Spring Baking Championship - General Discussion

[Starry-Eyed]

Totally agree with Jesse that Cait is mentally tough. I haven't loved all her bakes, but I admire the way she picks herself up after every setback and throws herself full throttle towards whatever she has to do. It was very apparent last week when her team cake fell apart, and she didn't seem to waste any time and energy getting angry or frustrated, but snapped into (a little terse and taut, but highly efficient) problem-solving mode.

I am SO glad Nickey didn't get sent how after that stupid twist sabotaged her. Her original flavors sounded so delicious too.

I thought Alex would get the win, but Rochelle's cake was absolutely stunning. Girl on Fire vibes for sure.

I liked Anna, but she was the right one to go home, even though I agree the judges were probably looking at more than just the episode's baking. Stephen is just in a different class than she is.

[BluBarbi98]

I started watching the "Baking Championship" shows because of Covid but I intentionally looked for this thread this week because the twist messing up Nikki's cake flavors infurieatd me. I wish they would just make it a requirement from the beginning and keep it moving. 

[KayVeeTeeVee]

I would still like it if, at least once, all the bakers would be given the exact same ingredients and allowed to create whatever they wanted.  Pretty please?

 

[zamp33]

I think the twist of Fruit Punch mix was really unfair. It is a strong artificial overly sweet flavor and really could only potentially work with a couple of cake flavors. 

I think the twist concept is ok but I really hate it when they are so out there that they basically undermine what is being asked of the bakers. Also if you get the vanilla flavor, then you may be able to work with the fruit punch, but chocolate or honey - that is hard. 

I still am angry about the ridiculous Green Apple Coffee twist a few seasons back, but this one is ranks right up there as one of the stupidest twists. 

That being said,the one baker who did not have to do the twist got sent home.

[joanne3482]

While I don't like the twists, I'm more okay with them being something innocuous like add an edible flower decoration or add a blown sugar decorative piece. When they add flavors halfway through it is just ridiculous. I totally agree about the green apple twist the coffee flavored cake person got. 

It would be nice if they would be allowed to bake other things in the main heat. They make cakes all the dang time. The show is Spring BAKING championship, not Spring CAKE championship. Why not an Easter bread? Or a sugar cookie garden. Maybe a hot cross buns display. Anything that isn't cake. 

[libgirl2]

1 hour ago, joanne3482 said:

While I don't like the twists, I'm more okay with them being something innocuous like add an edible flower decoration or add a blown sugar decorative piece. When they add flavors halfway through it is just ridiculous. I totally agree about the green apple twist the coffee flavored cake person got. 

It would be nice if they would be allowed to bake other things in the main heat. They make cakes all the dang time. The show is Spring BAKING championship, not Spring CAKE championship. Why not an Easter bread? Or a sugar cookie garden. Maybe a hot cross buns display. Anything that isn't cake. 

I am all for a decoration twist. 

I also would love to see some bread or cookies (besides the macaron). That is why I like GBBO, they have weeks dedicated to things like breads. 

[AZChristian]

As long as we don't ever have another season of "SPRINKLES" competitions.  LOL.

[libgirl2]

17 minutes ago, AZChristian said:

As long as we don't ever have another season of "SPRINKLES" competitions.  LOL.

Shhhhh! Don't give them ideas!  {{shudder}}

[CarolinaPam]

Anna is local to me, so I was rooting for her.  I just may have to check out her bakery.

[Salacious Kitty]

On 4/5/2024 at 12:25 PM, libgirl2 said:

Shhhhh! Don't give them ideas!  {{shudder}}

I think sprinkle challenges made their exit with Molly. 😀

[libgirl2]

7 hours ago, Salacious Kitty said:

I think sprinkle challenges made their exit with Molly. 😀

In all seriousness, I think when Romy walked off that final sprinkle challenge, TBH realized what a hot, streaming mess they had on their hands. 

[laredhead]

5 minutes ago, libgirl2 said:

In all seriousness, I think when Romy walked off that final sprinkle challenge, TBH realized what a hot, streaming mess they had on their hands. 

Has Romy ever given an interview or said anything about his departure from the show?

[libgirl2]

10 minutes ago, laredhead said:

Has Romy ever given an interview or said anything about his departure from the show?

I remember him explaining his actions. It was more that he didn't want to compete like that against his friend. I think he was trying to not bad mouth the show and FN just in case. 

[CrazyInAlabama]

I bet the NDA for the show is just as ironclad as every other TV show.   Romy probably can't discuss it.

 

 

Edited April 7 by CrazyInAlabama

[AZChristian]

From this article I found, Romy actually said that walking away was the "only step to preserve my integrity."

Good for him!!!!

[Salacious Kitty]

In a show of solidarity, many of us went to Romy's Instagram to show support. He was touched. 

[Frost]

I still take exception to "cookie salad" being described as a Midwestern dish.  I've lived in Minnesota pretty much my entire life, have a ton of N Dakota relatives, and went to school in Wisconsin.  I have never heard of it.  Not at a single pot luck or wake or church dinner.

It may be eaten somewhere, but it is not a standard dish in any Midwestern gathering I've attended.

[libgirl2]

1 hour ago, Frost said:

I still take exception to "cookie salad" being described as a Midwestern dish.  I've lived in Minnesota pretty much my entire life, have a ton of N Dakota relatives, and went to school in Wisconsin.  I have never heard of it.  Not at a single pot luck or wake or church dinner.

It may be eaten somewhere, but it is not a standard dish in any Midwestern gathering I've attended.

It exists but should not have been part of the show. Gee, I could make a cookie salad and in no way should I be on the show. 

Why not do an old world recipe from the midwest?? That would be great to do a modern twist on. 

So happy Molly and her sprinkles are gone. 

[docmatt]

2 hours ago, Frost said:

I still take exception to "cookie salad" being described as a Midwestern dish.  I've lived in Minnesota pretty much my entire life, have a ton of N Dakota relatives, and went to school in Wisconsin.  I have never heard of it.  Not at a single pot luck or wake or church dinner.

It may be eaten somewhere, but it is not a standard dish in any Midwestern gathering I've attended.

The Pioneer Woman has made it on her show. So apparently it is some upper class Oklahoma nonsense.

[libgirl2]

2 minutes ago, docmatt said:

The Pioneer Woman has made it on her show. So apparently it is some upper class Oklahoma nonsense.

I think I saw that. 

[carrps]

8 hours ago, libgirl2 said:

In all seriousness, I think when Romy walked off that final sprinkle challenge, TBH realized what a hot, streaming mess they had on their hands. 

I think I had PTSD flashbacks when I saw Alex's confetti.

[littlebennysmom]

6 hours ago, docmatt said:

The Pioneer Woman has made it on her show. So apparently it is some upper class Oklahoma nonsense.

The Pioneer Woman is the anti-thesis of upper class.  But somehow it works when paired with Oklahoma.

[CrazyInAlabama]

So, Petit Fours in the preheat.  Kate's might have tasted good, but the sides are bare.   Steven's looked like teeth at first glance, but apparently tasted wonderful.  Alex did an outstanding job.   Robert's looked icky, and the berry seeds were a big mistake.  Rochelle's aren't a great decorating job.  

I love the wreaths, none of the May poles looks that great, but I don't like that part of the challenge anyway.   Nickie's piping flowers for the first time was amazing. 

I would have piced Robert's wreath for the win. But congratulations to Kate on her win, she produced an interesting wreath, not an especially attractive one though. I didn't see how she won this week though.  Robert's decorating job was spectacular.     Nickie and Rochelle on the bottom.   Bye to Rochelle.  

 

I just saw an ad for "Next Baking Master-Paris" and it looks amazing.   Stephanie Boswell is so much fun, it looks like a great series.  

Edited April 9 by CrazyInAlabama

[storyskip]

In what universe does that purple monstrosity top the decorating efforts of any of the other five cakes?

Says it's the best tasting all you want but I didn't see a "flower" anywhere in that purple mess. 

[littlebennysmom]

May sound mean, but I cheered when they announced who would go home.  Finally put my finger on what my issue with that particular baker -- always felt like they were cringing at the challenges, their own work, etc and it was uncomfortable to watch.

[MerBearHou]

6 minutes ago, storyskip said:

In what universe does that purple monstrosity top the decorating efforts of any of the other five cakes?

Says it's the best tasting all you want but I didn't see a "flower" anywhere in that purple mess. 

Seriously!!  I couldn't believe she didn't get dinged for that purple mess but no, she won the episode!  

[Frost]

I'm glad Rochelle is finally gone.  I thought it was interesting that the judges dinged her for not trying hard enough in the preheats.  I didn't quite get Jesse's sports metaphor though.

I like everyone left so I don't really care who wins, although Alex is wonderful.

[mlp]

I think Kate must have won based upon her biscuits which did look delicious.  All the other wreaths looked better than her purple piping.  Or maybe they wanted to give everyone at least one win and this might have been her last chance.  

I hope Alex or Robert wins.

[libgirl2]

9 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

So, Petit Fours in the preheat.  Kate's might have tasted good, but the sides are bare.   Steven's looked like teeth at first glance, but apparently tasted wonderful.  Alex did an outstanding job.   Robert's looked icky, and the berry seeds were a big mistake.  Rochelle's aren't a great decorating job.  

I love the wreaths, none of the May poles looks that great, but I don't like that part of the challenge anyway.   Nickie's piping flowers for the first time was amazing. 

I would have piced Robert's wreath for the win. But congratulations to Kate on her win, she produced an interesting wreath, not an especially attractive one though. I didn't see how she won this week though.  Robert's decorating job was spectacular.     Nickie and Rochelle on the bottom.   Bye to Rochelle.  

 

I just saw an ad for "Next Baking Master-Paris" and it looks amazing.   Stephanie Boswell is so much fun, it looks like a great series.  

I thought the exact thing!!! 

9 hours ago, storyskip said:

In what universe does that purple monstrosity top the decorating efforts of any of the other five cakes?

Says it's the best tasting all you want but I didn't see a "flower" anywhere in that purple mess. 

I agree, they were not flowers. I thought it looked lovely but it didn't complete the challenge. I guess her biscuits got her the win. 

Edited April 9 by libgirl2

[Pi237]

13 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

Steven's looked like teeth  

I instantly thought of huge gums with teeth!  I would’ve loved to try all of those. I love little bite sized treats.

”There’s a holiday on the first day of May…it’s called May Day!”…cut to surprised “oh!” reaction shots🤣

Alex’s chocolate basket decoration was really clever. His was my favorite.

I actually liked Kate’s purple wreath, but Robert’s was much more balanced color-wise and prettier.  

The pole was such a dumb requirement. I laughed. 

[libgirl2]

5 minutes ago, Pi237 said:

The pole was such a dumb requirement. I laughed. 

At least it was a twist that didn't really work against anyone, but it was pretty dumb. 

[Pi237]

53 minutes ago, libgirl2 said:

At least it was a twist that didn't really work against anyone

So True! I shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth. 
 

 

[libgirl2]

6 minutes ago, Pi237 said:

So True! I shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth. 
 

 

Yea, they could have given them pickle juice or something equally as bad. A maypole? Meh, it didn't really add or take anything away. It was just there. None of them looked good. 

[RoxiP]

If they had extended the "ribbons" on the maypoles to the wreaths it might have looked more like its purpose. Alex at least used fondant to make actual strips instead of just slapping something on it.

[Frost]

Most of the petit fours looked horrible.  Either the sides weren't covered or the glaze was too thin.  The Great British Baking Show judges would have had scathing commentary.  Unless they edited it out, these judges were pretty forgiving.

[libgirl2]

1 minute ago, Frost said:

Most of the petit fours looked horrible.  Either the sides weren't covered or the glaze was too thin.  The Great British Baking Show judges would have had scathing commentary.  Unless they edited it out, these judges were pretty forgiving.

That is a good point. These wouldn't have flown on GBB. Alex's looked the best and even a few were wonky. 

[carrps]

The petit fours (all except Alex's) were awful.

The only wreath I wanted to eat was Caitlyn's. We always had biscuit shortcake when I was a kid. We always had it for my dad's bday because it was in May. Hate the spongy things.

[DanielleBowden]

I really like Kate's wreath.  I was afraid that the frosting to biscuit ratio was off and would overpower the delicious sounding biscuits. I think thought Alex should have won the episode.

[Rammchick]

It seems to me that Alex is in a very different class than the rest of the bakers.  His work always looks so polished, especially by comparison.

[tennisgurl]

I like Rochelle but she's so hit or miss it was inevitable that she wasn't going to make it. Its like all she could make are total winners and utter messes, which is too bad because when her bakes were good they were really good. 

The petit fours looked so off, the best ones just looked kind of dull, the worst looked like some kind of mutants that just crawled out of the sewer covered in radioactive sludge. I was surprised at how nice the judges were, on previous challenges it seems like they would have torn those apart.

Kate didn't really stand out to me at first but she's winning me over.

[libgirl2]

14 minutes ago, tennisgurl said:

I like Rochelle but she's so hit or miss it was inevitable that she wasn't going to make it. Its like all she could make are total winners and utter messes, which is too bad because when her bakes were good they were really good. 

The petit fours looked so off, the best ones just looked kind of dull, the worst looked like some kind of mutants that just crawled out of the sewer covered in radioactive sludge. I was surprised at how nice the judges were, on previous challenges it seems like they would have torn those apart.

Kate didn't really stand out to me at first but she's winning me over.

She didn't bother me at all. She had some great bakes but then there were one too many that weren't good. 

 

[joanne3482]

I really like Nicky. I was worried when she said she hadn't had a win yet she was going home this episode. I'm sure she's not going to win, but I do like her a lot. I think this is Alex's to lose. Maybe Stephen's. 

While I do like Nicky, I was a tad annoyed with her "I've never done buttercream flowers before" thing. You knew you were coming on the SPRING Baking show. You had to know piping would come into play. Why wouldn't you practice this before you came? If you're on The Amazing Race, you have to learn to drive a stick. If you're on the Challenge you have to learn to swim. If you're on a baking show you have to learn to pipe flowers. 

[libgirl2]

1 minute ago, joanne3482 said:

I really like Nicky. I was worried when she said she hadn't had a win yet she was going home this episode. I'm sure she's not going to win, but I do like her a lot. I think this is Alex's to lose. Maybe Stephen's. 

While I do like Nicky, I was a tad annoyed with her "I've never done buttercream flowers before" thing. You knew you were coming on the SPRING Baking show. You had to know piping would come into play. Why wouldn't you practice this before you came? If you're on The Amazing Race, you have to learn to drive a stick. If you're on the Challenge you have to learn to swim. If you're on a baking show you have to learn to pipe flowers. 

I like her  a lot but I agree, I don't think she will win. And yes, this is a spring baking show, flowers will probably come into play at some point. It is like being on the Holiday show and not knowing how to make a snowman. You need to do your homework if you are going to be on these shows. 

[dleighg]

On 4/8/2024 at 8:23 PM, CrazyInAlabama said:

Steven's looked like teeth at first glance

no kidding!

 

[Pi237]

1 hour ago, dleighg said:

no kidding!

 

Omg! Nightmare fuel 🤣

[carrps]

I like Nikki well enough, but I'm not really happy with her pushing the booze in last couple of episodes. Seems too much like buttering up Nancy. And did you see how much wine she put in her petit fours? Ergh. I was with Duff. For me, alcohol should be a flavor-enhancer, not as an overwhelming flavor of its own.

[kathyk2]

7 hours ago, carrps said:

I like Nikki well enough, but I'm not really happy with her pushing the booze in last couple of episodes. Seems too much like buttering up Nancy. And did you see how much wine she put in her petit fours? Ergh. I was with Duff. For me, alcohol should be a flavor-enhancer, not as an overwhelming flavor of its own.

I don't blame her. The baker Nancy likes usually wins so why not cater to her. IMO that's why they should rotate judges on the different baking shows. That new show in Paris sounds amazing.

[RoxiP]

Speaking of Nancy, I thought her hair looked very nice this episode.

[MamaGee]

Another speaking of Nancy, why is she continuing to wear that black eyeshadow?? It is so distracting. 

[Rammchick]

15 hours ago, MamaGee said:

Another speaking of Nancy, why is she continuing to wear that black eyeshadow?? It is so distracting. 

I hadn't noticed. I try my best not to look at her too much.

Another another speaking of Nancy, nothing sets my teeth on edge more than that stupid conducting the orchestra thing she does.  They showed her doing it in the preview but I never saw it in the actual show -- thank goodness.  I must've dozed off for a second.