Spring Baking Championship - General Discussion

[butterbody]

That banana caramel cake looked delicious, but he didn't make the caramel. He stood there and dumped a can of dulce de leche into a piping bag while he was talking to Molly, and then when the judges taste it, she tells him he needs to bottle that caramel sauce...

[emmawoodhouse]

Team Annabelle! She trashed Molly's precious sprinkles. 😂

[kathyk24]

I disagreed with the judges tonight. I thought Tom's cake was ugly I thought Diego should have won. I missed Jalisa's talking head why didn't she feel well? I'm the anti Nancy I don't like alcohol in my cake.

[mlp]

I don't know if I'm going to make it through this season or not.  Putting up with Molly has been bad enough but then they brought in new people after the season started with no explanation at all.   That must be some producer's idea of adding interest I guess.  It just annoys me.

Molly is spending far too much time wandering around talking to the bakers while they're trying to work.  They all want to win so they can't afford to ignore her and seem rude but I'll bet more than a couple of them have been tempted.

[Suzn]

18 minutes ago, mlp said:

I don't know if I'm going to make it through this season or not.  Putting up with Molly has been bad enough but then they brought in new people after the season started with no explanation at all.   That must be some producer's idea of adding interest I guess.  It just annoys me.

Molly is spending far too much time wandering around talking to the bakers while they're trying to work.  They all want to win so they can't afford to ignore her and seem rude but I'll bet more than a couple of them have been tempted.

Molly is very intrusive when the bakers are trying to focus on their challenges.  She seems to have a script of overly sweet and cute things to say to each one and none of it sounds spontaneous.  I enjoy watching creativity and skill in action, but they are making this show hard to watch with an excessively perky host and some of the tired stuff from Nancy.

[TomGirl]

35 minutes ago, kathyk24 said:

I thought Diego should have won.

Me, too.

Did anyone else notice that when Molly read off the names of the bakers who’d be returning, she forgot to say (or they mistakenly edited out) Caroline?  I was shocked!

Where is Nancy Fuller and why did her mother sit in for her tonight?

 

[GaT]

5 hours ago, Ms.Lulu said:

I don't like this twist of bringing in two new bakers competing against each other to join the show.   I will have to vote by not watching and coming here to hear what happens.

 

3 hours ago, KLovestoShop said:

I don’t get why they’re bringing on two other bakers. What’s the reasoning?  I hope this isn’t going to happen every freaking week, or else I’m out. 

And they didn't explain why & where they came from, they just said "here's two new guys!" 

2 hours ago, TomGirl said:

Where is Nancy Fuller and why did her mother sit in for her tonight?

I think we can tell where she's getting her hairstyling advice from

[Guest]

6 hours ago, TomGirl said:

Did anyone else notice that when Molly read off the names of the bakers who’d be returning, she forgot to say (or they mistakenly edited out) Caroline?  I was shocked!

I noticed that, too. I thought - wait, Carolyn's in the bottom??? And then she wasn't. Weird.

7 hours ago, kathyk24 said:

I missed Jalisa's talking head why didn't she feel well?

She had a panic or anxiety attack because she became hyper aware of the time slipping away, and the more she worried about it, the more time was going by, so she finally collapsed. Scary, but she seemed to come back ok. I can't remember how much of her decorating was already done, but those musical notes on the side of her float were really nice.

[MsMalin]

Well, last week I defended Molly. This week not so much. Way too much bothering the bakers while they are trying to get done. And too much perkiness.

Did anyone else feel it verged on cheating when she suggested using macadamias as the baby? Especially since that was the judges favorite part of the bake?

Bringing in the 2 new guys was strange. I thought I must have missed something as to why they were there. No added value in doing that.

[Mellowyellow]

I don't like Molly. Agree that she's intrusive and I found some of her comments last week mean, as if they were designed to rattle the contestants. That's not cool. I don't see the other hosts doing that!

I'm enjoying Sunny a lot more which I didn't expect since she's normally a screaming banshee. But she's nice on the Easter Show so far.

[TomGirl]

28 minutes ago, MsMalin said:

Did anyone else feel it verged on cheating when she suggested using macadamias as the baby?

I did.

[libgirl2]

12 minutes ago, Mellowyellow said:

I don't like Molly. Agree that she's intrusive and I found some of her comments last week mean, as if they were designed to rattle the contestants. That's not cool. I don't see the other hosts doing that!

I'm enjoying Sunny a lot more which I didn't expect since she's normally a screaming banshee. But she's nice on the Easter Show so far.

I think for me, Molly is to big of a part of everything. She has to be right there in the middle, making her goofy expressions, shrugging her shoulders and mugging for the camera. And we get to see her reaction to everything she tries. Past hosts didn't sit and eat at the table, did they? She isn't a judge! 

[Mellowyellow]

1 minute ago, libgirl2 said:

I think for me, Molly is to big of a part of everything. She has to be right there in the middle, making her goofy expressions, shrugging her shoulders and mugging for the camera. And we get to see her reaction to everything she tries. Past hosts didn't sit and eat at the table, did they? She isn't a judge! 

I've only seen the first ep so I'll see how the second ep fares, but I find her sugary sweet persona incongruous with some of the things she says to the contestants. 

On Halloween the contestants sometimes joke that John is mean to them and it's quite funny because he's a sweetie. 

This show has the opposite effect. She's pushing for tooth decay levels of sweetness but some of her comments in the first episode came off as unpleasant.

 

 

[Guest]

20 minutes ago, libgirl2 said:

Past hosts didn't sit and eat at the table, did they? She isn't a judge! 

As discussed earlier, they've been having the hosts sit and eat at the table since Covid, in an attempt to spread them out more. Jesse and John have both done it, and I believe Ali did in the last Spring season. Perhaps they're keeping it because they like the more informal feel of everyone gathered around the table instead of the judges lined up facing the contestants like an imposing panel. Also, there were many (many) complaints here about Nancy feeding Jesse off her fork, so this is a way for the hosts to get to eat something.

In short, it's not an innovation just for Molly.

[libgirl2]

9 minutes ago, tracyscott76 said:

As discussed earlier, they've been having the hosts sit and eat at the table since Covid, in an attempt to spread them out more. Jesse and John have both done it, and I believe Ali did in the last Spring season. Perhaps they're keeping it because they like the more informal feel of everyone gathered around the table instead of the judges lined up facing the contestants like an imposing panel. Also, there were many (many) complaints here about Nancy feeding Jesse off her fork, so this is a way for the hosts to get to eat something.

In short, it's not an innovation just for Molly.

Thanks for clarifying that. I didn't see too many episodes during the height of covid because of my work schedule. And yes, I would rather see the host with a plate than eating of someone's fork!

[ProfCrash]

Molly can go and as soon as humanly possible. Like replace her in episode 3 with Jesse. Pretty please. Just annoying and being far too involved in the show. Make her leave. 

Mardi Gras is at the beginning of Spring so they are treating it like they do Easter, a spring event. Don't they normally have something for the Kentucky Derby as well? They are Spring events so they use them as themes, I am fine with that. 

If they tell the bakers they have to have a certain flavor, then make darn sure to include that favor. 

Jennifer was not going to last long. Her attitude was kind of sucky. Her whole attitude toward her assigned flavors on this episode was just the tip of the iceberg. She told the other baker that their cake was going to taste like toothpaste because of the amount of mint. Never mind that her comment was said in a rude way, she missed that the other baker was going to be mixing the mint with other flavors which would diminish its punch. Jennifer's approach was to put all the mint in one area which ended up making that taste like toothpaste. Her first offering last week wasn't all that impressive either. 

I felt so bad for Jalisa. I wonder if the temperature in the studio played a roll as well. I would guess that it gets hot in there and that can make me dizzy and light headed, I have low blood pressure. Toss in a ton of stress and other things and it made for a big issue. I loved the support that she got and how well everyone responded to the situation. I have been appreciating that more shows have been addressing issues like anxiety and panic attacks as something that happens and treating them calmly. 

 

[Rammchick]

I was sort of indifferent to Molly before this show, but the combination of her with Nancy is just too over the top, especially when Nancy does that stupid conducting the orchestra thing.  It makes me yell rude things at the TV 😉

But oh my, I love me some Anabelle.  When she said she hated sprinkles -- and why -- Molly looked like someone ran over her puppy.  I laughed and laughed.  Evilly.

[libgirl2]

1 minute ago, Rammchick said:

I was sort of indifferent to Molly before this show, but the combination of her with Nancy is just too over the top, especially when Nancy does that stupid conducting the orchestra thing.  It makes me yell rude things at the TV 😉

But oh my, I love me some Anabelle.  When she said she hated sprinkles -- and why -- Molly looked like someone ran over her puppy.  I laughed and laughed.  Evilly.

That made me smile! I hope sprinkles aren't going to be a requirement (or encouraged) in too many bakes. 

[orangekit]

I tried to ffwd over some of Molly’s intrusive interviews and see to see if she was more tolerable, but it didn’t help!

Besides her annoying expressions and smile, I realized her voice is irritating! She has some weird sing songy tone , and she’s annoying even saying anything!

When they cut to Nancy tasting a piece of cake, Molly’s annoying facial expression was in camera as she stuffed her face ! She can’t do anything without exaggerating it!

It is also super obnoxious how she has to tell the judges that she brought in the two bakers , or she gave them a challenge! 
Since when did this show that’s been in for years become sprinkle lady’s show

Ms Sappy , who can’t shut up , never explained who the two new bakers were! Why was it done anyway ? It was stupid ! Instead of endless nonsensical Molly babbling , they may want to tell the audience who two new contestants were !

I noticed when the judges talked to contestants while they baked it wasn’t irritating. They asked a couple of baking related  questions and didn’t turn it into a personal interview with over the top reactions!
Molly got all goofy because a baker said she had a 2 year old. So? A lot of people have 2 year olds ! Does living in an area where there are more cows than people make her think that she’s the only one with a kid that age ? She actually asked the baker if their kids could play together ! She is just cringeworthy!
 

Molly must not have be pregnant since she was stuffing herself with the boozy cakes!

Edited March 8, 2022 by orangekit

[libgirl2]

9 minutes ago, orangekit said:

It is also super obnoxious how she has to tell the judges that she brought in the two bakers , or she gave them a challenge! 
 

 

 

I know. They could have said something like these guys were runners up so we brought them in. did they pluck them off the street? All I remember was the one guy is Stefano and TBH his cake looked nothing like a float. It might have tasted good, but it looked sloppy. At this rate he won't get far, so why is he there? Bad "twist". 

And that is another thing, some cakes that didn't look like one got no mention of that while others did. 

Edited March 8, 2022 by libgirl2

[rocketinu]

1 hour ago, Mellowyellow said:

I've only seen the first ep so I'll see how the second ep fares, but I find her sugary sweet persona incongruous with some of the things she says to the contestants. 

On Halloween the contestants sometimes joke that John is mean to them and it's quite funny because he's a sweetie. 

This show has the opposite effect. She's pushing for tooth decay levels of sweetness but some of her comments in the first episode came off as unpleasant.

 

 

I would love for John to be mean to me. :-)

[orangekit]

Why did they eliminate two contestants last week as if there wouldn’t be enough episodes to have one elimination a week , only to bring on another contestant and not tell us who they are ?

 

Edited March 8, 2022 by orangekit

[Guest]

51 minutes ago, orangekit said:

Why did they eliminate two contestants last week as if there wouldn’t be enough episodes to have one elimination a week , only to bring on another contestant and not tell us who they are ?

 

I don't know, but it must be Molly's fault! 😜

[libgirl2]

7 minutes ago, tracyscott76 said:

I don't know, but it must be Molly's fault! 😜

Her name is on the show, so that may be the case! lol! 

[Maya]

I didn’t notice that Carolyn’s name wasnt announced as safe, but I did notice that Nancy said her beignets looked dense and then… no followup of the judges eating the beignets or commenting. Hmm.

Also noticed that Molly was distracting the woman when she underfilled her madelines, which lead to them not baking correctly, which lead to the woman having a panic attack!

[libgirl2]

13 minutes ago, Maya said:

Also noticed that Molly was distracting the woman when she underfilled her madelines, which lead to them not baking correctly, which lead to the woman having a panic attack!

The job of the host is to put the contestants at ease. Many times at GBBO, the contestant will push the host away if they get too distracted , but the host are trying to make them laugh and set them at ease. I felt really sorry for her. She was frazzled, nothing was working but she survived. 

Edited March 8, 2022 by libgirl2

[goldenpuppy]

1 hour ago, libgirl2 said:

Her name is on the show, so that may be the case! lol! 

Well, she did say “I invited two bakers”.    Is she a producer of the show now ? Did anyone not notice that she did not explain who the two bakers were ?

BTW, is Molly super immature or does she think her sappy, little girl personality is cute ? She’s into sprinkles , asks another grown woman if they can still be friends since the woman didn’t like sprinkles , and asks someone if their two year olds can be friends !

This is a woman who went to Juilliard and lived in NYC?  She acts like her maturity stopped before puberty! 

[Guest]

36 minutes ago, Maya said:

Also noticed that Molly was distracting the woman when she underfilled her madelines, which lead to them not baking correctly, which lead to the woman having a panic attack!

The madeleines were during the preheat. The panic attack happened during the main heat. So I really don't think Molly caused Jaleesa's panic attack, for goodness' sake.

I mean, I totally understand how Molly can get on people's nerves (though she doesn't really bother me), and I agree that she's been put forward a lot more than other hosts.

But it's getting very hard to read through this forum when 90% of the comments are the same complaints about Molly over and over again - many phrased, in my opinion, way out of proportion to any offense Molly might actually be giving. There are a lot of other things to talk about - there are approximately 6 dozen contestants, for crying out loud!

[kj4ever]

I dont know any of the contestants because I have to fast forward through all of Molly No's scenes, and they have inserted her everywhere.

Food Channel trying to make her happen, so I'm sure they are telling her to be OTT. Doesn't matter, I can't stand watching her sugar sweet passive aggressive mean girl act.

[libgirl2]

4 minutes ago, tracyscott76 said:

The madeleines were during the preheat. The panic attack happened during the main heat. So I really don't think Molly caused Jaleesa's panic attack, for goodness' sake.

I mean, I totally understand how Molly can get on people's nerves (though she doesn't really bother me), and I agree that she's been put forward a lot more than other hosts.

But it's getting very hard to read through this forum when 90% of the comments are the same complaints about Molly over and over again - many phrased, in my opinion, way out of proportion to any offense Molly might actually be giving. There are a lot of other things to talk about - there are approximately 6 dozen contestants, for crying out loud!

I think as they pare down the contestants we will talk more about them. Right now, I remember just a few of the names, primarily Justin. 

[Maya]

26 minutes ago, tracyscott76 said:

The madeleines were during the preheat. The panic attack happened during the main heat. So I really don't think Molly caused Jaleesa's panic attack, for goodness' sake.

I mean, I totally understand how Molly can get on people's nerves (though she doesn't really bother me), and I agree that she's been put forward a lot more than other hosts.

But it's getting very hard to read through this forum when 90% of the comments are the same complaints about Molly over and over again - many phrased, in my opinion, way out of proportion to any offense Molly might actually be giving. There are a lot of other things to talk about - there are approximately 6 dozen contestants, for crying out loud!

Molly was distracting her when she underfilled her madeleines. She had to start over at the last minute. Regardless of when it occurred, it couldn’t have helped the woman’s anxiety and likely carried over. 

[lu1535]

Why 2 hours?!?! 🥱

[Popples]

50 minutes ago, goldenpuppy said:

BTW, is Molly super immature or does she think her sappy, little girl personality is cute ? She’s into sprinkles , asks another grown woman if they can still be friends since the woman didn’t like sprinkles , and asks someone if their two year olds can be friends !

This is a woman who went to Juilliard and lived in NYC?  She acts like her maturity stopped before puberty! 

I literally yelled, "Did she stop maturing at the age of 8?" at the screen. She's way too distracting. It's getting to the point where I watch just enough to hear the challenge, then fast forward to the judging.

So much complaining about a lack of cinnamon.

[libgirl2]

12 minutes ago, Popples said:

I literally yelled, "Did she stop maturing at the age of 8?" at the screen. She's way too distracting. It's getting to the point where I watch just enough to hear the challenge, then fast forward to the judging.

So much complaining about a lack of cinnamon.

MY supervisor was just in Biloxi and picked up an honest to goodness King Cake. She has done this every year she goes (her mother lives down there). I don't recall it being overtly cinnamon tasting. 

Edited March 8, 2022 by libgirl2

[libgirl2]

And now I have Cinnamon Girl by Neil Young going through my head. 

[libgirl2]

Back to the contestants, as much as I like Justin, I really think Diego is at this moment, the one to beat. Things can change. I have said it before, Romuald would seem like a shoo-in. He is French, he creates beautiful designs but he seems to fail on flavor. 

[libgirl2]

5 minutes ago, kathyk24 said:

Don't go forums need different opinions. I agree the criticism of Molly is over the top. I've seen judges talk to the contestants on Beat Bobby Flay and Chopped so it isn't just Molly.

Yes, they do and sometimes I find it annoying. A quick "how is it going" is fine, but let them cook. 

[goldenpuppy]

12 minutes ago, marmalade said:

How “young “? Middle school ? I don’t know any twenty or thirty year who were into sprinkles and asking random people to “be friends “, and Gerri f excited about fart and booger jokes !

No one is as goofy and immature as Molly ! No comparison !

I agree !  I used to like her , but can’t tolerate her on this show and I also am seeing she is a flake in general and weird , even on her cooking show ! Sorry , I can’t stand her silly , immature , and over the top  saccharine personality !

She looked like she was going to crap her pants in shock when Diego said he owns a bakery with his husband ! Why is that so shocking or exciting ?? Don’t many married couples or families own bakeries? She’s going to need depends if she gets this excited over every little comment ! 

As far as contestants are concerned , Tom is a good , but I think Diego is way better ! I think he should have won !  Tom is a bit to full  of himself and putting on a show , and I don’t find him that funny . 

Edited March 8, 2022 by goldenpuppy

[libgirl2]

3 minutes ago, goldenpuppy said:

She looked like she was going to crap her pants in shock when Diego said he owns a bakery with his husband ! Why is that so shocking or exciting ?? Don’t many married couples or families own bakeries? She’s going to need depends if she gets this excited over every little comment ! 

As far as contestants are concerned , Tom is a good , but I think Diego is way better ! I think he should have won !  Tom is a bit to full  of himself and putting on a show , and I don’t find him that funny . 

I couldn't quite figure out the look of shock either. I wasn't shocked. Why is it out of the realm of possibilities that Diego owns a bakery with his husband. Or was that supposed to be a "WOW!" look. It seemed weird. I won't comment on her other show as I don't watch it. I am comfortable commenting here, just like we do about Nancy and the other judges. 

I was not enthralled by Tom's bake. It looked a bit messy and lumpy to me. Diego's was better. 

Edited March 8, 2022 by libgirl2

[Pi237]

I can overlook the néw host’s super bubbly personality-although, I prefer John or Jesse- but the intrusive interviews while the contestants are trying to concentrate are super annoying. Kudos to them because I’d have snapped at her if under that kind of pressure. It’s like the kids when you’re busy with the bills/please go find something to do until Mommy’s done lol. As has been said, I’m sure the producers told her to do that. Why????

I like the new judge. Sick of Nancy’s ‘more alcohol!’ shtick.  
 

eh, not much to add, too many bakers to keep track of this early.

[dleighg]

I don't remember who it was, but one of the bakers said something like "I'm not really that much of an expert at cakes. I hope ... something or other."

You are on a freakin' BAKING show. Cakes are, you know, a thing in BAKING.

[libgirl2]

12 minutes ago, dleighg said:

I don't remember who it was, but one of the bakers said something like "I'm not really that much of an expert at cakes. I hope ... something or other."

You are on a freakin' BAKING show. Cakes are, you know, a thing in BAKING.

I don't remember that, but it is a baking show! I can see someone not be great at some of the intricate things they have on GBBO, though even there you will have people who say they never made something like bread or rarely make it. 

Edited March 8, 2022 by libgirl2

[CrazyInAlabama]

I think they are trying to give a win to several contestants, so they don't have one clear leader all of the way through the season.      I thought Diego's entry was better also, but the producers are all about keeping people interested, and having more of a contest.     

I didn't see a point with dumping two contestants on week 1, then having two bakers compete to enter the contest, and then dump another of the original 12.    After the other seasonal contest added back two former contestants, and one won, I am always suspicious when the show adds someone back.  

[dleighg]

speaking of those two new contestants, the one who lost had these little "strips" on the side of his "float." Some of them were lying flat on the cake, others were sticking straight up, and others were somewhere in between. It looked completely like a flub to me, but the judges didn't mention it. There were also little black marks on them. Any idea what that was supposed to be?

[mlp]

39 minutes ago, dleighg said:

I don't remember who it was, but one of the bakers said something like "I'm not really that much of an expert at cakes. I hope ... something or other."

I think that was Tom.  It made me wonder what he specializes in.  I do like him and also Diego and the French guy.

[libgirl2]

15 minutes ago, dleighg said:

speaking of those two new contestants, the one who lost had these little "strips" on the side of his "float." Some of them were lying flat on the cake, others were sticking straight up, and others were somewhere in between. It looked completely like a flub to me, but the judges didn't mention it. There were also little black marks on them. Any idea what that was supposed to be?

I wonder if that was intentional to have it look like streamers. 

[MsMalin]

39 minutes ago, mlp said:

I don't remember who it was, but one of the bakers said something like "I'm not really that much of an expert at cakes. I hope ... something

I nearly fell off the sofa when he said that. Huh?  Shouldn't that be one of the top items a baker should specialize in???

[rlc]

Wow- most of you really don’t like Molly. Not a huge fan, but I’m here for the baking.

Happy to see Jennifer and her minty-fresh attitude go. If you’re going to be that condescending to other bakers, you’re gong to need to be a way better baker.

As for the mystery of the new bakers, I blame that on the editing. There had to have been some explanation.

Now that Jennifer is gone, I think I like all the remaining bakers (though there are too many to identify by name so far). 

 

[Catfi9ht]

1 hour ago, mlp said:

I think that was Tom.

Yep. It was Tom. I can understand not being an expert at everything, but I would have hoped he practiced cakes before then. This show is about 70% cakes. I did like how he finished the thought by saying he came on the show to learn and grow.

I can see Mardi Gras being a countdown to spring since a bunch of pre-Christian spring festival traditions were folded in Easter. However, I didn't think the show handled the messaging well.

I felt like the contestants took a step back this episode. Many of the cakes were messy this week while last week, many of the cakes were very neat and professional looking. The judging seemed off too. Some of the cakes they praised like Tom's were really messy to me, and one of the cakes I liked Dennis? was in the bottom. I feel bad for not remembering his name.

I noticed a couple of sketchy things. The macadamia nut baby Jesus idea from Molly and Nancy tasting the chocolate cake before hand when the judges were walking around. Judges should not be able to taste the product ahead of time.

The editing was sloppy too. They showed Diego's cake almost complete in the middle of the show and in one of the countdown montages, they showed him just beginning to decorate his cake.

There must have been a serious change in producers this season. Everything seems different and poorly thought out compared to previous seasons.

Since I like to end on a positive note, I really enjoy the contestants. There isn't one I don't like. I'm really digging Kardea. She's a positive presence and I like her feedback.

[dleighg]

8 minutes ago, Catfi9ht said:

Many of the cakes were messy this week

one thing I noticed was that a lot of the cakes had a MASSIVE amount of frosting (or whatever you want to call it) between the cake layers. At one point one of the judges (Nancy?) said to someone who had (IMHO) a nice ratio- that he had "just the right ratio of buttercream to cake." I guess some people like that frosting stuff, but I think cake should be the primary ingredient of, well, a cake.