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Spring Baking Championship - General Discussion

Aethera

By Aethera
in Spring Baking Championship

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MyMaui
MyMaui

This was the final straw.  Sprinkles, It had to be her stupid sprinkles. I'm glad he stood up and said enough of this crap.  And the nerve for her to say the stress of the competition.  No, it wasn't

emmawoodhouse
emmawoodhouse

Romy is my hero. Fuck the sprinkles! 😃

MerBearHou
MerBearHou

I thought y’all would enjoy this — I’ve literally never sought out a cook or baker from FN on Instagram, but earlier today I felt compelled to find Justin from SBC.  I found him quickly — there were s

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libgirl2

libgirl2

(edited)
59 minutes ago, RoxiP said:

If Nancy retired what would people have to complain about?

Hard to believe we are already thinking of spring!

I know but I'm very happy. We are going to get an ice storm this week. Its my day to work late and I'm using a cane after hip replacement. I'm not looking forward to it. 

Edited by libgirl2
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DEL901

DEL901

55 minutes ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

Yes, Jesse hosting, and Duff, Nancy and Kardea judging.   

Here's a link to the 13 contestants:

https://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/spring-baking-championship/meet-the-competitors-of-spring-baking-championship-season-eleven

Jesse was co-hosting the Oscars pre show yesterday.  He is getting around.  Three Baking Championships, Four Bachelor Franchise shows and his Football commentating and now the Oscars. 

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jcbrown

jcbrown

23 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

Yes, Jesse hosting, and Duff, Nancy and Kardea judging.   

Here's a link to the 13 contestants:

https://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/spring-baking-championship/meet-the-competitors-of-spring-baking-championship-season-eleven

Thanks for this. Paul Feybesse is married to Monique Feybesse, who was a Top Chef contestant in 2022 and they have a bakery here in the Bay Area. I'm interested to see how he does.

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CrazyInAlabama

CrazyInAlabama

(edited)

S11.E01 "Welcome to the Little Shop of Spring Magic"

New, 3/10/2025.    (2 hour premiere).

"Host Jesse Palmer welcomes 13 bakers to a whimsical kitchen filled with magical possibilities, where creativity knows no bounds. With just two hours on the clock, the competitors must craft a flower-themed dessert that reflects their unique personalities. From delicate petals to vibrant blooms, each baker uses flavor, texture and design to create a dessert that's as personal as it is beautiful. Then, inspired by the magic of bees making honey, the bakers make showstopping honey pies for judges Duff Goldman, Kardea Brown and Nancy Fuller using an assigned honey, infusing both the flavor and presentation with a touch of magic. Each pie must feature intricate bee-inspired decorations, from honeycomb candy to spun sugar and brittle, all showcasing the versatility of honey in both taste and décor."

I love the opening illustrations.  Jesse steps out of the Magic Machine.  Little Shop of Spring Magic is the theme for this season.  First time starting with 13 bakers. Still only $25,000 prize. 

13 Bakers: (I only put a last name when it's relevant to their story)

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

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

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

Lauren -New Jersey. Chocolatier and pastry chef. 

Julian - Sacramento  Newlywed and pastry chef, lovely desserts. 

Corey -Washington, D.C. Wants Nancy to be so happy she conducts music. 

Jamie-San Mateo CA. Grew up in Hawai'i, loves tropical flavors.  Cake business. 

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

Kari -San Diego.  Seven years clean and sober.  

Lisa -Boston. Catering company chef. 

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

Mary-Frances-Calgary, Alberta.  Culinary instructor. 

Stacy -New Jersey. Pastry chef, loves Duff. 

Preheat challenge-Flower themed dessert reflecting their personalities.Bakers pick the flower that represents them. Each week the preheat winner gets a gift basket, either money, ingredients, extra time, or immunity.  Jesse's Dad jokes are back. Julian-Messy but adorable. Stacy-Lovely dessert, fan girls over Duff. Priya-lovely sugar work and chocolate work. Julian-Lovely Daisy Tres Leches, needs better time management.  Corey-Beautiful dessert. Saucing sphere looks gorgeous  Jamie-Spectacular plumeria decor. Lauren-blondie is dry, great decor. Lisa-Great flavor, lemon and lavendar are stellar.  Paul-Pavlova, great flavor. Raveena-Rose box is beautiful. Judges love it. Kari-Strawberry lemon shortcake. Innovative design, and great taste. Mary-Frances-Spectactular design, great design. Too tart. Jon'nae-Looks lovely, Lime overpowers everything. 

Winner- Priya  (Receives five minutes extra in the elimination challenge in the gift basket)

Elimination-Honey pies with a bee themed decor, and various flavors of honey, with a 3-D bee element. Kardea and Nancy are the two queen bees with hideous wigs. Julian's is spectacular. Lisa's decorating is spectacular. Corey-Gets Nancy conducting music. Raveena decorating is cute. Paul's is fantastic decorating, but not enough honey. Stacy's decorating is cute. Mary-Frances-Very tart and sour.  Lauren't is cute. Kari's is beautiful. Jamie-Cute pie decor, but crust is bad. Jon'Nae's is cute,  not enough banana.    

Top Two:   Kari and Julian

Winner: Kari

Bottom Two: Jamie and Kareem (I think Mary-Frances should have been in the bottom two)

Eliminated: Lauren left early, so no other eliminations. 

 

Edited by CrazyInAlabama
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Frost

Frost

I hate it when the judges are rooting for a specific baker.  Why is Kareem more deserving than any of the other bakers?  I hope he goes home next week.  Both his pre-heat and main bake were failures.  Are marigold's edible?  Kareem put real flowers on his pie but the judges never mentioned that everything must be edible.

I wonder what happened to Lauren?  Too many to have a favorite yet.

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MerBearHou

MerBearHou

(edited)

Lots of sub-par bakes here at the beginning.  So glad Julian did so well in the main heat — unique, well-done.  It’s very dear that Kareem learned from his grandfather and YouTube and respect he loves baking so much, but he is way out of his element here, at least from what we’ve seen tonight.  Like Duff, I was enchanted by the chocolate tree with the spun sugar all around it in the pre-heat (don’t know the baker’s name).  

Edited by MerBearHou
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Grizzly

Grizzly

They didn't say why Lauren left. Her voice was super grating to my ears so I'm not complaining. I hope Paul does well. He wasn't classicly trained in pastry but Frenchmen have pate de creme running through their veins. The pastry instructor isn't starting off well. Mary-Frances, I think her name is. If the judges are begging you to taste before plating, you're not lasting long. I love silk pie so I hope that woman in recovery does well.

22 minutes ago, MerBearHou said:

Like Duff, I was enchanted by the chocolate tree with the spun sugar all around it in the pre-heat (don’t know the baker’s name).  

That was Priya. She does gorgeous stuff.

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libgirl2

libgirl2

8 hours ago, Frost said:

I hate it when the judges are rooting for a specific baker.  Why is Kareem more deserving than any of the other bakers?  I hope he goes home next week.  Both his pre-heat and main bake were failures.  Are marigold's edible?  Kareem put real flowers on his pie but the judges never mentioned that everything must be edible.

I wonder what happened to Lauren?  Too many to have a favorite yet.

I don't think it was so much them rooting for him, it was more that they know he is in over his head and I"m sure they thought he would be the first to go. 

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CrazyInAlabama

CrazyInAlabama

(edited)

I couldn't believe Mary-Frances wasn't on the boot list, her dessert sounded horrible.     However, I bet the show already knew Lauren was leaving, and just picked the worst out of some not great desserts.    I think they're keeping Mary Frances for the drama, but she'll be gone soon. 

(Sending Lauren my best.  It was a good thing to leave if she felt unwell at all. )

Edited by CrazyInAlabama
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tv echo

tv echo

(edited)

If you want to match faces to names...

Get to Know the Bakers Competing in 'Spring Baking Championshiop' Season 11
By: Susan Hall
https://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/spring-baking-championship/meet-the-competitors-of-spring-baking-championship-season-eleven 


Spring Baking Championship Season 11 episode 1 recap: Buzzing with spring magic
By Cristine Struble  March 10, 2025
https://foodsided.com/spring-baking-championship-season-11-episode-1-recap 

Quote

In a twist that no one saw coming, neither baker was eliminated. Lauren decided to leave the competition. Therefore, neither of the two bottom bakers were sent home.

Edited by tv echo
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tv echo

tv echo

(edited)

Lauren Klein Left 'Spring Baking Championship' Early, Preventing an Elimination
By Joseph Allen   March 11 2025
https://www.distractify.com/p/why-did-lauren-leave-spring-baking-championship 

Quote

Lauren left Spring Baking Championship because she fell ill.

"I got sick and was unable to continue. I got a glowing review from Duff though and made my grandma proud," she explained in a comment on Instagram.

Fortunately, it doesn't seem like it was a serious illness, but filming for these shows can be grueling and stressful, and contestants have sometimes had to bow out when they aren't feeling their best.

We don't have any more detail on the precise nature of Lauren's illness, but she has wholeheartedly promoted the show in spite of her limited appearance on it.

Edited by tv echo
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mlp

mlp

Off to an interesting start.  I liked Priya right away and she looks like she may go far.  I also liked Kareem but I doubt he'll last much longer.  He just doesn't have the knowledge and skills of most of the others.  I don't care what life problems Kari has had to overcome and I was put off by her introducing herself the way she did but I have to admit that her winning pie was impressive.

I think having the first episode be two hours long is a good idea because it gives them time to introduce all the contestants and show us a little bit of their personalities.  

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Pi237

Pi237

So far, no one annoys me lol. I like the woman in recovery, but that’s enough mentioning it now, move on. 
 

Spun sugar tree was so charming. And the one Duff said it look like a stage and the bees would put on a play was super cute.  Too many people and deserts for me to remember, but I enjoyed everyone. Glad the one dude got his ‘orchestration’ from Nancy, But let’s not do that again for a while cuz it’s corny. 
 

So, just hide the pistachios and raise that weak prize amount and we’re golden! 

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libgirl2

libgirl2

34 minutes ago, Pi237 said:

So far, no one annoys me lol. I like the woman in recovery, but that’s enough mentioning it now, move on. 
 

Spun sugar tree was so charming. And the one Duff said it look like a stage and the bees would put on a play was super cute.  Too many people and deserts for me to remember, but I enjoyed everyone. Glad the one dude got his ‘orchestration’ from Nancy, But let’s not do that again for a while cuz it’s corny. 
 

So, just hide the pistachios and raise that weak prize amount and we’re golden! 

I like her too and am happy for her but yes, I hope we don't have to hear that every episode. 

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carrps

carrps

I really don't think Priya looks all that much like Mindy Kaling. Yes, they're both South Asian women, and Priya wears her hair in a style that Mindy wore for a while. But her voice occasionally drifted into imitation, and it very mildly annoyed me. If I ever ran into her on the street, I'd never confuse her with MK.

Yeah, I get tired of the judges liking a chef (looking at you, Kareem) and giving them break after break and tons of hints and basic instructions. Just cut the dead wood. Besides his Quick Fire (whatever) bake looked like a toilet. Once I saw it, I couldn't un-see it.

Mary Frances didn't annoy me that much, but I don't think she's going to last long. I was scared for Jamie, because I like her. Who's the other short woman? I like her, too, and her pie looked yummy to me.

So, is there such a thing as a "Honey Pie?" Yeah, there are pies made with honey, but I've never heard of a honey pie, per se. This whole season is looking like it's going to be excessively and aggresively twee. Not my thing. At least, Nancy was not as objectionable (to me) as she can be in this episode. Hopefully, that's a trend that continues.

 

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tennisgurl

tennisgurl

(edited)

We're back, just in time for the sun to finally return! I like the Little Shop of Spring Magic,it's very cute and whimsical, and I am always here for Jessie. We have a pretty strong group of bakers here now and no one annoys me yet. It feels like we have either great bakers or poor bakers, not a lot in the middle, but the good bakers are really good so far. 

The judges clearly like Kareem's vibes but his bakes were just not that great, it seems like they frequently have at least one person who they like as a person more than as a baker who spiral the drain a bit longer than they should, but its early days and he was hardly the worst of the bunch. 

Prya might be an early favorite, her bee cake was adorable, it really did look like the cute bees were putting on a cute play. I also really liked the more layered bee cake, that looked great and sounds like it was really tasty.

I like the French guy, but part of me wanting him around is shallow, it gives Jessie an excuse to speak French! Merci!

Edited by tennisgurl
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CalicoKitty

CalicoKitty

I guess I'm all alone, but I really don't like Jesse.  Sometimes his jokes and antics are just too much for me.  I will say that he is a definite improvement over a past host, but I keep thinking that there must be someone better in the Food Network universe.  Although, there are people that would be much worse.  There are a couple of people that I just won't watch.  At least I can leave the TV on with Jesse as the host.  I watch to see the bakers and the food, not to see a person that thinks he is funny.

Some of the bakes this week were amazing for week 1.  I think this will be a good season.

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libgirl2

libgirl2

6 hours ago, CalicoKitty said:

I guess I'm all alone, but I really don't like Jesse.  Sometimes his jokes and antics are just too much for me.  I will say that he is a definite improvement over a past host, but I keep thinking that there must be someone better in the Food Network universe.  Although, there are people that would be much worse.  There are a couple of people that I just won't watch.  At least I can leave the TV on with Jesse as the host.  I watch to see the bakers and the food, not to see a person that thinks he is funny.

Some of the bakes this week were amazing for week 1.  I think this will be a good season.

I have a co-worker who doesn't like him so you are not alone. 

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