Spring Baking Championship - General Discussion

[mlp]

I feel sorry for Romy.  He's a serious baker and master decorator and he ended up on the wrong season.  He put up with crappy stuff like cookie salad like a gentleman but sprinkles to get into the finale was a bridge too far.  I respect him for deciding enough was enough and refusing to play any more.  It was interesting that nothing more was said about that challenge.  

Dennis wouldn't have made it to the finale if Romy hadn't left.  He just hasn't been that great all along.  His cake looked terrible with poorly done yellow lace and purple-hued decorations.  

Jaleesa should have been eliminated weeks ago but her cake did look the best at the end.  Kardea should be eliminated for favoritism. 

Molly was at her worst, talking talking talking to the bakers while they were trying to work, making faces and saying really perceptive things like "yum."  The PTB at FN are fools if they even consider letting her host or judge anything again.

[TVbitch]

[Laurie E.]

This is the FIRST time I have EVER commented on any forum like this. That should mean something! Molly was so fake the entire season. SPRINKLES?! You have to be kidding me. Romy was a front runner from the beginning and he ended up the real winner of the championship. Why? Because he left with his head held high and his integrity intact! SPRINKLES?!?!?!

[Irlandesa]

So once again, I'll go against the grain and I don't think any sort of injustice was done to Romy.

He and Dennis had underdone crusts.  Of course, that's going to land them in the bottom 2 if the judges really liked the other two desserts. 

Oh no, he has to incorporate sprinkles into a dessert to get a chance to win 25,000.  Not much sympathy from me. 

2 hours ago, emmawoodhouse said:

What part of "Don't bake a cake" didn't Jaleesa understand? That should have put her in the bottom 2.

I don't think it was "don't bake a cake," it was "you don't need to bake a cake."  They wanted a family dessert, whatever that was.  For Jaleesa, it was a cake. 

1 hour ago, MerBearHou said:

Romy doesn’t want to burn any bridges.  Or get in trouble for a clause in a contract he may have signed about not disparaging the show.  I don’t blame him a bit.  CYA happening and that’s how it is.  But no, Molly is not formidable and the judges, especially Kardea and Duff, were not adorable.

The producers come up with the challenges.  I don't think it's hard to believe he might not have wanted to do the sprinkles challenge but still liked Molly. 

[CharleneB]

I usually don't like quitters, but I have a huge respect for Romy for just walking off.  For me, his leaving was the final verdict on how stupid this finale was, and the whole season.    He was the best baker on there, and he just wasn't going to put up with the silliness of it anymore.  He had better things to do with his time. I did not like the way Molly spent so much time talking to the bakers and distracting them.  The worst part of this whole season for me was when they brought in the two bakers who weren't even on the first show.  That is not even fair to everyone else. 

[libgirl2]

5 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

So once again, I'll go against the grain and I don't think any sort of injustice was done to Romy.

He and Dennis had underdone crusts.  Of course, that's going to land them in the bottom 2 if the judges really liked the other two desserts. 

Oh no, he has to incorporate sprinkles into a dessert to get a chance to win 25,000.  Not much sympathy from me. 

I don't think it was "don't bake a cake," it was "you don't need to bake a cake."  They wanted a family dessert, whatever that was.  For Jaleesa, it was a cake. 

The producers come up with the challenges.  I don't think it's hard to believe he might not have wanted to do the sprinkles challenge but still liked Molly. 

I think the bigger issue is almost week after week Jaleesa did not do well. Under normal circumstances, she probably would have been eliminated a while ago. 

As for sprinkles (and cookie salads and baby farm animals...), this felt more like a kid's baking championship. When she took out those cookies, I felt that I was watching a kid's bake sale. I'm sorry but if I am a serious pastry chef, I would find it all asinine. He just couldn't do it anymore. 

Edited May 3, 2022 by libgirl2

[JenMD]

8 hours ago, Frost said:

It's also interesting that there was a whole crowd of people supporting Jaleesa when she had her panic attack.  Did one person go after Romy and ask if he was OK?  Try to calm him down?  Try to get him to come back?  There might be some great behind the scenes footage that will never see the light of day, if a producer went to talk to Romy and he bluntly told them a competition with sprinkles and cookie salad is not worthy of his skills.

Yeah, the editing on Romy's exit was so weird.  I couldn't believe the lack of follow-up after the commercial, just Molly with her "stress" excuse.  Ugh, what a disappointing end to a disappointing season.

 

[40Love]

7 hours ago, mlp said:

Dennis wouldn't have made it to the finale if Romy hadn't left.  He just hasn't been that great all along.  His cake looked terrible with poorly done yellow lace and purple-hued decorations.  

Oh I think the sprinkle-off was intended to eliminate Romy all along. His obvious disdain for the pre-school decoration would have no doubt resulted in an unsatisfactory dessert by Molly's infantile standards. It's clear she's running the show and would have booted Romy anyway. Otherwise why not just drop the last place baker and move onto the final? Couldn't do that because they really wanted Dennis in the final. But he failed in the pre-heat. So they concocted the silly sprinkle-off. Find a better cooking show Romy.

[Rammchick]

To paraphrase what they say on another show I watch, Molly, please pack your sprinkles and go! 😉

[Cetacean]

7 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

He and Dennis had underdone crusts. 

But an underdone cheesecake is OK?

 

[Marcy K]

Molly is grating on my last nerve.

I HATE that the show brought Caroline back... nobody else got a second chance.

I didn't understand the 2 random bakers appearing from who knows where.

The judges were hyper critical of Romy...no surprise he left...he knew the judges wouldn't let him win.

I won't be tuning in next year.

[CrazyInAlabama]

I actually recorded and watched until Romy left.     Molly said, I don't want cake, for the preheat.    Then, Jaleesa did a cake that looked just like the case up at my Walmart bakery.   Her cake wasn't even as well done as my local Publix (regional grocery store) has in their bakery case.     

I don't blame Romy for walking, I think Dennis was thinking about it too.   The look on both of their faces was very easy to read, and they were both upset.   I suspect the entire Jaleesa performance was just that, she was slated to win before the season ever started.   

 I turned the show off, and erased it after Molly's horrible explanation of why Romy left, that was total damage control from the producers.    

 

Edited May 3, 2022 by CrazyInAlabama

[jshaik]

11 hours ago, Spunkygal said:

And Dennis’ decoration in the preheat was a couple of real flowers on the plate. That was it. No effort spent on it but idiot Nancy says “you really brought the spring.” 

WTF was that decoration? My husband and I just laughed, we make money placing bets each week on who will "you really brought the spring" or "i'm not tasting the rum in here".... This was the most ridiculous season and while all the contestants seemed nice and lovely, the person who won has to be one of the least accomplished during the season. She should have been gone weeks ago and baked a chocolate cake! I can bake a chocolate cake and I'm not a good baker. Ugh, this finale was very frustrating. The only good part, Romy saying something about not baking with sprinkles and walking out. Good for him and I'm sure he'll do fantastic!

[Frost]

I despise the sprinkle-off with the fire of a thousand burning suns, but I believe a bake off for the bottom two has been done before.  It wasn't invented just for this show.  In fact, I was rolling my eyes when Molly announced the "surprise twist" after she called time on the pre-heat.  

I would so love to know what was actually said and done between Romy walking out the stage door and Molly chirping about Romy succumbing to "stress" after the commercial break.  Was Romy chased by cameramen?  Did the producers get Duff to talk to him?  Did someone have to comfort Molly for her sprinkles being so violently rejected?  Inquiring minds want to know!

[MsMalin]

Wow, who would have thought we'd  ever have a Sprinklegate?

That was shocking. What kind of bake off is a one hour challenge to made brownies with sprinkles? These are top shelf bakers and that was supposed to determine who goes on to the finale?  Agree with those who say that belonged on Kids Baking Championship which was another epic fail this year.

This season seemed disjointed to me and the 3 biggest errors were:

1. Bringing 2 extra contestants in to compete. What was up with that? It added nothing to the show.

2.  Eliminating and then bringing back a baker who was eliminated due to the host turning off her timer. And then they don't even have the guts to explain that to the audience.

3.  The insulting sprinkle challenge to determine who has a chance at $25k.  

Sorry to say that one of my favorite shows was a joke this year.

[Rammchick]

1 hour ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

 I turned the show off, and erased it after Molly's horrible explanation of why Romy left, that was total damage control from the producers.    

I can't remember, and I don't want to go back and rewatch, but did the camera pan to any of the bakers' faces during that explanation?  And did they show Molly "explaining" it to the judges?  Although I know that the judges are completely aware of everything that happens before they sit down at the table, they have done this in the past, where the host explains something that happened to the judges for our benefit.  That didn't happen this time.  I'm wondering if Molly's explanation was edited in afterwards.

Edited May 3, 2022 by Rammchick

[Maya]

This show is hilarious! 

While I agree with everything said here, I do think it was kind of dumb for Romy to leave when so close to $25k. It was actually a pretty easy challenge - just make something you’ve made a million times before and coat it in sprinkles. 

I also didn’t mind the “Molly’s farm” theme - baby animals, etc. But then they threw in tropical drinks so…

The real question is - will the producers be able to resist having Molly on the Halloween show, emerging in a cutesy costume every week? Lol we’ll see! 

Edited May 3, 2022 by Maya

[Cetacean]

Duff's Twitter feed is 100% expressions of disgust for the season and especially the finale.

[libgirl2]

55 minutes ago, Maya said:

This show is hilarious! 

While I agree with everything said here, I do think it was kind of dumb for Romy to leave when so close to $25k. It was actually a pretty easy challenge - just make something you’ve made a million times before and coat it in sprinkles. 

I also didn’t mind the “Molly’s farm” theme - baby animals, etc. But then they threw in tropical drinks so…

The real question is - will the producers be able to resist having Molly on the Halloween show, emerging in a cutesy costume every week? Lol we’ll see! 

think about all the crap he has had to deal with all this season.... it was probably the final straw. You could see it in his face when they began judging his tart. 

[Cheyanne11]

4 hours ago, JenMD said:

I couldn't believe the lack of follow-up after the commercial, just Molly with her "stress" excuse. 

Something definitely went on.  I imagine a lot of the producers talking to him, trying to get him to participate, etc.  Then they came up with Molly's ridiculous claim he left because of stress.  Uh-huh, sure.  You could see by both Dennis's and Romy's face when she said sprinkles (and said it like it was the best, most challenging thing ever!) that they'd had it with her.  And, yes, I DO believe Molly had a lot of say in the challenges.  Her name is in the title.  She's referred to the set as HER kitchen all season.  She's clearly not just the host we've had in prior years--whatever deal she was given gave her a lot more say in things, which, well, talk about a massive failure.

[libgirl2]

26 minutes ago, Cheyanne11 said:

Something definitely went on.  I imagine a lot of the producers talking to him, trying to get him to participate, etc.  Then they came up with Molly's ridiculous claim he left because of stress.  Uh-huh, sure.  You could see by both Dennis's and Romy's face when she said sprinkles (and said it like it was the best, most challenging thing ever!) that they'd had it with her.  And, yes, I DO believe Molly had a lot of say in the challenges.  Her name is in the title.  She's referred to the set as HER kitchen all season.  She's clearly not just the host we've had in prior years--whatever deal she was given gave her a lot more say in things, which, well, talk about a massive failure.

His exit was very choppily (if that is a word) done. 

[CrazyInAlabama]

1 hour ago, Rammchick said:

I can't remember, and I don't want to go back and rewatch, but did the camera pan to any of the bakers' faces during that explanation?  And did they show Molly "explaining" it to the judges?  Although I know that the judges are completely aware of everything that happens before they sit down at the table, they have done this in the past, where the host explains something that happened to the judges for our benefit.  That didn't happen this time.  I'm wondering if Molly's explanation was edited in afterwards.

I just saw Molly talking to the camera, with a separate shot of the three remaining bakers.    Everyone had a blank expression.    I suspect you're right about Molly's ridiculous statement being filmed and cut in later. 

[LegalParrot81]

13 hours ago, MyMaui said:

This!  I am surprised Duff would let this happen.  I have lost a little respect for Duff.  He knows how this is going an let it happen. IF they dont change it then it's just a paycheck for them. At least that what I think.

Totally disappointed with this season, Romy deserved so much better, but I don't think Duff can be blamed for not doing something.  He isn't a producer on this show.  He doesn't have the control/power to make those decisions.  That being said he's the only judge I could tolerate. I ran hot and cold with Cardea and don't get me started on Nancy.  Molly needs to go back to Minnesota, this hosting gig was not for her. 

[libgirl2]

1 minute ago, LegalParrot81 said:

Totally disappointed with this season, Romy deserved so much better, but I don't think Duff can be blamed for not doing something.  He isn't a producer on this show.  He doesn't have the control/power to make those decisions.  That being said he's the only judge I could tolerate. I ran hot and cold with Cardea and don't get me started on Nancy.  Molly needs to go back to Minnesota, this hosting gig was not for her. 

So did Diego and Justin, but yea, he poured his heart into that dessert and the judges didn't like it. So the crust was a tad underbaked on the bottom at least it wasn't a nearly raw cheesecake. The guy created real works of art, so did Diego. 

[ShelleySue]

I have a feeling that if we had taken bets on the winner, right up to the middle of last night's show, the only ones of who would have gone home with money are the ones who realized that the outcome was fixed and not based on who was the most talented baker.

Much like Jaleesa coming back from a total breakdown, I really thought that Romy was going to magically reappear in the kitchen. I have to respect him and his decision.  There is only so much someone can take.  The plate of sprinkle cookies Molly was holding looked like those generic,  cookies the supermarket sells in the big plastic buckets. That must have been the ultimate insult to someone of Romy's skills.

[Ohmo]

14 hours ago, Dottie D said:

It's hard to take Jaleesa seriously as the result of the judges bias for her. It's a joke. 

I'm sure Jaleesa is a nice person, but there is NO WAY she can be taken seriously as the Spring Baking Champion.  It was either Romy or Carolyn...by miles over the course of the series.  Jaleesa shouldn't have even been there after her cheesecake last week or those peach candy eclairs a few weeks back.

I've read all of the stuff about Molly.  She really didn't bother me, and I'd like to think this goes higher than just her.  This can't have been just a decision made by her.  The finale was a disaster!  How someone with Romy's skill set is not automatically in the finals is beyond me.

I think Romy was insulted, and he should have been, in my opinion.  I was stunned.  I thought his leaving was a joke, at first.  Looking at the course of the series, it should have been Dennis and Jalessa in the bottom two, and one of them fights to get in the finals.

I think this has the potential to do more serious damage than FN realizes.  Again, completely 100% floored at what happened.

[KayVeeTeeVee]

1 minute ago, Ohmo said:

I'm sure Jaleesa is a nice person, but there is NO WAY she can be taken seriously as the Spring Baking Champion.  It was either Romy or Carolyn...by miles over the course of the series.  Jaleesa shouldn't have even been there after her cheesecake last week or those peach candy eclairs a few weeks back.

I've read all of the stuff about Molly.  She really didn't bother me, and I'd like to think this goes higher than just her.  This can't have been just a decision made by her.  The finale was a disaster!  How someone with Romy's skill set is not automatically in the finals is beyond me.

I think Romy was insulted, and he should have been, in my opinion.  I was stunned.  I thought his leaving was a joke, at first.  Looking at the course of the series, it should have been Dennis and Jalessa in the bottom two, and one of them fights to get in the finals.

I think this has the potential to do more serious damage than FN realizes.  Again, completely 100% floored at what happened.

Haven't had a chance to go back and re-watch, but wasn't Romy caught on camera/mic saying he quit and was going home?  Can some sweetheart please post what happened from the time the bottom two were announced through Molly's announcement about him leaving due to competition stress?

 

[libgirl2]

6 minutes ago, KayVeeTeeVee said:

Haven't had a chance to go back and re-watch, but wasn't Romy caught on camera/mic saying he quit and was going home?  Can some sweetheart please post what happened from the time the bottom two were announced through Molly's announcement about him leaving due to competition stress?

 

He actually said he didn't want to "play with sprinkles".  To me it sounded like he was fed up with all the juvenile antics. He (and others) tried to bring some class into it and he was offered sprinkles? 

Edited May 3, 2022 by libgirl2

[Ohmo]

Romy was trying to articulate what he was feeling in English.  In the solo interview, he said something about feelings and it being difficult.  My take was that he was insulted and trying to be kind, polite Romy and not say so.

Then, he did say that he didn't want to play with sprinkles, and he just wanted to go home.

He walked toward the panty like he was going to do the challenge, put his arm around Dennis, and then walked out the door.  If he said anything to Dennis, it wasn't heard.

[libgirl2]

11 minutes ago, Ohmo said:

Romy was trying to articulate what he was feeling in English.  In the solo interview, he said something about feelings and it being difficult.  My take was that he was insulted and trying to be kind, polite Romy and not say so.

Then, he did say that he didn't want to play with sprinkles, and he just wanted to go home.

He walked toward the panty like he was going to do the challenge, put his arm around Dennis, and then walked out the door.  If he said anything to Dennis, it wasn't heard.

He probably wished him good luck. 

[Ohmo]

15 hours ago, Spunkygal said:

He is a true artist. He is getting lots of ❤️ on IG. 

Can you read what's being said without being on IG?

[crazycatlady58]

27 minutes ago, KayVeeTeeVee said:

Haven't had a chance to go back and re-watch, but wasn't Romy caught on camera/mic saying he quit and was going home?  Can some sweetheart please post what happened from the time the bottom two were announced through Molly's announcement about him leaving due to competition stress?

 

Yes I would appreciate someone posting what happened also. I had it on but was in the kitchen. For me Molly was telling the to use sprinkles and next everyone was making wedding cake. 

[libgirl2]

1 minute ago, crazycatlady58 said:

Yes I would appreciate someone posting what happened also. I had it on but was in the kitchen. For me Molly was telling the to use sprinkles and next everyone was making wedding cake. 

The look on his (and Dennis's face) spoke volumes. If you can watch it, I would suggest it. 

[Ohmo]

14 hours ago, Ms.Lulu said:

Duff is getting a lot of feedback over on his twitter page.  There is not a single positive comment.  

https://twitter.com/duffgoldman/status/1521166383165456386/photo/1

I have to wonder who made the bonehead decision to bring in Molly.

 

I still think that this is above Molly, and Duff should be in hot water.  Duff knows how trained Romy is.  The idea that Romy is not in the finals is utterly absurd.  It should have been either all four of them in the finals or just Romy vs. Carolyn.

[LegalParrot81]

6 minutes ago, Ohmo said:

I still think that this is above Molly, and Duff should be in hot water.  Duff knows how trained Romy is.  The idea that Romy is not in the finals is utterly absurd.  It should have been either all four of them in the finals or just Romy vs. Carolyn.

Duff is one vote of three.  All three of the judges should be held accountable.  JMO.

[Ohmo]

3 hours ago, Frost said:

I despise the sprinkle-off with the fire of a thousand burning suns, but I believe a bake off for the bottom two has been done before.

Yes, it has.  Don't remember the show, but it has.  And they could have not eliminated anyone.  BBA did that once when the judges couldn't decide,

[Ohmo]

2 minutes ago, LegalParrot81 said:

Duff is one vote of three.  All three of the judges should be held accountable.  JMO.

I'm not opposed to that either.  All I meant was that Duff is the one whom I most associate with baking.  Of the three, he should have said, "Hey, there's no way to not have Romy in the finals."

[Cetacean]

Just now, LegalParrot81 said:

Duff is one vote of three.  All three of the judges should be held accountable. 

All three are culpable but the real fault lies with the FN exec who 1) brought in Molly and 2) rigged the outcome to favor Jaleesa.  What the hell was that all about anyway?  Did she pay someone to win? Have something juicy to spill about the network? 

The whole season was just a clusterfork.  Molly as a horrible host, Carolyngate and now Romy's abrupt departure in protest.

Much to the FN delight, I am sure, is all of the publicity.  There are stories all over the 'net, Duff's Twitter has blown up with protests (probably Nancy's and Kardea's as well if they have an account) as well as Reddit, IG, and PTV.  As PT Barnum said, "there is no such thing as bad publicity".

[libgirl2]

41 minutes ago, Cetacean said:

All three are culpable but the real fault lies with the FN exec who 1) brought in Molly and 2) rigged the outcome to favor Jaleesa.  What the hell was that all about anyway?  Did she pay someone to win? Have something juicy to spill about the network? 

The whole season was just a clusterfork.  Molly as a horrible host, Carolyngate and now Romy's abrupt departure in protest.

Much to the FN delight, I am sure, is all of the publicity.  There are stories all over the 'net, Duff's Twitter has blown up with protests (probably Nancy's and Kardea's as well if they have an account) as well as Reddit, IG, and PTV.  As PT Barnum said, "there is no such thing as bad publicity".

not if people stay away from the next baking championship if it drifts in the same direction. I don't know what their numbers are but they can't be that overwhelming if they tried to change it up with Molly. 

[jrzy]

6 hours ago, JenMD said:

Yeah, the editing on Romy's exit was so weird.  I couldn't believe the lack of follow-up after the commercial, just Molly with her "stress" excuse.  Ugh, what a disappointing end to a disappointing season.

 

What happened exactly?  I was interrupted and missed the whole thing? 

 

[TomGirl]

I’m not one to promote physical violence, but if Romy had dumped a ton of sprinkles on Molly’s head on the way out, I would’ve cheered!

[tinderbox]

Two bakers must battle it out in order to make it to the final 3, with the distinct possibility of winning $25,000, so FN gives them….sprinkles?  Both of them were insulted.  As I viewer, I was too. 

[Cetacean]

28 minutes ago, jrzy said:

What happened exactly?  I was interrupted and missed the whole thing? 

 

https://technotrenz.com/entertainment/romy-left-the-spring-baking-championship-season-8-finale-why-did-she-do-that-1870530.html

[LegalParrot81]

Kardea's twitter is pretty quiet.  I did find it interesting that the one negative tweet I saw, she retweeted.  Kind of makes you go hmmmmmm.

[libgirl2]

1 minute ago, Cetacean said:

https://technotrenz.com/entertainment/romy-left-the-spring-baking-championship-season-8-finale-why-did-she-do-that-1870530.html

My God, with his credentials he should have won the whole thing! 

[MyMaui]

1 hour ago, Cetacean said:

Much to the FN delight, I am sure, is all of the publicity.  There are stories all over the 'net, Duff's Twitter has blown up with protests (probably Nancy's and Kardea's as well if they have an account) as well as Reddit, IG, and PTV.  As PT Barnum said, "there is no such thing as bad publicity".

Would this type of bad publicity help?  People won't watch because of what they decided and they are saying so. It could be me just me because I don't think I'd want this type of publicity. I don't work in that area of work so I am probably wrong.

I think if they would have had a 'villain' and got the bad publicity it would be different.  Molly isn't a villain, she is just horrible at this job. This is the exec departement who hired her and made it all about her.  This one is a bad host, a bad host who took over the whole show with her themes.  The execs and Molly are responsible for some of the themes.  They were her baking ideas/styles/love of sprinkles and the exec who put them in as tasks.   It didn't work and people are letting them know.  One and done I hope.

 

[LittleIggy]

I quit watching last week but had to see Romy’s walk-off. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 He’s my hero! Wonder why nobody went to see if he was okay. 🙄

Edited May 3, 2022 by LittleIggy

[kj4ever]

I bowed out after episode 2 or 3.  I just couldn't stand her on the show.  There have been other hosts that I wasn't particularly fond of, but I still enjoyed the show.  I don't know why she was just so much worse than the others but I could not stand to watch it.

I'd check in here every week to see if it got any better because I really do love all these shows.

If she shows up on Halloween Baking I think we should riot.

[MsMalin]

3 hours ago, ShelleySue said:

The plate of sprinkle cookies Molly was holding looked like those generic,  cookies the supermarket sells in the big plastic buckets. That must have been the ultimate insult to someone of Romy's skills.

That's what I thought! They didn't even look homemade. And instead of being thin, the sprinkles were bloated,lol.  What kind of bullcrap are they trying to feed us?

A standing joke on RHofNJ has been that Melissa brought sprinkle cookies to a Christmas celebration and Theresa threw them out. I never understood that until last night.

[Cetacean]

1 hour ago, MyMaui said:

Would this type of bad publicity help? 

It could bring in a whole new audience that craves this type of stuff.  Just think of the people that watch the reality shows where outrageous things happen for the shock value.  A contestant walking off the set would delight a certain type of viewer, I would imagine.