Spring Baking Championship - General Discussion

[Cheyanne11]

That scene of Molly proposing to the judges about bringing someone back with the whole “Spring is about rebirth” was super weird and I’m not buying that was anything but correcting a mistake because of how Molly interferes with Carolyn the week she got eliminated.  Really embarrassing and awkward for a show I used to really enjoy.  Molly has ruined it for me.  I’m going to finish this season but if she’s back next year I’m out.

ETA: this elimination challenge is so childish, what else is new? 

Edited April 19, 2022 by Cheyanne11

[LexieLily]

I did appreciate Carolyn saying it outright to Molly's face that she couldn't put her heart into a cookie salad because she didn't get it.

[GaT]

I understand why they brought Carolyn back since Molly screwed her over & they've probably been getting a lot of complaints, but trying to redeem Molly by playing that stupid "Spring is about rebirth" scene with the judges was just ridiculous. I guess they figure everybody will love Molly now. NOT.

Why was Kardea sitting so far away from everybody else at the table?

 

Edited April 19, 2022 by GaT
added the rest of my sentence.

[Gramto6]

In my book, there is no redeeming Molly. She has literally killed this show. I hope she just goes back to her Girl Meets Farm show and stays there. I will never watch any cooking/baking show she hosts and frankly don't even watch her show any more since she got so "cutesy".

[Catfi9ht]

Agree with all that's been said so far. The fact they only brought Carolyn back and not both Diego and Carolyn to compete for a spot is pretty telling.

Inconsistent judging with what's "springy" and what's not just so they can craft a narrative is really blatant this season.

Dennis and Carolyn's bake shouldn't have been at the top. Dennis's pigs didn't have eyes,  and the lamb cookies were burnt on one side. Their plate looked the most juvenile so of course it won.

I'm so glad I like all the bakers. At least it's not a season where someone I don't like gets selected to win.

[CrazyInAlabama]

3 hours ago, Gramto6 said:

In my book, there is no redeeming Molly. She has literally killed this show. I hope she just goes back to her Girl Meets Farm show and stays there. I will never watch any cooking/baking show she hosts and frankly don't even watch her show any more since she got so "cutesy".

I've started recording the show, and just doing the addition of Carolyn back, but I was hoping for Diego.   I only watch a little, and see who got cut.    I'm just hoping when this season finally ends, that Molly doesn't get stuck on some of the other seasonal contests, and she ruins other shows too.   If she returns for next season, I'm going to be skipping the show.     THis show used to be about the bakers, and their product, it isn't like that anymore. 

 I think for the storyline of Carolyn coming back, she would have won no matter what her tray looked like.    

Edited April 19, 2022 by CrazyInAlabama

[libgirl2]

3 hours ago, GaT said:

I understand why they brought Carolyn back since Molly screwed her over & they've probably been getting a lot of complaints, but trying to redeem Molly by playing that stupid "Spring is about rebirth" scene with the judges was just ridiculous. I guess they figure everybody will love Molly now. NOT.

Why was Kardea sitting so far away from everybody else at the table?

 

No, Molly you screwed up Carolyn! I'm glad I missed most of this mess. I hope if Romy doesn't win, it will be Carolyn. And then we can put this mess of a show (and hopefully Molly) behind us. Spring my ass, more like farm. 

[Maya]

5 hours ago, GaT said:

I understand why they brought Carolyn back since Molly screwed her over & they've probably been getting a lot of complaints, but trying to redeem Molly by playing that stupid "Spring is about rebirth" scene with the judges was just ridiculous. I guess they figure everybody will love Molly now. NOT.

Why was Kardea sitting so far away from everybody else at the table?

 

Except all these episodes were filmed long before they aired. So the producers must have realized Molly fucked up? It was an interesting choice to show her turning off Carolyn’s timer. They could have edited that out. 

[ProfCrash]

5 hours ago, GaT said:

I understand why they brought Carolyn back since Molly screwed her over & they've probably been getting a lot of complaints, but trying to redeem Molly by playing that stupid "Spring is about rebirth" scene with the judges was just ridiculous. I guess they figure everybody will love Molly now. NOT.

Why was Kardea sitting so far away from everybody else at the table?

 

I believe that the show is shot well before it airs so complaints from viewers would not have affected the decision to bring Caroline back. I had not thought about the burnt bacon as a reason for her being the one to return. I believe that the judges liked the bacon and I thought that was in the preheat so it wouldn't have influenced her being eliminated. 

I do think that the Producers figured out that everyone was surprised Caroline was eliminated because there is no way in hell Caroline should have been eliminated. The Contestants reaction and continued reaction was more then enough of a clue to anyone that was an awful choice. 

The reality is that too many good bakers were being sent home, most likely because of Molly, and someone figured out it was a real issue.

Justin was done with the show early on. You could see it in his body language. He just didn't give a crap anymore. I think he was upset in his exit interview because the show wasn't what he thought it would be. The Cookie Salad was the most ridiculous example but so many of the bakes have been lesser then past seasons.

The dessert board was done on Spring Baking Championship: Easter and there are plenty of parties and the like that have something similar. I don't think it is an awful challenge. I am not sure why it was a struggle for some of the Bakers. They could choose what they made, so they could make desserts that represented them some how. The decorations could be whatever. The only "Molly" thing was the centerpiece, which whatever. I am not sure that animals is that different then a Teapot or teacups as a centerpiece. 

Overall, two of the boards had problematic desserts, Tom and Jalessa screwed up cupcakes for gods sake. Justin knew that one of his desserts was problematic because his cookies didn't turn out. Whatever you think of the cookies, the desserts on Caroline and Denis's board all seemed to be well received. The decorations matched the party theme, which is not true for Remy's desserts, and they tasted good, which was an issue for Justin, Tom, and Jalessa. 

Justin should have been able to make something far better then what he did but he was checked out. 

5 minutes ago, Maya said:

Except all these episodes were filmed long before they aired. So the producers must have realized Molly fucked up? It was an interesting choice to show her turning off Carolyn’s timer. They could have edited that out. 

Unless Caroline actually complained about Molly's interference and someone determined that there was a legal challenge that they would lose. The choice then was to return Caroline to the competition or pay out a settlement and look like idiots. There is no indication that this is what happened but I would guess that the issue was more a legal one then anything planned. 

[Mellowyellow]

😭😭😭

Not Justin!!!! I loved Justin! Justin could bake, plus he was sane and not a moron!

[libgirl2]

22 minutes ago, Mellowyellow said:

😭😭😭

Not Justin!!!! I loved Justin! Justin could bake, plus he was sane and not a moron!

I think he was just too low key for this show. What a shame. 

[zengirl1215]

For some reason, my DVR didn't record the current episode and I'm not upset. Like many others have stated, this season has been a HUGE disappointment. I'd say maybe the show has run its course, but I think it's guilty of trying to "fix" something that wasn't broken to begin with. I'm all for change but when a simple formula works, don't mess with it.

[Rammchick]

1 hour ago, ProfCrash said:

Justin should have been able to make something far better then what he did but he was checked out. 

Justin made macarons that didn't work out, and he scrambled for a pivot that wasn't too impressive.  Given a situation like that, not everyone is fast on their feet, which you have to be in this type of competition.

I don't know if Justin was checked out or is just a very low-key guy, but his personality has basically been the same throughout the show.  

[libgirl2]

Just now, Rammchick said:

Justin made macarons that didn't work out, and he scrambled for a pivot that wasn't too impressive.  Given a situation like that, not everyone is fast on their feet, which you have to be in this type of competition.

I don't know if Justin was checked out or is just a very low-key guy, but his personality has basically been the same throughout the show.  

I did pop in when he was making them and what I noticed is he pronounced the word correctly! He should have won on the basis of that alone! 

Once I saw they didn't work, I turned back to what I was watching. The writing was on the wall. 

[ProfCrash]

1 minute ago, Rammchick said:

Justin made macarons that didn't work out, and he scrambled for a pivot that wasn't too impressive.  Given a situation like that, not everyone is fast on their feet, which you have to be in this type of competition.

I don't know if Justin was checked out or is just a very low-key guy, but his personality has basically been the same throughout the show.  

He seemed chill the entire show but I think the first few weeks he was more animated. The macarons looked cute, but he wasn't happy with them. 

[hookedontv]

This season has really bummed me out. I know Spring Baking Championships has always had issues (at least for me) such as the stupid twists, Nancy's comments about booze, etc.

However, Molly as a host has turned me off completely. She's not a host, FN has made her the whole show. It's become cartoon-like, way too child-like, and frankly is insulting to these bakers who, at various ability levels, have worked very hard to get on this show. 

There's no professionalism and the challenges put forth juvenile "desserts" that would never been seen in a bake shop, let alone on a dessert cart in a restaurant.

Molly has ruined the show for me and for many other long time fans. 

It's so bad, I cannot even hate-watch it. There's nothing amusing about it and I do feel truly bad for these contestants. They deserve better, and so do the viewers. 

[libgirl2]

Just because it is a Spring themed show doesn't mean it needs to be juvenile. Imagine what lovely desserts we could have gotten that could have still had a spring theme. Spring doesn't mean barnyard animals or sprinkles. I am glad some of the bakers really did try to give us some elegant looking desserts (Romy for sure). 

[orangekit]

The Kid’s Baking Championship actually showcases more baking techniques than this crap fest of Molly’s childish ideas !

Carolyn came back , but what about Diego who was unfairly eliminated because Molly’s playmates needed to be saved ? Decorating didn’t count for Tom’s disasters two weeks in a row , but it did for Diego .

Jaleesa screwed up , but she has anxiety , so she is given a pass !

This season is ridiculous. It seems like this is really Molly’s show since she not only is making annoying faces when eating the food , but she is commenting on the baker’s to the judges like she did with Tom when Duff dared to point out his decorating sucked for two weeks ! Molly looked like she was going to cry and had to say how good his food tasted ! Who cares what the so called host thinks ?

Maybe FN respond to bad ratings and leave dippy, sappy Molly on her game cooking crappy recipes  and acting like a 6 year old and not let her host and ruin another show !  
Also, Kardea needs to go and Lorraine needs to return . She is so biased it’s sickening .

[hookedontv]

11 minutes ago, orangekit said:

Also, Kardea needs to go and Lorraine needs to return . She is so biased it’s sickening .

Is the name Kardea a play on the word Cartier? 

That just occured to me. 

[libgirl2]

17 minutes ago, orangekit said:

Also, Kardea needs to go and Lorraine needs to return . She is so biased it’s sickening .

Can you imagine Lorraine being presented with a "cookie salad"? 

[RoxiP]

I liked Justin also but he did have to throw something together at the last minute when his macarons did not macaron like they were supposed to (and it is sad because they would have been really cute).  He knew what he put together last minute was not great.  I was surprised at how broken up he was at the end.  Having said that, I'm glad Carolyn won because she is great and I think the other bakers felt like she deserved another chance.  I'm sure there is an untold story there but maybe someday somebody in FN will let it slip.

[Maya]

3 hours ago, ProfCrash said:

I believe that the show is shot well before it airs so complaints from viewers would not have affected the decision to bring Caroline back. I had not thought about the burnt bacon as a reason for her being the one to return. I believe that the judges liked the bacon and I thought that was in the preheat so it wouldn't have influenced her being eliminated. 

I do think that the Producers figured out that everyone was surprised Caroline was eliminated because there is no way in hell Caroline should have been eliminated. The Contestants reaction and continued reaction was more then enough of a clue to anyone that was an awful choice. 

The reality is that too many good bakers were being sent home, most likely because of Molly, and someone figured out it was a real issue.

Justin was done with the show early on. You could see it in his body language. He just didn't give a crap anymore. I think he was upset in his exit interview because the show wasn't what he thought it would be. The Cookie Salad was the most ridiculous example but so many of the bakes have been lesser then past seasons.

The dessert board was done on Spring Baking Championship: Easter and there are plenty of parties and the like that have something similar. I don't think it is an awful challenge. I am not sure why it was a struggle for some of the Bakers. They could choose what they made, so they could make desserts that represented them some how. The decorations could be whatever. The only "Molly" thing was the centerpiece, which whatever. I am not sure that animals is that different then a Teapot or teacups as a centerpiece. 

Overall, two of the boards had problematic desserts, Tom and Jalessa screwed up cupcakes for gods sake. Justin knew that one of his desserts was problematic because his cookies didn't turn out. Whatever you think of the cookies, the desserts on Caroline and Denis's board all seemed to be well received. The decorations matched the party theme, which is not true for Remy's desserts, and they tasted good, which was an issue for Justin, Tom, and Jalessa. 

Justin should have been able to make something far better then what he did but he was checked out. 

Unless Caroline actually complained about Molly's interference and someone determined that there was a legal challenge that they would lose. The choice then was to return Caroline to the competition or pay out a settlement and look like idiots. There is no indication that this is what happened but I would guess that the issue was more a legal one then anything planned. 

Interesting legal angle. You might be on to something. There was a very weird vibe surrounding Carolyn. 

[libgirl2]

31 minutes ago, RoxiP said:

I liked Justin also but he did have to throw something together at the last minute when his macarons did not macaron like they were supposed to (and it is sad because they would have been really cute).  He knew what he put together last minute was not great.  I was surprised at how broken up he was at the end.  Having said that, I'm glad Carolyn won because she is great and I think the other bakers felt like she deserved another chance.  I'm sure there is an untold story there but maybe someday somebody in FN will let it slip.

I guess keep an eye out on FN Gossip. 

[rlc]

It's a shame that Justin didn't cry earlier in the season- the powers that be may have considered keeping him around if he had.

[jcbrown]

I was at least heartened to speculate that perhaps the stylists also are well over Molly. That stupid dress she wore this week--she looked like a little girl playing dress-up. Not a single thing about it was flattering.

[MerBearHou]

23 minutes ago, rlc said:

It's a shame that Justin didn't cry earlier in the season- the powers that be may have considered keeping him around if he had.

I didn't watch the show, but I would have been heartbroken to see Justin (of all people) cry.  I HOPE he somehow knows how much we liked him and were pulling for him.  

[ShelleySue]

11 hours ago, GaT said:

I understand why they brought Carolyn back since Molly screwed her over & they've probably been getting a lot of complaints, but trying to redeem Molly by playing that stupid "Spring is about rebirth" scene with the judges was just ridiculous. I guess they figure everybody will love Molly now. NOT.

This show was taped a long time ago because Molly was pregnant during the taping and she had the baby a few months ago.  So fans complaining had nothing to do with Carolyn being brought back.  I think that someone at the Food Network must have been watching it during the editing process and saw what we just saw and then made the decision.

[ASpring1900]

2 hours ago, Maya said:

There was a very weird vibe surrounding Carolyn. 

Agreed. No bake-off between previous contestants, just, here she is! I did enjoy her reply to Duff's "Get out of town" comment, something to the effect of "I did and now I'm back" (wink).

I'm new to this board, so maybe it's been discussed in seasons past, but I assume the judges actually eat the contestants' food, correct? There was an odd shot of Molly leaning over to pick up a glass under the table and I swear it looked like she was about to spit her bite into it. One of the next shots was of her drinking, so maybe it was just an odd angle.

[Catfi9ht]

3 hours ago, jcbrown said:

I was at least heartened to speculate that perhaps the stylists also are well over Molly. That stupid dress she wore this week--she looked like a little girl playing dress-up. Not a single thing about it was flattering.

I am sad to say those terrible prairie dresses that were popular in the 80s are back. I do fault Molly for choosing that obvious fake farmsy aesthetic, but they are a current fashion trend.

https://www.boredpanda.com/target-dress-challenge

[libgirl2]

1 minute ago, Catfi9ht said:

I am sad to say those terrible prairie dresses that were popular in the 80s are back. I do fault Molly for choosing that obvious fake farmsy aesthetic, but they are a current fashion trend.

https://www.boredpanda.com/target-dress-challenge

I have seen these kind of dresses in Target. ugh. 

[Catfi9ht]

2 minutes ago, libgirl2 said:

I have seen these kind of dresses in Target. ugh. 

I think you'll enjoy this article. https://www.boredpanda.com/target-dress-challenge

[libgirl2]

6 minutes ago, Catfi9ht said:

I think you'll enjoy this article. https://www.boredpanda.com/target-dress-challenge

OMG! I just peaked and I am going to have to give that a good look over. Yes, those are the dresses I saw and I was aghast! 

[MsMalin]

Maybe the reason for bringing someone back is as simple as the challenge was a team challenge so they needed an even # of people. Someone screwed up when they planned the show schedule!

I used to really love this show but something is off now. Maybe having great shows like TOC and Julia have made me compare and it just doesn't match up.

[mojoween]

Based on this episode’s bakes, I knew it was going to be Justin but that doesn’t mean I fucking like it.

[orangekit]

5 hours ago, rlc said:

It's a shame that Justin didn't cry earlier in the season- the powers that be may have considered keeping him around if he had.

Yes, too bad he didn’t cry or hyperventilate and  have to have Duff help him off if the floor in a previous episode.  Or too bad he didn’t come out as transgender and reveal his female name used to be Justine, he would have possibly been saved !  Of course he would have also had to kiss up to Molly and be her “friend”, and he seemed to intelligent and not enough of a kiss  up to do that !

[libgirl2]

18 hours ago, LexieLily said:

I did appreciate Carolyn saying it outright to Molly's face that she couldn't put her heart into a cookie salad because she didn't get it.

I would have told her the cookie salad was lame, demeaning and stupid. Carolyn used a lot of control.

Edited April 19, 2022 by libgirl2

[mojoween]

8 hours ago, libgirl2 said:

I did pop in when he was making them and what I noticed is he pronounced the word correctly! He should have won on the basis of that alone! 

Once I saw they didn't work, I turned back to what I was watching. The writing was on the wall. 

Justin said it wonderfully.  Tom, on the other hand, did not.  He even told the judges he made macaroons, which under my rules, would have meant immediate elimination.

Molly’s face when someone said they were making a duck pond is the embodiment of everything I do not like about her.  Also if I never have to hear “cookie SALAAAAAAAD” again it will be far too soon.

[Catfi9ht]

55 minutes ago, orangekit said:

Or too bad he didn’t come out as transgender and reveal his female name used to be Justine, he would have possibly been saved !

Being over the top for the camera is not the same as being transgender. Trans people are people just like everyone else and are not a prop or a joke to prove a point about this show liking melodramatic personalities this season.

[littlebennysmom]

7 hours ago, libgirl2 said:

Can you imagine Lorraine being presented with a "cookie salad"? 

I can imagine her look of disgust at the announcement of that particular challenge and I doubt she'd respond to the "golly, gee whiz!" Molly well at all.

Perhaps we've discovered why she didn't show up this season.

[orangekit]

1 hour ago, Catfi9ht said:

Being over the top for the camera is not the same as being transgender. Trans people are people just like everyone else and are not a prop or a joke to prove a point about this show liking melodramatic personalities this season.

True ! I didn’t mean to imply that he would be over the top, just that it would be another story . Dennis  isn’t over the top , but coming out has saved him from being eliminated, just like Jaleesa’s anxiety attack has saved her . It would have been a new story .

38 minutes ago, orangekit said:

 

Edited April 20, 2022 by orangekit

[Catfi9ht]

9 minutes ago, orangekit said:

True ! I didn’t mean to imply that he would be overt the top, just that it would be another story . Justin isn’t over the top , but coming out has saved him from being eliminated, just like Jaleesa’s anxiety attack has saved her . It would have been a new story .

I understand. Thank you for the clarification and I agree about the story sharing.

I think it was Dennis that came out this season and not Justin though. Please let me know if I'm remembering incorrectly.

[orangekit]

25 minutes ago, Catfi9ht said:

I understand. Thank you for the clarification and I agree about the story sharing.

I think it was Dennis that came out this season and not Justin though. Please let me know if I'm remembering incorrectly.

You are right ! It was Dennis !

[mlp]

2 hours ago, MsMalin said:

Maybe the reason for bringing someone back is as simple as the challenge was a team challenge so they needed an even # of people. 

I was going to say the same thing.  Whatever the reason, I really didn't like them bringing back someone right before the semi-final episode, no matter who it was.   I wonder how much of the "joy" expressed by the remaining five was sincere and how much was required.  Why would contestants be delighted to have an additional competitor, especially one who they already knew was good?

[Refresh]

On 4/18/2022 at 6:26 PM, storyskip said:

 

To clarify, I have no issue what so ever with Carolyn coming back. I like Carolyn.

But I do think that this "season of rebirth" spin is BS.  I think there was a stink as a result of the timer being turned off, etc and those are the main motivators behind Carolyn being back. 

 

I came back to hear just this. Totally agree. Molly screwed up by touching Carolyns timer and effected the game. Her return was a fix for that. Plus Carolyn works for Disney (Resorts) and you don’t wanna piss them off if you’re FN.  

The fakey judges ask was slice and stitch b-roll. 

I like all the bakers. The only ones I didn’t like was that replacement guy who lasted a day and little miss ageist first eliminated.

Most of the challenges I have liked but the others have been baaaaaaaad. I was ok with the palette knife cake challenge. It’s a look that’s popular now. I just wish it was more open subject matter than Molly’s farm. That make it boring for us, as viewers and makes it lean more juvenile in nature. How many adults that aren’t farmers want a farm-themed cake?  BM (before Molly) I think overall the challenges were worse but this version has high highs and low lows. 

 

Edited April 20, 2022 by Refresh
Clarity

[CharlizeCat]

I am thinking that if Molly made such a huge screw-up that FN felt obliged to ask Carolyn back, then that right there should automatically disqualify Molly from EVER hosting another FN competition show.

I think part of the problem was trying to somehow merge "Girl Meets Farm" with SBC and it was an epic fail! I also wonder what happened to Lorraine, who was an actual, you know? Pastry chef. I can understand that it's cheaper to go with local talent like Kardea and Nancy, but neither of them (to my knowledge) are pastry chefs. I would want to be judged by my peers. 

I was glad to see Carolyn back, but I just haven't enjoyed this season at all and I think it goes beyond Molly's antics. I can imagine that trained European pastry chefs are aghast at what transpires on FN baking competition shows. The inane challenges, idiotic twists, WTF themes, etc. Also, I think Duff is always much harder on the European male chefs than he is on any of the others. I have noticed it over the years. While I think Duff is insanely talented when it comes to sculpting and decorating, I have never really heard anybody rave about the taste of his cakes. They are probably so filled with support structure, that there is little room left for an actual cake.

An interesting note about Molly ... With YouTube TV, I get a channel called "Tastemade Made Me do It," which sometimes has some good instructional cooking shows. One morning, I thought I heard a familiar voice and it was Molly. I am not sure how old the clip was, but I caught the tail-end of her making some type of apple harvest cake. She was very subdued and looked different. Her hair was long, dark, and straight and she had the ends ombred copper. But ... she added sprinkles at the end. It was more in a decorative way that made some sense, and she didn't have a foodgasm over them, either.

 

 

[MerBearHou]

I thought y’all would enjoy this — I’ve literally never sought out a cook or baker from FN on Instagram, but earlier today I felt compelled to find Justin from SBC.  I found him quickly — there were so many truly wonderful comments to him and I sent him a DM.  I just told Justin how much people were pulling for him and that it’s been a frustrating season and lots of people were very disappointed to see him go.  I wished him the very, very best and told him he is super talented.

Well, I didn’t expect him to but he wrote me back a few minutes ago and it was such a treat to hear from him.  Justin said my name and “thank you so much for tuning in and supporting me!  Your words are truly appreciated and I’m very thankful that you shared them.  Your best wishes truly mean a lot!” With praying hands and a heart emoji. 

[Mellowyellow]

16 hours ago, hookedontv said:

It's so bad, I cannot even hate-watch it. There's nothing amusing about it and I do feel truly bad for these contestants. They deserve better, and so do the viewers. 

This comment really resonates with me! This is the core of it for me. There are bad, over the top shows with appropriately crazy casting that I enjoy but this one just makes me feel bad for the very competent, non dramatic bakers. It's uncomfortable so I can't even hate watch it.

[Cetacean]

If I might be so bold, in addition to venting here, everyone should contact FN about this.  No need to be nasty with the comments to them but a firm "no more shenanigans" should get the message across.

Go here on the Food Network website to submit feedback.  Choose "Show or Episode" as the reason for contacting....

Those of us who have watched Molly in her own show have seen the transition into more silliness from the start of her show to the present.  It's too bad as she was really very watchable in the beginning.  And I still do watch as she has some tasty recipes.  HGTV recently did a crossover show where Molly and her husband added on to their (inherited from his grandparents) home to accommodate their growing family.  I thought it was quite nice that she insisted on keeping the kitchen used for the show just as it was with the old fashioned electric stove.  Not all of us have state-of-the-art kitchens so I thought it was a nice touch.

I have not watched the remainder of this series of Spring Baking because we already know that High Drama Tom will win.  And I did write FN about it. At least I felt like I was doing something helpful!

[Kid]

On 4/18/2022 at 7:59 PM, VanillaBear85 said:

Carolyn came back and won the main heat. 

Justin was eliminated. 

Justin was my favorite. No hysterics from Molly when he was eliminated like she usually does. 

Jaleesa should have been gone long ago.  Justin is an excellent baker.  And he is focused and serious.  But since he did not have a breakdown, he was not coddled.

20 hours ago, rlc said:

It's a shame that Justin didn't cry earlier in the season- the powers that be may have considered keeping him around if he had.

Amen.  My point exactly.

[TVbitch]

Ah, they broke Justin.

I also thought they might have brought Carolyn back because she (rightfully) complained. But no way are they going to admit Molly screwed up, so hence the "second chances" BS and the tension. (The judges faces during that staged conversation looked about as happy as Justin.) If that's true than not admitting the real reason is a slap in face for Diego, as it implies he was not also worthy of a second chance.