Spring Baking Championship - General Discussion

[RoxiP]

2 hours ago, TVbitch said:

I was underwhelmed with the final bakes. I thought all of them could have reflected their decade better, and none of them were showstoppers.  (TM)Great British Bake Off

The bakers know the challenge ahead of time, yes? Could they not have googled? 

Although the final challenge is a cake I think the theme get changed up.

Gosh, 50s cake - I could have seen doing something with a pettiskirt (sure I spelled that wrong), or saddle shoes.  I thought when he was doing pink that he would have done something with ruffles at the very least.  I can't believe the winning cake was so sparsely decorated.  If you are doing a juke box theme (which no self-respecting prom in the 50s would have had a juke box) then at the very least cover the cake with music references.

Underwhelming finale, just my opinion.  The contestants were pleasant enough but I've seen much better efforts in the finale.  Regardless of whether you like Jason "Corn Pone" or not the man can definitely bake and decorate a cake, and I believe that he is self-taught which is even more impressive.

[theatremouse]

To me, it was a bit unclear if the challenge were merely "do the decade of this kid's outfit" or "do that decade and the design should be roughly based on their actual outfit". Everyone seemed to execute it as though the assignment were the latter, but based on what we heard in the intro, I was expecting the former (which does beg the question why have a kid there at all and not just pull tags with a decade written on it, but I digress). So it was, to me, ambiguous to the audience. I'm left not knowing if some of the bakers unnecessarily adhered to the outfit when they didn't need to and could've captured the assigned theme better otherwise (in which case, the baker's fault) or if they were required to riff on those specific outfits in which case, the show's fault.

[Mittengirl]

Sohrob’s cake was very plain.  I wouldn’t think it would have taken that much longer to do several more, perhaps smaller, records.  Roll out a bunch of fondant and cut circles; how long could that take?

Why do bakers persist in using matcha?  It seems like 95% of the time the judges don’t like it.  Either they can’t taste it or they taste too much.

[3outta5]

I am mostly indifferent to Sohrob, but very whelmed at him winning with that plain-looking cake. I wanted Tati, but undercooked cake is not easily forgiven. Speaking of, on a purely superficial level, can we talk about how drop-dead gorgeous she was in her prom pictures? My goodness! I do like her sense of humor and her cake decoration was my favorite.

[Guest]

1 hour ago, 3outta5 said:

Speaking of, on a purely superficial level, can we talk about how drop-dead gorgeous she was in her prom pictures? My goodness!

Yes, yes we can. It was nice to see her "out of uniform" so to speak.

[RealityCheck]

New Season Of SPRING BAKING CHAMPIONSHIP Premieres on Monday, February 22nd at 9PM ET/PT

Quote

Ali Khan hosts with Judges Kardea Brown, Nancy Fuller, and Duff Goldman.

 

[Mellowyellow]

On 1/19/2021 at 9:24 AM, RealityCheck said:

New Season Of SPRING BAKING CHAMPIONSHIP Premieres on Monday, February 22nd at 9PM ET/PT

 

Yaaaaay

I love Kardea!!!! I was sad we didn't have Lorraine but this makes it all better.

[HyeChaps]

Tent!  Hope it's not the same set up as that Martha Stewart program.  Weather spoiled so much.

 

[Maverick]

Ali Khan was awful host.  It's a photo finish for him and Jeff Dunham as worst host in this franchise (but I think Ali judges him out as the worst).  Why are they bringing him back?

[trudysmom]

1 hour ago, Maverick said:

Why are they bringing him back?

"Because we're Food Network and we don't care!"  Honestly do they ever consider viewers thoughts on these things?  The pandemic has been rough on everyone but FN has really upped the crappiness this year, with only one show being the exeption.

[CrazyInAlabama]

So they're doing the first episode on Food Network, and D+, but are they going to show the other episodes on FN? 

The one article I read about it said the premiere 2 hour episode is on D+ and Food Network cable, but didn't say the rest of the season would be on FN.    

Edited February 5, 2021 by CrazyInAlabama

[Rammchick]

On 1/30/2021 at 10:18 AM, CrazyInAlabama said:

So they're doing the first episode on Food Network, and D+, but are they going to show the other episodes on FN? 

I'm really annoyed with this arrangement, if this is so -- they pulled that on TLC with one of the shows I watch -- they showed only 2-3 new episodes on TLC and then put the rest of the new ones on D+.  I'm already paying A LOT for cable, I have no intentions of spending more for a show I'm already paying for.

Edited February 1, 2021 by Rammchick

[Gramto6]

I hope they will shoot themselves in the foot with this D+. I will not pay double to see any of the shows Discovery offers. Not worth it! If I could get a discount from my cable to  drop all Discovery channels I would do it!

[Rammchick]

10 hours ago, Gramto6 said:

I hope they will shoot themselves in the foot with this D+. I will not pay double to see any of the shows Discovery offers. Not worth it! If I could get a discount from my cable to  drop all Discovery channels I would do it!

The thing is, they'll probably make enough money from new subscribers who don't already have cable that it will still make it profitable for them.  But to get back on topic, oh boy, another round of "it's not springy".  And I barely washed the taste of "it's not Christmassy" out of my mouth 😞

[Guest]

It won't be the same without Tati *sigh*

Oh well, I'm sure I'll be crushing on someone else soon enough.

And enjoying their baking skills, of course.

[Irlandesa]

So Clinton Kelly was getting into the groove of hosting and they replace him? 

I do like Kardea, though, so that's a positive.  And is it just me or does this seem like this is starting quite early this year?

[CrazyInAlabama]

They're having the premiere tonight (22nd), for 2 hours 8-10 Central.   It looks like they're going to play this on the regular channel as well as D+, because they're showing 2 more first run next Monday.    

I'm really enjoying the new contestants.   All of the contestants seems very nice, and really made   Sadly I think I know who's going home this week, unless someone else screws up badly.    

[Grizzly]

This has got to be the most diverse cast ever. I loved the dancing cow challenge. Different but still on topic and it allowed the bakers to be creative. Glad the stripper pole went home. This is not that kind of show.

[eyelash]

On 2/2/2021 at 9:30 PM, Gramto6 said:

I hope they will shoot themselves in the foot with this D+. I will not pay double to see any of the shows Discovery offers. Not worth it! If I could get a discount from my cable to  drop all Discovery channels I would do it!

They already replay the same footage within every episode of their shows multiple times before and after every commercial break, not to mention re-airing the whole show and calling it a new episode by inserting a few seconds of "bonus scenes."  I figure I'm already paying $5 a month within my DirecTV bill for that -- so no thanks on that D+ offer.

[CheshireCat]

I got a little confused when Duff said they had a lot of good bakers after the pre-heat: if memory serves, there was one baker who the judges really praised. That was weird.

I'm surprised they didn't criticize a couple of the cakes for having layers that were too thick. A few of them could have been cut in half. But I really liked the milk ingredient and the twist was harmless. They can keep that up!

So far, the decorating skills of those bakers look better than those of the Christmas and Halloween Baking Championships. With the exception of he chocolate cow from the French baker (is his name Laurence?) all of the cows looked really cute. Loved the out-of-the-box thinking of the "boom box" baker. Here's to hoping the great decorating will continue.

[KayVeeTeeVee]

6 hours ago, CheshireCat said:

I got a little confused when Duff said they had a lot of good bakers after the pre-heat: if memory serves, there was one baker who the judges really praised. That was weird.

I'm surprised they didn't criticize a couple of the cakes for having layers that were too thick. A few of them could have been cut in half. But I really liked the milk ingredient and the twist was harmless. They can keep that up!

So far, the decorating skills of those bakers look better than those of the Christmas and Halloween Baking Championships. With the exception of he chocolate cow from the French baker (is his name Laurence?) all of the cows looked really cute. Loved the out-of-the-box thinking of the "boom box" baker. Here's to hoping the great decorating will continue.

Laurent

[RoxiP]

I was impressed by the bakers - they all seemed to be pretty good and professional.  I fear the Pakistani lady may struggle but she's so cute with her giggle that I hope she doesn't.  Some of the decorating was really good for the first show of the season!

[Rammchick]

Oy.  Nancy.  I rolled my eyes so hard a few times, they're bound to get stuck that way by the time this season is over.  Otherwise, this looks like a pretty talented bunch. 

Edited February 23, 2021 by Rammchick

[Suzysite]

16 hours ago, Grizzly said:

This has got to be the most diverse cast ever. I loved the dancing cow challenge. Different but still on topic and it allowed the bakers to be creative. Glad the stripper pole went home. This is not that kind of show.

No, I think of diversity as people who look different from one another.   The women on here are all dark haired, dark eyed and almost identical to each other.  Where are the blondes, the redheads, the gray grannies?   This is not very diverse at all...at least among the women.

[Guest]

That was kind of a weird little retrospective/preview they tacked on the end there, but I was glad to see Cristina again, however briefly.

[mojoween]

I would love to see more of what Madiha makes for real because they showed a snippet of a cake with little people on it that looked adorable.

You don’t need subtitles for Dayron and Laurent, show.  They are understandable just fine.

Nancy’s face when she tried that greasy donut was so funny.

Aww I liked the stripper cow.  It looked more like a cow than flat Marguerite!

And it was weird that Jahmal was dinged for no dancing cow but Madiha was not.

[CrazyInAlabama]

 I enjoyed both hours (minus that strange ending preview or whatever it was), last night.   All of the bakers seemed so nice, and enthusiastic.   I felt sorry for the contestant that was eliminated.    I wish they would eliminate the first contestant on the second show, but they certainly never asked my opinion.

I an age of Covid, I bet a lot of bakers simply can't step away, quarantine, and compete, and then quarantine when they go home.   Some prospective contestants might be reluctant to risk the travel right now too.     

[Maya]

Are there more bakers this time? I can’t tell any of these people apart. 

[HyeChaps]

All of these competitors appear way better than the ones from Holiday Baking Championship.

Clinton is missed.

[bilgistic]

I never thought I would miss Jesse Palmer, but here we are.

[GaT]

Why was this 2 hours? That's an hour too many.

[CheshireCat]

2 hours ago, GaT said:

Why was this 2 hours? That's an hour too many.

Technically, it was only 1 1/2, wasn't it? At least, I switched channels after 1 1/2 hours. 😛

[dleighg]

I thought this version of udders on the cow was really ..... strange.

 

[Rammchick]

5 hours ago, CheshireCat said:

Technically, it was only 1 1/2, wasn't it? At least, I switched channels after 1 1/2 hours. 😛

The competition was 90 minutes, then another 30 of random blah blah was tacked on to fill out the full 2 hrs.  You didn't really miss anything.

[RoxiP]

I’m wondering if logistics has something to do with Clinton not being the host (though his giggling and flirting got on my nerves).  Does his talk show (assuming he’s still on it) film in New York!  Perhaps he couldn’t do both with current mandates. 

[dleighg]

just as a little aside, I saw the resort they are filming at (I'm pretty sure this is the name I saw briefly on the sign) in a completely different context (Tiger Woods):

 

Quote

A source familiar with the investigation said Woods was staying at the Terranea Resort in Rancho Palos Verdes and had left there early Tuesday to head to the Rolling Hills Country Club, about 20 minutes away, for filming. 

 

[Grizzly]

6 hours ago, dleighg said:

just as a little aside, I saw the resort they are filming at (I'm pretty sure this is the name I saw briefly on the sign) in a completely different context (Tiger Woods):

 

 

I said the same thing when seeing news about Tiger. I asked my husband isn't that the place Food Network is hanging out? Of course he doesn't pay attention.

[bilgistic]

15 hours ago, dleighg said:

I thought this version of udders on the cow was really ..... strange.

 

I mentioned to my boyfriend that the cow had inverted nipples.

It also looks like a button. Either way, no milk's coming out of there.

[TVbitch]

Glad it's back. Don't know the new host or new judge. ...are they going to annoy me? : D

I'm happy we are getting 2 bakes and there appears to be some talent in the group. There are at least 4 female contestants that I can't tell apart, cuz they have such a similar look. I'm never going to get them straight. Two of them were talking in a split screen at one point, and I realized I had thought they were the same person. Would it KILL the show to put their names on their aprons?! 

[kirklandia]

On 2/24/2021 at 10:18 AM, RoxiP said:

 

I’m wondering if logistics has something to do with Clinton not being the host (though his giggling and flirting got on my nerves).  Does his talk show (assuming he’s still on it) film in New York!  Perhaps he couldn’t do both with current mandates. 

 

Maybe Clinton was too busy filming Self-Made Mansions.

[Emkat]

"If it's not Scottish it's crap!" Oh Duff with the old SNL reference.  I swear we could be best friends!

[40Love]

On 2/23/2021 at 3:28 PM, Suzysite said:

No, I think of diversity as people who look different from one another.   The women on here are all dark haired, dark eyed and almost identical to each other.  Where are the blondes, the redheads, the gray grannies?   This is not very diverse at all...at least among the women.

That's an interesting point... never thought of it that way. I guess it depends on individual POV. Many times when POC like myself think of diversity, we mean seeing more people who look like us. I don't know everyone's name yet (I never do at this point), but I have no problem telling the contestants apart from each other.

 

[40Love]

On 2/25/2021 at 10:42 AM, TVbitch said:

Glad it's back. Don't know the new host or new judge. ...are they going to annoy me? : D

 

I've seen the new judge a few times on other shows... and I like her. She's pretty low key, but good-humored. I love Carla, but sometimes she's a little too much. I also really liked Lorraine, especially when she and Duff were being silly together. She really grew on me in the later seasons. I'm just glad it's not I-always-need-to-be-the-center-of-attention-Sunny! In which case, I would have had to stop watching the show altogether! Hehe!

[bilgistic]

11 hours ago, 40Love said:

Many times when POC like myself think of diversity, we mean seeing more people who look like us.

This. I'm white, but I know that "diversity" doesn't mean white people with different shades of hair. It's different ethnicities. BIPOC are and have been extremely underrepresented in media, and it's refreshing to see a contestant roster full of non-white people.

Two of the three show judges are white. Food Network has a stable chock full of white show leads. Guy Fieri alone has, like, five shows and built a brand off Food Network. Duff parlayed his first FN show into a brand. Ree Drummond has an empire partially built by FN. Paula Deen has too, as has her sons. Those are just a few examples.

Edited February 27, 2021 by bilgistic

[jlc]

7 hours ago, 40Love said:

I've seen the new judge a few times on other shows... and I like her. She's pretty low key, but good-humored. I love Carla, but sometimes she's a little too much. I also really liked Lorraine, especially when she and Duff were being silly together. She really grew on me in the later seasons. I'm just glad it's not I-always-need-to-be-the-center-of-attention-Sunny! In which case, I would have had to stop watching the show altogether! Hehe!

But I feel like Carla has to be the center of attention. I am sooo over Carla. 

[emmawoodhouse]

22 minutes ago, jlc said:

But I feel like Carla has to be the center of attention. I am sooo over Carla. 

Carla's surprisingly low-key on Worst Cooks. But I don't miss her on this show. I don't know anything about Kardea (sp?), so I am open to seeing what she adds. Probably the straight guy to Nancy's antics. 

[Spunkygal]

Kardea’s show is Delicious Miss Brown on FN on Sundays at 11 am central time. She’s based in the Low Country in SC and the network re-airs the new and old episodes several times a week. I like her very much and her cookery looks as delicious as the title suggests. Wish she were on The Kitchen as a refreshing change from any of those stale hosts.

Edited February 27, 2021 by Spunkygal

[40Love]

19 hours ago, jlc said:

But I feel like Carla has to be the center of attention. I am sooo over Carla. 

Yeah, she's doing that a lot more lately. 

 

[rlc]

It’s nice to see diversity amongst the contestants, and, so far, no offensively over the top personalities desperate for attention. I just want to see some nice baked goods with people that don’t inspire ire. 

[LexieLily]

Now there's an Easter Basket Challenge, hosted by Sunny Anderson, on what looks like the same set as all the ____ Baking Championship shows?