Kids Baking Championship - General Discussion

[CeeBeeGee]

46 minutes ago, MerBearHou said:

Just not entertaining whatsoever and he took away from the other kids who are so enjoyable.  

This. And there are so many adorable kids left--Joseph with his chill (he's so cute), Caroline and her dimples...I don't want my kid buzz harshed by a brat who can't take guidance and who mouths off.

Hooray!

[Ms.Lulu]

2 hours ago, Rabithed said:

Oh thank goodness! See ya baby, er Ben. Food Network, please do not ever bring him back, like ever! 
I’m fine with all the kids remaining. 

Count me among the (apparently) many who were fine to see Ben go.  He didn't deal well with feedback and he wasn't fun to watch.

I hate saying that about a child, but I was going to stop watching if he stayed on because I wasn't seeing joy these kids usually have about baking. 

Give me Santiago's chill sloth vibe, the girls who were all helping each other, Joseph's I got this attitude or Ellora sweetie pie.

[susannah]

I was a bit worried about the team immunity, when everyone but Ben was doing quite well, thank goodness that little cretin is out. I was cheering for that! When they said he was amazing, I thought.."yeah, amazingly bad." Dribbling some juice over cookies is "jam?" Ellora's cake was beautiful. WTH was Santiago doing the whole time, when he was filling and decorating his pie in the last three minutes? Talk about pulling it out bottom of the ninth! I liked the girls helping Caroline, but that has been seen before with the kids. Never with the adults that I have seen. I think Caroline was putting on a bit when her cupcakes didn't turn out. She had no tears in her eyes when Val was talking to her. I agree that she should have thanked the other girls for their help, but I haven't any kid do that, as yet. I thought that the jam twist was a good way to cut all the sweetness but very surprised that no one thought of it themselves first, they all just piled chocolate on chocolate or pb on pb..with no complementing flavor. I think sweet Ellora is quite skilled, but I am not really feeling the team this year, as yet. Other years I have had definitely had favorites.

[emmawoodhouse]

Even producer manipulation couldn't save Ben's mess this week. Glad he's gone. 

Ellora is quite talented for a 9 year old. 

*whispers* I didn't know there was a Sarah. Oops!

[TomGirl]

Now that you-know-who is gone, there isn’t a single one of these kids I don’t like.  All of them are growing on me with every passing week.

[ProfCrash]

I think Team Chocolate "won" 3 of the 5 desserts. They won whoopie pie and cookies. I think the chocolate cupcakes would have own the head to head because the issue was that the cupcake was too hollowed out vs a weird consistency with the cake for peanut butters. 

Ben looked miserable in his exit talking head, not surprising, he is 8 and was sad and disappointed, which means angry at 8. As much as I found his attitude horrible, he is 8 and this was not an easy experience. I don't think he had the skills and he was not someone who took advice well. It seems like he made good mixes, His cookies looked really good when they were properly baked, but he couldn't tell when things were fully baked and he didn't like any type of critique. 

Ellora is doing well, I loved how her cake looked but neither of the poke cakes were made the way that I think a poke cake is suppose to be made. the chocolate one was closer with the attempt at ganache, the issue was that ganache was too think. I think that Ellora's poke cake was really good and worked because the fillings were yummy, but they were not think enough to be poured over the cake and sink into the holes. She more filled the holes using the piping bag. 

Love Anthony and Santiago and Sarah and Ellora. I like everyone else well enough but havn't learned their names yet...

[Rammchick]

He came.  He annoyed.  He got chopped (yes, wrong show, I know).  Glad the Ben saga was over quick.

[susannah]

10 minutes ago, ProfCrash said:

I think Team Chocolate "won" 3 of the 5 desserts. They won whoopie pie and cookies. I think the chocolate cupcakes would have own the head to head because the issue was that the cupcake was too hollowed out vs a weird consistency with the cake for peanut butters. 

Ben looked miserable in his exit talking head, not surprising, he is 8 and was sad and disappointed, which means angry at 8. As much as I found his attitude horrible, he is 8 and this was not an easy experience. I don't think he had the skills and he was not someone who took advice well. It seems like he made good mixes, His cookies looked really good when they were properly baked, but he couldn't tell when things were fully baked and he didn't like any type of critique. 

Ellora is doing well, I loved how her cake looked but neither of the poke cakes were made the way that I think a poke cake is suppose to be made. the chocolate one was closer with the attempt at ganache, the issue was that ganache was too think. I think that Ellora's poke cake was really good and worked because the fillings were yummy, but they were not think enough to be poured over the cake and sink into the holes. She more filled the holes using the piping bag. 

Love Anthony and Santiago and Sarah and Ellora. I like everyone else well enough but havn't learned their names yet...

Again, I am not sure why Ben's attitude and lack of skills are attributed solely to his age. He could be older and still not have the skills he thinks he has, and still not take instruction or critique well. I agree about the poke cakes, and these two were not the first to have trouble with filling being too thick. It needs to be liquid, not thick ganache or piping, though Ellora's use of piping into the holes was clever.

[KayVeeTeeVee]

1 hour ago, susannah said:

Again, I am not sure why Ben's attitude and lack of skills are attributed solely to his age. He could be older and still not have the skills he thinks he has, and still not take instruction or critique well. I agree about the poke cakes, and these two were not the first to have trouble with filling being too thick. It needs to be liquid, not thick ganache or piping, though Ellora's use of piping into the holes was clever.

Both of the young ladies who baked poke cakes could have benefited from Ben's jam.  Count me among those who are thrilled little Ben has gone to sit in the corner.

[Cheyanne11]

Thank god that little brat is gone.  Again with half-assing the twist and throwing that juice on his cookies like, as Duff pointed out, it was a crime scene.

Anyone left can win--they all tickle me in different ways--but I think Ellora, Caroline, and Joseph are my faves. 

[rlc]

Whoever cast Ben for the show neither has nor likes children. 
 

I like most of the remaining contestants just fine, but Ellora is an absolute doll.

[LegalParrot81]

Well, "he who shall not be named" is gone.  Buh-bye.  I feel kinda bad for dumping on a little kid, but he was just not a pleasant little guy, in fact obnoxious comes to mind.  

The rest of this cast I love.  I do worry about Santiago, he's gotta pick up the pace.  Ellora is an absolute sweetheart and clearly talented.  All of the remaining contestants have some skills.  I mean really, who'd a thunk of steeping potato chips in milk (from last weeks show).  This could be the best group yet.

[ProfCrash]

1 hour ago, susannah said:

Again, I am not sure why Ben's attitude and lack of skills are attributed solely to his age. He could be older and still not have the skills he thinks he has, and still not take instruction or critique well. I agree about the poke cakes, and these two were not the first to have trouble with filling being too thick. It needs to be liquid, not thick ganache or piping, though Ellora's use of piping into the holes was clever.

His age matters because kids develop emotional skills and other skills pretty quickly. The difference between the average 8 year old and 9 year old and 10 year old is pretty obvious. Every kid has their own personality and strength and weaknesses but you can see how they react to situation changes pretty rapidly. It is why we expect older kids to respond better to losing then a younger kid. 

I expect an 8 year old to struggle more with losing and to be angry, whether it is a board game, baseball game, or a cooking show, then a 10 year old. They don't keep score in most kids sports until the kids are 8 or 9 because they know that the kids get too upset at losing and find it discouraging. 

It is normal to expect Ben at 8 and Ellora at 9 to respond to being eliminated then it is the 10-12 year olds. They are at very different places in their maturity and life experiences. 

It is why we treat kids who misbehave in ES differently then kids who misbehave in MS and then into HS. It is why there are different rules for dealing with younger kids involved in a crime then a teenager and then an adult.

I think Ben's response to being eliminated is appropriate for his age and personality. I expect that the 10 year olds to handle the disappointment better because they are more mature and that is as much a physiological difference as it is a life experience issue. 

[KayVeeTeeVee]

3 minutes ago, ProfCrash said:

His age matters because kids develop emotional skills and other skills pretty quickly. The difference between the average 8 year old and 9 year old and 10 year old is pretty obvious. Every kid has their own personality and strength and weaknesses but you can see how they react to situation changes pretty rapidly. It is why we expect older kids to respond better to losing then a younger kid. 

I expect an 8 year old to struggle more with losing and to be angry, whether it is a board game, baseball game, or a cooking show, then a 10 year old. They don't keep score in most kids sports until the kids are 8 or 9 because they know that the kids get too upset at losing and find it discouraging. 

It is normal to expect Ben at 8 and Ellora at 9 to respond to being eliminated then it is the 10-12 year olds. They are at very different places in their maturity and life experiences. 

It is why we treat kids who misbehave in ES differently then kids who misbehave in MS and then into HS. It is why there are different rules for dealing with younger kids involved in a crime then a teenager and then an adult.

I think Ben's response to being eliminated is appropriate for his age and personality. I expect that the 10 year olds to handle the disappointment better because they are more mature and that is as much a physiological difference as it is a life experience issue. 

My son, a master juggler, decided to offer classes to youngsters. I helped with registration and publicity, which indicated ages 10 to 14.  Parents, who thought their child was exceptional, fudged the form and sent eight and nine-year-olds who didn't have the dexterity of kids ages ten and above. The younger ones were frustrated, cried; some were bad sports.  Since we couldn't change the parents, we adjusted the lower age to 12.  Success!

[Rammchick]

46 minutes ago, ProfCrash said:

I expect an 8 year old to struggle more with losing and to be angry, whether it is a board game, baseball game, or a cooking show, then a 10 year old. They don't keep score in most kids sports until the kids are 8 or 9 because they know that the kids get too upset at losing and find it discouraging. 

Such a sea change from when I was a kid -- no one took anything like this into account.  You lost?  Lump it.  This is a very different world today.

[TomGirl]

2 hours ago, ProfCrash said:

Love Anthony and Santiago and Sarah and Ellora. I like everyone else well enough but havn't learned their names yet..

Who is Anthony?

[susannah]

1 hour ago, ProfCrash said:

His age matters because kids develop emotional skills and other skills pretty quickly. The difference between the average 8 year old and 9 year old and 10 year old is pretty obvious. Every kid has their own personality and strength and weaknesses but you can see how they react to situation changes pretty rapidly. It is why we expect older kids to respond better to losing then a younger kid. 

I expect an 8 year old to struggle more with losing and to be angry, whether it is a board game, baseball game, or a cooking show, then a 10 year old. They don't keep score in most kids sports until the kids are 8 or 9 because they know that the kids get too upset at losing and find it discouraging. 

It is normal to expect Ben at 8 and Ellora at 9 to respond to being eliminated then it is the 10-12 year olds. They are at very different places in their maturity and life experiences. 

It is why we treat kids who misbehave in ES differently then kids who misbehave in MS and then into HS. It is why there are different rules for dealing with younger kids involved in a crime then a teenager and then an adult.

I think Ben's response to being eliminated is appropriate for his age and personality. I expect that the 10 year olds to handle the disappointment better because they are more mature and that is as much a physiological difference as it is a life experience issue. 

You miss my point. Yes there is emotional growth that occurs as kids get older, but not for every kid. My point was whether an older kid had better skills, or not, he or she would not necessarily have a better attitude, etc. In my opinion, Ben's problems were not that he didn't have the skills, which he perhaps could have had if he had alot of practice, I won't say that there is no 8 year old ever who can bake, but that he was spoiled and inconsiderate, which can be true of any kid of any age. I am not talking about his response to being eliminated, I am talking about his attitude with being on the show. Finley was 9, yet she was gracious about being in the bottom for two weeks and then being eliminated. Ellora is just 9 and her skills and attitude are great. It depends on the kid, IMO.

35 minutes ago, Rammchick said:

Such a sea change from when I was a kid -- no one took anything like this into account.  You lost?  Lump it.  This is a very different world today.

Yes, you learned how to deal with disappointment, and how to keep trying. There were no such thing as prizes for everyone because they showed up, and banning musical chairs because heaven forbid a kid might LOSE...

[susannah]

1 hour ago, ProfCrash said:

His age matters because kids develop emotional skills and other skills pretty quickly. The difference between the average 8 year old and 9 year old and 10 year old is pretty obvious. Every kid has their own personality and strength and weaknesses but you can see how they react to situation changes pretty rapidly. It is why we expect older kids to respond better to losing then a younger kid. 

I expect an 8 year old to struggle more with losing and to be angry, whether it is a board game, baseball game, or a cooking show, then a 10 year old. They don't keep score in most kids sports until the kids are 8 or 9 because they know that the kids get too upset at losing and find it discouraging. 

It is normal to expect Ben at 8 and Ellora at 9 to respond to being eliminated then it is the 10-12 year olds. They are at very different places in their maturity and life experiences. 

It is why we treat kids who misbehave in ES differently then kids who misbehave in MS and then into HS. It is why there are different rules for dealing with younger kids involved in a crime then a teenager and then an adult.

I think Ben's response to being eliminated is appropriate for his age and personality. I expect that the 10 year olds to handle the disappointment better because they are more mature and that is as much a physiological difference as it is a life experience issue. 

Ellora wasn't eliminated. Finley was. All of the kids on all of the shows have had the exact same response to being eliminated...they cry, which is a perfectly appropriate response. The adults cry when they are chopped!

[snarkylady]

As soon as I saw it was a team challenge I knew Ben would wind up on the losing team.  They'd already gotten as much as possible out of him, any more would have been terribly unfair to the remaining contestants and cruel to the viewers.   

Now we can enjoy the rest of the season.

[susannah]

1 hour ago, snarkylady said:

As soon as I saw it was a team challenge I knew Ben would wind up on the losing team.  They'd already gotten as much as possible out of him, any more would have been terribly unfair to the remaining contestants and cruel to the viewers.   

Now we can enjoy the rest of the season.

I didn't know it until the judging, since everyone on the winning team would have immunity, and both teams presented well.

[orangekit]

I doubt  Ben’s parents talked to him about his attitude , he would not be such a little obnoxious, disrespectful brat to adults who are nice to him if his parents  ever talked to him about his attitude . In fact, he may just be a  version of how his parents speak to each other or to anyone who dares advise them . I work with older  students and I see older versions of Ben, and when I meet the parents they usually are nice but major pushovers , or they are just as disrespectful and nasty as their children .

I also doubt a producer could turn a nice kid into a brat ! He is a brat and they liked it until it became too much and he was berating the host who was nice to him .  I think they just encouraged his behavior and hired him because he had “personality”, because it’s obvious he’s a crappy baker .  
And yes he is 8, but the fact he is such a crappy baker is not just about age , if he was a kid without an attitude the producers thought was “ cute” at first , he would have never been cast .

I also think that it looked like they edited out some of his rudeness and snarky comebacks to Duff and Valerie when he was judged so that it didn’t look like it was personaL. It looked like he was going to say something and then the judging moved along . There is no way he would have not given a nasty response to Duff who told him his jam looked like juice .

I feel sorry for any teacher who has  to have Ben the brat in their classroom . How can you deal with a kid who doesn’t even respond to you trying to be nice to him when he needs guidance without being rude and defiant ? It’s sad that his parents have allowed this or created this attitude . They are making life more difficult for this child in the long run .

[Rammchick]

3 hours ago, susannah said:

Yes, you learned how to deal with disappointment, and how to keep trying. 

Or you bore the scars from it for your whole life 😉

All of the reality shows cast cannon fodder -- that's all I see Ben as, with a "sassy personality" thrown in for good measure.  There were really little kids on MasterChef Junior, back in the day when I used to watch it, and some of them were just incredible cooks.  

[susannah]

1 hour ago, orangekit said:

I doubt  Ben’s parents talked to him about his attitude , he would not be such a little obnoxious, disrespectful brat to adults who are nice to him if his parents  ever talked to him about his attitude . In fact, he may just be a  version of how his parents speak to each other or to anyone who dares advise them . I work with older  students and I see older versions of Ben, and when I meet the parents they usually are nice but major pushovers , or they are just as disrespectful and nasty as their children .

I also doubt a producer could turn a nice kid into a brat ! He is a brat and they liked it until it became too much and he was berating the host who was nice to him .  I think they just encouraged his behavior and hired him because he had “personality”, because it’s obvious he’s a crappy baker .  
And yes he is 8, but the fact he is such a crappy baker is not just about age , if he was a kid without an attitude the producers thought was “ cute” at first , he would have never been cast .

I also think that it looked like they edited out some of his rudeness and snarky comebacks to Duff and Valerie when he was judged so that it didn’t look like it was personaL. It looked like he was going to say something and then the judging moved along . There is no way he would have not given a nasty response to Duff who told him his jam looked like juice .

I feel sorry for any teacher who has  to have Ben the brat in their classroom . How can you deal with a kid who doesn’t even respond to you trying to be nice to him when he needs guidance without being rude and defiant ? It’s sad that his parents have allowed this or created this attitude . They are making life more difficult for this child in the long run .

I used to be a preschool teacher, and had kids in my class whose parents never set boundaries for them or disciplined them. They were extremely hard to deal with and made work very difficult.

20 minutes ago, Rammchick said:

Or you bore the scars from it for your whole life 😉

That is still better than false praise.

[Lisapooh]

Ellora is the sweetest little kid ever! That soft little voice and her just smiling when the jokes go over her head.
 

I just want to carry her around in my pocket.

[mlp]

4 hours ago, snarkylady said:

As soon as I saw it was a team challenge I knew Ben would wind up on the losing team. 

I was the opposite.  I was afraid Ben would end up staying just because he was on the winning team.  I was happy and relieved to be wrong.  

I get a kick out of Caroline.  She's a little quirky but nice and she talks like she's being brought up by adults who talk to her in adult language.  Ellora is smart and charming.

[orangekit]

1 hour ago, Rammchick said:

Or you bore the scars from it for your whole life 😉

All of the reality shows cast cannon fodder -- that's all I see Ben as, with a "sassy personality" thrown in for good measure.  There were really little kids on MasterChef Junior, back in the day when I used to watch it, and some of them were just incredible cooks.  

Sassy is not necessarily disrespectful and rude.  
Scars from disappointment? Well, I think if handled right kids will realize that disappointment or “failure “ is just a chance to try again or try something different .

I worry more about kids whose parents and others never let them fall or fail , or act like they must always win .

Those kids end up unable to cope and sadly many are popping meds and drugs at every bad feeling .

 

 

[ProfCrash]

38 minutes ago, mlp said:

I was the opposite.  I was afraid Ben would end up staying just because he was on the winning team.  I was happy and relieved to be wrong.  

I get a kick out of Caroline.  She's a little quirky but nice and she talks like she's being brought up by adults who talk to her in adult language.  Ellora is smart and charming.

I was pretty sure that Val and Duff wanted Ben to go home. The jam he made guaranteed that was a possibility. It gave them the out they needed even thought the cookies and the fillings appeared to be good. I knew that chocolate would win the challenge once they said he hadn’t completed the twist. And honestly, the problematic dishes on the chocolate team was the poke cake and the cupcakes, neither were egregiously bad. 

PB had two strong dishes, whoopie pies and poke cake, two decent dishes and Ben’s lack of a twist. The only knock on the cupcakes was the consistency of the cupcakes, Ben left off a twist. 

The weakest baker went home and no one but Ben is sad about it. 

[Jess14]

19 hours ago, Grizzly said:

Hallelujah!!! I was rooting for team chocolate so hard. It was obvious Ben had the worst PB dessert. But when Summer and Ellora did so well, I was so worried he would be saved. Thank goodness for Sarah and her whoopie pies. And they did look yummy. I do not do jelly so hated the twist. But I think it was thrown in so Val and Duff didn't have sweetness overload.

I was concerned for a second, but I think Val and Duff were over him, and there was no way they were going to let the other kids on his team save him. 

[Iseut]

59 minutes ago, ProfCrash said:

I was pretty sure that Val and Duff wanted Ben to go home. The jam he made guaranteed that was a possibility. I

Yeah, I could see how over it Duff was when Ben gave him the cheesy little wink and finger gun at judging time when he said he was on Team Peanut Butter. I think Duff would crack up and love that from most of the kids, but he barely grimaced when this kid did it. 

Happy that he's gone, since I really do like all of the rest of the kids so far. Ellora is my favorite, so talented and cute and sweet. I also really like Joseph...he seems so natural and really doesn't look like he's putting on a show like some of the kids do.

I appreciate that Valerie likes to comfort the kids who are getting upset, but it looked like the girl who messed up her cupcakes didn't really want a big long hug. She wanted to get started on a new batch! Read the room, Val. 

[CeeBeeGee]

I could from Valerie's emphatic delivery of "he didn't do the twist" that Ben was toast--they were setting up the justification for his being booted (because originally they'd praised his cookie).

[Lisapooh]

I think it's super important for kids to learn how to win (and lose) with grace at an early age. All of their life they will be forced to compete for something. But I'm not sure it's such a great idea for them to have to learn that lesson on TV. 

[Starry-Eyed]

34 minutes ago, Lisapooh said:

I think it's super important for kids to learn how to win (and lose) with grace at an early age. All of their life they will be forced to compete for something. But I'm not sure it's such a great idea for them to have to learn that lesson on TV. 

Ideally, their parents wouldn't allow them to be in a televised competition like this unless they'd already done a fair bit of learning how to be a graceful loser and move on instead of being crushed by defeat... but the world is unfortunately not full of ideal parenting.

[toodywoody]

The girls helping Caroline, just made me so happy. This is the reason I watch this show. Ben's flat ass cookies with blueberry drip on them looked like crap. Santiago is always a poor time manager. I still love Joseph.

[gwen747]

On 12/30/2021 at 6:19 PM, Starry-Eyed said:

I HAVE to believe that the producers ordered them to keep Ben around, because there is no other justification. He is the kind of obnoxious that people who don't deal much with kids think is "cute" and "funny" at first, but is really just bratty, disrespectful, and irritating.

I don't deal much with kids. I do not find him "cute" or "funny". He's an obnoxious brat.

[susannah]

9 hours ago, Jess14 said:

I was concerned for a second, but I think Val and Duff were over him, and there was no way they were going to let the other kids on his team save him. 

But the deal was that everyone on the winning team would be safe. If team PB had won, they would not have been able to chop him.

[Rammchick]

14 hours ago, orangekit said:

Sassy is not necessarily disrespectful and rude.  
Scars from disappointment? Well, I think if handled right kids will realize that disappointment or “failure “ is just a chance to try again or try something different .

I worry more about kids whose parents and others never let them fall or fail , or act like they must always win .

Those kids end up unable to cope and sadly many are popping meds and drugs at every bad feeling .

 

 

No, I wrote "sassy personality" in quotes, not because I condoned his behavior but because the producers may have seen it this way.  They promoted the hell out of that sequence, it was in every commercial for the upcoming season.  So he fulfilled the brief as cannon fodder AND was cute and precocious (in their eyes) too -- who could ask for more? 😏

[susannah]

12 hours ago, Starry-Eyed said:

Ideally, their parents wouldn't allow them to be in a televised competition like this unless they'd already done a fair bit of learning how to be a graceful loser and move on instead of being crushed by defeat... but the world is unfortunately not full of ideal parenting.

But I have seen every kid who has been eliminated cry, no matter their age, and there is nothing wrong with that. I have not seen one kid do anything that was inappropriate when they were cut, ever. I have seen adults cry when things are going wrong in the baking, and when they get eliminated. So not sure who hasn't been a graceful loser and who has been crushed by defeat. Nearly all of the kids say afterwards that they are going to continue to bake. All of the kids who audition for this show have watched it, I am positive, and all of them know it is an elimination competition. The only not good parenting I have seen was Ben's gross disrespect of others, and a couple of boys who were very rude to the girls they were working with in a team challenge.

[Jess14]

6 hours ago, susannah said:

But the deal was that everyone on the winning team would be safe. If team PB had won, they would not have been able to chop him.

Yeah, that’s why I think unless the chocolate team had just been completely awful, they were coming away with the win. Val and Duff seemed (rightfully) ready for Ben to go. 

[ProfCrash]

16 minutes ago, Jess14 said:

Yeah, that’s why I think unless the chocolate team had just been completely awful, they were coming away with the win. Val and Duff seemed (rightfully) ready for Ben to go. 

All Team Chocolate needed was one really good dish and they were winning this one. Duff and Val's body language in the second episode showed that they were ready for Ben to be gone but Finley had two desserts that had been under baked and her dessert that week was flat out raw. 

There is no special bonus that comes with winning an individual challenge so no one on Team PB loses anything if they come in second. Ben made a dessert without the twist so he was an easy out. 

I am not so certain that Ben would have been the bootee if someone had created a complete fail of a dessert, like something raw or with really bad flavors but short of that, there was no way that Team Chocolate was not winning this challenge so that Val and Duff could boot Ben. 

[lh25]

I didn't see scenes of Valerie giving Ben a pep talk when he realized he forgot his sugar, as she does often with contestants when they have issues.  I wonder if she did and it was cut, or she was over him and didn't.

[susannah]

37 minutes ago, lh25 said:

I didn't see scenes of Valerie giving Ben a pep talk when he realized he forgot his sugar, as she does often with contestants when they have issues.  I wonder if she did and it was cut, or she was over him and didn't.

From what I remember, she only goes to the kids when they are crying. I thought he just rolled it back and added the sugar?

[susannah]

6 hours ago, ProfCrash said:

I am not so certain that Ben would have been the bootee if someone had created a complete fail of a dessert, like something raw or with really bad flavors but short of that, there was no way that Team Chocolate was not winning this challenge so that Val and Duff could boot Ben. 

I really hope they didn't think that way. The kids on Team PB really tried hard, and I am sure it didn't feel good to them to lose and know they weren't safe from elimination. It wouldn't be fair to them to engineer their loss to get rid of Ben. It would have been better if they had just done as they always do, since Ben would have bombed out anyway, not meeting the twist. I was going to say "doing the twist," but it was about baking, not dancing!

[Starry-Eyed]

10 hours ago, susannah said:

But I have seen every kid who has been eliminated cry, no matter their age, and there is nothing wrong with that. I have not seen one kid do anything that was inappropriate when they were cut, ever. I have seen adults cry when things are going wrong in the baking, and when they get eliminated. So not sure who hasn't been a graceful loser and who has been crushed by defeat. Nearly all of the kids say afterwards that they are going to continue to bake. All of the kids who audition for this show have watched it, I am positive, and all of them know it is an elimination competition. The only not good parenting I have seen was Ben's gross disrespect of others, and a couple of boys who were very rude to the girls they were working with in a team challenge.

Oh, I wasn't in any way trying to imply that a kid who cries over losing is a bad loser or has been poorly parented. I think that's completely appropriate and fine. Heck, crying over a math worksheet can be normal and appropriate at that age.

I was more trying to say that it's ultimately the parents' responsibility to evaluate whether their child can handle something like that, and as long as the producers aren't exploitative, it's not really their fault that losing on tv might be hard for kids.

2 hours ago, susannah said:

From what I remember, she only goes to the kids when they are crying. I thought he just rolled it back and added the sugar?

Yeah, I think Val and Duff only step in when it's clear the kid can't really handle it on their own. When the kid is coping fine or other kid contestants are helping, they usually don't.

[trudysmom]

I kinda thought Val's comforting Caroline was a bit...contrived.  I think the little girl is spunky, and yeah she may have had a moment of panic but I think, or would like to think, she would have pulled it out without momma Val's over the top pep talk.  I kept asking her why she was baking 24 cupcakes, why waste time on so many?  Did I miss a minimum amount they had to do?  Mix your batter, scoop out dozen, bake, done. But hey, that's me. lol

[ChelleGame]

Ellora. My goodness. That adorable little gumdrop. What a sweet little girl.

[susannah]

29 minutes ago, trudysmom said:

I kinda thought Val's comforting Caroline was a bit...contrived.  I think the little girl is spunky, and yeah she may have had a moment of panic but I think, or would like to think, she would have pulled it out without momma Val's over the top pep talk.  I kept asking her why she was baking 24 cupcakes, why waste time on so many?  Did I miss a minimum amount they had to do?  Mix your batter, scoop out dozen, bake, done. But hey, that's me. lol

I don't think Caroline was really crying. I think she was faking it just a bit, maybe so Val would come over to her.

[TexasTiffany]

On 1/11/2022 at 12:00 AM, TomGirl said:

Now that you-know-who is gone, there isn’t a single one of these kids I don’t like.  All of them are growing on me with every passing week.

That's the same for me. All of them are nice kids and I can't wait to see what else they can do. 

Ellora is adorable. Her poke cake decorations with cut raspberries as the flower petals and ombre buttercream showed a lot of thought. The same with Riya's potato chip curd. 

Summer didn't panic when the jam twist was announced. She had already put her whoopie pies together. She collected herself, figured it out, took her whoopie pies apart and added the jam. 

Add me to the list who like that Valerie and Duff want to help a kid out of their meltdown so they don't get stuck in the moment. (yeah, I saw that Ben didn't take Duff's advice, but I like that Duff gave it.)

 

[Eliza422]

I'm also glad Ben is gone.

When I saw him drizzle the blueberry juice on his cookies it made me realize that he did that sort of "decoration" on all his stuff - a messy drizzle. So in addition to his inability to tell when something is fully baked, he seems to have 0 decorating skills.

Now I can relax and enjoy the rest of the kids, who all seem likable and some have some real skillz!

 

As for the comment about how everyone gets participation trophies now - it's the parents that do that, not the kids. The parents who got the same "if you lose, get over it" upbringing and decided that wasn't how they wanted it to happen.

When I hear someone say "kids today" or "milennials/gen z'rs do this thing I don't like" - it's *your* generation that created that situation, *not* the kids, so blame yourself!

Edited January 13, 2022 by Eliza422

[theatremouse]

The main thing that bugged me about Ben was every time he underbaked something, he'd stuck a toothpick in it to check doneness before deciding to take them out. It made me want to yell at the screen "dude! that's for cakes! this is not how you determine the doneness of something made with dough and not batter!" They showed him doing it every single time. 

[lh25]

50 minutes ago, Eliza422 said:

As for the comment about how everyone gets participation trophies now - it's the parents that do that, not the kids. The parents who got the same "if you lose, get over it" upbringing and decided that wasn't how they wanted it to happen.

Exactly!  This isn't on the kids.