Holiday Baking Championship - General Discussion

[mojoween]

Felt like Justine was super extra last night.  When Jesse was describing one of the challenges you could hear her making noises off-camera and she was just so on the entire time.

So sad to lose Javier, he tried something bold and it just didn’t work.

Oh!  They said Justine’s, I think, tree was super festive?  Uh.  The ornaments were pink and most of the design was brown.  The hell.

[libgirl2]

9 minutes ago, mojoween said:

Felt like Justine was super extra last night.  When Jesse was describing one of the challenges you could hear her making noises off-camera and she was just so on the entire time.

So sad to lose Javier, he tried something bold and it just didn’t work.

Oh!  They said Justine’s, I think, tree was super festive?  Uh.  The ornaments were pink and most of the design was brown.  The hell.

OMG! I could hear her too and was like just stop already! 

As to what is considered "festive"  on this show, it seems to vary per judge and contestant. 

[Suzn]

I was so sorry to see Javier go.  He deserved to stay over at least a couple of others.

I hadn't really minded Justine before, but she was obnoxiously pleased with herself.  Since Nancy is so crazy about her, she is sure to win.

They really don't seem to like Sherrod and I don't think that is justified.

This season started off well, but it has completely gone off the rails for me.  I dread the final with puffed up Justine winning.

[MerBearHou]

Not to mention when Duff returned, Justine had to talk loudest over everyone more than once to “welcome” Duff back.  I dread her winning — please no.

[RoxiP]

I usually don't get annoyed by contestants but last night Justine was really arrogant.  I knew she would pick Kevin and Javier for her team - who wouldn't - but you could tell she thought they were a shoo-in for the win and she had no problem saying it...loudly.  

So sad to see Javier go but I was wondering how that pastry was going to cook all the way through when Ashley's pastry in the first round was raw and it wasn't nearly as thick as Javier's was, not to mention her putting her pastry for the final round back in the oven.  Having said that his tree looked really cool though.  I was honestly surprised that he went instead of the other guy since he didn't meet the challenge.  

Nancy is not good at emulating a Boston accent and should give up trying.

[libgirl2]

1 minute ago, Suzn said:

I was so sorry to see Javier go.  He deserved to stay over at least a couple of others.

I hadn't really minded Justine before, but she was obnoxiously pleased with herself.  Since Nancy is so crazy about her, she is sure to win.

They really don't seem to like Sherrod and I don't think that is justified.

This season started off well, but it has completely gone off the rails for me.  I dread the final with puffed up Justine winning.

He had a bad day/week at the wrong point in the competition. But, yea, I was sorry too. I teared up a bit. 

Justine was fully on last night and I'm predicting her for the win. 

 

1 minute ago, RoxiP said:

I usually don't get annoyed by contestants but last night Justine was really arrogant.  I knew she would pick Kevin and Javier for her team - who wouldn't - but you could tell she thought they were a shoo-in for the win and she had no problem saying it...loudly.  

 

She couldn't hide her glee and didn't she say they were the "Dream Team"? 

[AZChristian]

16 minutes ago, RoxiP said:

Nancy is not good at emulating a Boston accent and should give up trying.

At least we know that Nancy is emulating.  I can't figure out Justine at all.  Sometimes it's not there, and sometimes it's so thick you need closed captions.   

I'm able to read this thread before the show airs here in Arizona.  If Justine or Ashley wins, I'll have a free evening next week.

Edited December 12, 2023 by AZChristian
Added thought.

[libgirl2]

Just now, AZChristian said:

At least we know that Nancy is emulating.  I can't figure out Justine at all.  Sometimes it's not there, and sometimes it's so thick you need closed captions.   

Its thick in front of the judges or if Jesse is talking to her. It is very light when it is a voice over. Maybe it has to do with nerves? 

[CrazyInAlabama]

I didn't like Justine's pull-apart tree.  it was brown with pink candy canes, and looked amateurish.      Ashley had a very underdone bake too, so I don't see why she wasn't in the bottom two also.   

I didn't like Ashley's tree at all.   It was the dump everything method of decorating.   

 I hate to see Javier go home.   

Edited December 12, 2023 by CrazyInAlabama

[proserpina65]

14 hours ago, kathyk2 said:

I was surprised Javier went home.

I wasn't.  Underbaked dough is pretty much the worse sin on a baking show and when none of the other contestants made errors anywhere near that bad, I knew he was out.  Which is unfortunate since he generally was one of the best bakers (he and Kevin) but he chose the wrong time to make a rookie error.

13 hours ago, Salacious Kitty said:

In what world does Ashley outlast Javier? I weep. 

A world where Javier picked the wrong week to make huge mistakes.

12 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

I was a little annoyed that the winning team's ornament was half a dome.  I know ornaments come in all shapes and sizes but that felt like a bit of a cop out. 

Me, too.  Sure it looked nice but it was far less ambitious.

1 hour ago, mojoween said:

Oh!  They said Justine’s, I think, tree was super festive?  Uh.  The ornaments were pink and most of the design was brown.  The hell.

Brown is festive when Nancy decides it's festive, apparently.  I was annoyed by that and by her winning after they criticized the wideness of her tree trunk/versus how much actual pull apart there was.  It must've tasted fantastic.

1 hour ago, RoxiP said:

I was honestly surprised that he went instead of the other guy since he didn't meet the challenge.  

Sherrod's dough had the advantage of being fully baked.  Otherwise I think it would've been him going since Nancy has yet to praise anything he's baked.

[libgirl2]

6 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

Sherrod's dough had the advantage of being fully baked.  Otherwise I think it would've been him going since Nancy has yet to praise anything he's baked.

I think she liked his ice creams and brownie, but yea, he would have left if Javier didn't under bake his. I would say they would probably have Kevin/Ashlie bottom with him.  No way would it be Justine! 

 

Edited December 12, 2023 by libgirl2

[proserpina65]

Just now, libgirl2 said:

I think she liked his ice creams and brownie, but yea, he would have left instead. 

Oh that's right, she did rhapsodize over the brownie.  I forgot that.

[carrps]

No comments on Ashley's monstrosity? It looked like a preschooler art project where all the sprinkles and glitter were dumped on a mound of glue. And, sorry, after the news yesterday, it struck a very sour note with me to have someone bragging on Texas.

I felt for Javier, but as he was braiding, we both said he'd need a ton more baking time. I almost felt that Nancy was dinging Sherrod just so there would be someone else in the bottom. And I don't usually stand up for Nancy.

I really wanted to eat Thoa's. When I was little, before my mom went back to work fulltime, she'd occasionally bake homemade pies. She'd always make extra piecrust dough and turn it into cinnamon rolls. I've never had cinnamon rolls as good since.

 

[libgirl2]

1 minute ago, carrps said:

No comments on Ashley's monstrosity? It looked like a preschooler art project where all the sprinkles and glitter were dumped on a mound of glue. And, sorry, after the news yesterday, it struck a very sour note with me to have someone bragging on Texas.

 

 

It did look a mess. You could barely see the tree. I know Sherrod's had the topping on it but you could see what it was. 

I'm glad she likes Texas 😒

[proserpina65]

8 minutes ago, carrps said:

No comments on Ashley's monstrosity? It looked like a preschooler art project where all the sprinkles and glitter were dumped on a mound of glue.

I actually liked how her tree looked.

[dleighg]

Does anyone actually eat modeling chocolate? It seems like it's usually used to make "sculptures" that are theoretically edible but....

I just don't think it is a good addition to the top of a dessert. From what I saw nobody ate the tops of Thoa's whoopie pies.

Ashley so often has a very sour look on her face when there is criticism of her work. She has a very high opinion of herself.

[laredhead]

I wasn't going to say anything about Jesse's comments on last night's show, but since it has been mentioned here already, I was glad to know that it wasn't just my mishearing or misinterpreting his comment.  I agree about his immigrant experience compared to Javier's which was definitely different.  My gripe is the little back and forth between Jesse and Nancy about their facial communication about the contestants' bakes.  This is evidently something that has been on going since before last night, but we had never heard that before.  Jesse seemed to be inserting himself more into the judging area last night, and I didn't care for that at all.  I'm glad Duff is back. 

[dleighg]

so the "finale" has 5 people?

[eleanorofaquitaine]

3 hours ago, AZChristian said:

At least we know that Nancy is emulating.  I can't figure out Justine at all.  Sometimes it's not there, and sometimes it's so thick you need closed captions.   

I'm able to read this thread before the show airs here in Arizona.  If Justine or Ashley wins, I'll have a free evening next week.

Lifelong resident of Massachusetts here. Justine's accent is pretty standard among people who have a thick Boston accent. It is likely that there are times she's laying it on a little thick but she may not even realize she's doing it. But I don't think she's "faking" it or anything. 

I like Justine but that may be because I am just used to obnoxiously loud people from Massachusetts. I was sorry to see Javier go, as I think he is a talented baker, but I wasn't surprised they sent him home. It's just too late in the competition for raw dough.

[TomGirl]

I loved Javier.  That beautiful face and puppy dog eyes.  😢

[Salacious Kitty]

1 hour ago, dleighg said:

so the "finale" has 5 people?

There are 3 challenges again, like this week. However, I expect someone to get booted after the first two, leaving 3 for the final bake. I like Sherrod well enough, but I think he and Ashley will be booted before the final. Nancy just doesn't like him for some reason. And Ashley can go back to Texas anytime. 

It would be awesome if Thoa could pull a minor upset over Kevin and Nancy's pet. 

[mlp]

4 hours ago, proserpina65 said:

Underbaked dough is pretty much the worse sin on a baking show and when none of the other contestants made errors anywhere near that bad, I knew he was out.  Which is unfortunate since he generally was one of the best bakers (he and Kevin) but he chose the wrong time to make a rookie error.

I agree but I was very sorry that Javier made that mistake.  I had him figured for a finalist along with Kevin and (ugh) Justine.  Interestingly, the local paper this morning featured a recipe for a pull apart tree - with twisted branches.  

Justine is going to win this isn't she?  She gets more annoying every week and the judges don't seem to notice how much she's sucking up to them.  She acts like they're her good buddies and they seem to like it.

Jesse did seem off this week, especially with his comments to Javier about immigrating.  In his defense, the producers probably assigned him to do that - but it came across very awkward and not really comparable.  Asking people how they felt about not being chosen was awkward too.

Maybe I misunderstood something but ...................... Kevin got a bit choked up when Jesse asked him about his kids.  The family picture (which I saw for just a second) seemed to have just his son in it.  Then he said something like "This is for you" with a name I didn't catch.  Did something happen to a second child?  

[pally]

Ashley always over decorates.  There is too much stuff on her bakes.

I've been watching too much Great British Baking Show.  I was wondering what "blitz puff pastry" was until I saw what they were doing then I knew it was "rough puff pastry"

Too bad about Javier.  I hated to see him go but raw pastry when everyone else did ok was the kiss of death.

I think that Duff directs the outcome far more than we thought.  He has more specific comments and I think he balances the opinions of Carla and Nancy.  Not that it would have saved Javier last night

 

[Splashy]

19 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

I was a little annoyed that the winning team's ornament was half a dome.  I know ornaments come in all shapes and sizes but that felt like a bit of a cop out. 

Same here. I said it out loud when they first started. That said, I'm glad Justine's "winnahs" didn't win, although I love Kevin & Javier. 

My sweet Javier is gone! But, as someone mentioned above, raw dough is the kiss of death, and he knew it. When they first mentioned it, I said SH*T, he's gonna go. Grrr. It was the correct choice, though. 

I had to laugh when someone (Duff?) told Kevin his decorations were too bright for such a rustic and "brown" tree. I rolled my eyes and said, yeah, and if he'd made more subdued ornaments, he would've gotten criticized for not having any contrast! Make the ornaments brighter! We need contrast! There was no winning on that point. 

Agreeing on all the comments on Justine being over the top this week. She just wouldn't shut up. 

I also agree that Ashley and Sherrod (love) will most likely be eliminated in the earlier challenges, leaving Justine, Kevin & Thoa in the finale. 

Go Kevin and/or Thoa! 😁

Oh, and we got more fake conducting from Nancy. STOP.

 

Edited December 13, 2023 by Splashy
Had to correct Justine's winners to "winnahs".

[Rammchick]

Justine's just very exaggerated.  When Jesse announces a challenge, there's Justine with her mouth wide open, like she's just heard the most shocking thing imaginable.  And then when she laughs at one of his stupid Dad jokes, she laughs in a way that you know is fake.  You start to root against a person like this because she's just too much.

[MerBearHou]

I love Sherrod too and don’t get why Jesse has ignored him all season in any of the kitchen interactions and Nancy barely, barely praises him (she did give him positive feedback this week at last).  

[AZChristian]

12 hours ago, Rammchick said:

Justine's just very exaggerated.  When Jesse announces a challenge, there's Justine with her mouth wide open, like she's just heard the most shocking thing imaginable.  And then when she laughs at one of his stupid Dad jokes, she laughs in a way that you know is fake.  You start to root against a person like this because she's just too much.

Like almost every competitor on Kids Baking Championship!  At least Justine doesn't jump up and down and shrilly scream at the announcement of every challenge.

[rlc]

I like Justine. There. I said it. She's had a few misses, but everything she has made has (apparently) been delicious. I don't think her accent is fake. I'm from Brooklyn, NY, and I've noticed that people's accents change/get thicker when they are tired/anxious/talking a lot.

Javier was this year's contestant that you love and think could/should win, but makes one (or two or three) dumb mistakes and gets sent home before bakers that should be gone before they are. Sigh.

I do not think that Justine is a shoo-in to win. Kevin has been very good and steady, and they really seem to like Thoa (I have found her to be very unsteady). Sherrod is delightful, but his bakes always seem to be missing *one* thing- either he has a time issue, or he overreaches. I thought Ashley should have gone home weeks ago, so she'll probably win the whole thing. 

[Pi237]

I like Justine, too.  Sure, her facial reactions are way over the top, but most of them are acting fake now and then. Producer encouraged, most likely. I also don’t mind Ashley, but I think her bakes are often missing the mark. The right one went home. Underbaked can’t be ignored. And he faltered on the dome last week. Nice guy, but it’s down to the wire and I think all that are left are worthy of the win. 
 

Jesse, “so, how did it feel Not to get picked?”  Ugh stop it. The worst reality tv questioning. I expected this show to be above that crap. 

[Frost]

Quote

Jesse, “so, how did it feel Not to get picked?”  Ugh stop it. The worst reality tv questioning. I expected this show to be above that crap.

Not only was It not necessary, it was said in the most ham fisted fashion.   Did he encourage the team that won the challenge to yell "Up yours, losers!"

I'm sure the producers push a lot of this stuff, but I would think Jesse has been around enough to push back on their more stupid ideas.

[HyeChaps]

I thought for sure the losing team would have to go each other in a sudden death playoff. (Making it a tricky choosing strategy)

 

Edited December 13, 2023 by HyeChaps
Typo

[tennisgurl]

Oh Javier, its heartbreaking to see him go. He seems like such a nice guy and is such a great baker, but he was doomed the second Carla showed that raw dough and he knew it. He took a big risk and it didn't work out for him, its way too late in the game for him to be making such a rookie mistake. If he hadn't made that terrible mistake I think Ashley would have gone home, her bakes have always been on the lower end, her tree looked like a preschooler made it. 

I don't mind Justine's accent and I don't think she's putting it on. Its normal for people's accents to get thicker when they are stressed or excited, it doesn't bother me. What does both me about Justine is her obvious arrogance, she just thinks she's the hottest shit in the kitchen and she's so obvious about it. I am all for confidence, but she doesn't have to be so obvious that she thinks she's better than everyone. Some of my annoyance with her is probably the fact that Nancy is obsessed with her and has decided that she can do no wrong, giving her endless praise when she would have docked anyone else for doing the same things. 

Justine should have known that her dream team would end up losing, hubris was her surprise ingredient.

Thoa had a great week, I am hoping she wins the whole thing! I like Kevin too, he is very consistent and even his meh bakes are pretty solid, like his pull apart tree this week. Kevin, Thoar, and Justine will probably be our top three. 

Edited December 13, 2023 by tennisgurl

[RoxiP]

I am from Texas and I have been told I do not have a strong accent (even worse - I'm from Mesquite which is the rodeo capital of the world according to the sign when you enter town).  My accent tends to fluctuate depending on how distracted or tired I am.  I suspect Justine, when she is being interviewed, tends to think and talk more slowly, which probably makes her accent less noticeable...at least that is how it tends to work for me.  

Y'all've harped on Nancy not complimenting Sharrod so much that I even noticed when she praised his brownies last night...LOL!  I think he gets less Jesse attention because he seems to be a very quiet guy and doesn't seem to like the camera and microphone stuck in his face - kind of a shame because he's a very nice looking guy with a wonderful, quiet smile.

I'm hoping for a Kevin or Thoa win.  Thoa started out slow but she seems to be getting stronger as the competition goes along.  

[Suzn]

1 hour ago, tennisgurl said:

I don't mind Justine's accent and I don't think she's putting it on. Its normal for people's accents to get thicker when they are stressed or excited, it doesn't bother me. What does both me about Justine is her obvious arrogance, she just thinks she's the hottest shit in the kitchen and she's so obvious about it. I am all for confidence, but she doesn't have to be so obvious that she thinks she's better than everyone. Some of my annoyance with her is probably the fact that Nancy is obsessed with her and has decided that she can do no wrong, giving her endless praise when she would have docked anyone else for doing the same things. 

Exactly!  Not everything she has done has been so perfect, but she thinks she is so much better than everyone and Nancy's bullshit reinforces her feeling of superiority.

[Texasmom1970]

Gotta rant. That wasn’t an ornament it was half an ornament laying down. 
None of the judges mentioned that, bunch of bs. 
Okay rant over.

[jcbrown]

I had not really paid attention before but last night it was really obvious to me how much Nancy does not like Sherrod, which I just do not understand. It's a bad look, Nancy.

[CrazyInAlabama]

My view is that if a contestant doesn't suck up to Nancy, she doesn't like them.   Sharrod is a nice person, and not a kiss a$$ like Justine, or Ashley, so Nancy doesn't like him.   

And I agree, the winning ornament was only the front, not the entire ornament.   The other team should have won, they met the challenge, not the winning team.    The rules apparently only apply to who the judges decide they want to win. 

Edited December 18, 2023 by CrazyInAlabama

[jcbrown]

I also noticed in the prior episode that Justine walked like a beauty queen when she came out to judging. Or possibly a penguin. She had her hands sort of stuck out with her palms parallel to the floor.

[libgirl2]

I don't think I mentioned but I was watching GBBO Christmas (the one from last year) and their technical was a pull apart tree. Paul's tree looked amazing but no frosting or crazy decorations. 

[needschocolate]

 

On 12/12/2023 at 10:12 AM, dleighg said:

Does anyone actually eat modeling chocolate? It seems like it's usually used to make "sculptures" that are theoretically edible but....

I just don't think it is a good addition to the top of a dessert. From what I saw nobody ate the tops of Thoa's whoopie pies.

I made a cake for my grandson's birthday and used modeling chocolate.  It is pretty easy to make - I used candy melts and corn syrup, and the modeling chocolate tasted like the candy melts (corn syrup has very little flavor).  The kids loved it.

You can also make it with chocolate and corn syrup, and it tastes like chocolate. Candy melts are easier to work with.  

Modeling chocolate is vastly different from fondant.  Supposedly, you can use modeling chocolate to cover a cake, like you would with fondant, but I would think it would be more difficult to slice.  

[Grizzly]

This is my first Christmas after Mom died and I decided to bake some of her recipes. I remember loving these cookies as a kid. They're just meringue with chocolate chips, total sugar bomb. The pie I don't remember her making. But it does have uncooked rum in it so not to serve to a child. Nancy would love it. Still pretty sweet with no crunch factor so probably wouldn't get me to the next round. The chocolate was too thick to do a proper swirl on top. I don't think I would have done this if I didn't watch this show.

Pictures too big to fit in same post.

[CheshireCat]

8 minutes ago, Grizzly said:

But it does have uncooked rum in it so not to serve to a child. Nancy would love it.

 

But is it Christmas-y enough? 😉(Sorry about your mom. That's tough).

3 hours ago, needschocolate said:

Supposedly, you can use modeling chocolate to cover a cake, like you would with fondant, but I would think it would be more difficult to slice.  

It's also more difficult to cover because it is pliable only at the right temperature and doesn't stretch at any temperature. I think you have to be very experienced in order to cover a cake with it like you do with fondant.

I do prefer it to fondant because I don't eat fondant but so far, I've used it for decoration only.

About the episode: there was something about Javier that I didn't like, so I wasn't sad to see him go. He was a great baker, though. I don't agree with his wrapping paper cake win but his other wins and top placements were well-deserved.

I was surprised that his tree was raw on the inside. On my TV, it looked like it was burned on the outside. As in, black and all you taste is bitter. I thought for sure he was going to stay when the judges didn't even mentioned it - until they said that his dough wasn't baked all the way through.

I was surprised, too, that Nancy liked Thoa's tree. At other times, she's called baked goods like these too rustic and not holiday enough. It really comes down to liking the contestant or not for her, doesn't it? (I do like Thoa, so I don't mind, and I do agree with one of the judges who said to another baker that it was a pity that everything was covered and you didn't see any of the pull-apart-effect anymore. But still, with Nancy there's just no consistency).

I can't say any of the trees looked amazing but that's due to the kind of baked good that they were. I think most of this challenge was about taste and how well the puff pastry worked.

 

[Frost]

Quote

 no crunch factor

The stupid "crunch" factor gets mentioned in every dessert!  I have no desire to eat a crunchy cake slice.  I'd think egg shell got in there! 😁  Plus, almost everyone uses feuilltine (sp?).  As this is a baking show, I maintain that every thing the bakers use should be made by them.  No pre-made oreo cookies, or ginger snaps, or rice crispsies, or marshmallows, etc.  

I know the bakers get an unrealistic amount of time for their bakes, so my complaint isn't really practical.  As always, I'd argue to give them more time!

[Bobcatkitten]

I didn't mind the ornament laying down. The challenge wasn't a 3-D ornament it was an ornament. 

[CheshireCat]

18 hours ago, Frost said:

The stupid "crunch" factor gets mentioned in every dessert!  I have no desire to eat a crunchy cake slice.  I'd think egg shell got in there! 😁  Plus, almost everyone uses feuilltine (sp?). 

That they almost always use feuilletine is unoriginal but it's not about the actual crunch, it's about adding a bite to the cake so you have a bit of a different consistency and not everything is soft.

A few months back, I made a cake with ground almonds, honeycream cheese filling and toasted honey-caramelized pistachios. The entire cake was very soft - the filling is soft by nature, I beat up the egg whites separately, so there was more air in the batter and the almonds added more softness/crumbly-ness - and without the pistachios it probably would have been like baby food. The cake needed the pistachios to give it a difference consistency.

It's like when you have pie or cheesecake: the crust doesn't just hold in the filling, it also adds a different texture to the pie/cake.

[DEL901]

2 hours ago, CheshireCat said:

That they almost always use feuilletine is unoriginal but it's not about the actual crunch, it's about adding a bite to the cake so you have a bit of a different consistency and not everything is soft.

A few months back, I made a cake with ground almonds, honeycream cheese filling and toasted honey-caramelized pistachios. The entire cake was very soft - the filling is soft by nature, I beat up the egg whites separately, so there was more air in the batter and the almonds added more softness/crumbly-ness - and without the pistachios it probably would have been like baby food. The cake needed the pistachios to give it a difference consistency.

It's like when you have pie or cheesecake: the crust doesn't just hold in the filling, it also adds a different texture to the pie/cake.

So much of this is personal taste…I love cheesecake, but never eat the crust.  

[libgirl2]

1 hour ago, DEL901 said:

So much of this is personal taste…I love cheesecake, but never eat the crust.  

I love the crust! 

[libgirl2]

Nancy, can you hate on Sherrod any more? Please don't bring her back next year. 

[Snarkastikate]

The judging this season is just wacky.  One minute they're raving over a shades of brown dessert, the next Nancy is saying the green isn't green enough, "where's my holiday?" & Duff is saying that it needs glitter & sparkles. Super subjective judging, they contradict themselves more than usual.  And the challenge of making a cake that when smashed upside down looks great was just plain crazy.  Justine's voice is like nails on a blackboard to me, I muted the tv when she's on.   

[libgirl2]

I just want Thoa or Kevin to won. The other two are making my eyes roll back so far, I could pass out.