Kids Baking Championship - General Discussion

[NJKBCFan]

1 hour ago, luvapickle said:

I say it that way, because I sound like an idiot trying French out, if I try to pronounce it the correct way.

But macaroons and macarons are two different things, no?

[MerBearHou]

3 minutes ago, NJKBCFan said:

But macaroons and macarons are two different things, no?

They are indeed.  I was so surprised Duff, of all people, kept saying macaroons.

[LegalParrot81]

5 minutes ago, NJKBCFan said:

But macaroons and macarons are two different things, no?

A macaroon is a small biscuit/cookie, mostly made from ground almonds, coconut, or other nuts with sugar and sometimes flavorings, food coloring, glace cherries, jam and/or a chocolate coating

A macaron or French macaroon is sweet meringue-based made with egg white, icing sugar, granulated sugar, almond powder or ground almond, and food coloring.

[theatremouse]

I forget who it was now but I noticed someone in last night's episode was pronouncing it more like mac-ar-own and thought...well that's a different way of avoiding saying "macaroon" but also not quite going for the French way either.

The second Issi said she was using little sugar because the bananas add sweetness I was like "honey no!" It ain't just about the sweetness, it's about the texture and making the frosting...frosting...instead of just a pile of butter and cream cheese. The cowboy cookies probably tasted fine but they looked so messy and haphazard, and not in an intentional-kitchen-sink cookie kind of way.

[dewelar]

6 hours ago, Ilovecomputers said:

All in all, a boring episode.

Which, sadly, is a sizable step up from most of the season. This was the first episode that felt even remotely like last season, even if it was only from a flow standpoint rather than a talent standpoint -- no meltdowns, no truly catastrophic errors in the final products, and I didn't feel like I wanted anybody to GET OFF MY SCREEN FOREVER ;-) . The most annoying thing to me was already mentioned (sherbeRt). Still, none of these kids would have made the top 5 last season, I think, but at least it's back to being a nice show to watch as background/filler instead of making me uncomfortable. So...yay?

[NJKBCFan]

2 hours ago, dewelar said:

Which, sadly, is a sizable step up from most of the season. This was the first episode that felt even remotely like last season, even if it was only from a flow standpoint rather than a talent standpoint -- no meltdowns, no truly catastrophic errors in the final products, and I didn't feel like I wanted anybody to GET OFF MY SCREEN FOREVER ;-) . The most annoying thing to me was already mentioned (sherbeRt). Still, none of these kids would have made the top 5 last season, I think, but at least it's back to being a nice show to watch as background/filler instead of making me uncomfortable. So...yay?

I watched some of the Season 4 marathon in the lead up to this episode, and it really did remind me of how much more talented the kids were last season. Yes, some of the kids who were eliminated early didn't show their talent very well, but every week there were at least a few desserts that made you go "wow, that's impressive!". Even just how those kids talked about how they were baking seemed like they really knew what they were talking about. I could totally want any of the top 6 bakers from last season to make me a birthday cake. I don't really get that sense from this season's kids.

[luvapickle]

On ‎9‎/‎11‎/‎2018 at 2:11 PM, NJKBCFan said:

But macaroons and macarons are two different things, no?

Yes, I bake both. I say you want the coconut ones, or the almond ones? Macarons, I feel need that little touch of French. And I only speak Midwest.

[Simon47]

On 9/11/2018 at 3:11 PM, NJKBCFan said:

But macaroons and macarons are two different things, no?

Macaron and macaroon are just spelled differently.

Sorry to see Issi walk out the door, but it was the right choice, though. That frosting just needed more sugar. And Issi was right that Valerie and Duff were throwing too much jokes out at them before the finale.

On 9/12/2018 at 5:26 PM, luvapickle said:

Yes, I bake both. I say you want the coconut ones, or the almond ones? Macarons, I feel need that little touch of French. And I only speak Midwest.

My daughter really wants to eat macarons and she has a dairy/nut allergy. Is there a coconut version?

Who is your favorite and who do you want to win?

[NJKBCFan]

13 hours ago, Simon47 said:

Macaron and macaroon are just spelled differently.

My daughter really wants to eat macarons and she has a dairy/nut allergy. Is there a coconut version?

Who is your favorite and who do you want to win?

Macaroon vs. Macaron:

https://www.berries.com/blog/many-differences-macarons-macaroons

I'm rooting for Nat.

[kcrabtree06]

Yay!!! Natasha's cake was BEAUTIFUL. I was pulling for Matthew coming into tonight but was rooting for Natasha after I saw the cake. Side note: I did NOT like Taylor in this episode. I was annoyed that she stole ALL of the cake pans and then was talking about people recognizing her at the mall. But......she did help Natasha when she got into trouble.

[MerBearHou]

I was so happy for Natasha.  The result surprised me because Taylor spent sooooo much of the episode explaining every step she took and every thought in her head.  Yes, that’s on the show runner and editors but it annoyed me.  Was rooting for Matthew but am perfectly happy with Natasha’s win.  

Edited September 18, 2018 by MerBearHou

[mlp]

I liked all the kids and would have been happy for any of them.  Matthew is a doll but it was clear that he was always a step behind the girls.  I don't think he took it all as seriously as they did.  Taylor didn't annoy me at all but, in the end, I was hoping Natasha would win because I liked her cake the best.  I hope her mother lets her buy something she really wants although a home blast chiller might be a little much.  :)

[Josette]

Matthew really blew it on the decorating.  He threw everything at that cake.

I liked Taylor's rainbow colors and she did best with the twist, but Natasha did a beautiful job and her leprechaun legs were cute.

 

The Scoop on Sherbet vs. Sherbert

[Ilovecomputers]

I thought Natasha's cake was gorgeous and her little leprechaun legs were cute, but they said her cake had very little flavor.  Even though the judges complained about her pastel colors, they were still shades of rainbow colors.  Really, Taylor should have won because of her colors and flavors and she spent some time on sugar cookies dusted with gold rather than dumping crumbs in the bowl as they others did.  I have a feeling Matthew turns on the tears whenever he doesn't get his way.  I would have preferred to see Izzy in the finale.

[suebee12]

20 minutes ago, Ilovecomputers said:

Really, Taylor should have won because of her colors and flavors and she spent some time on sugar cookies dusted with gold rather than dumping crumbs in the bowl as they others did. 

I thought the same thing. Her little cookies were adorable.  Natasha's cake was beautifully decorated but once it was sliced, not so beautiful. That slice of cake was humongous and a bit cumbersome looking. It looked like it would feed an army! Actually this season was a bit of a disappointment and hope it gets it groove back next year or re we running out of kid bakers?

As an aside, Taylor is going to be a gorgeous woman when she grows up and she has a wonderful smile.

[dewelar]

My first reaction was "well, I suppose a disappointing season deserves a disappointing result". I wound up liking Natasha best of the finalists, and I agree that Taylor seemed a bit more caustic than usual in this episode. However, to me Taylor's cake looked by far the best, and it sounded like at least some of her flavors came through as opposed to none of Natasha's. Then again, I am not a big fan of rosettes, and when your only decoration on your cake is rosettes I'm going to hate it, not to mention that her work on the rosettes was sloppy. Yes, the leprechaun was sort of cute, but he was sitting in a bed of cake crumbs -- yes, she baked them into cupcakes, but as they pointed out it was the same batter as her cake, so she barely met the twist. It feels like she beat Taylor entirely on the strength of her leprechaun legs, because every other part of Taylor's cake was better, and that's just wrong. But, you know, standard disclaimer about not being able to taste things, blah blah blah...

Actually, that about sums up my opinion of this season as a whole: blah. Maybe go back to doing this once a year and the talent level will go back to what it was.

[Jillybean]

2 hours ago, Ilovecomputers said:

I thought Natasha's cake was gorgeous and her little leprechaun legs were cute, but they said her cake had very little flavor.  Even though the judges complained about her pastel colors, they were still shades of rainbow colors.  Really, Taylor should have won because of her colors and flavors and she spent some time on sugar cookies dusted with gold rather than dumping crumbs in the bowl as they others did.  

 

I thought the exact same thing and I was very surprised that they announced Natasha as the winner.

1 hour ago, suebee12 said:

Actually this season was a bit of a disappointment and hope it gets it groove back next year or re we running out of kid bakers?

3

If so, then they shouldn't have had two seasons of it this year. Once a year is enough.

[kadiej]

I was disappointed that Natasha won.  All in my household thought Taylor's was the best.  Don't you think they had been touting the winner all season long.  They showed the winning cake numerous times during the season and I knew as soon as I saw that it was Natasha's that she had won. 

[snarkylady]

Meh....I feel that I wasted my time watching this season as it never really got started (for me anyway).  I would prefer a longer season to get to know the bakers better, challenges that were really challenging, no twists whatsoever, and kids who are a little older than this year's cast.  Like kadiej just posted above as soon as I saw who baked the cake that's been featured in promos all season I knew who won.   Taylor and Natasha were both fine from what I could see and since Valerie and Duff did not specify bold colors I think the pastels were acceptable.  Matthew was an also ran in this last challenge, and I agree with ilovecomputers that he turns on the tears when things start going south. 

Does anyone know if there is another season scheduled? 

[NJKBCFan]

I enjoyed the finale. It wasn't super-climactic, but it was still fun to watch. Am happy for Nat that she won, but actually would have been fine with Taylor or Matthew, as I felt like Taylor's cake looked like it met the challenge the best and Matthew did the most unique/creative stuff (and kind of got screwed because there weren't enough regular cake pans available). All of that said, I agree with the sentiments expressed here throughout the season that the level of baking here didn't really wow me, and that continued through this episode. Maybe part of it was because this was a short season and the kids didn't have as much time to really get into a groove? Or maybe because of the meh-challenges? Who knows. Am happy for these kids and enjoyed the season enough to not regret watching it.

 

Congrats Nat and all of the bakers!

1 hour ago, snarkylady said:

Does anyone know if there is another season scheduled? 

Yes, I saw on Instagram that they were casting for a new season in July. I'm guessing it will air in January like all of the previous seasons.

[snarkylady]

7 minutes ago, NJKBCFan said:

Yes, I saw on Instagram that they were casting for a new season in July. I'm guessing it will air in January like all of the previous seasons.

Thank you, hoping for a better season in January. 

[LegalParrot81]

This season overall felt very flat.  I wasn't disappointed by Natasha winning because I wasn't really that invested in any of the kids.  Hopefully, the next one is better, with less water works.

[CharlizeCat]

What bugs me about these competition shows, and that includes Chopped, is the lack of equipment. Why is there just "one" or a limited number of basic kitchen implements? Maybe that is part of the strategy, but I don't think it needs to extend to kids. 

I really didn't care who won this competition. I liked Natasha's cake. Any rainbows I've ever seen in the sky had more diffused colors, so I didn't think Natasha's cake was off the mark with the saturation level. I didn't like Taylor's cake and thought those round blobs of icing with the colored candy pieces looked like eyeballs. Matthew suffered from a bad case of "more is more." If he had used only the color marbled pieces of chocolate more creatively, I think he could have won. But, yeah, he's only 12. 

[luvapickle]

On ‎9‎/‎15‎/‎2018 at 4:08 PM, Simon47 said:

Macaron and macaroon are just spelled differently.

Sorry to see Issi walk out the door, but it was the right choice, though. That frosting just needed more sugar. And Issi was right that Valerie and Duff were throwing too much jokes out at them before the finale.

My daughter really wants to eat macarons and she has a dairy/nut allergy. Is there a coconut version?

Who is your favorite and who do you want to win?

I finally was able to watch. Any of the 3 would have been great.

The coconut one is a macaroon(think mounds bar w/ or w/out chocolate). Macaron is the almond. You say allergies. I am allergic to tree nuts. Did you know almond is not a nut? It is actually in the same category as a peach. You should check with her doctor, it might save a little hassle in reading ingredients :)

The delightful rainbow cake....yuk. Never fails I usually get these orders in multiples. 

[plurie]

1 hour ago, luvapickle said:

The coconut one is a macaroon(think mounds bar w/ or w/out chocolate). Macaron is the almond.

There are both coconut and almond macaroons. Macarons are always made with merengue almond flour (no coconut unless it's in the filling.

Macaroons

Macarons

Edited September 19, 2018 by plurie
Pictures not labeled

[luvapickle]

3 hours ago, plurie said:

There are both coconut and almond macaroons. Macarons are always made with merengue almond flour (no coconut unless it's in the filling.

Macaroons

Macarons

Sorry, I was referring to what we make in our shop.

[gingerella]

On 9/11/2018 at 11:37 AM, mlp said:

I was sorry to see Izzy go even though it was the right decision.  I would have been just as sorry to see any of the others go.  I like all of them.  I get a huge kick out of Matthew but I'm kind of hoping Taylor will win.  Despite her do overs, she has done well overall.  It has nothing to do with baking but she has the most flawless complexion I've ever seen.  She looks like she doesn't even have pores.

Ive not yet seen this epi but I wont be sorry to see Izzy and that stupid giNORmous hair bow go. That? Was awful. And may I say that I do NOT get the commotion around macarons?!? They're rarely good - even those from the bastion of the macaron universe, Ladurée, I know, sacre bleu, but it's true - and the consistency is just off putting to me.

[NJKBCFan]

Here is the Food Network photo album of this season's best creations:

https://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/kids-baking-championship/photos/top-creations-kids-baking-championship-season-5

It's a little telling that they only have 9 photos (and only from 2 of the episodes) compared to 19 from last season (with some from almost every episode).

 

Here is the cast account on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/_kids_baking_championship/

Pretty cool as it appears that the Season 4 kids created the account and passed it along to the Season 5 cast.

In this post, they list all of the accounts for the Season 5 kids:

 

[NJKBCFan]

New cast:

https://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/kids-baking-championship/photos/meet-the-contestants-from-kids-baking-championship-season-6

Show premieres on January 7!

[TomGirl]

The ads for Season 6 are really hyping this crop of kids as the best ever, and it seems like that may be true!

[NJKBCFan]

23 hours ago, TomGirl said:

The ads for Season 6 are really hyping this crop of kids as the best ever, and it seems like that may be true!

Yes, they do look pretty awesome! Hopefully they are nice kids, too!

[luvapickle]

On ‎12‎/‎30‎/‎2018 at 8:57 AM, TomGirl said:

The ads for Season 6 are really hyping this crop of kids as the best ever, and it seems like that may be true!

Don't they say that about all shows? Lol. I just don't want any crying. I don't need to feel bad while watching my profession. I do enough of that in my own.

I'm putting this out there, since I couldn't submit it. There's a new show starting tonight "Winner cake All" after the KBC. I know it's with everyone's favorite-Giada. But hopefully it's a good new show.

Edited December 31, 2018 by luvapickle

[NJKBCFan]

Season 4 marathon on right now!

[BigBingerBro]

Based on the preview edits, a few of these kids seem slightly insufferable, but there are always a few like that each season.  The finished bakes they show do look much better than some of the crap-tastic creations of previous seasons.  I really think that all they need to do is two things.  1, Give the kids more time that the adults.  There is definitely time-management that goes into baking, but even professionals don't always need to rush it.  So many of the bakes on these shows would be so much better with proper cooling.   2, Limit the amount of food coloring, sprinkles and other accoutrements they provide the kid bakers.  So many good bakes were ruined because they "enhanced" the color or they wanted to "try" the air-brush machine, or "you can't ever have too much edible glitter!"   blech   I'm looking forward to seeing this season!

[gingerella]

On 1/1/2019 at 4:14 PM, BigBingerBro said:

Based on the preview edits, a few of these kids seem slightly insufferable, but there are always a few like that each season. 

Gee, you wouldn't be referring to the kid they keep showing ad naseum that says, "THIS, is the most important thing that's ever happened to me" or something to that effect? I already am hoping he's the first booted off. This show would be so much better if they focused more on real kids rather than kids who appear to be wannabe kid actors.

[BigBingerBro]

3 hours ago, gingerella said:

Gee, you wouldn't be referring to the kid they keep showing ad naseum that says, "THIS, is the most important thing that's ever happened to me" or something to that effect? 

Yes and a few others that look like they love mugging for the cameras.  Looking through the "Meet the contestants" we have:

2 "very competitive" kids

1 kid bakery owner

1 dancer (not sure if professional)

1 Juvenile arthritis sufferer

1 junior blackbelt

1 Canadian (might be the "most important thing" kid)  Why do these shows always have to have one token Canadian contestant??

5 seemingly normal kids

[NJKBCFan]

From the press release, here are the names/ages/hometowns of the kids:

Kids Baking Championship competitors include: Jenna Alnatur (Clifton, NJ; age 9), Gavin Crawford (Pearland, TX; age 11), Paige Goehner (Blaine, MN; age 11), Misha Jones (Annapolis, MD; age 12), Brooklyn Kyzar (Silverhill, AL; age 12), Kasey Moeggenborg (Rockford, MI; age 13), Jaxon Remillard (Mansfield, TX; age 11), Meadow Roberts (Minneapolis, MN; age 10), Nyah Rosado (New Rochelle, NY; age 11), Davis Sams (Vancouver, BC; age 13), Madison Totaro (Austin, TX: age 11), and Karthik Vemparala (Somerset, NJ; age 11).
Read more at http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2018/11/27/the-new-year-starts-sweet-with-the-return-of-food-networks-kids-baking-championship-219014/20181127food01/#mCG43TRVG0SEEy3U.99

If past seasons are any indication, the oldest kids have the best chance of winning. So before seeing any episodes, I'm picking Kasey, Davis and Brooklyn for the finals, and Kasey for the win.

[NJKBCFan]

9 hours ago, NJKBCFan said:

From the press release, here are the names/ages/hometowns of the kids:

Kids Baking Championship competitors include: Jenna Alnatur (Clifton, NJ; age 9), Gavin Crawford (Pearland, TX; age 11), Paige Goehner (Blaine, MN; age 11), Misha Jones (Annapolis, MD; age 12), Brooklyn Kyzar (Silverhill, AL; age 12), Kasey Moeggenborg (Rockford, MI; age 13), Jaxon Remillard (Mansfield, TX; age 11), Meadow Roberts (Minneapolis, MN; age 10), Nyah Rosado (New Rochelle, NY; age 11), Davis Sams (Vancouver, BC; age 13), Madison Totaro (Austin, TX: age 11), and Karthik Vemparala (Somerset, NJ; age 11).
Read more at http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2018/11/27/the-new-year-starts-sweet-with-the-return-of-food-networks-kids-baking-championship-219014/20181127food01/#mCG43TRVG0SEEy3U.99

If past seasons are any indication, the oldest kids have the best chance of winning. So before seeing any episodes, I'm picking Kasey, Davis and Brooklyn for the finals, and Kasey for the win.

Doh! I guess my predictions are a little off. Lol!

[NJKBCFan]

The kids this season definitely seem more likable than last season. Less giggly about being on the show, these kids seem pretty confident.

The challenge (bacon cupcake with additional flavor, plus marzipan twist) seemed like a pretty simple bake compared to the last two seasons (eclairs last season and cookie cakes the year before), so maybe that had something to do with why the kids were more confident. That said, a couple of the kids did some cool stuff with it.

I'm going with Misha to win the whole thing.

[luvapickle]

I thought it was funny how each kid either hated the taste of marzipan, or loved it.  I'm curious about Paige's allergy to almonds. As someone who bakes for a living & is allergic to tree nuts-I wonder if it's tree nuts she's allergic to, or almonds-or both. Almonds are not a tree nut-they're actually in the Rosaceae family along with peaches, apricots, etc.  I know so many who don't know that & have gone back to their allergist to confirm-almonds were ok. Now that I'm done with my "I only play a doctor on message boards"-I liked what they all came up with. I also liked that they kept it pretty straight forward for the 1st challenge. And I'm stealing the baking the marzipan like a cookie :).

[AAEBoiler]

One of the kids is the younger brother of a friend of my daughter's. It was very surreal watching this happen on national TV.

[NJKBCFan]

2 hours ago, AAEBoiler said:

One of the kids is the younger brother of a friend of my daughter's. It was very surreal watching this happen on national TV.

That’s pretty cool! Are you willing to tell us which kid? Would be great to ask them some behind the scenes questions, like how much prep do the producers give them versus how much do they have to know without help (eg recipes, ingredients, etc).

[AAEBoiler]

1 hour ago, NJKBCFan said:

That’s pretty cool! Are you willing to tell us which kid? Would be great to ask them some behind the scenes questions, like how much prep do the producers give them versus how much do they have to know without help (eg recipes, ingredients, etc).

Perhaps I'll say which kid at a later date. I don't interact with this baker very much so I don't know how much opportunity I may have to get more details. I'lll try to pass along any details if I find anything out.

[jcbrown]

I was exasperated when Valerie chastised one of the kids (way too early for me to know names) for not incorporating the marzipan more fully. If you want an ingredient integrated into the finished piece, maybe don't spring it on them after all their cakes are nearly done!

Overall, I like this bunch of kids so far. I figured it was Kasey who was cut when he looked teary in a TH.

[Chit Chat]

3 hours ago, jcbrown said:

If you want an ingredient integrated into the finished piece, maybe don't spring it on them after all their cakes are nearly done!

I hate the "twists" in these types of shows, especially for this age group.  I've never used Marzipan, so I'm clueless on what to do with it.  I don't care for almond flavoring anyway.  I was impressed with the boy who made the maple curd.  You know it's good if Duff's impressed! 

For those who do bake with Marzipan, how would you have used it in this challenge?  I'm curious now what's the best way to bake with it.  

[Destiny74]

3 hours ago, jcbrown said:

I was exasperated when Valerie chastised one of the kids (way too early for me to know names) for not incorporating the marzipan more fully. If you want an ingredient integrated into the finished piece, maybe don't spring it on them after all their cakes are nearly done!

Overall, I like this bunch of kids so far. I figured it was Kasey who was cut when he looked teary in a TH.

Me too.  I was lecturing Valerie about that too.  If they want these twists incorporated, they need to spring this while the initial mixing is happening.  I was impressed by twin buns girl who melted it on top of her cupcakes the last minutes of baking...that was smart.  The other girl who used it in her frosting was smart too, she just didn't use enough.  Otherwise, it's decor.  And, while marzipan is used in some baking, I see it (more often than not) on these shows as an alternative to fondant decoration.

[ShelleySue]

On January 8, 2019 at 8:51 AM, luvapickle said:

I'm curious about Paige's allergy to almonds. As someone who bakes for a living & is allergic to tree nuts-I wonder if it's tree nuts she's allergic to, or almonds-or both. Almonds are not a tree nut-they're actually in the Rosaceae family along with peaches, apricots, etc.  I know so many who don't know that & have gone back to their allergist to confirm-almonds were ok. Now that I'm done with my "I only play a doctor on message boards"-I liked what they all came up with. I also liked that they kept it pretty straight forward for the 1st challenge. And I'm stealing the baking the marzipan like a cookie :).

I have a few food allergies (peanuts is the most severe) and my kids all have various food allergies.  You would think that the people who think up the challenges would ask about food allergies and then require a food with one of those allergies.  Also, Duff seemed surprised that one of the contestants was a vegetarian.  I'm not sure of his ethnicities, but I know many people who are vegetarians for religious reasons.  I grew up kosher (no longer am -- long story) and didn't have bacon until high school.  One of co-workers is Muslim and won't eat pork. I realize in the world it is impossible to accommodate everyone, but when you start out with twelve children it shouldn't be that difficult to not require an ingredient one of the children can't even taste.

[luvapickle]

13 hours ago, ChitChat said:

I hate the "twists" in these types of shows, especially for this age group.  I've never used Marzipan, so I'm clueless on what to do with it.  I don't care for almond flavoring anyway.  I was impressed with the boy who made the maple curd.  You know it's good if Duff's impressed! 

For those who do bake with Marzipan, how would you have used it in this challenge?  I'm curious now what's the best way to bake with it.  

I have never baked with marzipan. Almond paste, yes all the time(coffeecakes, brownies, stolen, etc.) so it probably would work also to an extent-use less sugar in your recipe. But most of them had their cupcakes baking. 

12 minutes ago, ShelleySue said:

I have a few food allergies (peanuts is the most severe) and my kids all have various food allergies.  You would think that the people who think up the challenges would ask about food allergies and then require a food with one of those allergies.  Also, Duff seemed surprised that one of the contestants was a vegetarian.  I'm not sure of his ethnicities, but I know many people who are vegetarians for religious reasons.  I grew up kosher (no longer am -- long story) and didn't have bacon until high school.  One of co-workers is Muslim and won't eat pork. I realize in the world it is impossible to accommodate everyone, but when you start out with twelve children it shouldn't be that difficult to not require an ingredient one of the children can't even taste.

I see stuff used on all these shows & always think what if one of the judges was allergic. There's so much nowadays-soy, eggs, dairy... And vegetarian or vegan, there are many.

[jlc]

My only comment about this show - and let me just say up front that I really like this show - Valerie seems to be trying to take a bigger lead in this show this season, and she is not good at it. Duff is the lead, he is great with the kids, and she is awkward with the kids and is not a pastry chef, and she gets on these kids about the dumbest thing, and the whole lemon thing needs to stop - just like the alcohol thing with Nancy on the adult baking championships. OK, I am done. Thanks for letting me get this off my chest - I used to really like Valerie, but I am tired of her uppityness.

[albarino]

Valerie is HUGE!  She looks 30 pounds overweight.