Buddy vs. Duff - General Discussion

[Grizzly]

Duff's characters were more static and their poses had nothing to do with the actual show except Snoopy. Wonder if those ugly trees are what doomed Buddy? Ralph tells it like it is, don't put the trees on the display. And I didn't like Buddy's Linus. Couldn't really tell who it was. Anna is very talented but kind of full of herself.

[BookWitch]

Yeah they wasted to much time on those trees. 

[Guest]

Kind of funny that everyone kept talking about how much they love A Charlie Brown Christmas, but no one, including the judges, brought up the fact that Peppermint Patty (who was on Duff's display) was not in the special. She hadn't even appeared in the strip yet when the special originally aired. That irritated me irrationally and made me want Duff's team to lose 😆

[HyeChaps]

Woodstock wasn't in it either.  Buddy put him in.

[Guest]

32 minutes ago, HyeChaps said:

Woodstock wasn't in it either.  Buddy put him in.

Ah, true. Well I said it was irrational.

[ruffy666]

I don't know why I keep watching this show, lol

Peanuts is such a hard one to pull off because despite the simplicity of their faces, you will know RIGHT AWAY if the cake sculptor jacked it up.  I think Duff himself said something to that effect, and while I thought both teams did a really impressive job with some of their figures, Duff's Lucy was atrocious.  Like pure bootleg nightmare fuel.

I know it's not the point but the fact that there's no tasting component bothers me.  All the rice krispie treat stuff definitely bugs, but the fact that Buddy was using cakes that were very clearly burnt was a bridge too far IMO  😆

[seacliffsal]

I like Buddy's better-the ice was really nice and the precision of the skaters was well done.  I thought Duff's just looked like placed characters rather than a scene.

[SemiCharmedLife]

I'm not a big Buddy fan, but his team did a great job on the characters.  I thought the extra bits were well done in Duff's scene, from the trees to the falling snow to the backdrop.  I think his team did a better job nailing the small details, too. I'm glad they are giving points rather than just a win/lose decision.  

[Grizzly]

Duff lost because he refused to put Santa in the scene. As one of the judges said, that could be anyone's workshop. It was a great idea showing how the train was made, and masterfully done. It just needed an arm or hand or a Santa hat on the floor. Ugh on the linoleum, she didn't need 4 different colors. Buddy's piece was a cliche but in a classic way. It would fit into an old time Coke ad. Ralph is so awesome. Not sure how much help Sofia was.

[mlp]

Buddy deserved his win.  The mug of chocolate or whatever it was looked awful but everything else was well done.  Santa's face looked great and there was no doubt about the theme.  Duff's train was very good and so were the tools but the theme wasn't represented.  I thought the tile floor was quite unattractive.

[ruffy666]

Buddy's team's Santa was *chef's kiss*  probably one of the best things I've ever seen come out of this show

I found Duff obnoxiously pretentious this time around... I understand not wanting to go with the "expected" but, c'mon, a holiday-themed baking contest is not the time or place.  People expect/want tradition.  And even though the model train was exquisitely crafted, I was not at all surprised with the results.

[SemiCharmedLife]

Another great episode with amazing cake creations (I'm new to this giant cake competitions, so I'm surprised that so little cake goes into the finished product!).  I loved Buddy's teams' Santa and the nostalgic look.  I think they deserved the win, though I continue to be impressed with Duff's teams eye for details and realistic touches.  The train was amazing, along with the tools and accessories.  It was just missing the big man himself.

[Yeah No]

On 12/2/2021 at 9:33 AM, seacliffsal said:

I like Buddy's better-the ice was really nice and the precision of the skaters was well done.  I thought Duff's just looked like placed characters rather than a scene.

I lived and breathed Peanuts as a kid.  It wasn't just Lucy's face that was off in Duff's display.  Schroeder didn't even look like Schroeder and that sunken looking piano was lame.  Plus Duff's faces didn't look right from all angles, while Buddy's did.  Even Snoopy's house looked somehow off.  I thought Buddy's tree mistake was minor compared to all that.

Edited December 11, 2021 by Yeah No
Spelling.

[Maverick]

 In the first episode, Duff winning was bs, much less by 6 points.  His characters didn't hold a candle to Team Buddy, who had them spot on.   

 In the second episode, the train was one of Duff's high concept ideas that landed.  But who to hell thought that 50s tile floor belonged in Santa's Workshop?   As for excluding Santa?  First, it's "expected" because it's basically part of the challenge.  If he wanted to do something different, he should have come up with a different spin.  Excluding him completely but basically doing a traditional "expected" workshop was a cheat.  Duff's elitist demeanor was on full display with his condescending attitude and it why I can't be a fan of his. 

 I still wish they'd dump both Duff and Buddy and give us Natalie vs Ralph. 

[Grizzly]

Traditionally, Duff's team is the master of details. But I thought Buddy's team really won on their details tonight. All the marzipan fruits, mice and candy on the base were great. Obviously the cake piping was phenomenal. And the rat king ruled! Only drawback was how small Clara and nutcracker were. Plus they didn't make the cloche.

While the 7 heads were well executed, it made the character less scary. Loved the owl. Nutcracker Sonny didn't quite pull off that strange pose.

[YupItsMe]

I thought sure they’d ding Buddy tonight for making another wedding cake, but that piping was incredible.

[mlp]

Buddy and team earned their win.  That Rat King was amazing as was the piping on the cake.  I was very happy to see that Buddy has come back from his terrible injury.  He has had to work really hard to rehabilitate his hand after that.  

I didn't understand Duff's yellow pyramid at all.  The colors looked all wrong to me.  I wasn't crazy about the two characters either.  

[Spazamanaz]

Duff and Buddy competitions are getting really tiring. It's the same old over the top cakes made from everything under the sun but cake. They should change it up and maybe have bakery owners/ cake decorators/ bakers compete and have Buddy and Duff on their team. Or as someone mentioned above, have Ralph and Natalie compete. 

[Grizzly]

I did like Duff's display better. Glad the judges recognized that it had no flaws by giving it a perfect score. Can't believe Elena spent 20 hours on the penguins while Natalie and Sonny created the huge polar bear, another bear (all that fur!) and the seals. What does Duff do? I'm not fond of Buddy but he at least does work. Count me as one who wants to see Natalie vs Ralph.

[mlp]

I couldn't believe that no one on either team knew that penguins and polar bears don't co-exist.  Penguins live at the South Pole.  I thought the judges would say something but no.  Both teams made the same mistake so I guess there was no point to mentioning it but it bugged me the whole episode.

I enjoyed Buddy's display, especially the walrus, but I had to agree with the judges' decision.  Sonny and Natalie's polar bears were fantastic.  I especially liked the one that had just his head and paws showing.  

I have the same question as Grizzly.  What does Duff do?  He makes decisions and does easier details on the side but it seems like his team would turn out the same quality of work if he wasn't there.  Buddy OTOH is right in there working with his team.

 

[Maverick]

 I caught on to Duff  not contributing much some time ago.  I think his most egregious lack of contribution may have been when they did the farm stand cake last season and he spent two making making edible cellophane to wrap a few flowers in.   He's always up at the board with this grandiose plans but it's up to Jeff to figure out the structure/mechanics/special effects, Sonny and Natalie to do an insane amount of realistic sculpting and Elena and Katherine to churn out volumes of detail, all while he putters around with some vanity project like a retired husband trying to keep himself entertained. 

 While their display was really good, calling it cake is a joke.  No we don't just have wads of aluminum foil and PVC skeletons, but now half the characters are styrofoam (with cake built right on top of it) and resin.  Plastic resin.  Toxic plastic resin.   For the love of almighty, stop calling them cakes and just call them art installations.  

 I'm definitely over this format.  If they want this to continue, they need to make it like Worst Cooks and just give the show to one of these guys and cycle in different Food Network baking personalities each season.   At least there's be a little variety to it.