Holiday Baking Championship - General Discussion

[Jillybean]

I like Adam, but this is the first time it seemed (to me) like he was auditioning for future Food Network opportunities, such as when he made a big show of chugging his champagne. His cake looked nice, but based on the judges comments I expected Sabrina to win even while knowing she wouldn't. They said she was the one who best met the challenge and they liked her decorating other than the missed opportunity for a black middle tier. Plus Nancy claimed to have gotten no raspberries. There were many more critical comments about both of the others. Adam is supremely talented but seemed to have been pre-ordained the winner from the jump.

[Rammchick]

I'm not someone who likes buttercream, so Jody's was a big no for me.  And why that artificial day-glo green when the real color of evergreen trees is already so lovely.  i see a lot of people on these baking shows do that and I never get why.  It makes the tree look like something out of Dr. Seuss.

I had to laugh when they said the lights on (can't remember which bake it was) looked like an afterthought.  Yep, they ARE an afterthought when they were introduced as a twist most of the way through the main heat.

Well Nancy, I hope you had enough HOLIDAY for one year.  Glad I don't have to see you again until next spring.

Edited December 21, 2021 by Rammchick

[libgirl2]

8 minutes ago, dleighg said:

In the pre-heat, I was kind of surprised that Adam just slid through. I thought his cookies looked very "homemade." I mean, they looked like the kind of things you'd find in the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. A nut bar, an almond crescent and the third was some kind of marshmallow on shortbread. 

The others looked much more "bakery" to me.

I thought he might be in trouble from the pre-heat. It seemed to me Jose was more successful. 

[Jess14]

17 minutes ago, libgirl2 said:

Adam's cake looked the best. Sabrina was really a missed opportunity. 

I agree that Adam’s cake looked the best, but I don’t really agree on Sabrina other than the color of the middle tier. If she had been able to figure out the black fondant, I could absolutely see that cake at black tie NYE party. 

[libgirl2]

Just now, Jess14 said:

I agree that Adam’s cake looked the best, but I don’t really agree on Sabrina other than the color of the middle tier. If she had been able to figure out the black fondant, I could absolutely see that cake at black tie NYE party. 

That is what I mean with Sabrina, it was missed because she didn't to that middle tier in black. 

[Guest]

I don't deny that Adam's win seemed like a bit of a foregone conclusion, and as a Sabrina booster it pains me to say this, but in defense of Adam's "simple" round and square cakes, I would say that his theme was gift wrapping so those shapes were kind of the obvious choice, but more importantly, the shapes weren't the main point. He did those techniques for the wrapping patterns on the two square gifts, the quilted pattern and studs on the round one, plus the giant bow and fancy tissue paper. So it wasn't as if he just plopped down a few basic shapes and called it a day.

But, as a Sabrina booster, I'll also say that I don't think there was anything wrong with doing a white and black tuxedo, once the black fondant didn't work out. Particularly in the 1940s-60s, a white tux with black trim was very popular, and to me seems more holiday-y (?) than a basic black tux. Now execution-wise it might not have been the best since it was a replacement option, but concept-wise, I preferred it greatly.

[libgirl2]

4 minutes ago, tracyscott76 said:

I don't deny that Adam's win seemed like a bit of a foregone conclusion, and as a Sabrina booster it pains me to say this, but in defense of Adam's "simple" round and square cakes, I would say that his theme was gift wrapping so those shapes were kind of the obvious choice, but more importantly, the shapes weren't the main point. He did those techniques for the wrapping patterns on the two square gifts, the quilted pattern and studs on the round one, plus the giant bow and fancy tissue paper. So it wasn't as if he just plopped down a few basic shapes and called it a day.

But, as a Sabrina booster, I'll also say that I don't think there was anything wrong with doing a white and black tuxedo, once the black fondant didn't work out. Particularly in the 1940s-60s, a white tux with black trim was very popular, and to me seems more holiday-y (?) than a basic black tux. Now execution-wise it might not have been the best since it was a replacement option, but concept-wise, I preferred it greatly.

But the tux wasn't really white, it was cream color. I don't know, to me it looked "missing". And of course the judges wanted a black tux.

[Zanzibar]

56 minutes ago, Jillybean said:

I like Adam, but this is the first time it seemed (to me) like he was auditioning for future Food Network opportunities, such as when he made a big show of chugging his champagne. His cake looked nice, but based on the judges comments I expected Sabrina to win even while knowing she wouldn't. They said she was the one who best met the challenge and they liked her decorating other than the missed opportunity for a black middle tier. Plus Nancy claimed to have gotten no raspberries. There were many more critical comments about both of the others. Adam is supremely talented but seemed to have been pre-ordained the winner from the jump.

As for Nancy and the raspberries, I swear they cut to her and her plate after she made that comment, and there was a smear of raspberry on her plate.

[libgirl2]

7 minutes ago, Zanzibar said:

As for Nancy and the raspberries, I swear they cut to her and her plate after she made that comment, and there was a smear of raspberry on her plate.

she also seemed to really go after Jody in the pre-heat. I never gave it much thought, but I don't like her very much. She seems awfully biased a lot of the time. 

Edited December 21, 2021 by libgirl2

[Guest]

34 minutes ago, libgirl2 said:

But the tux wasn't really white, it was cream color. I don't know, to me it looked "missing". And of course the judges wanted a black tux.

Well I'm using white as a short-hand term. Off-white, cream, Sabrina called it ivory, any of those are the kind of tux I'm talking about. I thought it was a happy accident that the black didn't work out. I'm not the final word, though!

[littlebennysmom]

As a person that knows practically nothing about baking, can someone here fill me in on how fondant is finished on a cake?  Sabrina's black fondant had a lot of white stuff on it when she attempted to apply it to her cake -- if it hadn't torn, how would she have removed the white stuff?

[MerBearHou]

I think Adam is just a very poised guy.  Sabrina has a cute, goofy side to her which I love -- it would be fun to know her.  Jody is his cute Irish self so compared to them, Adam seems stiff, but I do think he's a genuine, good fellow.  I would have been happy with any one of the final three winning, but IMO Adam is the most talented of the three and his final bake was beautiful.  

[rlc]

44 minutes ago, littlebennysmom said:

As a person that knows practically nothing about baking, can someone here fill me in on how fondant is finished on a cake?  Sabrina's black fondant had a lot of white stuff on it when she attempted to apply it to her cake -- if it hadn't torn, how would she have removed the white stuff?

You need to use either powdered sugar or corn starch when you roll out fondant (it is very sticky). You clean it up once it is on the cake. Adam's fondant looked very 'dusty' while he was applying it, but was clean and shiny in he final shots. Usually you spray the fondant with vodka once you are finished working with it. It evaporates, leaving the finished work clean and shiny. 

[proserpina65]

I really wanted Jody to win, but as soon as his cake started leaning, I knew he wouldn't.  I'm not sure what he could've done at that point to fix it or make the lean look deliberate, though.

Sabrina's cake looked nice, but the champagne pouring out of the glass thing didn't work, imo.

Adam's cake was beautiful, and when the only criticisms were the layers not quite lining up and the lights not being used well enough, I knew he'd win.  They had nothing bad to say about the look, texture or flavor of his cake (except for maybe too thick ganache, which is not possible imo), only compliments.

This was a great season to watch.  There wasn't anyone I didn't like at all, and while my favorite didn't win, I wasn't unhappy with the winner since his final performance was clearly the best of the three.  More seasons like this, please.

14 hours ago, tracyscott76 said:

Well I was rooting for Sabrina of course, but Adam's cake looked great so I'm fine with the result.  I really liked Sabrina's, too. Poor Jody, though. He seemed a little embarrassed, but rolled with the teasing well.

That light twist had to be one of the more half-assed twists they've come up with. I agree with the judges that Sabrina worked it in the best, but can't blame Adam for just kind of draping it. What else was he supposed to do?

At least they didn't have to create the lights themselves, I guess, but springing that on them with less than 2 hours to go really stank.

10 hours ago, susannah said:

while they liked Jody's and Sabrina's quite a bit

They said Jody's cake was too dry and didn't have enough cherry filling, and they thought Sabrina's was light on razzberry filling as well.

3 hours ago, Dirtybubble said:

Yay for Adam though I thought the finger smudges on a white cake where a big NO-NO! 

Duff said they were but then admitted that he couldn't have done that tufting effect nearly as well.

2 hours ago, dleighg said:

In the pre-heat, I was kind of surprised that Adam just slid through. I thought his cookies looked very "homemade." I mean, they looked like the kind of things you'd find in the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. A nut bar, an almond crescent and the third was some kind of marshmallow on shortbread. 

The others looked much more "bakery" to me.

True, but his cookies and sauces apparently tasted better than Sabrina's or Jose's according to the judges' comments.

2 hours ago, Jillybean said:

They said she was the one who best met the challenge

I thought they said she best met the challenge of the light twist, not the overall challenge.

[rlc]

Adam was the clear winner as far as I'm concerned, but I wish they gave the bakers more time for the final challenge. I was troubled by how thick Sabrina and Jody's cake layers were. Even if they hadn't dealt with other issues which ultimately put them below Adam, their cakes lacked finesse, and were not a true reflection of the work they had done all season.  Unlike many others on this board, I've liked Adam all season. If he seemed to be the prechosen winner, to me it was because he was the most solid contestant. He is clearly a talented cook as well as baker- he works with a speed and efficiency that you see in the best line cooks/chefs. And I call total BS on Duff saying that Adam's chocolate cake was too chocolaty.  

Anyway, I found the entire season quite enjoyable.

[jrzy]

2 hours ago, MerBearHou said:

I think Adam is just a very poised guy.  Sabrina has a cute, goofy side to her which I love -- it would be fun to know her.  Jody is his cute Irish self so compared to them, Adam seems stiff, but I do think he's a genuine, good fellow.  I would have been happy with any one of the final three winning, but IMO Adam is the most talented of the three and his final bake was beautiful.  

Yeah,  I am not mad at Adam winning, he really was the best and most consistant during the entire competition.  That being said,  I hope the Network offers Jody a job! 

[CrazyInAlabama]

I think they should have given them more time.   Five hours seems like a lot of time to bake and decorate, but it really isn't enough.      I can't believe Jody didn't use dowels to support the cake.  

Adam was the right choice, but I still think that more time would have been better.    I really think they should let all four compete too.   

[tennisgurl]

I guessed early on that Adam would win, and when Jody's cake started leaning I knew he was out of the running. I was rooting for Sabrina, but I really liked all three final bakers, any of them would have been a much deserved win. I know that Adam rubs people the wrong way, but I think he seems like a perfectly nice guy, just more reserved then Sabrina and Jody, and his final cake looked amazing. Those details! Its been a really strong group overall, but Adam has been at the top since day one. 

The lights as the finale twist was even lamer then most twists, what are they supposed to do besides wrap them around the cake? Bake them inside the things? 

[Guest]

After the first episode, someone here commented on Adam having a radio announcer's voice, and I wonder if that is somehow affecting some people's impression of him. He often really does sound like he's reading off a script, which might make him sound rehearsed - but I don't think he is. I think that's just the natural cadence of his voice. (And of course in their talking heads, they're all kind of reading off a script.)

[starlightlost]

4 hours ago, littlebennysmom said:

As a person that knows practically nothing about baking, can someone here fill me in on how fondant is finished on a cake?  Sabrina's black fondant had a lot of white stuff on it when she attempted to apply it to her cake -- if it hadn't torn, how would she have removed the white stuff?

 

A lot of bakers will get out a steamer and move it all over the fondant. Gets rid of the white from powdered sugar really quick.

 

And I have to disagree with whoever said putting fondant on a round cake is easy. It gets easier with practice but it takes a lot of time to get it perfectly smooth. And square cakes look super easy but are definitely not!

[CheshireCat]

11 hours ago, susannah said:

Now I respectfully disagree! I don't know why square cakes would not stay square or stack as nicely as round ones. 

When you put buttercream on the outside you have to put the same amount on every side and you have to smooth it out evenly, so the cake doesn't taper down anywhere. I imagine that it's something he normally doesn't have a problem with but when under pressure, it's not something that you can pay much attention to. He would also have needed to make sure the edges aren't too sharp so they don't poke through the fondant.

That said, a flat square is easier to cover than a taller square.

[Grizzly]

Am I the only one who feels cheated of seeing Jesse in a tux?

[RoxiP]

16 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

I loved Carla’s sequined dress.

I thought the dress was beautiful but then she had to go and pair it up with a pair of opaque black hose which totally distracted from the dress in my opinion.

[HyeChaps]

In a previous life, Carla was a fashion model.  They used to show her photos on The Chew.

[Defiantbubble]

So obviously we all knew Adam would win - it’s been obvious that’s the direction they were going in from the beginning. Nancy clearly favors him…you could tell Duff wasn’t a fan this episode and Nancy just kept going with “nope, he’s great.” But what I think is super annoying to me is that neither Adam or Jody’s cake met the theme, in my mind. Jody’s cake was a (poorly) decorated tree with a box of ornaments. (His was a hot mess and I knew it was going to be the second we saw the sketch - he’s usually so impressive but man, that was bad). Adam’s looked like 3 stacked gifts with some tissue paper. Neither one looked like an in-progress party….I would have far preferred if Jody did a flat cake with a smaller tree in the center and then, on top of the flat cake at the base of the tree, put ornaments and tinsel or whatever strewn around to look like someone was actually in the middle of decorating. Same with Adam…I get that it was supposed to look like wrapping paper, but it just looked like wrapped gifts, not someone actually doing the wrapping. (I also wasn’t a fan of his designs on his wrapping paper - the buttercream snowflakes looked messy in the up-close shots and the trees on the green layer just looked “meh.”) Why not decorate it to look like one present being wrapped with bows and tape and a To: From label sitting around? I mean, I’m no decorator, but there is no part of me that would have associated either of their cakes with a party of any type. Sabrina’s was the only one that was actually like, yeah, I can see this as a party. 

[bilgistic]

5 hours ago, tracyscott76 said:

After the first episode, someone here commented on Adam having a radio announcer's voice, and I wonder if that is somehow affecting some people's impression of him. He often really does sound like he's reading off a script, which might make him sound rehearsed - but I don't think he is. I think that's just the natural cadence of his voice. (And of course in their talking heads, they're all kind of reading off a script.)

For me, it was his constant sneering. He looks like a rich villain in a 1980s ski resort movie.

[susannah]

6 hours ago, starlightlost said:

 

A lot of bakers will get out a steamer and move it all over the fondant. Gets rid of the white from powdered sugar really quick.

 

And I have to disagree with whoever said putting fondant on a round cake is easy. It gets easier with practice but it takes a lot of time to get it perfectly smooth. And square cakes look super easy but are definitely not!

I said it sure wouldn't be easy for me, but an experienced baker shouldn't have a problem with it. I also don't know why square cakes aren't easy enough for again, experienced bakers.

[CrazyInAlabama]

This has had so many seasons, so the ones who really want to win should have practiced doing a several tier show piece, using dowels, fondant, and some techniques that they could use for a theme cake for the final episode.     The bakers should come to the show after being able to do a pie, some other desserts, a tiered cake, and have them turn out consistently.    Hasn't every season ended with a final tiered show piece cake?     Practice that a few times at home.   

[CheshireCat]

8 hours ago, Defiantbubble said:

So obviously we all knew Adam would win - it’s been obvious that’s the direction they were going in from the beginning. Nancy clearly favors him…you could tell Duff wasn’t a fan this episode and Nancy just kept going with “nope, he’s great.”

Yeah, did anyone else catch Duff's "shocker" when he criticized Adam's cake and she said she disagreed? That sounded like there was some friction between the two, at least, where Adam was concerned.

[RoxiP]

Duff and his fellow judges have done the "shocker" somebody is disagreeing for as long as they've been on the panel together.  It used to be Duff and the British woman judge (whose name has escaped me for this moment - Elaine?).  

I didn't find Adam sneery - I think he has a fairly expressive face and quite honestly think he has really nice eyes.  Jody just went totally off track - the color of the tree was enough to make him lose in my opinion.  I thought Sabrina's cake looked fine but to be honest today I can't remember anything distinctive about it except that she had a champagne glass on top of it.  On the other hand I remember the details in Adam's top layer, and he used several different techniques on the other layers which was impressive given that all three of the contestants are given the same amount of time and he is the only one who showed such a range of techniques.  Okay, I just remembered Sabrina's cake.  I didn't get the party dress bottom layer at all until she explained it.  The tux idea was really cute but the cream fondant with the strip of white buttons cheapened it.  Why didn't she just go back and redo the black fondant?

[TVbitch]

Bummer. I was expecting all three would do a great job in the finale.

Jody had a really off day. Bad design, unappealing color, and while the lights twist clearly favored him, he didn't even do that part well! 

Sabrina's was not polished. I guess she needed more time. Even the pearl necklace on the bottom was all wonky. 

Adam's was the clear winner on the day. The judges worked valiantly to make it not look like a landslide. 

Edited December 22, 2021 by TVbitch

[AZChristian]

I am addicted to the Great British Bake Off.  Their contestants have to be home bakers; professionals are NOT allowed.

While watching the finale on Holiday Baking Championship, I was surprised that the contestants (some of whom are professional bakers) had such problems with the time.  Yes, they were huge cakes, but look at this list of what the contestants on one finale of GBBO had to produce in the same five hours as the folks were given to produce one cake.

"The bakers were given five hours to make a picnic fit for the Queen, including one chocolate celebration cake, 12 sausage rolls, 12 mini quiches, 12 savoury scones and 12 fruit and custard tarts."

And they had to do it in a tent, subject to weather variances, not in a huge air-conditioned studio.

(Not trying to disrespect the American bakers, just comparing.)

[Guest]

33 minutes ago, RoxiP said:

Duff and his fellow judges have done the "shocker" somebody is disagreeing for as long as they've been on the panel together.  It used to be Duff and the British woman judge (whose name has escaped me for this moment - Elaine?).  

Lorraine.

But agreed, the "shocker" comment is just a gag at this point and not a significant indicator of any real disagreement among the judges.

[rlc]

52 minutes ago, RoxiP said:

Duff and his fellow judges have done the "shocker" somebody is disagreeing for as long as they've been on the panel together.  It used to be Duff and the British woman judge (whose name has escaped me for this moment - Elaine?). 

Lorraine Pascale. I miss her teeny tiny bites, and her overall not Nancyness.

[RoxiP]

6 minutes ago, rlc said:

Lorraine Pascale. I miss her teeny tiny bites, and her overall not Nancyness.

Thank you...I knew Elaine wasn't quite right but I hadn't had enough coffee this morning to clear out the fog in my brain!

[libgirl2]

12 minutes ago, rlc said:

Lorraine Pascale. I miss her teeny tiny bites, and her overall not Nancyness.

I prefer her over Nancy. 

[MerBearHou]

I am the exact opposite.  Lorraine was never one I enjoyed watching.  I like this trio of judges.

[proserpina65]

22 hours ago, rlc said:

And I call total BS on Duff saying that Adam's chocolate cake was too chocolaty.  

I have yet to encounter any such creature as a too chocolatey chocolate cake.

16 hours ago, HyeChaps said:

In a previous life, Carla was a fashion model.  They used to show her photos on The Chew.

With her height, she probably looked fantastic on a runway.

2 hours ago, AZChristian said:

While watching the finale on Holiday Baking Championship, I was surprised that the contestants (some of whom are professional bakers) had such problems with the time.  Yes, they were huge cakes, but look at this list of what the contestants on one finale of GBBO had to produce in the same five hours as the folks were given to produce one cake.

I think because they are professionals, the judges expect a higher level of execution than they would from a home baker.  Plus, they are used to have much longer to do cakes like these in their businesses.  5 hours to do a professional quality multi-tier cake is ridiculously short compared to the time they'd usually have.  Making that adjustment can be tricky.

[susannah]

6 hours ago, proserpina65 said:

I have yet to encounter any such creature as a too chocolatey chocolate cake.

With her height, she probably looked fantastic on a runway.

I think because they are professionals, the judges expect a higher level of execution than they would from a home baker.  Plus, they are used to have much longer to do cakes like these in their businesses.  5 hours to do a professional quality multi-tier cake is ridiculously short compared to the time they'd usually have.  Making that adjustment can be tricky.

As well the judges should.  They aren't asking the bakers to make a cake that they would sell for hundreds of dollars, but to make one that satisfies the challenges. I don't understand how professional bakers have such difficulty making things that they should be able to do in their sleep, and then have more time to focus on the challenge. Of course it's very hard, it's not supposed to be easy, with that kind of prize money. I have seen so many bakers just throw something on the plate when the time is up. I don't get it.

[Guest]

1 hour ago, susannah said:

As well the judges should.  They aren't asking the bakers to make a cake that they would sell for hundreds of dollars, but to make one that satisfies the challenges. I don't understand how professional bakers have such difficulty making things that they should be able to do in their sleep, and then have more time to focus on the challenge. Of course it's very hard, it's not supposed to be easy, with that kind of prize money. I have seen so many bakers just throw something on the plate when the time is up. I don't get it.

It's one thing to be a professional baker. It's another to produce results while working against a ticking clock, not being in their own familiar kitchen, having cameras in their face and being asked to talk about what they're doing at inconvenient moments. In that kind of environment, very few professionals could work as smoothly as they would in "normal" circumstances. Things are going to go wrong, and that can easily throw them off their game and affect the outcome because that clock and that camera are always there staring them in the face. If problems persist, sometimes there's no option but to "just throw something on the plate when the time is up." I give them a lot of credit for producing what they do, even if it isn't perfect.

[mojoween]

Jody made macarons in two hours.  No one tell Stephanie from the Halloween Baking Championship.

While I am very very sad that Jody didn’t win, I cannot fault at all the judges decision.  Adam is clearly very talented.

This really was my favorite season ever.  It’s funny though, that each elimination felt like the right one.  I also laughed when I watched the behind the scenes show (and more of THAT, please) when they showed Grace because her elim was approximately ten years ago.

[susannah]

1 hour ago, tracyscott76 said:

It's one thing to be a professional baker. It's another to produce results while working against a ticking clock, not being in their own familiar kitchen, having cameras in their face and being asked to talk about what they're doing at inconvenient moments. In that kind of environment, very few professionals could work as smoothly as they would in "normal" circumstances. Things are going to go wrong, and that can easily throw them off their game and affect the outcome because that clock and that camera are always there staring them in the face. If problems persist, sometimes there's no option but to "just throw something on the plate when the time is up." I give them a lot of credit for producing what they do, even if it isn't perfect.

I get your point, but I used to watch Duff's Ace of Cakes, and they showed that things went wrong all the time, sometimes really really wrong, and often they were on the clock with delivery deadlines. I will say though that in a bakery, bakers usually have help, and, as you said, it is their own surroundings and equipment. I find it odd that bakers on the show, adults and kids, seem often to have such trouble with the ovens and baking times, but I guess all ovens are different.

3 minutes ago, mojoween said:

Jody made macarons in two hours.  No one tell Stephanie from the Halloween Baking Championship.

While I am very very sad that Jody didn’t win, I cannot fault at all the judges decision.  Adam is clearly very talented.

This really was my favorite season ever.  It’s funny though, that each elimination felt like the right one.  I also laughed when I watched the behind the scenes show (and more of THAT, please) when they showed Grace because her elim was approximately ten years ago.

I guess I missed the behind the scenes show! Speaking of Duff, he and Val will be back with new season Dec 27.

[theatremouse]

On 12/21/2021 at 7:36 AM, Rammchick said:

And why that artificial day-glo green when the real color of evergreen trees is already so lovely.  i see a lot of people on these baking shows do that and I never get why.  It makes the tree look like something out of Dr. Seuss.

Because if you put enough food coloring in buttercream to make it forest green, you'll taste the coloring and it does not taste good. At all.

[CheshireCat]

2 hours ago, tracyscott76 said:

It's one thing to be a professional baker. It's another to produce results while working against a ticking clock, not being in their own familiar kitchen, having cameras in their face and being asked to talk about what they're doing at inconvenient moments.

Plus, the spotlights likely make the kitchen much warmer than they're used to.

 

4 minutes ago, theatremouse said:

Because if you put enough food coloring in buttercream to make it forest green, you'll taste the coloring and it does not taste good. At all.

There are different greens, though, and I'm pretty sure that he could have put the whole bottle in and it wouldn't have turned forest green or evergreen green.

That said, I have no idea if they provide the proper green.

[trudysmom]

On 12/21/2021 at 1:13 AM, GaT said:

What was he thinking?

Right?  It broke my heart. IIRCC he said at one point in the season he's not a 'cake decorator' more of a pastry chef, I think that was him.  I thought at the time well kiss the championship goodbye, boy-o, a huge ass cake is coming up in the finale.  At the very LEAST, it should not have been leaning like that. 

[Rammchick]

12 hours ago, theatremouse said:

Because if you put enough food coloring in buttercream to make it forest green, you'll taste the coloring and it does not taste good. At all.

Gotcha.  But surely a more subtle green is achievable, and would use less coloring as well.

[HyeChaps]

I would put Adam’s winning cake right up there with past winner Jason and the one who won with the six geese a laying. 

[bkathi]

1 minute ago, HyeChaps said:

I would put Adam’s winning cake right up there with past winner Jason and the one who won with the six geese a laying. 

Jen (geese lady) - was on this year's Holiday Wars

Spoiler

Her team won.

 

[Suzn]

I had Adam picked as the winner on the first episode with Jody as a possible one.  Jody was my favorite and I don't understand how he went so wrong with the leaning cake.  I would expect there to be dowels available to stabilize the cakes.  Also, I agree that the green needed to be toned down; a little blue could have helped.  So, it was right that Adam won, but I hope we see more of Jody.

I am sick of Nancy.  Her yammering on and on about whether things are holiday enough is tiresome.  She seems to have the most power of the three and I really don't trust her taste or judgement.

[RoxiP]

Perhaps air brushing the cake would have served Jody better?