Buddy vs. Duff - General Discussion

[AlteredArtichoke]

I just watched the second episode. LOVE Duff and Geof. Never could stand Buddy. What a jerk. I’m done with this show. As others have said, maybe after the last show, if I hear Duff won, I might go back and watch the last episode. Otherwise, I’m sorry Duff got involved with this. Buddy Valastro has no class and very little talent. Duff needs his own decorating show again. I miss Ace of Cakes.

[ShortyMac]

Aaaaaaaaaaaaand Buddy wins both challenges this week...is Buddy really so obnoxious and arrogant, or is it for drama? Sending Duff pics of your cake? What is this, middle school taunting?

I'm surprised the judges gave him 4/5 for difficulty with his zeppole. I would've taken another point off. He only made dough and cannoli cream; it must've been really amazing. 

Buddy's cakes look too cartoonish to me, I don't know.

[mauras]

20 minutes ago, AlteredArtichoke said:

I just watched the second episode. LOVE Duff and Geof. Never could stand Buddy. What a jerk. I’m done with this show. As others have said, maybe after the last show, if I hear Duff won, I might go back and watch the last episode. Otherwise, I’m sorry Duff got involved with this. Buddy Valastro has no class and very little talent. Duff needs his own decorating show again. I miss Ace of Cakes.

I don't think I'm going to watch again either. Even if they're over-emphasizing Buddy's boorishness for the show (I didn't watch Cake Boss, so I'm not sure), it's clear that he's a miserable little brat, and that's not any kind of fun to watch. I love Duff, and I was so excited to see Geof again—Ace of Cakes was my happy place show when it was on—but it's not worth it if I have to watch Buddy's nonsense too. What a creep.

[mlp]

I was actually shocked that they gave the wins to Buddy.  Duff's cone looked delicious and fresh on a hot day and was entirely handmade.  It's true that Buddy used more techniques for his cake but he used molds and stencils while Duff did it all by hand.  I thought the gold elephant was beautiful while Buddy's cake looked like it was matte orange.  

I've always liked Keegan Gerhard but right now I'm mad at him.  🙂

[howiveaddict]

Maybe they gave Buddy the win this week because he threatened to quit after last week. I think they also got the male judge to give the female judge a little protection from Buddy.  He might not be so verbal to another man.

[mlp]

Quote

I think they also got the male judge to give the female judge a little protection from Buddy.  He might not be so verbal to another man.

Maybe so although Keegan lives in Denver so he would have had to drop everything to do the show with no advance notice.  He was associated with FN for years so maybe he did.  I'm sure I don't know.

[HappyDancex2]

I missed the first episode but caught this one.  Format seems odd...doesn’t flow really well in the editing.  I’m not feeling the rivalry.  It’s neither fun, playful....and they haven’t found a way to enhance Buddy’s personality to make him seem.....likeable....or even competitive.  

These 2 don’t play off of each other very well.  It’s awkward and abrasive.

i did like the gold leaf elephant and the henna inspired designs.

[LennieBriscoe]

Moral of the Story: Bigger is better. 

But not for its own sake. As the one judge said,  Duff didn't have enough scale to allow for a variety of decorating techniques.  

Of course, next week Duff wins,  because....television. 

[HappyDancex2]

They loved the technique and movement of the dancer on buddy’s cake, which he didn’t even make.  So in some sense duff’s failure was utilizing his sous.

I also don’t like the narrator guy...his voice doesn’t fit this show unless they are layering awkward.  They’ve clearly nailed that LOL 

[Psychobunny]

I love Duff but I don’t like him on this show. He’s not nearly as bad as Buddy but he still seems to have a bad attitude. I also didn’t like the painting on his filigree work on the elephant. Brighter colors might have stood out more against the gold. I also think his cone sounded a little crazy with too many components and sweet on sweet on sweet. I just want to see him having fun. The problem with this show is that they both look like they hate being there.

[Kohola3]

I would love to see Buddy do Duff's cake - he scoffed that eh could have knocked it off in half the time. So prove it. We saw the amount of work that went into it. 

I'm not sure what I'll do if Buddy wins this.  He is such and obnoxious blowhard.  And you can see that Duff is taking every loss pretty hard.  At least he's a gentleman about it.

[Josette]

I feel like there should be some sort of size requirement for the cakes.  It just seems weird not to say it needs to feed 50 people or 100.  Unless I missed it, it seems like the size of the cake is whatever Buddy or Duff wants to make.

The vibe of this show is awkward.  It's not the fun time I thought it would be.

Edited March 18, 2019 by Josette

[Lady Iris]

I only caught the last 20 minutes of the first ep but it was more than enough to see that Buddy is a typical blowhard. I was dumbfounded when he walked away after the announcement.  Might as well have said, "I'm taking my ball and going home." You're on national television and you're an adult. Nobody likes to lose but its a competition and that's the nature of the beast.

Is there not going to be any cake tasting with the final challenge? Aside from esthetics that would certainly be a contentious point for a baker on whose goods taste better. I'm probably expecting too much. I've been binging on the Great British Baking Show. Now that would be hysterical. If there was a Brit acting the way Buddy did.

[CrazyInAlabama]

Most of the time, the show cakes like this are almost all Rice Krispie treats, or other things that just aren't edible.   

[40Love]

1 hour ago, Lady Iris said:

I've been binging on the Great British Baking Show. Now that would be hysterical. If there was a Brit acting the way Buddy did.

That would be hysterical! The closest thing to a hissy fit I ever saw on the GBBS was a handsome, tall bearded ginger who threw out his mess of a dessert and politely walked out the tent in what could maybe possibly be seen as a tiny little snit. He was eliminated in the end, all the while politely nodding his head in agreement. Heh! So polite. 

3 hours ago, Josette said:

The vibe of this show is awkward.  It's not the fun time I thought it would be.

Agreed... I feel an overwhelming amount of sympathy toward Duff who's trying his best to be civil and upbeat. Him walking away from the pier deflated was a bummer.... and my heart went out to him after Buddy sent those pics of his cake with the message "Boom". I saw Duff's confidence go from 10 to 1 in an instant. I just wanted to give him a big hug. Hate that Buddy won that round. He's a sore loser and graceless winner! Not sure I can stomach the rest of the show. 

Edited March 18, 2019 by 40Love

[Lady Iris]

1 hour ago, 40Love said:

That would be hysterical! The closest thing to a hissy fit I ever saw on the GBBS was a handsome, tall bearded ginger who threw out his mess of a dessert and politely walked out the tent in what could maybe possibly be seen as a tiny little snit. He was eliminated in the end, all the while politely nodding his head in agreement. Heh! So polite. 

Yes! I remember that. Lol. At this rate, we might just see Buddy toss a whole cake into the trash and he won't be so 'polite' about it.

[Mrs. Stanwyck]

The judges don't seem to be consistent on what they want.  Last week Buddy won the baking challenge because his desert had more technique.  So this week, Duff ups the number of techniques and seems to do them all well (except for the comment about wanting more from the taste of his ice-cream).  Buddy makes one giant vat of dough and rolls one type in sugar, fills a second one with nutella and finally makes a cannolli cream for the 3rd.  No wonder Duff looked confused and deflated at the end of the challenge.

I agree with those that think this competition isn't much fun to watch.  On Chopped you'll get a competitor who talks smack and acts like he/she is so far above all the others.  I always root for that person to lose.  And that's how I feel about Buddy.  You can be confident and proud of your abilities without trying to take away from someone else.

[cujokay]

On 3/11/2019 at 11:17 AM, orangekit said:

It is so tiring seeing these thin skinned man babies who have no class, behave in ways that I would not allow a four year old to act !

YES!  This!  Grow the hell up!  If Buddy ends up winning this, (and I don't care what Duff makes) it will be a joke because Buddy made it a joke from the git go!

[cujokay]

On 3/11/2019 at 10:52 AM, orangekit said:

...apparently Buddy is short tempered .  Hopefully he will not win! 

That's EXACTLY how I feel.

[Kohola3]

3 hours ago, 40Love said:

He's a sore loser and graceless winner!

Perfectly stated.  Cannot stand him.  To see the normally upbeat Duff so down-hearted is making me hate this show.

[Eliza422]

this is a perfect encapsulation of how Buddy always was - and he even mentioned being on the original challenge shows! This week's cake was exactly what he used to do - build an absurdly large stacked cake with some decorative elements that show no creativity what so ever - go for the most obvious. The only nice thing about his cake was the dancer.

I do have to admit that for the first challenge I would have liked Buddy's better if it was just a treat to eat. I don't like absurdly complicated desserts, so basic doughnuts would be my preference. But this was not just something to eat, it was a competition, so again it was absurd that Buddy won.

He's also such a bad sport - not competitive in a fun way like Duff, but in a mean, nasty way.

Boy do I hate that guy. Duff better win this whole thing.

[cujokay]

On 3/11/2019 at 1:12 PM, Evie said:

I don't care to watch him ever again.

Hate watch him like I do; it's so much fun!  Every time (the entire show) he says or does something stupid, sneer at your TV and say, "Duff's gonna beat your ass", doughboy.   It'll make you feel better.  I swear.   🤣 

[jcbrown]

I've never seen Buddy in anything before. What a dick. I agree hate-watching is really the only option.

[cujokay]

On 3/11/2019 at 11:11 PM, rasalas said:

Any takers on whether they end up in a tie after 12 rounds of competition? 

It better NOT!

[ParadoxLost]

32 minutes ago, cujokay said:

Hate watch him like I do; it's so much fun!  Every time (the entire show) he says or does something stupid, sneer at your TV and say, "Duff's gonna beat your ass", doughboy.   It'll make you feel better.  I swear.   🤣 

Hate watching isn't working for me primarily because I can feel the level of misery Duff is having with filming this show coming off him in waves.

I spent a lot of the first part of this episode trying to figure out if they were playing that up or playing it down.  They certainly didn't skimp on Buddy's poor loser, if I don't win then I'm not going to put in any effort bullshit.  But I thought they were weirdly light on Duff talking heads, but did spend a lot of shots on Duff looking at Buddy's lazy ass with irritation. That shot of Keegan holding Duff's neck as he left the pier was weirdly edited.  Like they either didn't catch the whole thing or thought better of airing it last minute.  They also were suspiciously abrupt in the length of time Duff's carnival food was discussed.

Last episode was all technique, technique, technique.  This episode it felt like the they were trying to pacify the star with Diva tendencies at the expense of of the person who is reasonable and not as likely to become a fucking nightmare to deal with.

I'm not confident enough that Duff will win to be able to even hate watch it.  The level of toxicity is making me wonder if the winner will be determined by whoever the network thinks has less blowback risk of a lose impacting profits.

For me, the only winning scenario is that Buddy alienates viewers and FN execs/talent to the point that they kick him off the network.  If I were Amazon, I'd be thinking about whether I could poach Duff from FN and maybe do something reality food competition based that that has some synergies with whatever they have planned for Heidi Klum/Tim Gunn now that they are signed to them instead of Project Runway.

[Ladyblue]

There is absolutely no way that buddy won the beach contest and the Bollywood contest against Duff! You judges are simply cheating because he's a bully! Duff' entries were both f a r superior to buddy's, even if Buddy won taste! And the Elegantly done elephant...please, next to the big gaudily done monstrosity in no way beat Duff! It's about the craftsmanship of the piece, not the bulky size! If it's large, AND done with finess, that's one thing, but to be big, just for the sake of being big and numbly, NO!

[ParadoxLost]

15 minutes ago, Ladyblue said:

There is absolutely no way that buddy won the beach contest and the Bollywood contest against Duff! You judges are simply cheating because he's a bully! Duff' entries were both f a r superior to buddy's, even if Buddy won taste! And the Elegantly done elephant...please, next to the big gaudily done monstrosity in no way beat Duff! It's about the craftsmanship of the piece, not the bulky size! If it's large, AND done with finess, that's one thing, but to be big, just for the sake of being big and numbly, NO!

In comparison to the first two competitions, this episode didn't make sense in terms of winners.  It would have been much easier to believe that Buddy won the Car decorating challenge than the Bollywood decorating challenge.

So one thing on scoring.  They have two judges now.  How is everything coming to whole numbers?  Are they reaching a consensus on the score? Rounding up?

[Jessa]

15 minutes ago, ParadoxLost said:

In comparison to the first two competitions, this episode didn't make sense in terms of winners.  It would have been much easier to believe that Buddy won the Car decorating challenge than the Bollywood decorating challenge.

So one thing on scoring.  They have two judges now.  How is everything coming to whole numbers?  Are they reaching a consensus on the score? Rounding up?

I was wondering the same thing about the judging numbers. I have no explanation. 

[Kohola3]

1 hour ago, Jessa said:

I was wondering the same thing about the judging numbers. I have no explanation. 

In the first one, there were two people looking at the cakes but only the blond was doing the judging and they made it clear the other woman gave opinions but didn't rank things. Was this different or did they just assume we'd know that was the case?  Makes little sense to have even numbers of voters.

I just can't with Buddy.  I want him to lose just to see him throw another tantrum.  And Duff is a gracious winner so that would make it all the better.

[suebee12]

8 hours ago, Eliza422 said:

The only nice thing about his cake was the dancer.

.....and Buddy DID NOT do her...his sous chef did.

And no way would I have picked a piece of fried dough over a scrumptious waffle cone!!!!

[Granny]

7 hours ago, ParadoxLost said:

In comparison to the first two competitions, this episode didn't make sense in terms of winners.  It would have been much easier to believe that Buddy won the Car decorating challenge than the Bollywood decorating challenge.

So one thing on scoring.  They have two judges now.  How is everything coming to whole numbers?  Are they reaching a consensus on the score? Rounding up?

 I guess I am a bit confused about the judging. I thought they had the ability to watch on a tablet of some sort. If so, they know how much work each baker put into their cakes; that would tell them the difference in techniques being used, and the amount of time the bakers are actually spending vs how much their sous is actually doing! Clearly if they watched it and are not blind, Duff Won both challenges this week!!! And, is a much more well-rounded baker and respectful person in general!

And  at the beginning of the show, both bakers said that they agreed there would be one judge, Shari Yard.  So why did they bring in a second judge this week? Whose idea was that? 

So I’m done watching also. Bullying and whining are NOT on my list of things to watch. Sorry Duff, but I’ll go back to watching you judge. At least then I can see the real, fun loving you that we all seem to enjoy watching.

[Rickster]

I thought both Buddy and Duff did a better job in this week’s challenges.

I’m really puzzled though by what they’re supposed to be doing in the decorating challenge. Are they making cakes for a party or sculptures out of edible materials? Duff’s elephant, while really beautiful, I thought in no way could be considered a cake to serve at a party, while Buddy is making cakes that could serve 100 people. And it was pretty much the same in week 1. Don’t they usually taste the cakes as well?

[Kohola3]

2 hours ago, Rickster said:

Don’t they usually taste the cakes as well?

I was wondering that as well.  On all of the shows that Duff judges, he tastes the item as well as judges the look.  The first challenge had to feed people but is the second just for looks?  That's seems silly.

[Enigma X]

I think the drama is contrived but hope the competition isn’t. I also think they told Buddy to be a jerk, but that is his natural personality. 

[Maverick]

It's Food Network so it's a given some of this is contrived.  But the arrogance and hurt feelings definitely seem legitimate. 

As for the size of the cakes, I think Duff mentioned on his old show that they send out sheet cakes to feed the crowd when they have an elaborate showpiece.  Buddy seems to make his cakes big enough to feed all the guests which no doubt contributes to him have less refined cakes   

[Emkat]

I'm from the Baltimore area so I'm always going to root for Duff. Plus I may have a small crush in him. Ha!

Duff is much more artistic and detail oriented. Just because it's bigger doesn't mean it's better.

I heard that in person Buddy's stuff isn't that great anyway.

Go Duff!!!

[Kohola3]

17 minutes ago, Emkat said:

Go Duff!!!

Clearly there are no Buddy fans here.  Thank heavens!

[Emkat]

Also the way Buddy says "chocolate" is THE WORST! Chaw-clat.

[Mollysmom]

2 minutes ago, Emkat said:

Also the way Buddy says "chocolate" is THE WORST! Chaw-clat.

Also the way he says "fondant".  Fon DONT. 

[ninjakid]

10 minutes ago, Emkat said:

Also the way Buddy says "chocolate" is THE WORST! Chaw-clat.

Everything about Buddy is the worst. 

[CrazyInAlabama]

I think Buddy is jealous that Duff has continuing judging jobs with Food Network, and Buddy's shows have gone bye-bye.   

The Next Cake Boss (or whatever it was) has gone, Cake Boss is finally gone, the Bakery makeover one didn't last too long.    Plus Duff still has his original cake shop, another outlet or more in Los Angeles, that are doing very well, and has been on a bunch of other shows, and apparently is well liked by fans.      

[ParadoxLost]

22 hours ago, Kohola3 said:

In the first one, there were two people looking at the cakes but only the blond was doing the judging and they made it clear the other woman gave opinions but didn't rank things. Was this different or did they just assume we'd know that was the case?  Makes little sense to have even numbers of voters.

This episode they changed it to 2 voting judges and one adviser.  We saw them scoring individually on paper.  48% of score combinations would be odd numbers and fractional when averaged.  There is no way that all results were whole numbers. Unless they did something like give one judge 2 points to assign and the other 3 points.  The whole thing is a farce.

16 hours ago, Granny said:

And  at the beginning of the show, both bakers said that they agreed there would be one judge, Shari Yard.  So why did they bring in a second judge this week? Whose idea was that? 

I think that the new/second judge is because of Buddy's hissy fit.  They basically went back and grabbed the judge from the cake competition shows that Duff and Buddy both used to appear on as contestants.

Its still the first challenge that bugs me most

Duff gets 2 points knocked off for Taste and Execution.  Taste we can't quibble about.  But what was wrong with execution?   

Buddy gets 1 point knocked off for creativity, difficulty, and presentation.  So how was Duffs execution a point worse than making a  donut three ways when two of those ways were no filling and nutella for creativity and difficulty?

Actually why are there so many categories to score on and on a scale?  Its overly complicated and kind of redundant.  It would be easier if the judge only got to assign a winner to each category they score. 

Edited March 19, 2019 by ParadoxLost

[justjen]

Frankly, I enjoy* Buddy's Tell I See It candor and can't stand Duff's Everyone's Loveable Camp Counselor attitude.

*My niece told me today is Official Opposite Day

[Rickster]

3 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

I think Buddy is jealous that Duff has continuing judging jobs with Food Network, and Buddy's shows have gone bye-bye.   

The Next Cake Boss (or whatever it was) has gone, Cake Boss is finally gone, the Bakery makeover one didn't last too long.    Plus Duff still has his original cake shop, another outlet or more in Los Angeles, that are doing very well, and has been on a bunch of other shows, and apparently is well liked by fans.      

Carlo’s Bakery has something like 19 outlets in 10 states, so it looks like Buddy is doing pretty well too, but maybe that will fade if his TV visibility slips more.

I find Buddy entertaining in a cartoony sort of way, but I’m originally from New Jersey and don’t find the way he pronounces words offensive.

[luvthepros]

On 3/18/2019 at 12:16 PM, CrazyInAlabama said:

Most of the time, the show cakes like this are almost all Rice Krispie treats, or other things that just aren't edible.   

I honestly don't know if Duff's creation had any cake at all. Buddy's cakes always have plenty of cake along with the rice krispie treats that make up the form of the creation. That's why Buddy goes big with his cakes.

People LOVE Buddy's cakes too. The end of Cake Boss always had Buddy saying "Who wants to eat some cake?" The reaction to the taste of Buddy's cakes was always one of elation. I've visited Buddy's bakery in Hoboken. His baked goods are awesome!

[luvthepros]

23 hours ago, suebee12 said:

.....and Buddy DID NOT do her...his sous chef did.

And no way would I have picked a piece of fried dough over a scrumptious waffle cone!!!!

Take another look at the utter satisfaction as the judges tasted Buddy's fried dough concoctions. Buddy's baking abilities knock it out of the park. As I said before, I've had his baked goods. Nothing beats the taste of a great bakery item. His cannolis are the best I have ever had and I have had plenty of cannolis in my life. It's all about the cannoli cream and Buddy WOW'd the judges with that.

I can easily see there is not one Buddy fan on this site......except me.

[luvthepros]

7 hours ago, Emkat said:

I heard that in person Buddy's stuff isn't that great anyway.

Not my experience with Carlos Bakery. Four of us went to the Hoboken bakery and each of us ordered something different. We waited on line for nearly 45 minutes to order. Carlos Bakery is THAT popular. All of our bakery items were out of this world!

Buddy made an appearance and was very gracious with the crowd. He posed for pictures with anyone who wanted a photo with him. He seemed very nice in person.....shaking hands and being very welcoming to his customers. I don't think you are seeing the real Buddy on this show.

[Kohola3]

7 hours ago, luvthepros said:

I don't think you are seeing the real Buddy on this show.

I certainly hope he's not such a poor loser and rude winner in person, Although he was rude, loud, and obnoxious on his own show as well.  Odd that he never seems to show anything different on TV.

And of course he's nice to customers, they bring in the $$$.  Doesn't mean much.

People have the same swooning reaction to Duff's cakes as well so I doubt Buddy is a better baker.  His carnival treats were a one trick pony - one dough with different fillings.  Big deal.

Edited March 20, 2019 by Kohola3

[ninjakid]

2 hours ago, Kohola3 said:

I certainly hope he's not such a poor loser and rude winner in person, Although he was rude, loud, and obnoxious on his own show as well.  Odd that he never seems to show anything different on TV.

And of course he's nice to customers, they bring in the $$$.  Doesn't mean much.

People have the same swooning reaction to Duff's cakes as well so I doubt Buddy is a better baker.  His carnival treats were a one trick pony - one dough with different fillings.  Big deal.

And he only made one of the fillings.

[bkathi]

18 hours ago, Maverick said:

It's Food Network so it's a given some of this is contrived.  But the arrogance and hurt feelings definitely seem legitimate. 

As for the size of the cakes, I think Duff mentioned on his old show that they send out sheet cakes to feed the crowd when they have an elaborate showpiece.  Buddy seems to make his cakes big enough to feed all the guests which no doubt contributes to him have less refined cakes   

I'm somewhat of a germaphobe and don't want to eat a cake that has to be touched by someone over and over again thru the decoration process.