Kids Baking Championship - General Discussion

[RoxiP]

These are relatively young children.  They bond together pretty strongly when they are put into small groups like this.  They hug one another.  Yes, I think "you're a great baker" and especially Val saying "don't stop baking" (like the trauma of being eliminated is going to make them never bake again) is a little silly but I always remember that they are children, not miniature adults.  

[ProfCrash]

I don't know what the time table is for shooting this show but we know kids this age are only allowed on set for a specific amount of time. We know that they have some teaching classes so that they have the skills that they are going to need for a specific episode. I am not sure if this is shot during the summer or during the school year, if it is during the school year then they have tutoring or school together. I am sure that they spend a good amount of time hanging out together. 

This might be the first time that they have other kids around them that love baking and I am sure that is exciting and helps them bond. It is probably kind of like a giant baking camp. I am sure that most of the kids bond and feel sad when one of their new friends leaves the group. 

[Grizzly]

There is a new, Halloween  themed episode tonight at 8.

[Guest]

38 minutes ago, Grizzly said:

There is a new, Halloween  themed episode tonight at 8.

With more fan favorites! I always love seeing who ends up coming back and how they're all like 2 feet taller than they were before. Val won't be on this one (it's Maneet Chauhan instead of a former contestant), but it looks like they're doing a couple Thanskgiving ones that she'll be on (unless those are repeats).

[Guest]

That was a good way to spend an hour, as usual. They picked four from the most recent season who were all fun in a lowkey, dorky way, so it was pretty pleasant viewing. Duff was Duff...Maneet felt a little out of place judging kids, but not too much. And the one I was kinda rooting for won!

[Grizzly]

I was never a fan of Santiago but I liked the other 3. Very happy with the winner. Maneet saved her harshest criticism for after the kids left. Duff was his goofy best. Wondering who they got to be the spook who snuck up on them.

[Guest]

There is supposedly a new Kids Baking Championship special on tonight (Sunday) at 7pm Eastern, called "Gobble Goodies". The usual drill, four kids are brought back to compete for a prize of baking equipment. Val is supposed to be back for this one, along with Duff.

They are apparently making turkey cakes...presumably cakes shaped like turkeys and not made out of turkey 😆

Edited November 13, 2022 by tracyscott76

[Salacious Kitty]

2 hours ago, tracyscott76 said:

There is supposedly a new Kids Baking Championship special on tonight (Sunday) at 7pm Eastern, called "Gobble Goodies". The usual drill, four kids are brought back to compete for a prize of baking equipment. Val is supposed to be back for this one, along with Duff.

They are apparently making turkey cakes...presumably cakes shaped like turkeys and not made out of turkey 😆

Guide confirms this. 

[Guest]

Good news everyone, Ben is back 😆 Though they probably spent a bit too much time on him, I thought he was more settled this time and found him more amusing. Still waaay out of his element, though. I did have to laugh when at one point Duff was standing at his station talking to him, and after answering his question, Ben straight up walked away to get something without saying anything else 😆 I kind of wish more bakers would do that in the adult versions. Like, leave me alone, I'm busy!

It was good to see the others; Ellora is still very sweet and quiet, though she looked quite different - probably more like her typical self. Caroline: still kind of manic but fun, and Joseph was taller but still with the cool hairdo.

It was good to have Val back. She just fits the vibe of this show well.

[toodywoody]

I'm about to turn it off since they brought back the one I never wanted to see again.

[CeeBeeGee]

1 minute ago, toodywoody said:

I'm about to turn it off since they brought back the one I never wanted to see again.

I just did. Never want to see that kid again.

[MerBearHou]

20 minutes ago, CeeBeeGee said:

I just did. Never want to see that kid again.

 Bad choice to include that kid with these other three.  Loved that Valerie was back, but not enough to make me tolerate an entire show of Ben — I tuned out for much of it.  I saw the last minute as I was waiting for the Christmas Cookie Challenge so I’m happy, happy for the winner — one of my all-time favorite kid bakers.

[CeeBeeGee]

5 minutes ago, MerBearHou said:

 Bad choice to include that kid with these other three.  Loved that Valerie was back, but not enough to make me tolerate an entire show of Ben — I tuned out for much of it.  I saw the last minute as I was waiting for the Christmas Cookie Challenge so I’m happy, happy for the winner — one of my all-time favorite kid bakers.

Who did win?

[MerBearHou]

1 minute ago, CeeBeeGee said:

Who did win?

Joseph!

[CeeBeeGee]

24 minutes ago, MerBearHou said:

Joseph!

Oh, I love him! Good for him!

[Salacious Kitty]

Glad to see Ellora is evidently off the meds that bloated her face during her season. I almost didn't recognize her! 

eta that I forgot how much I couldn't stand the precociousness of a certain contestant. I will be happy to never see him again, which means FN probably loves him and will subject us to him on a regular basis. 😶

Edited November 14, 2022 by Salacious Kitty

[mlp]

I can't imagine why FN brought Ben back or why Duff and Valerie seemed to find him amusing.  They didn't even criticize the mess he made of his cake or mention that it had no head.

I thought Joseph should win so I was delighted when he did.  

I didn't even recognize Ellora until she spoke and I knew her voice.  She's a delightful child and I'm glad she's doing well now.  Caroline is a cute girl too.

[Guest]

9 hours ago, mlp said:

I can't imagine why FN brought Ben back or why Duff and Valerie seemed to find him amusing.  They didn't even criticize the mess he made of his cake or mention that it had no head.

I thought Ben had cut down the petulance and so his space-cadetness was more amusing this time, though I understand that not everyone (or anyone lol) will see it that way.

To me, it seemed that Duff and Val were criticizing his cake: their incredulousness at him sprinkling tons of cinnamon on top and making the hump out of frosting instead of cake was a kind of criticism. But it was just so ridiculous they were laughing at it. It didn't even deserve serious critique. And Ben's turkey had no head because it was supposed to be a cooked turkey; not totally obvious from how it looked, I grant you, but he did say it several times.

I will ding the show for spending too much time on his presentation over the others, but I doubt he'll be back again. They don't usually bring the kids back multiple times, anyway.

Edited November 14, 2022 by tracyscott76
Fixed capitalization

[RoxiP]

Same about the young contestant - he is obnoxious and got way too much camera time.

Glad Joseph won.

[Rammchick]

My problem with Ben is his lack of self awareness (and clearly, someone is raising him this way).  After serving up that utter mess of a cake -- even if it did taste good -- he still stood there with the other three who did very nice looking cakes and thought he had a serious shot at winning.  

I find it funny that all the kids want is that blast chiller.  How useful is something like that in every day life?  And where would you even put it?

[RoxiP]

8 minutes ago, Rammchick said:

My problem with Ben is his lack of self awareness (and clearly, someone is raising him this way).  After serving up that utter mess of a cake -- even if it did taste good -- he still stood there with the other three who did very nice looking cakes and thought he had a serious shot at winning.  

I find it funny that all the kids want is that blast chiller.  How useful is something like that in every day life?  And where would you even put it?

Wasn't Ben's dad just as obnoxious as Ben was/is?  

[KayVeeTeeVee]

16 hours ago, CeeBeeGee said:

I just did. Never want to see that kid again.

Just as obnoxious and rude as ever, just as terrible a baker, and what I disliked most is that despite how much I can't stand him, Duff and Valerie seemed to be making fun of him.  What were his parents thinking?

[ILuvShibaInus]

Way too much time on Ben. And for them to criticize other cakes for being too sweet when his had so much candy corns in his is just putting the nail further in Duff's coffin to be taken seriously as a credible judge. For those who watch RPDR, Kandy Muse reminds me of an adult version of Ben - your mugging for the camera gets you all the screen time and attention in spite of very limited talent and skills. STOP the insanity! LOL....

Edited November 15, 2022 by ILuvShibaInus

[mscool]

On 11/14/2022 at 10:21 AM, RoxiP said:

Wasn't Ben's dad just as obnoxious as Ben was/is?  

Who is his dad? Where did you see him?

[Guest]

Another Thanksgiving-themed special on tonight at 9pm, titled "Turkey Talk" and featuring "four unforgettable kid bakers." Probably the ones from last season who weren't already featured on the previous two specials 😆

EDIT: False alarm, it's a rerun of the last one. My cable guide and the TV guide listing both called it new.

Edited November 22, 2022 by tracyscott76

[Salacious Kitty]

Yup. I turned it on and saw HIM. Immediate click.

[Rammchick]

On 11/20/2022 at 8:50 AM, mscool said:

Who is his dad? Where did you see him?

He was shown when Ben competed during the "regular" Kids Baking Championship season earlier this year or last year (I can't remember which).  If you look back through this thread, you'll see that we discussed Ben and his father at length when it was on.

[Guest]

13 minutes ago, Rammchick said:

He was shown when Ben competed during the "regular" Kids Baking Championship season earlier this year or last year (I can't remember which).  If you look back through this thread, you'll see that we discussed Ben and his father at length when it was on.

I think you might be confusing Ben with another kid. I went back and looked through the thread and saw no mention of Ben's dad, just a lot of speculation about how Ben was being raised and whether or not his parents would be embarrassed. Ben was on the most recent season, early 2022, and I don't believe the parents were shown there at all, except perhaps in some photos.

It was the previous season (early 2021) where the parents were there in a holding room watching the proceedings all season, and Nemo's dad (the restaurant owner) seemed to get some flak here.

[Rammchick]

21 hours ago, tracyscott76 said:

I think you might be confusing Ben with another kid. I went back and looked through the thread and saw no mention of Ben's dad, just a lot of speculation about how Ben was being raised and whether or not his parents would be embarrassed. Ben was on the most recent season, early 2022, and I don't believe the parents were shown there at all, except perhaps in some photos.

Thanks, I'm sure you're right.  

[Starry-Eyed]

While Ben was a little toned down, I was seriously disheartened he wasn't a LOT toned down. It was the normal amount of slight increase in maturity, slight decrease in energy and excitedness you would expect from simply aging a year at that age. That and the mug way he talked about being famous told me that absolutely no one of influence in his life was embarrassed or taken aback at the way he behaved on the show and they are still encouraging him to behave that way. I feel sorry for him. He's quickly aging out of the range where his attitude and behavior can be read as cute and/or precocious by anyone, and I suspect he may find life quite difficult as a tween if he doesn't develop a new social skillset.

Having said all that, I didn't let Ben's ridiculousness take away too much from my delight at seeing Joseph and Ellora, and Caroline was great too. While I was pulling for Ellora, I think Joseph's win was much deserved.

[Guest]

Another holiday special, with All-Stars this time. I know they're probably limited in who they can bring back, but I wish these specials were more like this, bringing back kids who are significantly older than they were before. For one thing, it's more fun to see how they've changed, and for another thing, I feel like it's more appropriate to give the crazy baking equipment prize to teens (or almost teens, in Nemo's case) who are still baking and more likely to continue baking than 9 or 10 year olds.

But at any rate, I thought this was a good crew. Paige is one of my all-time favorites, so I was especially glad to see her again. Though I was rooting the most for her, I thought the winner was appropriate. Keaton had the neatest design and the best looking swirl by a mile.

Fun times!

[MerBearHou]

I thoroughly enjoyed tonight’s All Star KBC show.  It’s always more preferable (to me) when the bakers are in that older age bracket.  I was thrilled with the winner — totally agreed with that choice.  All 4 kid bakers did a really good job on the Yule logs.

Nemo is such a cool kid.  I read a bit about him when he mentioned he’d won the IMG Golf Academy Junior Championship.  He is a very talented golfer and tennis player AND he helps in his parents’ restaurant.  Impressive.  

Taylor is as sweet as ever.  

Keaton is really, really cute and humble — thank goodness his parents gave up on the awful haircut he had a few years ago.

Paige is tall and driving and 16.  Amazing.  She annoyed me back in her earlier KBC competition and she still annoys me.  Her personality is just not my cup of tea.  She looks very close to a young Elizabeth Holmes.  

Valerie and Duff are so great together.

Edited November 29, 2022 by MerBearHou

[mlp]

I really enjoy seeing the kids years after they were on their seasons.  I liked all of them tonight but Keaton was a big favorite of mine during his season and I thought he definitely deserved to win tonight.  From what he said about his baking business, he can probably use most of the stuff he won.  He might be the first winner who didn't rush over to the blast chiller.  :)

[RoxiP]

But Keaton did want that blast chiller...LOL!  I initially didn't like him on  his season but he grew on me.  Paige is one of my all time favorites but I knew she wasn't going to win when she did such a minimalistic cake with no background.  All 4 were good contestants but Keaton was a good choice as winner.

I agree - I love it when they bring back four really good bakers - gives us a chance to see how they have advanced.

[HyeChaps]

They were not going to let one of the brown logs win.  Taylor's cake roll was too thick.  Keaton's display was neat.  Good call.

[SilverLake0315]

Even with side-by-side pics, I can’t recognize Ellora. Crazy! She’s so sweet. I was glad to see her (and Joseph!) back.  

[TomGirl]

Valerie is looking good.  Divorce agrees with her!

[LexieLily]

I've already forgotten his name but my favorite so far is the boy that said matter-of-factly that people ordered a lot from his business because he was a kid. Lol. 

[Salacious Kitty]

I would have gone with the macarons. They were perfect in appearance and sounded pretty tasty (and original in flavor). 

[mlp]

15 minutes ago, Salacious Kitty said:

I would have gone with the macarons.

I would have too.  The difficulty level was much higher and they looked really great.  Maybe they didn't taste quite as good as the cookies.

I thought the right kid was sent home.  His macarons looked like a mess (and so did his hair).

I'm glad this show is back right now.  I like Duff.  Valerie looks great.  It's perfect for the void after all the holiday shows are over.

[Rammchick]

Funny how Duff and Valerie complained that all (can't remember his name) did was make a cookie.  But then that cookie turned out to be the best thing made.  Frankly those two colors together did not look appetizing.

[Guest]

Genevieve: "I wore gloves while handling the peppers because they can burn your eyes or whatever" 😆 She's an early favorite for sure.

[Salacious Kitty]

4 minutes ago, tracyscott76 said:

Genevieve: "I wore gloves while handling the peppers because they can burn your eyes or whatever" 😆 She's an early favorite for sure.

Her nerves showed when she meant to say "cayenne" and said something else instead. 

[Guest]

7 minutes ago, Salacious Kitty said:

Her nerves showed when she meant to say "cayenne" and said something else instead. 

"Canine powder" 😆

[springbarb]

I appreciate the kid who mentioned that he was licensed (and had trademarked his Cinna-Roe name). Whenever these kids talk about having their own businesses, I always wonder about the logistics. Like, the one girl who said how much she's earned--is that net or gross?

[Jaded]

3 hours ago, springbarb said:

I appreciate the kid who mentioned that he was licensed (and had trademarked his Cinna-Roe name). Whenever these kids talk about having their own businesses, I always wonder about the logistics. Like, the one girl who said how much she's earned--is that net or gross?

I'm not sure what to think of a whole KBC group all having their own businesses already at their ages. I kind of want to be happy for them while wishing at the same time that they could enjoy being kids for awhile longer instead of worrying about those businesses of theirs.

[RoxiP]

In the past a few of the KBC contestants already had their own baking businesses - maybe they are trying to level the playing field.

[TomGirl]

14 hours ago, tracyscott76 said:

Canine powder" 😆

That was adorable.

[TomGirl]

10 hours ago, Jaded said:

I'm not sure what to think of a whole KBC group all having their own businesses already at their ages. I kind of want to be happy for them while wishing at the same time that they could enjoy being kids for awhile longer instead of worrying about those businesses of theirs.

They’re probably “enjoying being kids” as much as any kids who are passionate about sports, music, art, etc.  And they’re probably not spending hours a day on their smart phones or playing video games.  Sounds pretty healthy to me!

[SweetSable]

10 hours ago, Jaded said:

I'm not sure what to think of a whole KBC group all having their own businesses already at their ages. I kind of want to be happy for them while wishing at the same time that they could enjoy being kids for awhile longer instead of worrying about those businesses of theirs.

These kids have their own businesses whether they're on this show or not.  I much prefer watching them than the season of "the youngest bakers ever!"

I still wish they'd do a season of just 13-17 year olds.