Kids Baking Championship - General Discussion

[rlc]

25 minutes ago, albarino said:

Valerie is HUGE!  She looks 30 pounds overweight.

Why in the world do you need to post something that rude? How does that effect the show? If you’re so offended, you probably shouldn’t watch.

[albarino]

1 hour ago, rlc said:

Why in the world do you need to post something that rude? How does that effect the show? If you’re so offended, you probably shouldn’t watch.

Valerie is a television personality who also has her own cooking show; I believe I can comment.  I'm amazed at how large she has become.  That alone is reason enough for me to tune in!

[jcbrown]

I think Valerie needs to fire her stylist. Or to hire one if she is styling herself currently. I am probably 30 pounds overweight, myself, though I don't consider myself huge, and I would certainly want someone to help me look better on camera. I think some of the tunics she wears on this show (and on her cooking show) do her no favors. She seems to gravitate toward shapeless tops.

Edited January 12, 2019 by jcbrown
because prepositions matter

[BigBingerBro]

As predicted, the Canadian kid is the only one I dislike.  He's definitely playing it up to the camera and acting over-dramatic in the TH segments.  2-buns girl is my favorite.  She just seems like your typical sweet girl with no hidden agenda or aspirations to become the next Hannah Montana.  The sassy girl from NJ is channeling Kaniyah from season 3.  

I'm not a fan of the bacon + desserts combo, so none of these creations were appealing to me.  Depending on the "extra" ingredient, this was definitely an easy first challenge.  The kid that lost seemed to have totally missed the memo that this was a challenge and not just a fun baking camp.

I thought for sure that Kathartik the vegetarian would have bombed this challenge, but he's definitely impressive and kept his cool!

Aside from Valerie's appearance, she just seems odd this season.  It's like she's had one too many coffees in the green room.  

[Jesse]

On 1/9/2019 at 10:15 AM, 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.

Yeah, I think it's crappy to have a required ingredient a kid can't taste. AND when one of the kids said something about "bacon sprinkles" and Duff was all excited, I was like, DUDE. Those already exist! They are called Bac-Os (or other brand names) and they are vegan! And possibly too salty to be useful in baking, but still -- they exist.

[mlp]

Quote

I think Valerie needs to fire her stylist. 

Maybe so but I don't really care what she's wearing or if she's gained weight.  I think she's beautiful and, more importantly, nice.  Also, she's pushing 60 (which I find hard to believe when I look at her) and losing weight is a lot harder when you're older.

[BigBingerBro]

12 hours ago, Jesse said:

...when one of the kids said something about "bacon sprinkles" and Duff was all excited, I was like, DUDE. Those already exist! 

Exactly, so many say that when Duff's impressed it's a big deal.  The dude's acting and/or making the kids feel good about what they made.  I refuse to believe he's that's stupid.

[jcbrown]

12 hours ago, mlp said:

Maybe so but I don't really care what she's wearing or if she's gained weight.  I think she's beautiful and, more importantly, nice.  Also, she's pushing 60 (which I find hard to believe when I look at her) and losing weight is a lot harder when you're older.

Oh, I totally agree, actually. I just think some of the tunics she wears swallow her. I've been a low-level fan since she was on One Day At a Time when I was a teenager. I remember twice she wore something on that show that I actually owned and I was thrilled. I know she has struggled with weight and I did not mean to criticize her, just to comment that some of her shirts look a bit too big to me.

[CharlizeCat]

I think Valerie probably dresses down to complement Duff's casual wardrobe. Also, jeans and a comfy top probably seem more "relatable" to kids.  (Could you see her dressed up like Giada does and baking with kids? NO!) If we're discussing fashion and styling here, then I will say that I am not a fan of her highlights. I think she looks better when her hair is a single darker brown shade. I also agree that Valerie seemed "off" in this episode. She seemed almost like she was in a bad mood, which is so atypical for her. One of the reasons why I watch this show is because Valerie and Duff are so great with the young bakers.  I'll give it a pass that maybe she was tired or just having a bad day. 

[CrazyDog]

On 1/12/2019 at 3:48 PM, BigBingerBro said:

As predicted, the Canadian kid is the only one I dislike.  He's definitely playing it up to the camera and acting over-dramatic in the TH segments.  2-buns girl is my favorite.  She just seems like your typical sweet girl with no hidden agenda or aspirations to become the next Hannah Montana.  The sassy girl from NJ is channeling Kaniyah from season 3.  

I'm not a fan of the bacon + desserts combo, so none of these creations were appealing to me.  Depending on the "extra" ingredient, this was definitely an easy first challenge.  The kid that lost seemed to have totally missed the memo that this was a challenge and not just a fun baking camp.

I thought for sure that Kathartik the vegetarian would have bombed this challenge, but he's definitely impressive and kept his cool!

Aside from Valerie's appearance, she just seems odd this season.  It's like she's had one too many coffees in the green room.  

I was totally worried the vegetarian kid would go home, so I'm thrilled he did so well. On a regular cooking show, you would have to expect all sorts of different ingredients be thrown at you, but on this sweet baking show, I'm sure he wasn't expecting to have to deal with meat in the first challenge, lol. Good for him.

I like most of the kids so far, and it was obvious that one boy was going home. 

On 1/13/2019 at 11:04 AM, CharlizeCat said:

(Could you see her dressed up like Giada does and baking with kids? NO!) 

Don't even put that into the universe.

It always seems a little weird that if a contestant injures themselves and a medic is needed, that the clock continues to run. I guess you couldn't expect to stop everyone in the middle of what they were doing, but it just seems a bit unfair. I'm glad some of the other kids jumped in to help where they could. I like seeing that sort of thing on these shows.

And then Valerie(?) said something to the girl who cut herself about managing her time better. Ugh. I like her a lot, but that was weird. Unless it was Duff, but I think Valerie said it. She did seem off this episode. Hopefully she's her usually cheery self on tonight's show.

Edited January 15, 2019 by CrazyDog

[kcrabtree06]

“Cheesecakes take forever to bake. Then you have to wait that much longer to eat them.” Paige is my hero. I love cheesecake!

[Chit Chat]

10 hours ago, kcrabtree06 said:

“Cheesecakes take forever to bake. Then you have to wait that much longer to eat them.” Paige is my hero. I love cheesecake!

I wondered if any of them had time to put their finished cheesecake in the blast cooler (not sure you can do that and how it would affect it,) because the thought of a warm cheesecake doesn't sound good to me!  IMO, a cheesecake needs to sit and cool so as to bring out the flavors in it.  Most of them did look delicious though. I love cheesecake too, Paige!  

[NJKBCFan]

Agree with the other person here who is not a fan of the Canadian kid. Not sure if he's playing to the camera, but he's definitely a little bit odd. That said, he does seem to have some sophistication in his ideas and if he gets his execution down better he could go far here. Perhaps he is this season's Beverley? Also, I like Paige here but can definitely see her as an annoying adult lol!

Overall, these kids seem like a really good group from a personality standpoint. Season 5's kids seemed a bit too happy just to be there, whereas most of these kids are already in the groove of the competition and doing good work. Am particularly impressed with the poise of the younger kids. Having said that, these first two challenges seem really simple compared to past seasons; maybe the producers decided to ease the kids in rather than give them something more challenging right at the start that might freak them out? I do hope that the challenges will become more, um, challenging as the season goes on.

Meadow appears to be very tough on herself. Maybe she is this season's Linsey (who was also super-tough on herself) and will go all the way to win it? I'm also still liking Misha even though his cheesecake didn't come out great this week. And I'm starting to like Karthik. 

Edited January 15, 2019 by NJKBCFan

[Chit Chat]

22 minutes ago, NJKBCFan said:

Having said that, these first two challenges seem really simple compared to past seasons; maybe the producers decided to ease the kids in rather than give them something more challenging right at the start that might freak them out?

I'm glad to see them ease up on them a little bit.  It probably takes a couple of tapings for the kids to get used to the kitchen, the time limit, and the twist.  At least with the honey, it wasn't some oddball ingredient they had to deal with.  Honey seems fairly easy to incorporate into a cheesecake.  

[mlp]

I wondered if the kids were actually assigned the various things they used to make the cheesecake crusts to avoid having them all do the same thing.  It seemed like there was a very wide variety that included a lot of things I would never have thought to use.  Somehow I wouldn't expect kids to come up with all those variations.

Paige is cute.  I like Karthik.  The kid who was eliminated had made no impression on me so I won't miss him/her.  At the moment, I can't even remember if it was a boy or a girl.

[Rammchick]

If you noticed, the twist was introduced way earlier than it normally is so the kids could incorporate it right into their recipes.  I'm a cheesecake baker so it surprised me that the addition of a liquid ingredient didn't throw off anyone's final product like I expected it to.

Edited January 15, 2019 by Rammchick

[jlc]

On 1/12/2019 at 6:48 PM, BigBingerBro said:

Aside from Valerie's appearance, she just seems odd this season.  It's like she's had one too many coffees in the green room.  

I agree she is odd this season, and not in a good way. I am really finding her annoying.

20 hours ago, CrazyDog said:

And then Valerie(?) said something to the girl who cut herself about managing her time better.

Yes, she gets on the kids about things she shouldn't. She has always been that way, and I find her very awkward with the kids when they really need her. I don't know what it is, but she seems really arrogant this season. I really liked her before, but lately I am becoming not a fan.

[jlc]

I think it is too many kids. Last night I was so bored with the critiques because there are too many. They should cut the bakers down to 9 again, because with so many kids it seems like the critiques take up most of the show!

[NJKBCFan]

13 hours ago, jlc said:

I think it is too many kids. Last night I was so bored with the critiques because there are too many. They should cut the bakers down to 9 again, because with so many kids it seems like the critiques take up most of the show!

Huh, I thought the last season was too short because too few kids! Didn't get a chance to really know the kids, and didn't get to see enough variety of challenges.

[TomGirl]

I hope Davis survives this experience.  He seems terrified of losing!

[carrps]

The only kid I'm not crazy about is Paige. She's the blonde who has arthritis? Used to be a dancer? She has a fakiness I find off-putting. Like maybe she did pageants, too, and that icky over-the-top "sparkle" hasn't completely left her? This last epsiode everyone of her talking heads seemed rehearsed and playing up the cuteness factor for the cameras.

As for Valerie's attire, she has a figure like Alex Guarneschelli (sp?). She carries most of her weight in her butt. I thought she'd lost weight this season when I saw a straight-on shot, but when you see her more in profile you can see the bedonkadonk. Sadly, tunics are the only way to truly camouflage that area. Snug-fitting tops would just highlight it. Sadly, I know from experience.

As for the competition. Brooklyn was a pretty obvious elimination. Sad to see Misha have such a setback. I could empathize with Meadow. I remember those "on the verge of hiccoughs" crying jags from when I was a kid.

Edited January 16, 2019 by carrps

[NJKBCFan]

On 1/15/2019 at 5:52 PM, jlc said:

I think it is too many kids. Last night I was so bored with the critiques because there are too many. They should cut the bakers down to 9 again, because with so many kids it seems like the critiques take up most of the show!

Thinking about this a little more, maybe the critiques were boring because the challenges were so simple? Basically a cupcake with bacon and a cheesecake with a two-color pattern, not a lot of stuff to critique.

[Destiny74]

1 hour ago, NJKBCFan said:

Thinking about this a little more, maybe the critiques were boring because the challenges were so simple? Basically a cupcake with bacon and a cheesecake with a two-color pattern, not a lot of stuff to critique.

I think the problem with this week was that as soon as they told the kids to use honey, that's the only flavor of cheesecake the kids made.  I think one kid used lemon, one orange and one cherry, everyone else did honey exclusively.  I'm glad they gave the kids ample the to use the twist ingredient, but I wish the kids would've come up with some other flavors to use with the honey.  It would've made for a less dull judging.

Also, the one kid who complained about brown and white color combination...I would've used some chocolate instead of food color...you get the color pact and it is tastier.

I laughed when Duff said the one girl's cheesecake was going to taste like purple.  I thought for sure she was a goner with all that dye.

[luvapickle]

On ‎1‎/‎15‎/‎2019 at 2:08 PM, mlp said:

I wondered if the kids were actually assigned the various things they used to make the cheesecake crusts to avoid having them all do the same thing.  It seemed like there was a very wide variety that included a lot of things I would never have thought to use.  Somehow I wouldn't expect kids to come up with all those variations.

Paige is cute.  I like Karthik.  The kid who was eliminated had made no impression on me so I won't miss him/her.  At the moment, I can't even remember if it was a boy or a girl.

Really? I thought too many were the same, until the honey came into play.

On ‎1‎/‎15‎/‎2019 at 4:44 PM, jlc said:

I agree she is odd this season, and not in a good way. I am really finding her annoying.

Yes, she gets on the kids about things she shouldn't. She has always been that way, and I find her very awkward with the kids when they really need her. I don't know what it is, but she seems really arrogant this season. I really liked her before, but lately I am becoming not a fan.

I think it's because they have no host. So you're seeing Valerie more. I will say, some of this is scripted-like when they're baking, & she comes around to talk to them.

10 hours ago, Destiny74 said:

I think the problem with this week was that as soon as they told the kids to use honey, that's the only flavor of cheesecake the kids made.  I think one kid used lemon, one orange and one cherry, everyone else did honey exclusively.  I'm glad they gave the kids ample the to use the twist ingredient, but I wish the kids would've come up with some other flavors to use with the honey.  It would've made for a less dull judging.

Also, the one kid who complained about brown and white color combination...I would've used some chocolate instead of food color...you get the color pact and it is tastier.

I laughed when Duff said the one girl's cheesecake was going to taste like purple.  I thought for sure she was a goner with all that dye.

Some of them did use the honey in the crust. Other than those two, it would have been difficult to do anything else, except a topping. But Duff/Valerie didn't seem to keen on toppings for cheesecake(even though I do it all time for my customers).

[NJKBCFan]

52 minutes ago, luvapickle said:

I think it's because they have no host. So you're seeing Valerie more. I will say, some of this is scripted-like when they're baking, & she comes around to talk to them.

This show has never had a host. And I don't think the interactions with the kids are scripted. If anything, I think she runs out of things to say and goes to the "I'll leave you alone" thing to end the conversations gracefully. And last season, she had that really embarrassing thing with Nat where she tried to swing Nat's arms to get her to relax. It was very cringy. :-o

[luvapickle]

12 minutes ago, NJKBCFan said:

This show has never had a host. And I don't think the interactions with the kids are scripted. If anything, I think she runs out of things to say and goes to the "I'll leave you alone" thing to end the conversations gracefully. And last season, she had that really embarrassing thing with Nat where she tried to swing Nat's arms to get her to relax. It was very cringy. :-o

Then I don't know WTH I was thinking.  Maybe they're all starting to seem alike except you have short humans & taller humans :).

[Machiabelly]

Does anyone else think that Brooklyn looks like a younger Arya Stark? 

[gingerella]

Isn’t Davis the Canadian kid? I can’t stand him. I couldn’t stand him on the previews for the show that have been running ad nauseous, and seeing him on the show now? He can go home any time now, what not over-hyped wannabe child actor. The scourge of reality TV...

[BigBingerBro]

I felt like they were a tad too over-critical on judging the appearance of the cheesecakes.  I mean, they were mini-sized and many were given outrageous colors.  I felt bad for maroon-girl. 

I thought Valerie was back to her old self this episode, but Duff grated a bit.   I hate when he mimics and mocks some of the kids about what they say or their mannerisms.  It comes off as slightly bullying.  I'm over his goofy-face eating.  He's seriously channeling David Venable. 

Did anyone else catch Misha calling them "Convectionary Ovens"?   too cute.

The one girl, I think her name is Anaya - said she appreciated Duff "complishment" - hmmmmm

[hookedontv]

I still can’t remember any of the kids’ names, but I feel the majority are just so “on.” It’s probably their parents or the staff on the show, but I imagine the kids getting pumped up before filming. I can see some producer saying:

“Now practice being enthusiastic when lemon is announced as an ingredient!”  

“Scream as loud as you can as if you are seeing Duff and Valerie for the first time!”

”Jazz hands everyone!”

I just want the kids to bake with enough time with ingredients they know, no twists, and no chastising about time management when the kids cut themselves (I’m looking at you Valerie.) 

Edited January 22, 2019 by hookedontv

[NJKBCFan]

Once again, this challenge seemed pretty simple, so not finding it particularly interesting. And honestly, their decorating skills tonight left a lot to be desired, although they had less time today with only 90 minutes. But I do find almost all of the kids likable (definitely more than last season’s kids), so hopefully they get more opportunities to stretch their skills a bit more.

[kcrabtree06]

I didn’t like this challenge. I felt that Nyah would’ve gone home if her team hadn’t won. I also felt bad for Paige getting almonds when she’s allergic to them. I mean apparently it’s not so severe that she can’t even work with them, but still.

[MerBearHou]

I didn’t like that an entire team could get immunity and was so bummed that Gavin was sent home.  He was trying so hard to be stoic and not cry — my heart broke for him.  There are several kids that I’m not wild about — as mentioned before, they’re too “on”.  Meadow is my favorite but she sure needs to work on her decorating.  

Edited January 22, 2019 by MerBearHou

[blueray]

7 hours ago, kcrabtree06 said:

I didn’t like this challenge. I felt that Nyah would’ve gone home if her team hadn’t won. I also felt bad for Paige getting almonds when she’s allergic to them. I mean apparently it’s not so severe that she can’t even work with them, but still.

I agree, she should have gone home. She would have if it wasn't for that reward (which is kind of unfair, as the other kid came in second).

[augmentedfourth]

Yep, Mr. Fourth and I accurately predicted how that was going to play out - Nyah would be saved by her teammates, leaving Gavin to go home. That said, I can't say I mind too much because I like Nyah better and think she did much better than him in the previous weeks.

 

Everyone, except for maybe Davis, whiffed on the decorating this week. Which, you know, I didn't think sprinkles were that complicated of a twist, but it seems that everyone just flung them on without thinking about it.

[ShelleySue]

On January 9, 2019 at 10:15 AM, ShelleySue said:

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.

I hope that no one minds if I quote myself.  I can't believe that they allowed Paige to have an almond requirement AGAIN.  Yes, she said she could touch them, but that's not the point.  She was lucky she had a "team" that was able to taste the batter for her.  She's also lucky that the smell of baking almonds didn't cause an allergic reaction.  Maybe I'm overly sensitive (no pun intended) because of my own food allergy, but almonds should not have been a requirement for anyone.

[luvapickle]

20 minutes ago, ShelleySue said:

I hope that no one minds if I quote myself.  I can't believe that they allowed Paige to have an almond requirement AGAIN.  Yes, she said she could touch them, but that's not the point.  She was lucky she had a "team" that was able to taste the batter for her.  She's also lucky that the smell of baking almonds didn't cause an allergic reaction.  Maybe I'm overly sensitive (no pun intended) because of my own food allergy, but almonds should not have been a requirement for anyone.

Nuts would have to  be eliminated if they went that way, along with every other allergy. And I'm allergic to tree nuts. But I rarely see that on comp shows. However, Paige should have been given a break on this one, since she had done them once before. Every one has a different sensitivity to allergens.  Hazelnuts/walnuts I cannot be near because they give off a strong oil. Other nuts I have no problem with unless I actually eat them.

[nowornever]

I didn't like this challenge.  Carving a shape from blondies/brownies very rarely goes well because you don't have a good edge, especially with nuts, etc mixed in.  Forcing someone out just because of the team they happen to be on doesn't seem right either.  And finding a way to adhere sprinkles to something very sweet, like a blondie, might make it even sweeter.  I think Paige had the right idea with her raspberry coulis.  And making the kid with the almond allergy work with almonds for the second time is just wrong.  I also wasn't sure that Gavin's brownie was any worse than Jenna's.  It's hard to see kids eliminated.  

[mlp]

I think the kids know what the challenge will be before they even come out AND have received instructions AND have recipes in front of them that we don't see.  I just don't buy that all the kids know how to make all the baked goods and have memorized all the ingredients and proportions for everything.  What sets them apart IMO is their skills wrt basics and equipment plus their chosen variations on the theme plus their use of the twist ingredient which may very well be a surprise.

I don't have a favorite so far.  I do get a kick out of the little girl with big glasses.  I think her name is Madison.  

[ElsieH]

I was watching this with my celiac afflicted 12 year old, and she was wishing there would be some kind of show (not necessarily kids baking) where they have to make gluten free baked goods because good ones are so hard to find. But if they aren't making allowances for nut allergies, I guess that's a long way off. 

[NJKBCFan]

4 hours ago, mlp said:

I think the kids know what the challenge will be before they even come out AND have received instructions AND have recipes in front of them that we don't see.  I just don't buy that all the kids know how to make all the baked goods and have memorized all the ingredients and proportions for everything.  What sets them apart IMO is their skills wrt basics and equipment plus their chosen variations on the theme plus their use of the twist ingredient which may very well be a surprise.

I don't have a favorite so far.  I do get a kick out of the little girl with big glasses.  I think her name is Madison.  

I agree that they probably have recipes so they don't need to memorize, as we've seen some kids trying to figure out how to make bigger batches (ie. they have a recipe but need to make 3x the amount and it throws them off sometimes). I remember Duff asking a baker in a previous season "is that your recipe?", so they probably are able to bring their own recipe books. But I don't think they know the challenge ahead of time since we've seen in previous episodes a few times where the kids are trying to guess what the challenge will be based on how the set is decorated.

So far in this season, very few instances of any of the kids really setting themselves apart. Davis kind of did this week where he took the very basic challenge and tried to do more (eg. 2-layers, butter cream, gnosh coating, patterned sprinkle decoration); it feels like in previous seasons more of the kids did this kind of thing.

[theatremouse]

On 1/9/2019 at 7:15 AM, 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.

At some point eons ago I saw the application form. It may be different now, but not only do they ask people if they have any allergies, they specifically ask if they'd be willing/capable of completing a challenge that required them to use an ingredient they're allergic to. So basically: if your allergy is severe enough you can't even touch the stuff, they won't cast you, and you have to specifically agree to potentially using your allergen if cast. It's a condition of participation. 

I don't think they go out of their way to include ingredients in challenges that people are allergic to or can't eat, but it does seem that they're up front with applicants that this is part of the deal. Essentially, they're planning the challenges without regard to individual's potential restrictions.

[hookedontv]

Oh these kids.... I thought the decorating was less than stellar but man, was I craving a brownie (and a blondie!) while watching the show haha. 

[AAEBoiler]

Finally got around to watching this episode and really bummed that Gavin was sent home. He was a family favorite. I especially liked him because he was a "real" kid and didn't seem like he was acting all the time. 

[NJKBCFan]

13 hours ago, AAEBoiler said:

Finally got around to watching this episode and really bummed that Gavin was sent home. He was a family favorite. I especially liked him because he was a "real" kid and didn't seem like he was acting all the time. 

A few folks here have talked about these kids coming across like they are acting. I don't agree. To me, they feel pretty natural. Maybe they are a bit more well-spoken and mature, but none of it seems anything more to me than these kids having some confidence (maybe Davis is the exception to this). Season 5 I felt like the kids were a little too excited by simply being on the show and maybe over-reacting to every little thing, and in comparison these kids are much calmer.

[CharlizeCat]

My thoughts were that the two bakers who had to incorporate pumpkin into their brownies or blondies had a disadvantage. I consider myself a halfway decent baker, but I blanched at that challenge.  I think it would be difficult to balance the strong flavors of the chocolate or brown sugar/caramel with the pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice. Glad that neither of those two kids got sent home.

I like that spunky little Jersey girl who decorated her bake with the moustache. I think her name is Jenna and she's only 9. She has been on thin ice most of the time, so I don't expect her to go far, but I like her. I also like Niyah, Paige, Meadow and the girl with the oversized glasses. Since the boys always tend to go out early (during the seasons I've watched) I haven't paid close attention. Davis obviously is heads above the other guys, but something about him bugs me. Yeah. It's like he's acting but the kid has some skilz!

[BigBingerBro]

I agree that the "Brownies vs Blondies" competition is pretty zzzzzzzz, but I thought at least this is something all of the kids should be able to excel at and bring some great bakes.   Well, not so much.  The sprinkles twist was actually not that bad, it was that "extra" ingredient that seemed to be the main issue.  Pumpkin was a cruel choice!   At least Duff understood that brownies are the worst thing to have to cut into an intricate shape, so he didn't seem to scoff at some of the kids mashing theirs together.  Clover-shaped brownie cakes???  Come on.

Allergy-girl's situation was totally unfortunate, but she handled it very well.  I mean they did choose those gavels by reaching into a bag or something.  I can't imagine the backlash if they would have decided to let her trade with someone else that didn't have nuts.

Canada-bowtie-boy is seriously many levels above the rest of these kids.  If he doesn't let the manufactured drama and schtick get the best of him, it's his to win.  Misha is next on the list.

I felt that several of them are ready to go home.  The mustache girl is too hyper s******.  Nyah just seems not ready for this yet. 

Poor Gavin looked truly crushed he was sent home.  Poor kid.  

I definitely agree with the other who said it seems like the kids were extra-pumped up for the cameras this episode.  Karthik wins the prize for over-mugging this round.  Two-buns girl (still my favorite) was also quite OTT.

I have a feeling they maybe are told about all of the challenges in a vague way prior to starting the entire competition.  Like "There will be a cheesecake challenge, a brownie, challenge, etc."  But no other real details.  That way they can at least organize some recipes and practice a bit.   I find it really hard to believe that some of these kids come up with their ideas in a matter of seconds.  I have a feeling that a "brainstorming" period is edited out.   There also must be some written recipes hidden away from the camera in the stations.   I know that on the adult baking show, they sometimes showed a few of the contestants with recipe note cards.   I also have a feeling that their parents may be nearby off camera.

[NJKBCFan]

21 hours ago, BigBingerBro said:

I have a feeling they maybe are told about all of the challenges in a vague way prior to starting the entire competition.  Like "There will be a cheesecake challenge, a brownie, challenge, etc."  But no other real details.  That way they can at least organize some recipes and practice a bit.   I find it really hard to believe that some of these kids come up with their ideas in a matter of seconds.  I have a feeling that a "brainstorming" period is edited out.   There also must be some written recipes hidden away from the camera in the stations.   I know that on the adult baking show, they sometimes showed a few of the contestants with recipe note cards.   I also have a feeling that their parents may be nearby off camera.

I am friends with a professional baker who says that even she does not have every basic recipe memorized, so I'd have to imagine that you are correct and the kids have notes with them. And probably the producers give them some heads-up about what to include in their notes ahead of time. As far as coming up with something in seconds, remember that these challenges are usually 2hrs of baking and we only see about 20 minutes. Also, I remember in Season 4 one of the kids (Luke?) spent much of his airtime trying to come up with ideas for his desert imposter.

[BigBingerBro]

11 hours ago, NJKBCFan said:

I am friends with a professional baker who says that even she does not have every basic recipe memorized, so I'd have to imagine that you are correct and the kids have notes with them. And probably the producers give them some heads-up about what to include in their notes ahead of time. As far as coming up with something in seconds, remember that these challenges are usually 2hrs of baking and we only see about 20 minutes. Also, I remember in Season 4 one of the kids (Luke?) spent much of his airtime trying to come up with ideas for his desert imposter.

Good point about how much we see vs the actual time.  They do a great job making it seem like we're seeing everything.  

Also, I forgot to mention that when the kids do the talking heads, they are often reading.  "First I cream my butter, then add the sugar and eggs, then my dry ingredients"....

[TomGirl]

I just LOVE the kids this season!  They are my favorite bunch of all time.  I love how they are confident without being arrogant, how they help and support each other, and though some are more dramatic than others, I don’t find any of them annoyingly OTT, even Davis, who has totally grown on me.  And Madison is just the cutest thing ever.  Sorry to lose Misha tonight, but he went out with equanimity and class.