Holiday Baking Championship - General Discussion

[libgirl2]

5 hours ago, mlp said:

I liked all four finalists so I woulld have been happy with any of them winning.  I was rooting for Rolf all season but, in the end, I thought Steven earned his win.  His cottage was really cute and neatly done.  I didn't have any problem with him using graham crackers on the roof because, as Duff said, that's what people making gingerbread houses at home do.  They use what they have.  It looked authentic.  The important things were the representation of theme and the cake inside and Steven nailed both.  I'm glad he won.

It had to look like a gingerbread house, be neat and clean and taste good. His hit all three. I was happy for him. He peaked at the right time. I could see his or Rafi's on a holiday table. Rafi's was gorgeous but missed a bit of the whimsical you want with a gingerbread house. 

[rlc]

Premade graham crackers for $25,000? Nope. Nice enough guy, but it should have been Rafi. Rafi is probably just happy that it wasn’t Rolf. I don’t understand why they don’t just give them 8 hours to complete the challenge. How many times did Steven use chocolate/hazelnut/orange this season?

[KayVeeTeeVee]

1 hour ago, rlc said:

Premade graham crackers for $25,000? Nope. Nice enough guy, but it should have been Rafi. Rafi is probably just happy that it wasn’t Rolf. I don’t understand why they don’t just give them 8 hours to complete the challenge. How many times did Steven use chocolate/hazelnut/orange this season?

Rafi rubbed me the wrong way all season, so I'm happy he didn't finish first.  All of the bakers made flavors they'd used before; Rolf raspberries, Natasha, peanut butter and chocolate . . .  yet no judge mention that, even though they'd all been warned to use different flavors.  Maybe I'm misremembering?

[dleighg]

On the first challenge I was bemused by how many people added additional flavors to whatever the "goal" flavor was. Why Why Why? I think Natasha particularly did that. Is it really desirable to have orange AND pistachio AND almond AND blueberry AND lavender (I kind of made that up but you get the idea)

[mojoween]

I’m not mad that Steven won; he grew on me from the beginning when he was a little much.  But I’m not jumping for joy about it either because I liked all of the other three way more.

Steven truly did have the easiest shape to make.  As soon as the judges went gaga over his design the outcome was no surprise.

We do have this in common - I have never tasted eggnog either.

When Rolf got to sit out the next challenge it was so cute how he sat at the gingerbread table and immediately started seriously decorating one.

[proserpina65]

More thoughts later, but here are two right now:

I knew Stephen was the winner when the judges had almost no criticism of his cake at all.

No one on this show, judges, contestants, producers, have ever seen an actual Tudor house, because as much as I loved Raffi, his cake barely resembled one.

[Snarkastikate]

Judging has always been uneven. Enough bourbon for Nancy is too much for the others.  Carla loves lemon pucker, the others don't.  I think every tasting should be blind like the cookie challenge was.  The judges often judge on personality who they like & it became clear at a certain point that despite some unsuccessful bakes & some fair to middling bakes, the sweet underdog home baker was gonna take it this year.  Do you ever recall the bakers being specifically told that the finale was based on that one bake only? I don't.  

Courtney was truly shocked when she got sent home.  Lady Flava thought she was gonna be in the finale for sure.  She had a few nice bakes but some biggest disasters too.  Jer was very talented & turned out some great stuff, very whimsical, tasty but went overboard at times with decor & flavors.  

I thought that all 3 judges were undeservedly harsh on Natasha & her castle.  Didn't look like gingerbread?  It did to me, totally right color, whimsical, neat, decorated nicely with candy.   Her cake must have been delicious, my mom made chocolate cake using mayo & it was divine. And they called her flavors "one note " I think. 

[tv echo]

I think all 4 finalists should have been given the same style of gingerbread house to make - or else been free to make any style.

Edited December 17 by tv echo

[libgirl2]

3 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

More thoughts later, but here are two right now:

I knew Stephen was the winner when the judges had almost no criticism of his cake at all.

No one on this show, judges, contestants, producers, have ever seen an actual Tudor house, because as much as I loved Raffi, his cake barely resembled one.

As someone who loves all things Tudor, it was close but I agreed with the judges, he should have done a thatched roof. 

5 minutes ago, Snarkastikate said:

I thought that all 3 judges were undeservedly harsh on Natasha & her castle.  Didn't look like gingerbread?  It did to me, totally right color, whimsical, neat, decorated nicely with candy.   Her cake must have been delicious, my mom made chocolate cake using mayo & it was divine. And they called her flavors "one note " I think. 

A castle is kind of hard to turn into a gingerbread house. Instead, they should have had a ski chalet. 

4 minutes ago, tv echo said:

I think all 4 finalists should have been given the same style of gingerbread house to make - or else been free to make any style.

That would have been a good idea. I would lean more to free style. 

[proserpina65]

11 hours ago, libgirl2 said:

They really should give them more time. When they are rushing the decor can suffer. 

I feel like 5 hours was plenty of time for this challenge.  It was much less complicated that some previous years.  They've much more complicated things in the same amount of time on the Great British Baking Show.

 

2 hours ago, rlc said:

Premade graham crackers for $25,000? Nope. Nice enough guy, but it should have been Rafi. Rafi is probably just happy that it wasn’t Rolf. I don’t understand why they don’t just give them 8 hours to complete the challenge. How many times did Steven use chocolate/hazelnut/orange this season?

Rafi didn't use nearly enough decoration and didn't meet the "make it look like a gingerbread house" portion of the challenge.  Had he done that, he would've won.

18 minutes ago, mojoween said:

We do have this in common - I have never tasted eggnog either.

I tasted it once, but the person who made it had used a lot of rum, so that's all I could taste.  Otherwise keep that nasty stuff away from me.

9 minutes ago, libgirl2 said:

As someone who loves all things Tudor, it was close but I agreed with the judges, he should have done a thatched roof. 

To me it looked like a ski chalet, not a Tudor house.

 

[libgirl2]

10 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

I feel like 5 hours was plenty of time for this challenge.  It was much less complicated that some previous years.  They've much more complicated things in the same amount of time on the Great British Baking Show.

 

 

Yes, I misheard the time and 5 hours is enough time for the challenge. 

[Frost]

I wasn't a fan of eggnog until I made it from scratch, with bourbon.  Delicious!  I'm not sure how to replicate it as a cake.  Vanilla cake with a lot of the same spices?

[mojoween]

46 minutes ago, Snarkastikate said:

  Do you ever recall the bakers being specifically told that the finale was based on that one bake only? I don't.  

He did in last year’s Spring Baking finale; but that was the first time I had heard it.

[HyeChaps]

At least they got the assignments of type of house and flavors at random. I’m looking at you Holiday Wars. 

[libgirl2]

4 minutes ago, HyeChaps said:

At least they got the assignments of type of house and flavors at random. I’m looking at you Holiday Wars. 

That is true so in a sense, it is fair. No one got to select a favorite. 

Edited December 17 by libgirl2

[JudgeyMcJudgyPants]

Natasha should have done some kind of moat for her castle with a graham cracker draw bridge.

i almost feel that everyone got the style that was suited for them.  Possibly switch Ravi and Rolf.  I would have liked to see Ravi do a sleek modern style.  

I really liked Rolf but his cake was a total mess.  

I’m also not made Stephen won.  His cake met the challenge the best.

I was underwhelmed with the last challenge overall as far as decorating went.  Make brown frosting, use store bought candies and cookies to decorate.  Fuck-I can do that!

[libgirl2]

2 minutes ago, JudgeyMcJudgyPants said:

Natasha should have done some kind of moat for her castle with a graham cracker draw bridge.

i almost feel that everyone got the style that was suited for them.  Possibly switch Ravi and Rolf.  I would have liked to see Ravi do a sleek modern style.  

I really liked Rolf but his cake was a total mess.  

I’m also not made Stephen won.  His cake met the challenge the best.

I was underwhelmed with the last challenge overall as far as decorating went.  Make brown frosting, use store bought candies and cookies to decorate.  Fuck-I can do that!

A moat would have been great. And yes, Rolf's cake was a surprising mess. I expected more. 

[Cheese]

I knew whoever got "cozy cottage" would win. 

I think Natasha and Rafi needed to scale their cakes down a bit to have more time for the details. 

I liked the look of Rolf's the most even if it was a bit messy. I liked the yard too.

[tennisgurl]

I like all four of the last contestants, I would have been happy for any of them to win, although Natasha was probably my favorite. I'm happy for Stephen winning, his gingerbread cottage was adorable and he seems like a great guy, plus he's had a real comeback story from his early not so impressive bakes. 

Happy Holidays everyone! 

[Salacious Kitty]

Steven was probably my least favorite of the final four, but his cake met the brief. He deserved his win. 

[carrps]

Well, if they wanted a gingerbread house that looked like the cheap ass made-in-China versions that are leftover for half price after Christmas I guess they got what they want. Did Steven do anything in his decor other than sticking ready made candy on it? He absolutely got the easiest house design, and he really didn't do anything creative with it. Really saves you time when you can crack open the packages of graham crackers and pretzel sticks. And what was his landscaping? A sprinkling of sugar and four gummy bears dotted around the board?

Blech. I'm very disappointed.

[libgirl2]

Was it just me or did the back and forth between Rolf and Rafi seem nasty? I noticed Rafi rolling his eyes a couple of times. I don't know, it kind of turned me off. I think that is why I leaned Steven and Natasha. I know Steven got in a few quips but it didn't seem mean. 

[kathyk2]

1 hour ago, carrps said:

Well, if they wanted a gingerbread house that looked like the cheap ass made-in-China versions that are leftover for half price after Christmas I guess they got what they want. Did Steven do anything in his decor other than sticking ready made candy on it? He absolutely got the easiest house design, and he really didn't do anything creative with it. Really saves you time when you can crack open the packages of graham crackers and pretzel sticks. And what was his landscaping? A sprinkling of sugar and four gummy bears dotted around the board?

Blech. I'm very disappointed.

Exactly Steven used premade items and it was fine Rolf used marshmallows on his cupcakes and was criticized.

[eleanorofaquitaine]

I think Steven won because they liked his actual cake - along with the decor - the best. If he had somehow messed up on the cake, he wouldn't have won on the strength of his decorations. But they didn't really have any criticisms of his cake (whereas they did have some slight critiques of the others).

I was rooting for Natasha as a fellow Massachusetts resident but I can't say I don't understand the judges reasoning for giving it to Steven. He wasn't my favorite, but he won fair and square. 

[CrazyInAlabama]

I wish they had said gingerbread house inspired cakes, give them various flavors and let them pick their own designs.  And give them more time. 

[Splashy]

Poor Rolf with the modern architecture. The style demands a clean, minimalistic look, but gingerbread houses always have TONS of stuff on them to look authentic. How was he supposed to pull that off? I think it was a no-win situation for him, although it definitely could’ve been neater. 

Natasha’s and Rafi’s both would have benefitted from more candy and/or intricacy in the decorations.

I’m happy for Steven. I think he fulfilled the challenge the best. He really did step it up during the last few episodes. I know a lot of people here don’t like him, but he doesn’t bother me. He can be a little goofy, but that’s it. 

I couldn’t believe during the intro when they called Natasha the dark horse. Huh? She’s done well all along, and she’s a pro. How does that make her a dark horse? If anyone was a dark horse, it was Steven, being the only home baker and having been not as consistent as the other 3 throughout the season. 

I didn’t have a problem with the graham crackers. They were all using pre-made candy. Rolf did make his sugar side panels, but that was the only instance of anyone making their own candy. 

[LoveIsJoy]

I got the biggest unintended chuckle watching the obviously staged “mishap” with Natasha.  I can’t remember which bake it was, but one of the guys yelled out that he smelled something burning.  Turned out to be in Natasha’s oven.  She opened the oven door, exclaimed that her bake had burned, and pulled out the pan with BARE HANDS! 🤣  No oven mitts seen anywhere.  Natasha then plopped the pan on the counter, confirmed it was burned and said she’d have to remake it.

 I am suspicious that much of this show is staged.  I’m not even convinced that the final gingerbread houses were distributed randomly.  I had a strong hunch that Steven (Stephen?) was going to win based on the editing.  Then when he got the easiest house to construct, I was certain of it.  

I didn’t have a favorite finalist so I’m okay with his win.  

[mlp]

21 minutes ago, LoveIsJoy said:

 She opened the oven door, exclaimed that her bake had burned, and pulled out the pan with BARE HANDS!

Yep.  I've been noticing that kind of thing (and commenting on it) since Cupcake Wars.  I've never understood why the editors/FN keep showing it.  I still remember one time on Cake Wars when a contestant took something out of the oven and stood talking with her hand resting on the metal thermometer that should have been burning her skin off.  I suspect they all finish their cooking and then go to lunch while things cool.

[kirklandia]

i'm a big fan of mid-century modern architecture, and was quite  disappointed.

I didn't think it should be that difficult - couldn't help myself, did a quick Google image search for "mid-century modern gingerbread house".
I really enjoyed scrolling through all the beautiful results, appropriately designed and festively decorated. 

[MerBearHou]

7 minutes ago, kirklandia said:

i'm a big fan of mid-century modern architecture, and was quite  disappointed.

I didn't think it should be that difficult - couldn't help myself, did a quick Google image search for "mid-century modern gingerbread house".
I really enjoyed scrolling through all the beautiful results, appropriately designed and festively decorated. 

I grew up in a mid-century modern home and followed your lead, looking up images of gingerbread houses in that style.  You are so right — so many delightful houses — wow!  Clean lines, so festive.  Ahhh Rolf…

[dleighg]

4 hours ago, kirklandia said:

I didn't think it should be that difficult - couldn't help myself, did a quick Google image search for "mid-century modern gingerbread house".

Thanks! Interesting that a lot of them have candy-stained-glass windows. Hmmmm. 

[libgirl2]

15 hours ago, Splashy said:

I didn’t have a problem with the graham crackers. They were all using pre-made candy. Rolf did make his sugar side panels, but that was the only instance of anyone making their own candy. 

I was thinking about that last night, no one made their candy from scratch (except the sugar sides) so I had no problem with what Steven used. He took advantage of being able to use premade stuff. Rafi should have used more. He could have used graham crackers or something similar for his thatched roof. 

Edited December 18 by libgirl2

[TVbitch]

I don't believe the distribution of flavors/styles in the various challenges is random. I think the "run up and grab it" or "pick a whatever to get your flavor" is just for show. It's obvious in all of the heats that everyone knows immediately exactly what they are going to make, and they get right into it. They clearly have their assignments ahead of time. It does give producers a bit of leeway to help someone out if they want. I enjoyed the season and was not too invested in who won, but I do think the finale should be an equal playing field. 

Contestants in these shows must sign NDA's, cuz no one seems to talk about what goes on behind the scenes.   

[libgirl2]

2 minutes ago, TVbitch said:

I don't believe the distribution of flavors/styles in the various challenges is random. I think the "run up and grab it" or "pick a whatever to get your flavor" is just for show. It's obvious in all of the heats that everyone knows immediately exactly what they are going to make, and they get right into it. They clearly have their assignments ahead of time. It does give producers a bit of leeway to help someone out if they want. I enjoyed the season and was not too invested in who won, but I do think the finale should be an equal playing field. 

Contestants in these shows must sign NDA's, cuz no one seems to talk about what goes on behind the scenes.   

I was surprised Rolf didn't get the advantage of being able to choose his house style and assign styles to the others. I would have preferred that to sitting with the judges! 

[Salacious Kitty]

2 hours ago, libgirl2 said:

I was surprised Rolf didn't get the advantage of being able to choose his house style and assign styles to the others. I would have preferred that to sitting with the judges! 

Especially when Rolf muttered that he didn't want the modern house before the selections. 

I do think selection is random. They already have a dessert in mind that they just adapt to the themes. 

[libgirl2]

13 minutes ago, Salacious Kitty said:

Especially when Rolf muttered that he didn't want the modern house before the selections. 

I do think selection is random. They already have a dessert in mind that they just adapt to the themes. 

I think so too. They knew gingerbread houses was the main theme just not the twist. 

Edited December 18 by libgirl2

[Seelouis]

9 minutes ago, libgirl2 said:

I think so too. They knew gingerbread houses was the main theme just not the twist. 

I also think they stop the cameras after they announce the challenge. Then they give more details and answer any questions. Then they start filming again for the “your time starts now” part. That’s why the bakers know what they are making. They have had time to plan off camera. 

Edited December 18 by Seelouis

[libgirl2]

1 minute ago, Seelouis said:

I also think they stop the cameras after they announce the challenge. Then they give more details and answer any questions. Then they start filming again for the “your time starts now” part. That’s why the bakers know what they are making. They have had time to plan off camera. 

That makes sense because it seems impossible to be told "you are doing this" and boom you know just what you are going to do and what ingredients you need. 

[DEL901]

4 hours ago, Seelouis said:

I also think they stop the cameras after they announce the challenge. Then they give more details and answer any questions. Then they start filming again for the “your time starts now” part. That’s why the bakers know what they are making. They have had time to plan off camera. 

And when we see the judging, we see only. Fraction of the comments.  Since they already know the winner when they start editing the season, they can decide on a storyline/s and include the comments that go in the direction they want.  In this case, scrappy home baker overcomes a rough start to take it all.

[laredhead]

13 hours ago, TVbitch said:

Contestants in these shows must sign NDA's, cuz no one seems to talk about what goes on behind the scenes. 

A couple of seasons ago, one of the contestants was on a weekly radio show in her hometown, and she talked about her experience on the show.  She did give some more detailed info about behind the scenes stuff that I didn't know, and that the viewers don't see happening.  She did not win, but managed to stay on for 5 or 6 episodes. I cannot remember how I stumbled upon the radio show, but if you Google enough correct key words you might be able to find it. 

EDITED to add this:  I dug back into my comments and found a link to the radio interview the contestant gave to a Natchez radio station if anyone is interested - https://listenupyall.com/2023/05/10/31593/

Edited December 19 by laredhead
Added info

[LoveIsJoy]

This show reminds me of “House Hunters.” For those not familiar, viewers were led to believe that buyers were shown 3 houses, weighed the pros and cons of each,  and chose one to buy at the end.  Several years in, it came out in the media that the show was pretty much fabricated. The “potential buyers” had already chosen and were under contract for their home. The other 2 homes they toured were decoys not even in consideration. 

Still enjoyable to watch even knowing the truth, but not exactly reality.  I think that’s why I watch this show with a jaundiced eye. I don’t quite believe much of anything we see is truly as presented (exhibit A - Natasha exclaims about burned bake yet opens oven door and removes pan with bare hands).  
 

There are other questionable things I’ve noticed, but overall I still enjoy the show and figure any of the finalists are deserving of the win.  I just take it all with a grain of salt (pun intended) 😆

[Snarkastikate]

On 12/17/2024 at 3:59 PM, carrps said:

Well, if they wanted a gingerbread house that looked like the cheap ass made-in-China versions that are leftover for half price after Christmas I guess they got what they want. Did Steven do anything in his decor other than sticking ready made candy on it? He absolutely got the easiest house design, and he really didn't do anything creative with it. Really saves you time when you can crack open the packages of graham crackers and pretzel sticks. And what was his landscaping? A sprinkling of sugar and four gummy bears dotted around the board?

Blech. I'm very disappointed.

Yes. And when the judges first saw it, Duff exclaims something like "Now THAT'S what I'm talking about!".  They didn't think much of the flavor of his cake, yet he still won. 

[libgirl2]

20 minutes ago, Snarkastikate said:

Yes. And when the judges first saw it, Duff exclaims something like "Now THAT'S what I'm talking about!".  They didn't think much of the flavor of his cake, yet he still won. 

They raved about his cake.

[kirklandia]

About Natasha. I hadn't noticed the incident removing the pan from the oven with bare hands. No idea how many episodes ago it was.

But, I did notice a couple times in the finale, during brief close-ups that showed her hands, I saw red streaks that looked like burn marks and wondered what had caused them.

Anyone else?

[Sarahsmile416]

Whoever said that they felt Rafi's joking animosity towards Rolf was heading towards less joking and more actual animosity was right on.  It actually made me a bit uncomfortable looking at him.   It could just be a joke, but it really didn't look like that 

[eleanorofaquitaine]

 

I also think they stop the cameras after they announce the challenge. Then they give more details and answer any questions. Then they start filming again for the “your time starts now” part. That’s why the bakers know what they are making. They have had time to plan off camera. 

Yes, I believe that is the case, too. I think that there is a lot about the parameters of the challenge that we don't see but that they make clear to them bakers before time starts.

 

Yes. And when the judges first saw it, Duff exclaims something like "Now THAT'S what I'm talking about!".  They didn't think much of the flavor of his cake, yet he still won. 

That's not what I saw. They raved about the flavor of his cake and he didn't have any small technical mistakes (like Natasha with her crunch layer). In short, they liked both his cake and his decorating. As I said, he wasn't my favorite but he clearly had both the best tasting and best looking cake of the day and that is always the winning combination. 

 

They raved about his cake.

Correct.

Edited Sunday at 02:35 PM by eleanorofaquitaine

[kirklandia]

Check these out!

"15 Architectural Gingerbread Houses That Are Definitely Not Cookie Cutter"

https://www.dwell.com/article/architectural-gingerbread-house-designs-836c2481h

 

Edited Monday at 07:53 AM by kirklandia

[KayVeeTeeVee]

On 12/17/2024 at 9:50 AM, mojoween said:

He did in last year’s Spring Baking finale; but that was the first time I had heard it.

Jesse most certainly DID remind the bakers that the win would be based on the final challenge, not what they'd done throughout the season.  Smug Rafi rubbed me the wrong way all season.  Had his candy decoration been more colorful and plentiful, and had he added a thatched roof, Rafi would have won, but he was too 'good' to ruin his creation with pre-made candy.  Rolf simply went off the rails with modern, poor guy.

[KayVeeTeeVee]

On 12/17/2024 at 4:49 PM, libgirl2 said:

Was it just me or did the back and forth between Rolf and Rafi seem nasty? I noticed Rafi rolling his eyes a couple of times. I don't know, it kind of turned me off. I think that is why I leaned Steven and Natasha. I know Steven got in a few quips but it didn't seem mean. 

Definitely mean at least on Rafi's part.  He came off to me as smug, bordering on downright nasty - like 'I'm a professional, you're just a teacher.' Did not like Rafi's attitude. 

[Salacious Kitty]

5 hours ago, KayVeeTeeVee said:

Jesse most certainly DID remind the bakers that the win would be based on the final challenge, not what they'd done throughout the season.  Smug Rafi rubbed me the wrong way all season.  Had his candy decoration been more colorful and plentiful, and had he added a thatched roof, Rafi would have won, but he was too 'good' to ruin his creation with pre-made candy.  Rolf simply went off the rails with modern, poor guy.

Rafi showed from his very first bake  that he was a minimalist. And the gingerbread house screamed excess that he just wouldn't do. His loss. 

I didn't notice any animosity between him and Rolf. I found him pretty quiet and keeping to himself. 

Edited Tuesday at 08:10 PM by Salacious Kitty