Kids Baking Championship - General Discussion

[TomGirl]

Those purse cakes made by Reese's mom were incredible!

[stitcher73]

I notice that this seasons show is not being shown through OnDemand.  Season 1 and 2 are there but not this season.  Maybe because they knew the kids weren't as talented?  Or maybe they were worried about the d'Arabian backlash?

[Thadeeeyus]

1 hour ago, stitcher73 said:

I notice that this seasons show is not being shown through OnDemand.  Season 1 and 2 are there but not this season.  Maybe because they knew the kids weren't as talented?  Or maybe they were worried about the d'Arabian backlash?

The current season shows up for me, listed under the Food Network shows, along with the past 2 seasons.

My current favorites are Justice (if he doesn't make it as a baker, I expect to see him on The Weather Channel), Maya, Reese and Kaniyah.  I find it interesting that Maya hails from the same small tony D.C. suburb as cutie Matthew from Season 2.  Surely they must know each other. 

Edited January 11, 2017 by Thadeeeyus

[BW Manilowe]

20 hours ago, howiveaddict said:

Came here because I saw an episode of this show this weekend. However, it must have been last seasons.  Why in the world did Duff and Valerie keep calling macarons, macaroons?  It drove me nuts. One little girl had a melt down because her macarons fell over when she tried to stack them.

They've been running previous seasons in weekend marathons, yeah. So it was a repeat from last season.

[backgroundnoise]

Valerie and Duff did some speedy backsliding re what the requirements were.  When it seemed that half the kids were going to freak, they quickly threw in, "It's supposed to look messy!  It doesn't have to be a perfect cake!"  They also disregarded the 2-tier thing, which was originally defined as a bundt cake with a smaller bundt cake on top.  Half of them either didn't have a second tier or it was made of the cereal treats.

I'm all for giving the kids a break, but how about by extending the time allowed?  Give them time to bake longer if necessary and try something if the first effort fails.  I'd much rather see better results than kids on the verge of tears.  I really don't get the obsession with creating drama by not giving them enough time.

[steven T]

I hope there is not a lot of crying this season.  The tears got on my nerves last season and i don't remember the kids crying at all the first season.  I'm impressed with the kids who don't cry when things are not going there way and adjust to the pressure.  I actually feel bad for Charlotte because she failed so miserably on both challenges, but she should've never been on the show. 

[ivygirl]

I didn't see the second ep yet, but came here just to see what was cookin' (see what I did there? Har har har).

The "d'Arabian" caught my attention in the first episode, but I thought "nah, they wouldn't have done that." My bad! They just should have had her on with Bobby "McButter" Deen and had him crack a nepotism joke.

Ah well, it's all batter under the bridge now. But I did get a kick out of envisioning Charlotte as the FN version of Tori Spelling. "My name is Larlotte. Larlotte d'Arab...d'Arabino. I am not related to anyone you know and yes, I fully expect to get on the show on my own merits, why do you ask?"

[EyewatchTV211]

I've agreed with everyone here that this season's kids so far have not seemed as talented as those in the past two seasons. However, I will say that tonight, I think this might have been the strongest overall performance with disguising desserts as savory foods (I'm blanking on what they call it at the moment). 

[Eliza422]

7 minutes ago, VMepicgrl said:

I've agreed with everyone here that this season's kids so far have not seemed as talented as those in the past two seasons. However, I will say that tonight, I think this might have been the strongest overall performance with disguising desserts as savory foods (I'm blanking on what they call it at the moment). 

I agree - we got pate a choux and crepes, so i was impressed.

[EyewatchTV211]

1 minute ago, Eliza422 said:

I agree - we got pate a choux and crepes, so i was impressed.

Yes. And many of the foods looked very close to what they were impersonating. 

[LexieLily]

I would have eliminated PB&J girl. (Kelly?) Hers looked honestly, kind of disgusting (I wouldn't want to eat a mountain of buttercream sandwiched between two gigundo circles of cake), and not like a PB&J? Duff and Valerie said Dylan (hot dog, eliminated) looked like he just used cake and buttercream, isn't that essentially what Kelly's was?

Jason annoys me.

Edited January 17, 2017 by LexieLily

[kcrabtree06]

Seeing how great Valerie and Duff are with the kids make me cringe when I think about the adult baking championships with Nancy, Duff, and Lorianne as the judges. I am SO happy Valerie and Duff are the judges for the kids so we don't have to listen to the constant bickering between Lorianne and Nancy with kids involved. 

[Ilovecomputers]

Is Jason the one who sings about chocolate all the time? Yes, he's annoying and I think he's starting to get on Duff's nerves too. I think the food imposter challenge was too much for this group. They seem to have a wide spectrum of ages and I wonder about their true experience level. I've seen kids on Chopped Junior say they've been cooking since age 3 but I have a hard time believing a parent would really permit that. I think the grilled cheese looked just like grilled cheese and the mac and cheese was a great imposter too. Did she just dump lemon curd on top of baked bread "noodles "?  I'm getting bored with this show. Even my husband commented that the kids seem coached to talk the way they do. 

[steven T]

This was the first episode where i feel like they did pretty good.  I think they were better in this challenge than last seasons contestants.  Dylin was the correct one to leave.  He really hadn't baked anything well to this point.  I'm still hoping they can tighten up on the qualifications and make sure they can be camera ready and bake.

[Thadeeeyus]

Last night was the first time that Jason's shtick annoyed me.  A polite, "thank you" would work much better.  In general, I'm finding the kids more annoying this season.  Wonder if they were told to put their personalities on overdrive for the cameras.  I'm a poor judge - I thought Maya would be the one to go  since her roast beef sandwich was pretty bad, but was hoping it would be Audra because she's grating on me.  Good luck to Dylin!   So far, Justice isn't getting any negative edits. He must make it to the finals. 

[Aquarius]

Dylin's "hot dog" was the saddest palest softest excuse for a hot dog I have ever seen.  I have a fondness for hot dogs going back to childhood and I'm pretty forgiving about them in general, but I wouldn't go near that with a 10-foot pole, even knowing it was cake.  It looked soooo gross!

Aidan's meatball sub was pretty impressive.  I loved how they could eat it like a sandwich.  He also had some pretty decent looking fries and ketchup on the plate but I don't think they went into how those tasted.

Cole needs to lay off the glitter.  His plate looked fantastic on our SD TV . . . the glitter didn't really show up . . . so I can just imagine that if he had left it off he would have had a chance at winning the challenge.  Duff and Valerie liked the taste, I thought.  But I could be misremembering. 

That grilled cheese looked real.  Is grilled cheese on Texas toast a thing outside of Texas?  Or even in Texas?  I can imagine that would be pretty unwieldy to eat.  The best part of grilled cheese to me is all the gooey cheese; I would leave off the bread entirely if it was technically feasible.  I love frico but it's just not the same.

And YESSSS!!!!!  Jason (CHOCOLATE!!!!) is becoming annoying.  That burrito did look good though. 

[BW Manilowe]

19 hours ago, VMepicgrl said:

I've agreed with everyone here that this season's kids so far have not seemed as talented as those in the past two seasons. However, I will say that tonight, I think this might have been the strongest overall performance with disguising desserts as savory foods (I'm blanking on what they call it at the moment). 

Dessert imposters is the term they were using.

[Fostersmom]

Man, I can't stand Jason, Aiden, and Audra. Smarmy isn't attractive in adults, let alone in kids. The girl who made the grilled cheese needs to stop with the baby voice. Maya is adorable and I thought they liked her cake, just wanted it to have more brownie meat, so I was confused she was in the bottom. Was it just because of her salsa? 

[Broken Ox]

Agree about Maya. Her sandwich looked very legit, just short on meat. Yet she's in the bottom while that pastel peanut butter and jelly atrocity was not.

[needschocolate]

On 1/16/2017 at 7:21 PM, LexieLily said:

I would have eliminated PB&J girl. (Kelly?) Hers looked honestly, kind of disgusting (I wouldn't want to eat a mountain of buttercream sandwiched between two gigundo circles of cake), and not like a PB&J? Duff and Valerie said Dylan (hot dog, eliminated) looked like he just used cake and buttercream, isn't that essentially what Kelly's was?

She seemed to think she was supposed to make something that tasted like a PB&J, not look like one.  Bottom two should have been the hot dog and the peanut butter sandwich, since they were both just cake with a lot of frosting. Between those two, the PB&J should have gone home if only because it was easier to imitate.

Some of the items - mac and cheese, fried chicken - were a lot more difficult to imitate than others.  

On 1/17/2017 at 5:12 AM, Ilovecomputers said:

 Even my husband commented that the kids seem coached to talk the way they do. 

It is an FN competition show - everyone seems coached (possible exception is Chopped). To me, it is even more annoying when it is adults. Watch Worst Cooks to see what I mean - and even on the celebrity edition of Worst Cooks, the professional actors seemed fake.

[Stinkerbell]

Kaniyah talking about the "80s stuff" cracked me up!

I love this show every year, but it's so hard to watch when they cry. 

[zxy556575]

8 hours ago, Stinkerbell said:

Kaniyah talking about the "80s stuff" cracked me up!

I love this show every year, but it's so hard to watch when they cry. 

The first rainbow cakes were great and I thought we might have a 100% success rate. But nah.

I think the kids are great, even when they're being snots or fail in the kitchen. I like that the show mostly casts outgoing, talkative types even if they are a little show bizzy.

[LennieBriscoe]

Kids on Reality Competition shows, or perhaps more accurately, the parents of same, are probably well aware of the Show-Biz opportunities that can follow such appearances, even unto having one's own show (See: Mauro, Jeff). Yes, they are young, but so is everyone on the Disney Channel!

And my favorite Show-Biz-ready "kid" is the Glitter Prince himself, Cole. He made a beautiful, elegant "tie-dyed" cake.

[Thadeeeyus]

2 hours ago, LennieBriscoe said:

iHAnd my favorite Show-Biz-ready "kid" is the Glitter Prince himself, Cole. He made a beautiful, elegant "tie-dyed" cake.

Cole appears to be a very talented baker, but he also seems very full of himself. His cake was awesome! He's good, and I want to like him, but would it kill him to thank the judges when they compliment him?  Many of the kids this season seem to have a shtick and it's turning me off.  Go, Justice! 

Edited January 24, 2017 by Thadeeeyus

[mlp]

Quote

Cole appears to be a very talented baker, but he also seems very full of himself.

I agree although I find that I'm liking him better as the show goes on.  I think, just based on his vocabulary and listening to him talk, that he's probably very bright.  Justice is still my favorite though.

[tobeannounced]

These kids are finally starting to grow on me, but there's still so many of them! And there only seems to be a couple of them that can produce something that looks polished and creative.

[steven T]

The lava cakes looked pretty good and so did the ice-cream even though I expected more swirl.  Restating what someone in this or maybe another forum posted, I believe the Food Network has gone crazy with the amount of kid shows.  Chopped Jr., Kids Baking Championship, the next kid star, I mean its turning into the Disney Channel.  I know FN must be popular with kids viewing, but it was with adult shows.  I guess we will start seeing kids flipping houses and selling real estate on HGTV.  I like some of the programming but enough is enough.

[Eliza422]

I think it's pretty clear this group is not that talented. It was just a cake, for goodness sake, how could so many go so wrong?

are they not taught to even do the toothpick test before pulling out a cake pan from the oven? 

It wouldn't have helped Kayla because she had other issues, but it seems to always be a crapshoot that a cake will be baked.

i'm just not feeling charitable to this cast.

[Jillybean]

3 hours ago, Eliza422 said:

I think it's pretty clear this group is not that talented. It was just a cake, for goodness sake, how could so many go so wrong?

are they not taught to even do the toothpick test before pulling out a cake pan from the oven? 

I said this same thing to Mr. Jillybean last night. I'm baffled that anyone would try to remove a cake from a pan without first checking with toothpicks to ensure it is completely baked (or, as Valerie would say, "cooked").  I was no star baker at age 9, 10, or 11, but I knew that much.

Edited January 24, 2017 by Jillybean

[Ilovecomputers]

Quote

 (or, as Valerie would say, "cooked").  I was no star baker at age 9, 10, or 11, but I knew that much.

Thank you. This is a pet peeve of mine.  Every time she says, "cooked," I mutter, "Baked!"  I was also a young baker in a family of excellent bakers. The frustrating part for me was that my mother and grandmother never measured anything; they added an ingredient until it looked right. How many of you had an Easy Bake Oven?  My sister and I made mostly toast with it from bread we crumpled in our grubby hands. 

I'm bored with Glitter Boy.  The only cake I wanted to try was the one made by the boy from Florida. He seemed to incorporate the flavors (not just the colors) into the cake. None of their frostings looked appealing but I'm not a big sugary frosting fan. Florida Boy or Future Heartbreaker Justice for the win. 

Quote

  I guess we will start seeing kids flipping houses and selling real estate on HGTV.

Don't give them any ideas!  I'm also sick of the cooks vs. cons, fakers and bakers, and Cake Wars!  I used to watch FN a lot until it turned into the Guy Fieri network. 

[Eliza422]

I'm feeling very ornery this week.

 

It bugs me that one of Valerie's main criteria is moistness. In fact, I'm surprised she didn't love Kayla's liquid cake - that fucker was MOIST!

I'm not advocating for dry cake, but there are some textures whose first impression is not moisture. For example, to my palate pound cake, when well baked, has a texture and mouth feel I wouldn't use "moist" to describe. Creamy? Luscious? 

 

It just bugs me.   I'll go grumble in the corner now.

[tobeannounced]

I was going to say the same thing about the moistness, Eliza422. You can count on her to comment on it every time.

[Tyrone Biggums]

Catching up with the latest episode.

Can we put somebody who has a good personality AND knows what the hell food should look/taste like (Damaris Phillips, maybe?) on this show? Valerie doesn't know shit about shit, and it shows.

Someone said upthread that Audra is a professional child actor, and oh my god, she is.  The over the top reactions...it's just so obvious.  And the voice and affectations? I have to hit mute when she talks.

If this is the most talent they could come up with, it's time to just ixnay on the kids shows.  Maybe they can get some more shows with that fat bastard eating giant food to fill the space.

[justjen]

This is going to sound so gross, but I need to share because I realized it watching the latest episode. Jason's mannerisms, his chocolate cheer, etc. remind me of an ex-boyfriend of mine. I was the ex-boyfriend's first kiss -- in our late 20s. I no longer like Jason. I only like Cole when he's not wearing his weird pink lipgloss/chapstick because it is a weird color or too much and is distracting (just like the girls' eye makeup in Seasons 1 and 2). Oh Kayla, Kayla, Kayla, Kayla. It is awesome to self identify as weird and different, but why are you taking up the space of a possible good baker when you've clearly never baked without strong adult guidance before? I did like her "So you've met my cake," but stick to your recipes, girl!!! Why didn't anyone correct Kaniyah? It's not cute, if she was the youngest, maybe possibly the first time she said the 80s it would be cute, but now I have bad feelings about her school district.

[Fostersmom]

I'm obviously going to hell for this one, but Jason, has a punch me face and attitude to go with it. I really am over that kid. All of these kids, actually. Most of them can't really bake and when I watched the last episode, all I could think of was how would any of them deserve to win? Maybe it's since they only are having them bake cakes. Didn't this show used to have them make more than just cakes full of cups of food coloring? Cookies, other things? 

[kj4ever]

2 hours ago, Fostersmom said:

I'm obviously going to hell for this one, but Jason, has a punch me face and attitude to go with it. I really am over that kid. All of these kids, actually. Most of them can't really bake and when I watched the last episode, all I could think of was how would any of them deserve to win? Maybe it's since they only are having them bake cakes. Didn't this show used to have them make more than just cakes full of cups of food coloring? Cookies, other things? 

Oh yeah they made eclairs and things.  Can't see these kids doing it.  I get the feeling that they just saw some of the photos these kids posted on line and assumed they could bake, but when the show started TPTB realized they made a biiiiiiiiiiiig mistake.

[Frost]

Crikey, these kids had TWO HOURS to make some eclairs and they all looked like crap!  And the 'twist' didn't take any time at all so there's absolutely no excuse.  I like to give children the benefit of the doubt but really, the people saying this season was staffed with actors, not bakers, are exactly right.  Cute little Maya was my favorite personality but I can't say I'm sorry to see her go.  I only wish three or four more would have been eliminated at the same time.

I started baking when I was very young and made my share of mistakes:  eggs shells in the cake batter; batter made with cups of salt and a teaspoon of flour, cooking jello on the stove without adding any water to the pan, etc.  :-)  But by the time I was the age of these kids I was whipping up brownies, cookies, and cakes from scratch with no trouble at all.  And I do not consider myself to be a terribly talented baker.

[Ilovecomputers]

It must be a blast for the judges to see one or more of these children break down with every challenge; it isn't for me. Valerie adds nothing to the mix. She says the same things (I'm not really getting the [insert wonky ingredient here] flavor) and does the same things (really tasty desserts make her eyes roll back from food orgasms). Yes, some of you have said she has a cookbook but so what. A celebrity can get published much easier than you or I. 

[superguard9]

Maya was cute, but she needed to go. She was in over her head, and every week her response to the challenge was always "Oh, I don't like that." Um, why are you on a baking show if you don't like desserts. Oh right, this is more about becoming a "star"

I keep going back and forth between feeling sorry for the kids who are in way over their heads (too many of them), and annoyed that Food Network/their parents would subject these kids to something they are not ready for for TV exposure

[camom]

Quote

batter made with cups of salt and a teaspoon of flour,

Thanks for the laugh, Frost.  I still remember learning at a young age that baking powder and baking soda are not the same thing.  The result was some pretty nasty cupcakes.

I wish they would do more than desserts on this show.  Have them bake quick breads, muffins, coffee cake, etc.

[steven T]

Well we knew this fiasco was coming when they couldn't bake decent cupcakes or bundt cakes.  They should've let them just try to bake an old school dessert  instead of making fun of them.  Most from this season need to learn the basics.

[mlp]

Maya is a beautiful child but she was in way over her head and needed to go.  She was too young and too inexperienced to compete with kids several years older when a couple years makes a huge difference at that age.  

Reese needs to go next.  Everything he does is sub par which is a bit surprising because his mother's cakes looked beautiful in the pictures we saw.  He probably needs a few more years of experience and maturity too.

I give Duff and Valerie credit for being willing to taste some of those creations after they've watched the kids manhandling the ingredients.  There have been a few things presented that I wouldn't have put anywhere near my mouth.

[needschocolate]

On 1/24/2017 at 3:32 PM, Ilovecomputers said:

 How many of you had an Easy Bake Oven?  My sister and I made mostly toast with it from bread we crumpled in our grubby hands. 

I did.  I had the littles mixes and made a few things.  I don't remember using it much.  I do remember baking a cake and getting upset because my older brother ate the whole thing.  

As usual, FN is ruining this show by going for cutesy and throwing in ridiculous "twists."  I guess I should just be happy they aren't trying to get the kids to talk smack about each other and the judges are understanding.

[LizBug]

Personally, I like Valerie and what she brings to the show.  She's excellent at giving the kids some advice when they seem stumped by the challenges and she phrases negative criticism in such a way that the kid still feels like they did a good job.  And she's a good foil for Duff ... being the sane one so he can be his goofy self.

[Thadeeeyus]

1 hour ago, DallasGypsy said:

Personally, I like Valerie and what she brings to the show.  She's excellent at giving the kids some advice when they seem stumped by the challenges and she phrases negative criticism in such a way that the kid still feels like they did a good job.  And she's a good foil for Duff ... being the sane one so he can be his goofy self.

Yeah, I like Valerie with Duff, too, and would miss her if she were to be replaced. 

[Eliza422]

4 hours ago, DallasGypsy said:

Personally, I like Valerie and what she brings to the show.  She's excellent at giving the kids some advice when they seem stumped by the challenges and she phrases negative criticism in such a way that the kid still feels like they did a good job.  And she's a good foil for Duff ... being the sane one so he can be his goofy self.

I think she provides a motherly comfort to the kids, just like Duff is the goofy big brother. It's about the only good choice they've made on this show. 

[TomGirl]

Cole bugs me.  There's no doubt he's a very talented baker, but I don't like the fact that he always seems sour-faced when someone else wins or is praised.  He seems very full of himself, and the makeup doesn't help!

[HyeChaps]

Peggy just won Chopped: Junior! 

[justjen]

On ‎1‎/‎31‎/‎2017 at 2:53 PM, mlp said:

Reese needs to go next.  Everything he does is sub par which is a bit surprising because his mother's cakes looked beautiful in the pictures we saw.  He probably needs a few more years of experience and maturity too.

I was just thinking about this. One's abilities aren't predicated on his or her parent's occupation. Just because his mom can bake badass-ily doesn't mean he has any predisposition to be any good at it (and from what we've seen, he isn't).

[OneWouldHope]

What was the foolishness with all these kids over the Black Forest Cake? "I hope I don't get the Black Forest Cake! Oh my god! That would be the worst!" And then - surprise! It turns out to be cherries, chocolate and... whipped cream (? Can't remember but totally easy ingredient). Super easy things to work with. My complaint is: Like others have said, why debase the earlier classic desserts? Let's just enjoy everything, can't we, without putting down anything? And the fact that the kids flipped out over the Black Forest Cake, which I guess seemed really weird to them, but they react in horror to something they're not familiar with instead of being curious and eager to learn more about it. This makes me sad, as I think that's a terrible trait and, sadly, lots of adults exhibit it.