Spring Baking Championship - General Discussion

[Madding crowd]

Duff has always seemed sarcastic to me. Nancy doesn’t bother me; I like having older judges who are not stick thin and she is usually positive to the contestants . I thought all of the cakes looked good based on the time period they had . It kind of bugs me that Duff seemed to actively dislike Derek which should never be a factor in a competition show. I think Keys did a good job with the succulents and had some interesting sounding flavors. 

[Maya]

I don’t know what was up Duff’s ass. Didn’t they film all these baking championships back to back? Maybe he’s just over it and sick of being away from his family. Props to Derek for maintaining a positive attitude. 

Ali was ok but everything he said seemed rehearsed. Jesse has more warmth and spontaneity. 
 

[HyeChaps]

Clinton will always be my favorite host. 

[CheshireCat]

11 hours ago, TexasTiffany said:

 The judges said her cake was dense like a pound cake. Well, so what... pound cake is also a cake. Besides that, I like a pound cake. They raved about everything else, but it was "dense"? If something else happened or was said, they didn't show it. I have to remind myself that the show's editing doesn't always match the outcome.

That we only get so little of the judging is one of the things that I don't like about this show. The German equivalent of The Great ... Baking Show is twice as long and I really enjoy how much time they're able to spend on the judging even at the beginning of the show. I almost feel like I learned something every time whenever they do judging.

As far as the dense cake is concerned - if you do a tier cake, you want a fairly "sturdy" cake. The fluffier, the less stable, so I don't get their concern.

 

8 hours ago, trudysmom said:

For the first time I found myself not liking Duff this season.  Grumpy old man.  Maybe it's loss of sleep as a new dad but whatever for 2 weeks in a row I told him to shut up.  He was unfairly biased against Derek in my opinion.

I think Duff was the only one who gave constructive criticism every now and then. For the other two, it's often more an opinion/preference or an "I didn't get ... flavor". However, the more the show progressed, the more he seemed to join in the opinions.

[JBurg58]

11 hours ago, trudysmom said:

For the first time I found myself not liking Duff this season.  Grumpy old man.  Maybe it's loss of sleep as a new dad but whatever for 2 weeks in a row I told him to shut up.  He was unfairly biased against Derek in my opinion.  What, there can only be one white, bald man who is an amazing baker?  Derek was robbed.  That 'last week's loser gets the advantage' was a way to yank his win last week out from under him.  Kudos to him for keeping his cool and baking an amazing cake despite Duff's condescending pettiness.

I kept wondering if Derek stole Duff's milk money in grade school. Duff was out to get Derek or something. So obvious. 

[mojoween]

I was rooting for Derek, but I’m not mad at this result like almost every other baking championship.  Keya grew on me over the season, even if I thought she was mean to Madiha.

I really want to have Natalie’s crumble for a snack.

[springbarb]

I wasn't surprised at Keya's win after they raved about the taste of her cake, but I am disappointed that it was really only half decorated. I'm glad they brought it up in the judges' discussion, because it wasn't mentioned to Keya (at least, on air). I was very surprised that Derek came in third, though--I guess banana chips were more egregious than incredibly dense cake. Disappointing, though.

Didn't miss Lorraine at all.

[CheshireCat]

One thing that I won't miss is the giggling. Maybe Natalie was nervous but boy, was her giggling getting on my nerves in that episode. Why didn't they edit it out? Did they think it was cute?

[MerBearHou]

17 minutes ago, CheshireCat said:

One thing that I won't miss is the giggling. Maybe Natalie was nervous but boy, was her giggling getting on my nerves in that episode. Why didn't they edit it out? Did they think it was cute?

I am with you!!  The giggling drove me nuts.  I muted the TV and read the captions — that tells you how little I like the giggling.

[susannah]

2 hours ago, springbarb said:

I wasn't surprised at Keya's win after they raved about the taste of her cake, but I am disappointed that it was really only half decorated. I'm glad they brought it up in the judges' discussion, because it wasn't mentioned to Keya (at least, on air). I was very surprised that Derek came in third, though--I guess banana chips were more egregious than incredibly dense cake. Disappointing, though.

Didn't miss Lorraine at all.

I just really don't understand how she could have won with only a half decorated cake, and it should have been been mentioned to Keya. I can imagine how Derek and Natalie felt after that. I also don't know why the judges had a problem with a dense cake. Pound cake is good too. I guess flavorless banana chips are more egregious than a halfway completed cake.

[LittleIggy]

22 hours ago, MerBearHou said:

Agreed.  I like Ali as a host very much.  Genial, good with the bakers without getting in their way, dad-joke-corny, keeps things moving well at the judges’ table and plays off of their comments without trying to steal the thunder.

And his awesome shirts!

Loved Duff’s Big Lebowski reference: “It really tied the room together.” 😏

10 hours ago, Madding crowd said:

Duff has always seemed sarcastic to me. Nancy doesn’t bother me; I like having older judges who are not stick thin and she is usually positive to the contestants . I thought all of the cakes looked good based on the time period they had . It kind of bugs me that Duff seemed to actively dislike Derek which should never be a factor in a competition show. I think Keys did a good job with the succulents and had some interesting sounding flavors. 

Wow, I thought I was the only one who doesn’t hate Nancy. Lorraine can stay gone. I like the new judge.

[MerBearHou]

58 minutes ago, LittleIggy said:

Wow, I thought I was the only one who doesn’t hate Nancy. Lorraine can stay gone. I like the new judge.

I’ll join you — I’m actually quite fond of Nancy.  I like her more than I like Duff and Lorraine.  Kardea is a very nice addition.  

[emmawoodhouse]

Kardea was meh. She rarely had an opinion of her own; she mostly agreed with something either Duff or Nancy would say. I don't mind Duff, but man, did Derek kill his dog or something? Duff held Derek to a standard that the ladies didn't have to reach.

[MerBearHou]

15 minutes ago, emmawoodhouse said:

Kardea was meh. She rarely had an opinion of her own; she mostly agreed with something either Duff or Nancy would say. I don't mind Duff, but man, did Derek kill his dog or something? Duff held Derek to a standard that the ladies didn't have to reach.

I was predisposed to like Kardea because I so enjoy her Low Country Cooking show from her home.  I felt like she was treading the “new kid” line and didn’t want to overstep the seasoned judges, Duff and Nancy.  

[Flip Flops]

I thought giving Natalie the advantage in the preheat because she came in last the week before was really unfair. And then she got first pick of the insects. Of course she stuck Derek with the spider, the hardest one! Spiders are more for fall and aren’t even insects!

[RoxiP]

I agree - an unfinished cake should not have won.  

[tinderbox]

Both Duff and Nancy tend to show their bias fairly often while judging these shows no matter how hard they try to remain neutral.  I've watched every season and, after while, it becomes apparent but I tend to chalk it up to human nature.  However, Duff was off the rails this season.  It's like he had a personal beef with Derek.  I don't ever remember Duff being this outspoken and transparent with his inner thoughts.  Maybe his remarks were heavily edited before this season and he has always been this frank.  Who knows?

I agree with those of you who have mentioned how ridiculous it was for Derek NOT to have assigned the type of bird to the other contestants.  He WON the previous challenge!  That win gave him absolutely nothing.  

Edited April 30, 2021 by tinderbox

[springbarb]

There are times Nancy REALLY annoys me--the over-the-top alcohol love, the weird hand gestures when she's happy, the constant "This just doesn't say 'spring' to me!" when the challenge doesn't really allow for spring elements. However, she's been less annoying the past few episodes. I definitely prefer Kardea to Lorraine.

[zengirl1215]

4 hours ago, tinderbox said:

I think both Duff and Nancy tend to show their bias fairly often while judging these shows no matter how hard they try to remain neutral.  I've watched every season and, after while, it becomes apparent but I tend to chalk it up to human nature.  However, Duff was off the rails this season.  It's like it he had a personal beef with Derek.  I don't ever remember Duff being this outspoken and transparent with his inner thoughts.  Maybe his remarks were heavily edited before this season and he has always been this frank.  Who knows?

I agree with those of you who have mentioned how ridiculous it was for Derek NOT to have assigned the type of bird to the other contestants.  He WON the previous challenge!  That win gave him absolutely nothing.  

All three did a good job and I have no issue with Keya winning but I'm just gonna say it...Derek was ROBBED! I cry foul on Natalie getting to choose her bird first then choose who gets the other two. Talk about an advantage and how is that fair? If the show wasn't going to give the previous winner that opportunity then most certainly the previous lowest ranked person shouldn't haven't gotten it either. And for the entire season Derek seemed to be overly critiqued and docked for things that others weren't. For instance, Duff's critique of Natalie's chocolate overlay being too far over the edge was just coy and giggles, like no biggie. HUH?????  

Derek made it to the final, as he should have, but it's almost as if the cards were stacked against him. And no matter what he made he wasn't going to win. The only person who didn't like the banana chips was Duff. Nancy loved everything about his cake, and his cake was gorgeous. The details alone were amazing. But whatever, I'm sure his students appreciate him. 

[TVbitch]

All the cakes were pretty, but seriously, Duff went on and on about Derek's banana chips, meanwhile HALF OF KENYA"S CAKE WAS NOT EVEN DECORATED and they didn't even mention it during the critique. They briefly mentioned it during the judges private evaluation, but sheesh! 

I was wondering if the producers wanted a female win and were forcing Duff to come up with criticisms to justify Derek losing. Duff got really low energy sometimes when he was nit-picking. He would down look at the table and just seemed like he would rather be somewhere else. 

[lh25]

The other thing I noticed with Keya's cake was that the layers looked "wet" or raw near the bottom.  Did she use something on them?  

 

[jabRI]

The problem I have is, if this a BAKING show, judge on how it tastes. Don't set the whole competition around the DESIGN elements.  Not watching this again until they can figure this out.

[CheshireCat]

1 hour ago, jabRI said:

The problem I have is, if this a BAKING show, judge on how it tastes. Don't set the whole competition around the DESIGN elements.  Not watching this again until they can figure this out.

Design is part of baking though. I don't think anyone would pay for a non-decorated or sloppy looking cake/cupcakes/dessert at a bakery or in a café or in a restaurant. Even cheesecake is often served with a little sauce or whipped cream on top (to be more appealing).

[MerBearHou]

I also wouldn’t pay for a half-decorated cake.  I think a cake should be decorated so you can look at it from all sides.  Keya did less decorating on only 1/2 of a cake in the same amount of time as Derek and Natalie utilized on their entire beautiful cakes.  Not a complete fulfillment of the championship challenge and time management by Keya IMO.

[RoxiP]

I was not happy with Keya's win.  I have no doubt that her cake may have tasted the best of the three but she didn't complete the brief.

[Starry-Eyed]

I thought all three cakes were gorgeous - which was really refreshing to have it be so close- but I agree the cards were stacked against Derek. It was completely unfair to NOT have him be the one assigning birds. I will say, though, that people from Maryland in general are really into our state symbols and I imagine that Duff being from Baltimore specifically... Derek's "oriole" theme probably hurt his soul. It hurt mine and I was rooting for Derek.

[CharlizeCat]

I was disappointed because I wanted Derek to win. I am very sorry to hear what happened to Keya's baby, but I was not a fan of her.

Duff was extra hard on Derek and it showed. Honestly, I think Duff is much harder on the male contestants. He had it out for Laurent before Laurent was eliminated. I have noticed a pattern on this show and on Holiday Baking Championship. He seems particularly put out on male pastry chefs with professional credentials.

I wouldn't mind a complete reshuffle of the seasonal baking competition judges. Duff seems overextended. I am also terribly tired of Nancy and the boozy old lady schtick and constant harping on the color palettes.

Kardea was OK. I didn't feel that she really added anything. Lorraine could be annoying, but she was a professionally trained baker, so her remarks had merit (to me).

[susannah]

I think the new season is starting soon, with a different host. I can't recall if he was on an earlier season. I regret to say that Nancy is back, and Lorraine, ☹️ but I didn't see Duff.

[emmawoodhouse]

3 minutes ago, susannah said:

I think the new season is starting soon, with a different host. I can't recall if he was on an earlier season. I regret to say that Nancy is back, and Lorraine, ☹️ but I didn't see Duff.

Are you confusing this with another show? Spring Baking just finished a couple of weeks ago. No Lorraine, but yes to Duff. 

The show that replaced it in the timeslot has none of the Spring Baking judges.

[susannah]

6 minutes ago, emmawoodhouse said:

Are you confusing this with another show? Spring Baking just finished a couple of weeks ago. No Lorraine, but yes to Duff. 

The show that replaced it in the timeslot has none of the Spring Baking judges.

I know that there is a replacement show currently on. I only saw part of the ad but I saw SBC, Nancy, Lorraine, a different host and a date. Sorry if I am mistaken.

[RoxiP]

Best Baker in America is currently running and it has different judges and Lorraine is the host.  Gesine somebody and Jason Smith (right last name?) are the judges.  At least I think that's right.

 

[Guest]

12 minutes ago, RoxiP said:

Best Baker in America is currently running and it has different judges and Lorraine is the host.  Gesine somebody and Jason Smith (right last name?) are the judges.  At least I think that's right.

 

Gesine Prado and Jason Smith are the judges, but Carla is the host. No Nancy, Duff or Lorraine.

[RoxiP]

2 minutes ago, tracyscott76 said:

Gesine Prado and Jason Smith are the judges, but Carla is the host. No Nancy, Duff or Lorraine.

Sorry, you are right. I senior moment Carla's name.

[GaT]

On 5/16/2021 at 12:42 PM, RoxiP said:

Gesine somebody 

 

On 5/16/2021 at 12:55 PM, tracyscott76 said:

Gesine Prado 

Gesine Prado is Sandra Bullock's sister.

[Gothish520]

I just started watching these baking shows last year and just finished up a binge of this one. 

So, thoughts: 

I love Nancy and her boozy persona and her playfulness with Duff. The "spring-y" comments are a bit annoying, especially if bringing spring into the mix makes no sense based on the brief. But overall, a Nancy fan.

I like Duff too, for the most part. He has a few repetitive mannerisms that are a bit eyeroll-y, but still, I like him.

I like Lorraine a lot and really missed her this season. Kardea was boring. 

My favorite host was Jesse, but they all grew on me. The first half of Clinton's first season was rough but by the end he had loosened up, and he was very good in season six. Bobby Deen also seemed stiff to me the first season but was better the second season. Ali was way over the top in season four but better in this past season.

My wish for the next season is to have Lorraine back as a judge and either Jesse or Clinton as host. But I'll deal with what they give us, lol.

As for the season 7 winner , I was pulling for Derek but Keya did well most of the season and I'm not mad she won.

Edited June 4, 2021 by Gothish520

[RealityCheck]

New season of SPRING BAKING CHAMPIONSHIP premieres February 28th at 8PM ET/PT with host Molly Yeh and judges Kardea Brown, Nancy Fuller, and Duff Goldman.

Sunny Anderson hosts Spring Baking Championship: Easter with judges Jordan Andino and Stephanie Boswell, which premieres February 28th at 10PM ET/PT.

[Rammchick]

6 hours ago, RealityCheck said:

New season of SPRING BAKING CHAMPIONSHIP premieres February 28th at 8PM ET/PT with host Molly Yeh and judges Kardea Brown, Nancy Fuller, and Duff Goldman.

Sunny Anderson hosts Spring Baking Championship: Easter with judges Jordan Andino and Stephanie Boswell, which premieres February 28th at 10PM ET/PT.

Oh yeah.  I was hoping for another couple of months without Nancy 😞

Edited January 25, 2022 by Rammchick

[MerBearHou]

I'll take Nancy over Sunny any day.

[Maya]

Where’s Carla? 

[susannah]

11 minutes ago, Maya said:

Where’s Carla? 

I so agree! I really like Carla, but I am glad Lorraine is gone.

[Guest]

Seems odd that they've had so much trouble settling on a host for this edition, when the Holiday, Halloween, and Kids hosts have been locked in for awhile now (Carla's temporary substitution for John on Halloween aside). I think Molly is a fitting choice for Spring, though.

[MerBearHou]

And I love Stephanie Boswell.  Very knowledgeable and a great sense of fun, witty humor which she shows in just the right small doses.

[Grizzly]

And Jordan is easy on the eyes.

[trudysmom]

I'm just glad the Spring Baking Championship Easter edition didn't replace the regular Spring Baking show.  Sunny has gotten harder and harder for me to take over the past couple of years, pre-pandemic even, 'ya know what I'm sayin?'. ugh

I don't really mind Carla, or Kardea, I liked Lorraine, am resigned to Nancy and Duff, they are cute together sometimes when she's not being too drunk and obnoxious. Something about Molly strikes me the wrong way though so we'll see.  

[ruffy666]

While I was at the gym the other day I saw a commercial for Spring Baking Championship out of the corner of my eye and noticed all new judges... but I'm relieved to see it's just a rebranded Easter Basket Challenge!

Am I the only one who misses Lorraine?  I just liked the dynamic they had as a team, even if individually they're all kind of obnoxious haha...  Kardea is fine, though.  I'm more concerned about Molly as a host because her over-the-top-golly-gee brand of pep might be too much for me to handle.

[Guest]

1 hour ago, ruffy666 said:

I'm more concerned about Molly as a host because her over-the-top-golly-gee brand of pep might be too much for me to handle.

She can't be much more over the top than Clinton Kelly. I think chipper works for Spring, just like John's dry humor works for Halloween and Jesse's easy-going corniness works for Holiday.

[rocketinu]

I'll try it but Molly gets on my last nerve.

[MerBearHou]

Sunny and Molly for Spring competitions — two of the most annoying by far.  Though I’ll take Molly over Sunny any day of the week.  Molly tones herself down to a tolerable level in competitions she’s judging and hosting, from the little I’ve seen.  It’s on her own show where she’s mega-perky.  

[CrazyInAlabama]

There are two separate shows, Spring Baking Championship with Duff, Nancy, and another judge, and a different host Molly Yee.    Followed by a separate show that's an Easter challenge right after.     The second show has Sunny on it. 

 

Edited February 22, 2022 by CrazyInAlabama

[jrzy]

19 hours ago, rocketinu said:

I'll try it but Molly gets on my last nerve.

Me too! plus I don't trust a skinny chef.  Giada with her giant teeth and tiny bites is a perfect example.