I liked better than the too-colorful (a phrase I never thought I'd say) one. 

Edited November 30, 2022 by Darian

[SemiCharmedLife]

I agree that the best team won.  The parade aspect was very clear and I loved the way the houses looked.  It wasn't a difficult structure, because it was just the house fronts, but it was clever and looked great.  I wonder why the icing kept falling off. Carla mentioned that the gingerbread needs to have all the crumbs brushed away, but I wonder if there was more to it than that.  

I wonder if Beth and Shane ever discovered the missing pieces?  The cameramen showed us they were on two sheet pans.  I'm sure its confusing to be working in a kitchen/tv studio that is not familiar.  I loved the bright colors, but editing would have helped immensely.

I was rooting for the third team, based on the photos they shared in the beginning.  The gingerbread sculpting is outstanding.  Their concept could have used a few more elements, but it was well done, especially considering some issues that used up their time.  

[CheshireCat]

23 minutes ago, SemiCharmedLife said:

I agree that the best team won.  The parade aspect was very clear and I loved the way the houses looked.  It wasn't a difficult structure, because it was just the house fronts, but it was clever and looked great.  

Yes and no about the difficult structure. You're certainly right that they were just the house fronts but if memory serves, the were layered and not one piece, so they had to stick on whatever the base was. Also, they couldn't break which is not easy if they were layered because the surface they rest against is uneven.

Breakage would also have been a huge risk if it was one piece of gingerbread.

23 minutes ago, SemiCharmedLife said:

I wonder why the icing kept falling off. Carla mentioned that the gingerbread needs to have all the crumbs brushed away, but I wonder if there was more to it than that. 

The icing may have been too dry. I've had the issue as well, with icing that is fairly thick to begin with and has been in (parchment) piping bags for a while. Even though I wrap the parchment piping bags in plastic wrap and keep the bags in zipper bags, the icing still hardens a little over time.

[Starscream]

I've never understood it when people spend so much time and energy on the bottom surface of their displays.  It's the kind of thing that someone will only notice up close and, unless it's some sort of incredible tile mosaic, it's not going to move the needle.

I'm the kind of person that really enjoys gaudy gingerbread houses, the more candy thrown on there, the better, I say.  So I actually liked the first one the best, but I knew the second one would win and had no problem with it because it was fantastic as well.

[Grizzly]

I was charmed by Joe. (And Sean was hot.) His display seemed to have more gingerbread than Heather's. When she was setting up her stage, it looked like a lot of inedible materials. Barb had too many visible seams. I can picture Stephanie wearing the candied lemon and orange dress. Didn't like Kalen's sleeveless sweater. Nothing wrong with his arms but this is supposed to be winter.

[CheshireCat]

I was underwhelmed by the winner's display. It was a great stage but where were the figurines? There was not a single one in the first display.
Why did the camera keep zooming in on the first scene of that display? We never got a close-up of the last one. Why not? It's the one that had the most going on.

How on earth were they supposed to get light in the chandelier?

I liked the first display. The tree looked awesome and the entire set-up was well though-out. With that said, I didn't want them to win because the dancers really bothered me. Like really bothered me. The arms were too rigid and the legs were not turned out at all. Children who go to ballet class once a week for fun dance like that but no dancer, regardless of age, would be on a professional or even semi-professional stage.
The dancers in the third display didn't have turned out feet either but it was less noticeable because they were flat cookies.

The second display looked incredible. It may not have screamed Nutcracker but it was stunning, including dancers and costumes. That was wow!
I liked the idea of the winning display but since it barely had any dancers in it, I wanted the second one to win. The colors reminded me of the Disney Nutcracker movie.
Kalen's critique was ridiculous. For a couple of seasons now, the Staatsballet Berlin has been dancing on top of a boat that drives (does a boat drive?) down the Spree or Havel River in Berlin. There's nothing there, just the dancers on a boat and they do dance variations from the classics, like Swan Lake.
Just because this didn't look like a classic Nutcracker stage doesn't mean that this couldn't have been a Nutcracker performance. It absolutely could have been.

Overall, I thought those were some of the best and most complete displays we have seen on this competition as of late.

 

[MerBearHou]

I think Kalen is pretty entertaining but does he have any cooking or baking experience?  The first time I ever saw him was that video he did, watching a Mac and Cheese being made that got too “bougie” for him.  It was very funny and put him on the map, AFAIK.  

I too was charmed by Joe.  So much so that I googled where he is a CEO of a finance firm in Delaware.  I agree that there needed to be more ballet dancers in the final display, but I did enjoy the three rotating scenes.  

Edited December 6, 2022 by MerBearHou
Fixing the spelling of bougie!

[SemiCharmedLife]

There were some very good displays this time and I'm sure it was closer competition because they all did quite well.  I personally thought the lady from Texas with her castle Nutcracker display did an incredible job.  I particularly loved the characters and the details.  It looked pretty flawless.  

[Grizzly]

Such different styles in the displays tonight. And they all had features I liked. Sorry Sean's elevator didn't work. And he was quite messy. Peter with his squinty eyes, I couldn't warm up to him. A very impressive coliseum though. Polar bears were so cute. They deserved to win.

[CheshireCat]

I thought all of those displays were even better than last week's. So adorable and for the most part, well executed.

I don't agree with the baking challenge winner. Of course, I don't know how it tasted, but I do know that the integration was not well done. The outside of the flame looked very sloppy and the location was weird, too.
It was better integrated than the second one but not as well as the last one. That was the best by far. And thick chocolate? Please. Those chocolate walls looked about 3mm (which I don't think is thick at all) and I'd like to see Stephanie fill a chocolate penguin with mousse when it's thinner and not crack the outer walls.
What is it with those specific judges and complaining as soon as they can't bite right into the dessert? I'm under the impression that Stephanie and Kalen want it well integrated but also, they don't want it covered with everything. Can't have it both ways.

Those penguins were so cute and perfectly integrated.

Didn't they want to make the key lime pies green to make them look like shrubbery? Why didn't they?

One thing I noticed during the tasting was that Carla's judging was the most nuanced and the most constructive. She was commenting on what she was eating and not on what she would have liked to eat or what her personal preference is. This season, she's my favorite Food-Network judge. Along with Duff.

I don't think the rolling elf that fell off was a problem. I mean, that's kind of the game he created, isn't it? I mean, in blob sleigh and skeleton and luge they topple over as well, so why not have an occasional elf be so enthusiastic that they fall off? (And they're magical creatures, so I'm sure it doesn't hurt :-))
I agree with the judges, those elves were too cute!

I also agree that it would have been nice if the elves on the second display had had faces. I didn't catch if they had faces planned.
It would have been nice if the baker had been quick on his feet and said that they're creatures from the imaginary world so we only see their faces if we imagine that we do or something along those lines.

The stadium looked stunning. Maybe those piping details weren't as clean as they could have been but they've got 10 hours and that was an impressive display!

The last one may have had the fewest characters but those characters were incredible! The facial expressions were the cutest and yes, the details were ... well, incredible. I absolutely loved all the faces and the penguin judges, too! I wouldn't have minded if the first display had won. They may not have been quite as clean but they did have more characters but the last display was my favorite because of the faces and the adorable ideas that they had.

So far, this was my favorite episode this season and it'll be hard to top next week!

[SemiCharmedLife]

I was very impressed with all the North Pole Games creations.  I was watching with trepidation when some of the bakers were getting so messy with their royal icing or isomalt "glue."  The bakers for the winning display covered up all those large isomalt drips, but Sean's remained a bit messy.  I give him lots of credit for the structure of the marble run; would have loved it even more if the elevator had worked.  I really loved the reindeer tug-of-war scene, especially the building.  I might have limited the number of elves and finessed them a bit more, adding features and cleaning them up. The bakers remarked that they intended to be more abstract in the design.  The winning design was just incredible, with the characters, scenery, signs and more!  I loved the special effects and thought that it was a great use of the magnet levitation gadget.

[bilgistic]

I enjoyed seeing Pat Ashley (that name🙄) knocked down a peg.

[mlp]

1 hour ago, bilgistic said:

I enjoyed seeing Pat Ashley (that name🙄) knocked down a peg.

I did too.  I've seen her only a couple other times but both times she boasted about "inventing" gingerbread dough.  That was years ago.  Anyone who cares knows it by now.  Time to give it a rest.

The fairies were cute and well done but I preferred the lodge with the balconies.  I liked the married couple too.

[bilgistic]

Exactly this. When she showed up, I thought I knew her and then they talked about her "invention," and I realized who she was. Like she invented the cure for cancer. You mixed gingerbread, water and gum arabic. Calm down.

[Rammchick]

I hate the feeling of rooting against someone on one of these competitions, but I definitely rooted against her.  What an arrogant person.  

[Popples]

I'm so relieved I'm not the only one that can't stand Pat Ashley. As soon as she showed up on my screen, I actually said out loud to no one, "I hope she loses."

[Biosynth]

4 hours ago, Popples said:

I'm so relieved I'm not the only one that can't stand Pat Ashley. As soon as she showed up on my screen, I actually said out loud to no one, "I hope she loses."

I was so happy to see her stuff fall apart so much.

[SemiCharmedLife]

I've never heard of Pat Ashley, so don't have an opinion of her character or personality, but I liked the shout out for inventing ginger clay.  Everyone is using it these days and she certainly didn't take a patent out on it, so a little exposure and applause is nice for her.

I preferred the lodge, also, but the fairies were so darn cute and there was a lot going on in that scene, so I understand why it won. The scale was off, though.  I wonder why they made the fairies so large?

[CheshireCat]

1 hour ago, SemiCharmedLife said:

The scale was off, though.  I wonder why they made the fairies so large?

My guess would be because it's easier to do and less risk that something will break off like a hand or an arm etc.