Spring Baking Championship - General Discussion

[GiandujaPie]

Yes it was pretty arrogant of Julian not to use his immunity for this challenge, especially towards the end when he realized his cheesecake was not going to be baked properly. He was just banking on someone else being worse than him. I think it was manufactured drama though to have him be on the bottom 2. I'm glad he survived though. I'm hoping to be able to go to his bakery in the next couple of weeks as we will be in his area. 😋

Kareem's madeleine tower looked so much better before he stuck the madeleines on top of all the piped flowers. I agree that he seems to not be in the same league as everyone else but I guess he hasn't yet made such an egregious error that couldn't be overlooked. 

In the early rounds, I think taste will always trump decor, which I think is how Kareem has managed to survive so far since the bakers eliminated already had technical issues with their flavors/bakes whereas his tend to taste good but his decor not so great. 

Are all of the contestant bakers professionals and have their own bakery or work as a pastry chef? Usually there is one or two who self-identify as home bakers but I don't remember if there is one for this season. 

[libgirl2]

Just now, GiandujaPie said:

Kareem's madeleine tower looked so much better before he stuck the madeleines on top of all the piped flowers. I agree that he seems to not be in the same league as everyone else but I guess he hasn't yet made such an egregious error that couldn't be overlooked. 

 

I thought it was looking pretty good until he put them on top of them. 

[TVbitch]

I thought Kareem's madeleine tower looked like the Grimmace after he fell down some stairs during a late night bender. But Kareem's a sweet guy, so I'll just go with "..Bless his heart." 😁

 

[RoxiP]

I did think that the tattoo on the eliminated woman's upper arm was one of the coolest I've ever seen.

[libgirl2]

2 minutes ago, RoxiP said:

I did think that the tattoo on the eliminated woman's upper arm was one of the coolest I've ever seen.

i didn't even notice what it was. 

[RoxiP]

5 minutes ago, libgirl2 said:

i didn't even notice what it was. 

It was in the style of a tribal band but was more like lace.  I tried to copy a picture but it said it was too large.  At first I thought it was a shirt that had fringe on it - it was that realistic.

 

[carrps]

17 hours ago, mlp said:

I thought Stacy's cheesecake looked like a stack of kitchen sponges. 

Exactly what I said when I first saw it. She seemed very low energy. Like she knew she was out of her league.

 

14 hours ago, Maverick said:

I get he's elf taught and his story about his grandfather is sweet, but he's not eve non par with the home bakers. 

Maybe he should have trained with humans instead of elves. 😁

I'm so over these obvious lesser talents being over-praised on one aspect of the bake when other aspects are worse than most of the kids in the Kids Baking show. It doesn't make me feel better about the kind-hearted judges (ha!); it just makes me think they're mentally challenged. Can't they see how horrible his tower looked? We at home can't taste the desserts to challenge the judges on that, but, dang, we can sure see!

 

[RoxiP]

I also think that sometimes the bakers get away with stuff because its the pre-bake but I think they should automatically be in the bottom if their pre-bake is as bad as Kareen's.  

[tennisgurl]

I really like Corey, he's a great baker and seems like a nice guy, I thought that his madeleine was gorgeous, although I see why Julien won. Very Spring-y and very tasty looking. I also like Jon'nae, Priya, and Kari so far, very talented and fun to watch. Most everyone is kind of blurring together for me now, except for Kareem, who the judges are giving way more grace than the others. Its not the first time that the judges have kept someone around mostly because they like their personality and story more than their baking skills. Kareem did do better this week but I still think his decorating is subpar. 

Oh Julien, he almost flew too close to the sun. He really should have been totally confident if he gave up that immunity, it would be brutal if he went home when immunity was right there. 

I loved Jessie's rainbow shirt. 

Edited March 27 by tennisgurl

[carrps]

I personally don't like no-bake cheesecake. It's not cheesecake -- it's a weird jell-o like approximation. I give props to both Julien and Lisa for baking theirs. It's just with their excruciatingly short time limits, they both handicapped themselves. I'm glad they both survived. I like them both.

[AZChristian]

2 hours ago, RoxiP said:

I did think that the tattoo on the eliminated woman's upper arm was one of the coolest I've ever seen.

This one?  It is pretty cool!

[libgirl2]

2 minutes ago, AZChristian said:

This one?  It is pretty cool!

Now I remember it! It is quite pretty.

[RoxiP]

1 hour ago, AZChristian said:

This one?  It is pretty cool!

That would be the one!  Thank you.

[jcbrown]

22 hours ago, Maverick said:

 I would ask how Kareem is still here, but the real question is how was he cast in the first place.  I get he's elf taught and his story about his grandfather is sweet, but he's not eve non par with the home bakers. 

Keebler elves, you think? 😉

8 hours ago, TVbitch said:

I thought Kareem's madeleine tower looked like the Grimmace after he fell down some stairs during a late night bender. But Kareem's a sweet guy, so I'll just go with "..Bless his heart." 😁

 

Best description ever. That tower was fugly.

7 hours ago, carrps said:

Maybe he should have trained with humans instead of elves. 😁

You beat me to it. 😂

2.5 hours or whatever it was is a totally insane timeline for a cheesecake challenge.

[Rammchick]

18 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

Its not the first time that the judges have kept someone around mostly because they like their personality and story more than their baking skills. Kareem did do better this week but I still think his decorating is subpar. 

It's not the judges, it's the producers who tell the judges to do that 😏

[CrazyInAlabama]

On 3/26/2025 at 2:12 PM, carrps said:

I personally don't like no-bake cheesecake. It's not cheesecake -- it's a weird jell-o like approximation. I give props to both Julien and Lisa for baking theirs. It's just with their excruciatingly short time limits, they both handicapped themselves. I'm glad they both survived. I like them both.

I think the rules should say if a cheesecake has to be baked, and if the no-bake option is within the rules.    And if you require a baked cheesecake, then give them enough time to bake, cool and decorate it.    2 1/2 hours was too little for a baked cheesecake.    

My complaint with the bakers is that if you're going on a holiday baking championship, you do a few practice sessions with pie, cakes, cheesecakes, and whatever the latest trendy cake design are.   Do a mirror glaze, a multi-tiered cake, several types of pies, that you can expect to have to make.      Saying 'I haven't baked a pie in years' doesn't make you look daring, it makes you look unprepared and as if you aren't a serious competitor. 

Practice mirror glaze, drip icing, and Tsunami cakes.    They've shown up on almost every seasonal baking contest.  And practice decor and themes that match the show you're going to appear on.   

Edited Monday at 11:47 PM by CrazyInAlabama

[KittyMom4]

On 3/26/2025 at 12:12 PM, TVbitch said:

I thought Kareem's madeleine tower looked like the Grimmace after he fell down some stairs during a late night bender. But Kareem's a sweet guy, so I'll just go with "..Bless his heart.

Hahaha, so much this! 

3 hours ago, Rammchick said:

It's not the judges, it's the producers who tell the judges to do that 😏

My thought is they don't want to scare off self-taught or home bakers from trying out of the show so they keep one or two of them around for a few bakes and then they can say "Oh well, we gave him/her advice and they didn't use it." He should have been eliminated on the first episode.

3 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

My complaint with the bakers is that if you're going on a holiday baking championship, you do a few practice sessions with pie, cakes, cheesecakes, and whatever the latest trendy cake design are.   Do a mirror glaze, a multi-tiered cake, several types of pies, that you can expect to have to make.      Saying 'I haven't baked a pie in years' doesn't make you look daring, it makes you look unprepared and as if you aren't a serious competitor. 

YES! And if you know the theme of the show (spring, holiday, Halloween, etc.) then study and practice with colors and shapes that will be used. I forget who the baker was on Halloween Championship but she said "I don't normally do this type of decorating". My eyes rolled so hard I got a headache. 

[Ancaster]

On 3/14/2025 at 10:33 AM, carrps said:

I don't dislike him, but he leaves me cold. Physically, I find him kind of scary-looking. His teeth and jaw look so carnivorous. And Duff has much better dad jokes on Kids Baking.

I like Jesse, but between the "carnivorous" (?) teeth and jaw and stubble, he does remind me a bit of Desperate Dan.

 

 

 

[2soon2tell]

On 3/27/2025 at 9:27 AM, CrazyInAlabama said:

My complaint with the bakers is that if you're going on a holiday baking championship, you do a few practice sessions with pie, cakes, cheesecakes, and whatever the latest trendy cake design are. 

One year there was a baker who claimed she only did cakes. The first elimination challenge was cookies. She was the first person to go. I always wondered if she had ever seen the show. Was she just going to  wing it through pate choux, donuts and pies?

[libgirl2]

4 hours ago, 2soon2tell said:

One year there was a baker who claimed she only did cakes. The first elimination challenge was cookies. She was the first person to go. I always wondered if she had ever seen the show. Was she just going to  wing it through pate choux, donuts and pies?

I can understand not being as good at something but really? 

[2soon2tell]

53 minutes ago, libgirl2 said:

I can understand not being as good at something but really? 

She claimed she had no idea how to bake cookies, modified a couple of cake recipes, and presented the judges with cake flavored blobs. All the while muttering that she only baked cakes.

[libgirl2]

13 hours ago, 2soon2tell said:

She claimed she had no idea how to bake cookies, modified a couple of cake recipes, and presented the judges with cake flavored blobs. All the while muttering that she only baked cakes.

I seem to remember that. 

[CrazyInAlabama]

S11.E04: “April Fools’ : Spring Fake Outs” New, 3/31/2025 

In celebration of April Fools' Day, Jesse Palmer greets the 10 remaining bakers with a hilarious surprise. Then, they must make six chocolate eggs that look like real eggs but with a twist. The eggs must feature a baked element inside and hide a surprising "yolk" that will keep judges Duff Goldman, Kardea Brown and Nancy Fuller guessing. Next, the competitors create deliciously sweet deception as they transform classic dinner party fare, like gnocchi primavera or fish tacos with salsa, into mind-blowing culinary illusions, creating food that tastes as good as it deceives!

10 Bakers:

Jon’nae  "Chef J"- Atlanta. Does catering for life events

Priya -Calgary, Alberta  Her chocolate desserts are beautiful. Chocolatier and pastry chef (Says she looks like Mindy Kaling)

Kareem -Brooklyn  Learned from grandpa and You Tube, has bakery.

Julian - Sacramento  Newlywed and pastry chef, lovely desserts. (Still has immunity he can use at any time)

Corey -Washington, D.C. Wants Nancy to be so happy she conducts music. (She did on the first episode)

Raveena Oberol-Vancouver, B.C. (Judge on Wall of Bakers) Made her own wedding cake, opened first storefront at 22. 

Kari -San Diego.  Seven years clean and sober.  

Lisa -Boston. Catering company chef. 

Paul Feybesse-Bay Area (wife Monique was on Top Chef, Season 19, Houston) Co-owns two bakeries. Trained as a savory chef. 

Mary-Frances-Calgary, Alberta.  Culinary instructor. 

Jesse is dresssed in some kind of costume, but it's not Jesse but Duff, April Fool!

Preheat Challenge: they must make six chocolate eggs that look like real eggs but with a twist. The eggs must feature a baked element inside and hide a surprising "yolk" that will keep judges guessing. They have 2 1/2 hours to bake and decorate.  Some are doing very well, and others, like Jon'nae and Corey are worrying me. Eggs: Mary-Frances does a great job, and not too tart. Priya's is stunning to look at. Kareem's looks a little messy, but center is not great.  Lisa's looks fantastic, and flavor is good, Kardea wants more texture.  Jon'nae's is a lump of mush.   Kari's is a handpainted shell.   Paul's outer shell is sloppy, taste and texture are nice.  Julian made an amazing sugar/chocolate tree, the egg is a brown lump, but the yolk is great, Nancy doesn't like the texture.   Duff says it's not baked.  Corey, looks awful, and it's not done enough.   Raveena's is adorable, inside is fantastic.  

Winner: Priya  (Gift Basket prize is gift to trade ingredients with the other contestants. She swaps with Corey)

Elimination Challenge: competitors create deliciously sweet deception as they transform classic dinner party fare, like gnocchi primavera or fish tacos with salsa, into mind-blowing culinary illusions, creating food that tastes as good as it deceives.  This is a joke on the judges, because the dishes aren't savory except in appearance. They have 3 hours to bake and decorate.  

Mary-Frances did a great job, looks like pizza, and tastes great. Kari did sushi, great taste, but she used rice to make rice.  Julian's is fish taco, and it looks like it. Kareem's Salmon and green beans looks like it, decorating isn't great. Priya's BLT and beets look fantastic, taste is great. Kardea says not enough flavor. Corey-seared tuna and asparagus, taste is good. Paul did gnocchi primavera, Kardea says sauce is too tart.  Raveena-shrimp and grits look good, taste is good. Jon'nae did fish and chips, appearance is not good, fries look hideous, taste is nice.  Lisa-roached chicken and peas looks exactly what it represents, taste is great.  

Top Two: Lisa and Mary-Frances

Winner: Lisa

Bottom Two: Kareem and Jon'nae

Eliminated Baker: Jon'nae

 

Edited Tuesday at 01:00 AM by CrazyInAlabama

[RoxiP]

Why does production let these people on the show?  Do they misrepresent themselves during the audition process or is the production just lazy?

Not to beat a dead horse, but going back to GBBO, I seem to recall that the interview process for that show is really hard and comprehensive (as it should be).

[libgirl2]

There were some really lovely eggs

[Frost]

Argh.  Does Kareem have blackmail material on someone in power?  

I was so bummed when I saw Paul's Faberge eggs.  They didn't look authentic in the slightest. 

Prya's eggs were gorgeous and I was glad Lisa won the main heat.  I just keep hoping Kareem would get his just desserts and leave.

[susannot]

Amazing that several of them made perfectly egg-looking confections.  I was looking forward to Paul's Faberge eggs but they were a mess.  Perhaps he is not as talented as he thinks he is.

[kathyk2]

5 hours ago, Frost said:

Argh.  Does Kareem have blackmail material on someone in power?  

I was so bummed when I saw Paul's Faberge eggs.  They didn't look authentic in the slightest. 

Prya's eggs were gorgeous and I was glad Lisa won the main heat.  I just keep hoping Kareem would get his just desserts and leave.

I think Nancy is keeping Kareem in the competition. She was the only one who liked his main heat dish. When will they call him out on his lack of decorating skill? I think Julian is relying too much on his sugar work and not enough on baking.

[libgirl2]

3 hours ago, kathyk2 said:

I think Nancy is keeping Kareem in the competition. She was the only one who liked his main heat dish. When will they call him out on his lack of decorating skill? I think Julian is relying too much on his sugar work and not enough on baking.

Julian better watch it. His eggs did not look good. I know he has immunity so he is lucky. 

Poor Kareem. I do like him, he seems awfully nice but he is just not that good. Hopefully, he is much better in every day life.

[Maya]

2 hours ago, libgirl2 said:

Julian better watch it. His eggs did not look good. I know he has immunity so he is lucky. 

Not using his immunity last week is turning out to be the best decision he ever made!

[libgirl2]

1 minute ago, Maya said:

Not using his immunity last week is turning out to be the best decision he ever made!

At this rate, yes it was! He has to use it at some point and before the finale I would imagine. 

[rlc]

When they announced the bottom two, I said out loud Kareem should go home but Jon'nae will go home. Hopefully no one else will mess up next week.

Edited Tuesday at 05:09 PM by rlc

[Ancaster]

12 hours ago, Frost said:

  

I was so bummed when I saw Paul's Faberge eggs.  They didn't look authentic in the slightest. 

 

My mind was so boggled that someone thought he should present those travesties as Faberge eggs.  I'm pretty sure Paul knows better.

[dleighg]

44 minutes ago, rlc said:

When they announced the bottom two, I said out loud Kareem should go home buy Jon'nae will go home.

As bad as Kareem's salmon was (I couldn't believe ANY of them said it looked like salmon), Jon'nae's not-fish and not-chips was worse. Some of the others were amazing, especially the chicken with mushrooms and peas. Nancy REALLY seems to have a soft-spot for Kareem.

[libgirl2]

12 minutes ago, dleighg said:

As bad as Kareem's salmon was (I couldn't believe ANY of them said it looked like salmon), Jon'nae's not-fish and not-chips was worse. Some of the others were amazing, especially the chicken with mushrooms and peas. Nancy REALLY seems to have a soft-spot for Kareem.

I think the salmon skin helped him. It looked pretty good. 

[dleighg]

43 minutes ago, libgirl2 said:

I think the salmon skin helped him. It looked pretty good

But they said it looked like salmon before he turned it over. I thought it looked splotchy.

[libgirl2]

3 minutes ago, dleighg said:

But they said it looked like salmon before he turned it over. I thought it looked splotchy.

it didn't look like salmon from the top. Maybe they saw something different? 

[Rammchick]

25 minutes ago, dleighg said:

But they said it looked like salmon before he turned it over. I thought it looked splotchy.

I thought it looked like salmon with gray, rubbery skin, when it hasn't been cooked properly.

[Seelouis]

It was also way too thick and shaped like a slice of cake. I didn’t see salmon at all. 
 

Also Paul’s eggs were particularly disappointing given how lovely the artist rendering was of what they would look like. 

Edited Tuesday at 03:10 PM by Seelouis

[tennisgurl]

Kareem really seems like a nice guy who is trying really hard, but its so obvious that he just isn't as good as most of the other bakers. He's super lucky that Jon'nae dish looked so bad or else he would be done. I feel bad, he has to know that its only a matter of time, he's been circling the drain this whole season. Nancy especially seems to really be pulling for him.

Those eggs looked beautiful, this was probably one of the overall best weeks for most of the bakers. Priya is back again as a frontrunner after last week being stuff around the middle. Lisa also very much deserved the win, her bake looked great and was apparently delicious. 

Duff as Jessie is somehow both hilarious and unsettling, its just on the edge of the uncanny valley. 

My cooking club did something like the April Fools challenge, I made a mac and cheese casserole that looked like a cake. These were a lot more impressive than mine! 

Edited Tuesday at 06:21 PM by tennisgurl

[libgirl2]

2 minutes ago, tennisgurl said:

Duff as Jessie is somehow both hilarious and unsettling, its just on the edge of the uncanny valley. 

I found it to be creepy 

[MerBearHou]

17 minutes ago, libgirl2 said:

I found it to be creepy 

SO creepy!

[Salacious Kitty]

5 hours ago, libgirl2 said:

At this rate, yes it was! He has to use it at some point and before the finale I would imagine. 

Jesse said it had to be used in the next five weeks, including the first week he had it. So he has three weeks left to use it or lose it.

Edited Tuesday at 06:39 PM by Salacious Kitty

[Deskisamess]

On 3/24/2025 at 9:14 PM, mojoween said:

.

Also if you stick things inside my Madeline I would be very sad.

Glad I had swallowed my coffee before I read that bit.

[cowgirlwen]

Priya's eggs looked beautiful, but what was her baked element?  There were a couple of other bakers that also didn't mention their baked element, and I wasn't sure if they even had one.  But then the judges really ripped on Julian for not having what they felt was a real "baked" element in their opinion.  So I'm assuming they all did have a baked part, but I must have just missed them.

 

[Deskisamess]

17 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

 

Duff as Jessie is somehow both hilarious and unsettling, its just on the edge of the uncanny valley. 

 

He creeped me right out, I couldn't look at him. He looked like Leatherface from "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" Just not something I want to look at on a baking show.

[libgirl2]

2 hours ago, cowgirlwen said:

Priya's eggs looked beautiful, but what was her baked element?  There were a couple of other bakers that also didn't mention their baked element, and I wasn't sure if they even had one.  But then the judges really ripped on Julian for not having what they felt was a real "baked" element in their opinion.  So I'm assuming they all did have a baked part, but I must have just missed them.

 

I was wondering about that too. I didn't think she had a baked element unless I missed it. 

2 hours ago, Deskisamess said:

He creeped me right out, I couldn't look at him. He looked like Leatherface from "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" Just not something I want to look at on a baking show.

That is what he looked like!!! 

[Pi237]

Priya‘s eggs were stunning! & I loved how giddy she got about this challenge. She was beaming with pride.  Add me to the list of disappointed viewers for those Faberge eggs. Looked they were rolled over a dirty floor, but at least they didn’t look like Swedish meatballs with gravy lmao 

I enjoyed the originality of these two challenges.  When they were reading off their dishes, I thought- no way they’ll pull that off, but wow- Lisa nailed it. I’d love to have tasted all of those elements, curiosity was killing me.  Corey’s asparagus looked so real, too.

One inconsistency with the judging, one chef got dinged for their eggshell being too thick, but I saw much thicker when they were cutting into them. But I try not to take their judging too seriously since it’s manipulated by production. 

Duff wearing Jesse’s face was nightmare fuel. 

[TVbitch]

Pretty much all of the cooking shows do this challenge, and while I appreciate the creative thinking, I have to say, it's my least favorite. I have just never looked at a dessert ever in my life and thought, "You know, this would be so much better if it looked like fried chicken!" 

[Splashy]

On 4/1/2025 at 2:17 PM, tennisgurl said:

Duff as Jessie is somehow both hilarious and unsettling, its just on the edge of the uncanny valley. 

That was incredibly creepy!

I'm really liking Lisa. She's been pretty consistently good and deserved her win. I also appreciate her low-key, down-to-earth, and NON-overly-dramatic personality. She just puts her head down and works, and has turned out some nice bakes.