Holiday Baking Championship - General Discussion

[susannah]

2 hours ago, tracyscott76 said:

I also liked Jen's campfire log, but I was somewhat amazed that Carla could tell it was dry just by looking at it, and from so far away. I mean, she's at the extreme far end of the table, and there looks like a fair amount of space between the table and the contestants' cakes - so how did she know? She was right, of course, but damn. She's got some kind of dry-dar.

I was impressed with how well Sabrina's modern log turned out, considering all the trouble she was having with it.

Thought it was cute how Marilyn just stood there for a few seconds, admiring Jesse's wood-splitting skills instead of rushing off to start baking.

I agree that Naomi's was elimination-worthy but it was a shame because I liked her. 

Dry-dar! that is too funny. That didn't occur to me but you are so right. I would possibly be able to tell if a cake is too dry if it is crumbling into bits, but since that cake wasn't doing that, I don't know how Carla knew! I was also VERY glad that Nancy wasn't screaming for more booze, but actually acted like a professional person. I missed last week, in which I guess she didn't act like a professional person. So glad Lorraine is not there.

[libgirl2]

At least the twist was a decent one. It is a log after all! 

[Guest]

3 minutes ago, libgirl2 said:

At least the twist was a decent one. It is a log after all! 

Though it was interesting to see how many people struggled with the concept of woodland creatures. Having spent most of my life in areas where squirrels, rabbits, and chipmunks are ubiquitous, this was a reminder that this isn't the case for everyone.

[BlazingBloomers]

I’d bet that the judges are allowed an up close look at the final products before the contestants are brought in for the on camera presentation. There have been times that a judge has commented on something on the back of the piece that they couldn’t possibly see from the judges table. Either that or they are fed information from the production staff who should be able to recognize potential issues. 

[Dirtybubble]

9 hours ago, susannah said:

I really liked the campfire one with the flames, the one with the bird that won, and the modern log. It looked so elegant! I thought also that the ones that used chocolate strips for bark looked like shortcuts.

That was Adam!  He is really standing out as the leader of the show and he doesn't seem to be arrogant about it either.  Humble and sweet--I like him so far.

And on that thought--did it seem like Jose' had his bitchy britches on about Adam being such a talented baker?  When they switched yule logs at the main challenge it just seemed he (Jose) was being extra shady.  It was just a vibe I got from him.

Hahaha!  Switching yule logs for Naomi didn't do her a bit of good!  She should have gone last week so bye-bye.

 

 

[rlc]

Team Adam all the way! Still early days, but not liking Jose, and the right baker went home. Nancy’s haircut was either better styled this week, or it’s growing on me.

[mlp]

8 hours ago, tracyscott76 said:

I also liked Jen's campfire log, but I was somewhat amazed that Carla could tell it was dry just by looking at it, and from so far away.

I've always assumed that the judges look at entries close up before filming starts.  As said above, they often comment about decorations they can't possibly see well from where they're sitting.  

This is a good cast.  I like them all and they seem to be having fun and seem comfortable interacting with Jesse.  So far, my favorites are Adam and Phillipe.

[CoderLady]

On other Food Network/Cooking Channel competitions like Chopped, Beat Bobby Flay and Buddy vs Duff, there is an unaired chunk of time between the contestants finishing and the start of the judging. Work stations get cleaned up and the camera crew takes closeup beauty shots. The judges get to walk around (always necessary when judging Buddy's huge cakes), visually examine the finished work and make notes.

That still doesn't explain how Carla can see too-dry cake, but I'll accept "magic" as the answer.

[lgprimes]

I was surprised the guy who mixed cream cheese and mint (? It was green, I hope i am remembering correctly), wasn’t in the bottom two. Nancy seemed to be choking it down. To me bad flavor is more of a turn-off than dryness. Plus I didn’t think his looked attractive, where the campfire one that was on the bottom was absolutely gorgeous in my opinion.

[Guest]

9 minutes ago, lgprimes said:

I was surprised the guy who mixed cream cheese and mint (? It was green, I hope i am remembering correctly), wasn’t in the bottom two. Nancy seemed to be choking it down. To me bad flavor is more of a turn-off than dryness. Plus I didn’t think his looked attractive, where the campfire one that was on the bottom was absolutely gorgeous in my opinion.

I believe that was Jose, and I do remember Nancy saying she didn't think cream cheese and mint were a good pairing. But then Carla (and maybe Duff as well?) said something about how they actually worked together, and other nice things were said by all three, and suddenly he was fine. The way they sometimes chop up the judging segments, particularly in the early rounds when there's a ton to fit in, can often leave me going...wha?

[trudysmom]

Yeah, Jose need not be bitchy about the ingredient switch, he won that main heat after all.  He is a good baker, but I'll root for someone mediocre who's nice over a jerk who's great.  I also like Jody, because he seems like a good guy too and I love all things Irish.

[susannah]

8 hours ago, Dirtybubble said:

That was Adam!  He is really standing out as the leader of the show and he doesn't seem to be arrogant about it either.  Humble and sweet--I like him so far.

And on that thought--did it seem like Jose' had his bitchy britches on about Adam being such a talented baker?  When they switched yule logs at the main challenge it just seemed he (Jose) was being extra shady.  It was just a vibe I got from him.

Hahaha!  Switching yule logs for Naomi didn't do her a bit of good!  She should have gone last week so bye-bye.

 

 

I  missed the first show so I don't know everyone's names yet. I also thought that the one I guess is Jose was being bitchy, going on about the cheese. I don't like to see that in competitions, no matter how good they are. I also thought his cake looked gross, oozing green stuff.

[Maverick]

 Jose is definitely sporting some attitude.  He's not fun to watch and definitely rooting against him.  

[susannah]

10 hours ago, tracyscott76 said:

Though it was interesting to see how many people struggled with the concept of woodland creatures. Having spent most of my life in areas where squirrels, rabbits, and chipmunks are ubiquitous, this was a reminder that this isn't the case for everyone.

Even if they don't live where there are alot of woodland creatures, they all know what they look like. It was, imo, poor sculpture execution for most of them.  Sculpted decoration is a part of cake baking.

[mojoween]

5 hours ago, mlp said:

This is a good cast.  I like them all and they seem to be having fun and seem comfortable interacting with Jesse.  So far, my favorites are Adam and Phillipe.

I realized halfway through the show that I like all the bakers (even snitty Jose, heh) and every elimination is going to be sad.  Even Naomi, who was in the bottom last week, and I think that’s why she went over Jen’s too-dry cake.  Which, of course it was dry, Carla, it was on FIRE.  But Naomi’s cake sounded delicious.

I think Sabrina and Jody are my faves, but I reserve the right to change my mind.

And Jesse does seem to like all of them.  I loved his reaction when Richard did a little jump in front of him.  For a former NFL quarterback who was a Bachelor who gets paid millions by ESPN, Jesse doesn’t seem fake at all.

[springbarb]

I couldn't tell if the bakers were upset about the woodland creatures, having to use marzipan, or both.

I was also very confused by Nancy's critique of Jose's cake. It seemed very negative, but then was...fine?

LOVED the campfire cake. Those flavors also sounded fantastic.

[Guest]

12 minutes ago, mojoween said:

Even Naomi, who was in the bottom last week, and I think that’s why she went over Jen’s too-dry cake.  Which, of course it was dry, Carla, it was on FIRE.  

😆

Too bad Jen didn't think to say that.

[susannah]

55 minutes ago, springbarb said:

I couldn't tell if the bakers were upset about the woodland creatures, having to use marzipan, or both.

I was also very confused by Nancy's critique of Jose's cake. It seemed very negative, but then was...fine?

LOVED the campfire cake. Those flavors also sounded fantastic.

Yes, I listen to them describing the flavors and have to try not to drool! Except for the cream cheese mint. I dislike cream cheese anyway but don't see how it would ever go with mint.

[Maya]

I don’t mind Jose and his attitude. I think he’s funny. Adam is clearly heads above any of these other people. 

Jody was pissed about the marzipan. Why do I get the feeling he’s hard to live with? LOL

Also: it was Richard who made the peppermint cream cheese, not Jose. 

Edited November 10, 2021 by Maya

[mojoween]

6 hours ago, Maya said:

Jody was pissed about the marzipan. Why do I get the feeling he’s hard to live with? LOL

Wasn’t Jody excited about the marzipan because he was going to do a marzipan animal anyways?

[Guest]

1 hour ago, mojoween said:

8 hours ago, Maya said:

Jody was pissed about the marzipan. Why do I get the feeling he’s hard to live with? LOL

Wasn’t Jody excited about the marzipan because he was going to do a marzipan animal anyways?

He was thrown off -- but I wouldn't say excessively so -- because initially there was no marzipan in the pantry (I guess they were withholding it because of the twist), which meant he would have to change his plans. Then, when Jesse introduced the twist, he was quite happy.

[mojoween]

25 minutes ago, tracyscott76 said:

He was thrown off -- but I wouldn't say excessively so -- because initially there was no marzipan in the pantry (I guess they were withholding it because of the twist), which meant he would have to change his plans. Then, when Jesse introduced the twist, he was quite happy.

Ahh ok.  This is what I get for half paying attention to everything up to the final reveals.

[Rammchick]

14 hours ago, susannah said:

Even if they don't live where there are alot of woodland creatures, they all know what they look like. It was, imo, poor sculpture execution for most of them.  Sculpted decoration is a part of cake baking.

Agreed, and Jose's annoyance at having to sculpt woodland creatures when he's from Puerto Rico (where there "aren't any woods") was kind of funny -- he lives in Ohio now.  I guess there are no woods there either  😏

My favorite laughable critique was from Carla, about Naomi's cake.  She didn't think the logs looked like logs, more like mountains, and they were out of scale with the tree.  I don't know about the rest of you, but where I live, the mountains tend to be larger than the trees 😂

[susannah]

1 hour ago, Rammchick said:

Agreed, and Jose's annoyance at having to sculpt woodland creatures when he's from Puerto Rico (where there "aren't any woods") was kind of funny -- he lives in Ohio now.  I guess there are no woods there either  😏

My favorite laughable critique was from Carla, about Naomi's cake.  She didn't think the logs looked like logs, more like mountains, and they were out of scale with the tree.  I don't know about the rest of you, but where I live, the mountains tend to be larger than the trees 😂

I thought her choice of words was a little strange, but she was correct, as the logs were half the tree's height. In real life, that would be three herking logs!

[Jillybean]

16 hours ago, mojoween said:

And Jesse does seem to like all of them.  I loved his reaction when Richard did a little jump in front of him.  For a former NFL quarterback who was a Bachelor who gets paid millions by ESPN, Jesse doesn’t seem fake at all.

He's also replaced Chris Harrison as the host of the upcoming season of The Bachelor. I like him, too! He's Canadian and while I know it's a stereotype, Canadians always seem to be so nice! He's the most enjoyable host for this show IMO. 

[susannah]

On 11/3/2021 at 7:04 AM, joanne3482 said:

It's only taken her how many seasons to recognize that? I know some of the other contestants in seasons past have really pushed against her limited view of "holiday." 

I don't mind Nancy. I usually like her criticisms except when it comes to her very specific definition of holiday. We've had bakers from tropical climates in years past. They may not get snow and for them pineapple or banana might be a holiday flavor that's reminiscent of their childhoods.

Since Halloween Baking Show didn't have twists, I thought (hoped) this one wouldn't either. So much for that.  

So Nancy should just say, if it isn't Currier and Ives-like, forget it, and be done with it! Nothing like putting exact parameters on what she finds acceptable. I absolutely agree that people from other regions may well have different "tastes of the holiday" that are just as special to them. Speaking of the Halloween Baking Show, I am so glad it is OVER. I hate all that creepy, bloody stuff, and even though I didn't watch much of it, there still were countless ads for it. I do think Carla's costumes are great though. I thought there were always twists!

[Girl in a Cardigan]

12 hours ago, Rammchick said:

Agreed, and Jose's annoyance at having to sculpt woodland creatures when he's from Puerto Rico (where there "aren't any woods") was kind of funny -- he lives in Ohio now.  I guess there are no woods there either  😏

My DVR cut off part of this episode because the huge Comcast outage so I missed this but that makes me laugh so hard. Puerto Rico has a huge rainforest (El Yunque) on the eastern side the island that is full of creatures. Perhaps not the same kind of woodland animals they have in Maine, but it’s pretty epic all the same. 

Edited November 11, 2021 by Girl in a Cardigan
grammar

[Dirtybubble]

3 hours ago, Jillybean said:

He's also replaced Chris Harrison as the host of the upcoming season of The Bachelor. I like him, too! He's Canadian and while I know it's a stereotype, Canadians always seem to be so nice! He's the most enjoyable host for this show IMO. 

I'm all for Jesse as well.  I can't really remember his season on the Bachelor but he is certainly enjoyable to watch hosting.  He's a cutie and I like how he kinda fun flirts with some of the bakers 😍

[Cheyanne11]

1 hour ago, Dirtybubble said:

I'm all for Jesse as well.  I can't really remember his season on the Bachelor but he is certainly enjoyable to watch hosting.  He's a cutie and I like how he kinda fun flirts with some of the bakers 😍

I also like his bad 'dad' jokes.  He's a natural and puts the bakers at ease.

[TomGirl]

I know they are being very careful due to Covid, but I can’t imagine having to wear gloves while baking.  So many things are gauged by touch.

[susannah]

2 hours ago, TomGirl said:

I know they are being very careful due to Covid, but I can’t imagine having to wear gloves while baking.  So many things are gauged by touch.

I have noticed some of them wearing gloves and just thought that they were anti burn gloves or something. I do like that they wear them while they are cutting and serving the cake slices.

[KayVeeTeeVee]

On 11/6/2021 at 4:08 PM, Spunkygal said:

That’s often my breakfast! And yes, Nancy is wearing a wig, which is fine with me. A lot of ladies on TV wear them. Heck, some mornings I wish I had one! 

That looked like a wig, for sure.  As a Breast Cancer Survivor, bald for two years, that's where my mind went.  I'm six years cancer free now.

 

[TVbitch]

It was probably Naomi's time to go, and her log mountains did not look good, but if she had made that lone palm tree to scale with the "mountains", it would have been tiny and ridiculous. 

I thought that was Nancy's hair, just styled differently. I googled it and there was an article about her "new look." I did not even notice that she had lost a lot of weight (but I'm obtuse that way). Looks like she is now sporting a pixie cut, so maybe this was her transition look. 

[alalaxmom]

 

Quote

 I dislike cream cheese anyway but don't see how it would ever go with mint.

My mother makes mints for weddings that are made with cream cheese, peppermint extract and a ton of powdered sugar.  They are so good, but I don't know how incorporating them into a dessert would be.  

[scarletine]

I've also made a peppermint/chocolate cheesecake in the past with lots of cream cheese that is freaking delicious. So I was surprised that it wasn't that successful. 

[mojoween]

There is a season five marathon on right now and I am still so pissed about that damn green apple that got Sherry bounced.

Sherry, if you still post here, I know it doesn’t help, but I remain angry and indignant on your behalf.

[susannah]

On 11/9/2021 at 5:39 PM, mojoween said:

I realized halfway through the show that I like all the bakers (even snitty Jose, heh) and every elimination is going to be sad.  Even Naomi, who was in the bottom last week, and I think that’s why she went over Jen’s too-dry cake.  Which, of course it was dry, Carla, it was on FIRE.  But Naomi’s cake sounded delicious.

I think Sabrina and Jody are my faves, but I reserve the right to change my mind.

And Jesse does seem to like all of them.  I loved his reaction when Richard did a little jump in front of him.  For a former NFL quarterback who was a Bachelor who gets paid millions by ESPN, Jesse doesn’t seem fake at all.

Is there a Phillippe in this season? Anyone remember the other Phillippe, who thought he was God's gift to baking, and there with the snarky remarks?

On 11/12/2021 at 6:57 AM, alalaxmom said:

 

My mother makes mints for weddings that are made with cream cheese, peppermint extract and a ton of powdered sugar.  They are so good, but I don't know how incorporating them into a dessert would be.  

I have tried to make buttermints, like the ones you can buy, but the homemade ones just are basically butter and powdered sugar, with flavoring. Essentially frosting. If anyone ever knows how to make the hard ones, please let me know!

[Grizzly]

Poor Jen, it just wasn't her night. Jody's pie sounded delicious. Glad he got the win. Cute story that his salted caramel won him his wife.

[Guest]

49 minutes ago, Grizzly said:

Poor Jen, it just wasn't her night.

That was kind of sad. In her final talking head she was being cheery, but you could see her nose was red so it was pretty clear she had been at least a little teary.

I like Sabrina's general vibe and she makes pretty stuff, so I think I'll root for her. Though I still like most of them.

[Pepper the Cat]

I really liked Jen and was sorry to see her go. I think the other person should have gibe, Neomi, Naomi?? Sorry, I have been having a hard time keeping names straight. Her cranberry pie was almost inedible so I think she should have gone.

 

[Leeds]

On 10/18/2021 at 12:18 PM, Spunkygal said:

I would prefer Kardea over Carla. I like Lorraine but I’m sure travel restrictions prevented her from returning again. Are we getting stuck with Nancy again? 

I would happily take Carla, Lorraine, and Duff.  Anyone really as long as it's not Nancy.

 

On 11/5/2021 at 3:46 PM, bilgistic said:

I'm picturing a Kraft Single slightly melted atop a slice of apple pie and my stomach turns.

I didn't see this episode, but Kraft Singles don't ever belong anywhere if you ask me, especially "slightly melted atop a slice of apple pie".  I grew up in the north of England where a good cheese is always served as an accompaniment to a not-overly-sweet apple pie.   

Edited November 16, 2021 by Leeds
To add "pie".

[LittleIggy]

3 hours ago, Grizzly said:

Poor Jen, it just wasn't her night. Jody's pie sounded delicious. Glad he got the win. Cute story that his salted caramel won him his wife.

I would love to try that pie! I adore salted caramel. And Jody’s Irish accent. I could listen to him talk all night.

Wasn’t the other bottom two baker’s cranberry cake inedible? Didn’t they say Jen’s tasted good?

[emmawoodhouse]

1 hour ago, Pepper the Cat said:

I really liked Jen and was sorry to see her go. I think the other person should have gibe, Neomi, Naomi?? Sorry, I have been having a hard time keeping names straight. Her cranberry pie was almost inedible so I think she should have gone.

 

There was a Naomi.😉; she was eliminated last week. A Neomie remains. I can see how you're confused. 😁

The right person left. Jen's pie AND ice cream were flawed far more than Neomie's lack of sugar. 

[CheshireCat]

I loved the look of the Ginger Cheesecake from the challenge. So pretty.

Jody's pie also looked pretty. I think it's always hard to decorate pies but he nailed it. Didn't catch what the flavor was though.

Chestnut-chocolate sounded interesting; as a matter of fact, most of the flavor combinations sounded interesting. Did anyone really want to make Apple Pie? I know Marilyn said she wanted to but did she really? Since many of the flavors were rather unusual, I wonder if the bakers were asked beforehand what unusual/untraditional pie they like or something along those lines.

While I could still do without any twists, I can get behind this kind of twist. This way at least, bakers aren't halfway done with their bake when they suddenly have to incorporate an ingredient that doesn't fit with what they're doing and they can't incorporate well anymore because they're so far done.

I'm not sure about the bakers as a whole. They all seem okay but no one seems to stand out in either direction.

[susannah]

1 hour ago, emmawoodhouse said:

There was a Naomi.😉; she was eliminated last week. A Neomie remains. I can see how you're confused. 😁

The right person left. Jen's pie AND ice cream were flawed far more than Neomie's lack of sugar. 

I didn't catch all of the show this week, but I saw that the cranberry pie was too sour. I only saw Jen's pie when she was cut, and I was like, what the heck? Does she not know how to spell home? It must have been her ice cream that Nancy said was terrible. Terrible is way worse than sour.

[Dirtybubble]

8 hours ago, CheshireCat said:

Jody's pie also looked pretty. I think it's always hard to decorate pies but he nailed it. Didn't catch what the flavor was though.

Yay!  They Irishman won the challenge!  I thought he might once he started talking about how he meet his wife and remembered it was salted caramel that brought them together 😍  I think it was a salted caramel/nutmeg combination.  It looked AMAZING!  Everyone else's pie lettering looked all wonky and unclean but his looked like a professional photo.

 

[libgirl2]

1 hour ago, Dirtybubble said:

Yay!  They Irishman won the challenge!  I thought he might once he started talking about how he meet his wife and remembered it was salted caramel that brought them together 😍  I think it was a salted caramel/nutmeg combination.  It looked AMAZING!  Everyone else's pie lettering looked all wonky and unclean but his looked like a professional photo.

 

His pie was gogeous. 

[joanne3482]

My family has been making a black forest cherry pie for as long as I can remember and I've never seen one in a baking show so I was thrilled that Adam and his family made one. 

[Dirtybubble]

1 hour ago, joanne3482 said:

My family has been making a black forest cherry pie for as long as I can remember and I've never seen one in a baking show so I was thrilled that Adam and his family made one. 

Honestly I'd never heard of it.  His pie wasn't the worst of the bunch so I wasn't worried about him going home.  Even though he had a bit of a slip up last night I still think he is one of the top bakers there.

I've never heard of a green tomato pie crust (??) either and had no idea that green tomatoes are sweeter than the red ones.  I was very happy our sweet little Asian lady whose name I can't remember got some accolades!  

[Darian]

So enjoying this season. I'd still swap Nancy out for Lorraine or Cardea, or one of the many better judges they have on other shows. I do like her hair, though. I figured I'd be rooting for one of the two local competitors, Jody and Richard. My city, which is not Boston but twenty minutes away, is for Jody, as he supposedly lives here. I don't know if he lived in Boston when this was filmed or he used it because we're a suburb and Boston is better known. Richard is from Dorchester, which is closer to Boston than my city (we pass it to get there), and I love him. Haven't warmed to Jody for some reason (don't dislike him), but he's skilled. So many are. I have to rewatch these, because it's a nice group that can also turn out some lovely work. 

Adam's branch idea that Duff says he's stealing is something anyone could do, and I love that among the things that are mostly out of my reach, there's often some little tip I pick up that I can use in my own baking.