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Post by MFWalkoff on Dec 3, 2018 0:21:04 GMT
The Holiday edition premieres this Thursday at 9PM ET. (same time as the Top Chef premiere, the cheeky devils)
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Post by Kao on Dec 3, 2018 0:54:50 GMT
I think I'll set my DVR to record this and watch Top Chef live. Thank you for the reminder!
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Post by Arielflies on Dec 3, 2018 14:54:09 GMT
Man, I hope this season plays out fully on TV after that debacle last year. I really like Sherry Yard. She has been a judge during baking comps on Food Network.
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Post by ibot2much on Dec 3, 2018 16:45:30 GMT
I agree. I hope everybody has been properly vetted as last year was a terrible disappointment-----and poorly handled.
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libgirl2
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Post by libgirl2 on Dec 3, 2018 16:48:02 GMT
I agree. I hope everybody has been properly vetted as last year was a terrible disappointment-----and poorly handled. Count me in too. I was not happy last year when it was pulled!
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Post by Kao on Dec 3, 2018 17:28:41 GMT
Let's hope Paul behaves himself. Remember what he did last time?
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Post by Kao on Dec 7, 2018 20:47:23 GMT
This was actually a lot of fun to watch. For those of you who DVRed it, it's actually two episodes! This week, they showed the cake and pastry weeks.
Emma and Anthony did a nice job hosting the show. Paul was his usual self but worked well with Sherry Yard. This year, they did things a little differently; instead of Paul and Co. coming to shoot the show in America, they flew the bakers out to compete in the same tents they use for the GBBO in England! What a nice holiday for them. I was rooting for Jill, Jiwandeep, and Chris but unfortunately Jill had a very bad weekend and was the first baker out.
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libgirl2
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Post by libgirl2 on Dec 7, 2018 20:49:56 GMT
This was actually a lot of fun to watch. For those of you who DVRed it, it's actually two episodes! This week, they showed the cake and pastry weeks. Emma and Anthony did a nice job hosting the show. Paul was his usual self but worked well with Sherry Yard. This year, they did things a little differently; instead of Paul and Co. coming to shoot the show in America, they flew the bakers out to compete in the same tents they use for the GBBO in England! What a nice holiday for them. I was rooting for Jill, Jiwandeep, and Chris but unfortunately Jill had a very bad weekend and was the first baker out. I enjoyed it too. Hopefully there will be no controversy and we can see the whole thing. Someone on another board mentioned that their friend is competing. No word on how they did or if they won.
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Post by Kao on Dec 7, 2018 20:54:24 GMT
One thing I had to get used to was all the commercials. I made the mistake of watching it live and goodness; it was ridiculous how many were shoved between segments. I think I'll DVR it in the future so I can ff through them.
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libgirl2
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Post by libgirl2 on Dec 7, 2018 21:15:48 GMT
One thing I had to get used to was all the commercials. I made the mistake of watching it live and goodness; it was ridiculous how many were shoved between segments. I think I'll DVR it in the future so I can ff through them. I agree, the ads take the something away from it.
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Post by MFWalkoff on Dec 7, 2018 22:48:24 GMT
I watched it on demand today and they still packed a bunch of promos in the commercial breaks. It was fine, it was definitely a Baking Show with Paul and the challenges, and Sherry was a fine judge. Emma and Spice were okay hosts, not the best and not the worst (keep in mind I've watched the British, Irish, Canadian, American and Kiwi versions of the show, lol). Paul seems to have a little less patience with Americans, I don't see a lot of handshakes coming anytime soon.
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Post by Kao on Dec 7, 2018 22:58:24 GMT
I watched it on demand today and they still packed a bunch of promos in the commercial breaks. It was fine, it was definitely a Baking Show with Paul and the challenges, and Sherry was a fine judge. Emma and Spice were okay hosts, not the best and not the worst (keep in mind I've watched the British, Irish, Canadian, American and Kiwi versions of the show, lol). Paul seems to have a little less patience with Americans, I don't see a lot of handshakes coming anytime soon. I think it's because the Americans on the show tend to be less hardcore than their British counterparts. Quite frankly, I've seen bakes on this show over the years that look slopped together with not much effort put into them, and for a perfectionist like Paul that has to get old after a while.
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Post by Arielflies on Dec 8, 2018 3:33:16 GMT
I enjoyed it. I noticed there were more Californians than from other states, though the Northeast was well represented. I think they all did well with the "onion" topping a short crust. Who had ever even heard of it before?
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Post by Bearcata on Dec 8, 2018 5:27:01 GMT
I watched one season with Nia Vardalos and her husband and it was cringe worthy as the two didn't have any chemistry and just were horrible hosts. I was also disappointed with lack of general baking knowledge and experience the American bakers had vs the Brits, and their attitudes sucked.
So I ended up watching the season 4 premier not realizing until today that it was actually 2 hours long. I luv the hosts Spice Adams and Baby Spice and their antics in fact I would not mind it if they would replace Noel and Sandi on the GBBO.
Again, I think the American's don't have as much range and expertise as the Brits and it showed in episode one. Just how many pecan pies were there? I am amazed at how limited their baking range is as far as just doing cakes and pies and not doing savory flavors. However I do think this bunch is better then the original season. I still don't particularly like some attitudes as if it is Sherry and Paul's fault you have a pie with a soggy bottom. You are the baker. Oh my gosh, how shameful that folks have to actually try to bake to a standard of excellent. We are all out of kindergarten and we don't all get medals for showing up and not doing the work.
I was surprised that as many bakers produced decent bakes for the episode two showstopper as editing implied all were disasters. I don't particularly like that at times the camera shots of Paul make him appear evil. Overall it was better then I expected.
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Post by Kao on Dec 8, 2018 7:04:40 GMT
I watched one season with Nia Vardalos and her husband and it was cringe worthy as the two didn't have any chemistry and just were horrible hosts. I was also disappointed with lack of general baking knowledge and experience the American bakers had vs the Brits, and their attitudes sucked. So I ended up watching the season 4 premier not realizing until today that it was actually 2 hours long. I luv the hosts Spice Adams and Baby Spice and their antics in fact I would not mind it if they would replace Noel and Sandi on the GBBO. Again, I think the American's don't have as much range and expertise as the Brits and it showed in episode one. Just how many pecan pies were there? I am amazed at how limited their baking range is as far as just doing cakes and pies and not doing savory flavors. However I do think this bunch is better then the original season. I still don't particularly like some attitudes as if it is Sherry and Paul's fault you have a pie with a soggy bottom. You are the baker. Oh my gosh, how shameful that folks have to actually try to bake to a standard of excellent. We are all out of kindergarten and we don't all get medals for showing up and not doing the work. I was surprised that as many bakers produced decent bakes for the episode two showstopper as editing implied all were disasters. I don't particularly like that at times the camera shots of Paul make him appear evil. Overall it was better then I expected. I totally agree; this batch seems better than previous years. I still remember a couple of years ago when the task was to build a gingerbread model of a house that meant something to you during the holidays, and a baker's house literally looked like it was thrown together. Even worse, even though at one point it was falling apart, the baker said she was finished with 20 minutes to go on the clock and when Nia's husband pointedly asked her during judging why she didn't do more for her structure in those 20 minutes she just shrugged. In contrast, this group has some baking knowledge and actually seem like they want to be there.
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Post by ccl on Dec 9, 2018 2:00:25 GMT
They seem to be half-a**ing the “holiday” aspect. Sometimes it is mentioned, and sometimes it seems like the bakers are trying to comply (ie with the many pecan pies - that seems like a Thanksgiving thing) but most times no - I mean, key lime, strawberry etc...some very non-holiday (indeed, summer) flavours. And eclairs and chocolate cake etc. are not necessarily holiday items. I don’t really mind a whole lot but I would rather they either make it fully holiday or not.
I have liked the technicals so far. The meringue on that cake that Shery made...yum. And the onion tarte tatin...drool. Though I wish they had added some goat cheese. The other challenges have been good too. I am glad they are doing the three challenges. I have been watching The Kiwi Bakeoff and they don’t do the signature and I miss it.
Baby Spice has not aged a bit. She is a good host. Paul is Paul. I saw Sherry on some other show and she came off as quite mean but here she was ok.
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Post by Bearcata on Dec 9, 2018 19:04:17 GMT
They seem to be half-a**ing the “holiday” aspect. Sometimes it is mentioned, and sometimes it seems like the bakers are trying to comply (ie with the many pecan pies - that seems like a Thanksgiving thing) but most times no - I mean, key lime, strawberry etc...some very non-holiday (indeed, summer) flavours. And eclairs and chocolate cake etc. are not necessarily holiday items. I don’t really mind a whole lot but I would rather they either make it fully holiday or not. I have liked the technicals so far. The meringue on that cake that Shery made...yum. And the onion tarte tatin...drool. Though I wish they had added some goat cheese. The other challenges have been good too. I am glad they are doing the three challenges. I have been watching The Kiwi Bakeoff and they don’t do the signature and I miss it. Baby Spice has not aged a bit. She is a good host. Paul is Paul. I saw Sherry on some other show and she came off as quite mean but here she was ok. I am confused that the Americans do not have any range or are unaware that there are flavors that are considered Christmas Holidays. Cinnamon, nutmeg, peppermint, gingerbread, cranberry to name a few that should be pretty standard.
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Post by betty80 on Dec 11, 2018 15:42:08 GMT
I was disappointed that they show went off the air last year. I like this season. I agree that the bakers are less involved in their bakes. I like the British version. They are really into their bakes and it makes me want to bake.
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Post by Navybelle on Dec 14, 2018 4:01:49 GMT
The bread sculptures were impressive! And I learned a lot about yeast and rising dough. But tonight the eating noises were so noticeable, much more than the other episode. ugh, can't take that so my MUTE button got a workout. But, this episode made me want to try something fancy like their holiday breads. Very cool!
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Post by libgirl2 on Dec 14, 2018 16:04:34 GMT
The bread sculptures were impressive! And I learned a lot about yeast and rising dough. But tonight the eating noises were so noticeable, much more than the other episode. ugh, can't take that so my MUTE button got a workout. But, this episode made me want to try something fancy like their holiday breads. Very cool! Jiwan's flatbread looked delicious. I was practically drooling. I also real liked Tina's centerpiece bread sculpture and would have given her star baker.
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annab
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Post by annab on Dec 14, 2018 18:33:46 GMT
The chocolate bread intrigued me. Yes, Jiwan's flatbread made me drool as well. Ugh, the eating noises. The British version has it as well and I mute/FF through those bits so I can avoid it as much as possible.
The cookies were okay, but after seeing so many cookie decorating episodes elsewhere, I was a bit underwhelmed by that part.
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Post by Bearcata on Dec 16, 2018 0:03:03 GMT
Season 4 Episode 2 covering Week 3 - Cookies and week 4 - Bread - December 13, 2018
Still liking the hosts and their skits they are doing a good job and work well together and who ever is writing the skits, Noel and Sandi desperately need your help.
Week 3:
Signature Challenge - 24 rugelah - 2 hours Technical Challenge - 20 cranberry florentines - 1 hour was it 20 or 30 minutes? Showstopper Challenge - cookie cream tart and macarons
Tina - Star Baker Eliminated - John & Jason
It was obvious to me from the beginning of this season that John would not last as while he was a good baker he simply didn't have the range needed. Ahhh, was sad to see Jason go. It all goes down to the Americans don't normally do the range of baking the Brits do and they are very conservative in their flavor profiles.
Left: Amanda, Andrea, Tina, Destane, Jiwan, and Chris.
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Post by Bearcata on Dec 16, 2018 0:11:49 GMT
Season 4 Episode 2 covering Week 3 - Cookies and week 4 - Bread - December 13, 2018
Week 4 - Bread
Signature Challenge - flatbread - 4 pieces same size - 1.5 hours
Yeah, Jiwan had a great flatbread and got a handshake from Paul and a high five from Sherry. One day I will taste Za'atar.
Looks bad for Chris as he does not do bread.
Technical Challenge - Kanellangd - 2 hours - a Swedish Christmas Bread made with enriched dough.
It is always fun to watch the bakers attempt a technical challenge. Destane wins.
Showstopper - Bread Sculpture - 4 hours - 2 flavors, sweet or savory, must use a yeast dough.
Tina's Christmas floral arrangement look fabulous and does Jiwan's double layer wreath and Amanda's 3D Christmas Tree. Destane's flower pot not so much. Andrea's Santa looked good but bland flavor wise. Why can't I remember what Chris did?
Star Baker: Amanda Eliminated: Chris - no bread skills
Left: Amanda, Andrea, Destane, Tina, and Jiwan.
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Post by Realitychick on Dec 17, 2018 17:06:01 GMT
I'm very late to the party on this show. Just binged watch this season and LOVE it!!! I'm going to have to find the other seasons and then check out the British version.
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Post by rembrant on Dec 17, 2018 18:25:35 GMT
I'm loving this as well, everyone's likable (and Paul is Paul) and it makes me root for them, and as per usual, it makes me so hungry (the cookie showstopper especially had some gorgeous creations). The male host, Spice, can be awkward but I enjoy it when he interacts with the bakers and judges, he comes across as quite easy-going, and Emma's just a bright ray of sunshine and fits in marvelously.
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Post by Kao on Dec 17, 2018 20:04:21 GMT
The bakes were a lot better this week (especially the breads). I guess next week is the finale?
Rooting for Jiwan.
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annab
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Post by annab on Dec 21, 2018 17:27:32 GMT
Too bad for Jiwan. I liked him. I love Princess cakes. I purchased one last spring because it looked so fascinating. I love marzipan, creme, raspberry jam, yum. When I get my new kitchen, I will probably try to make one myself.
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Post by Navybelle on Dec 22, 2018 3:48:32 GMT
The ending was good; I give those contestants credit for accomplishing what they did within the time constraints. The gingerbread scenes turned out well! Five hours sounds like a lot of time, but obviously wasn't quite enough for some.
I liked the last challenge of building a three tiered cake: it's open enough to let them show their talents and tastes, but they had to include a crunch and two (?) flavors. I wanted to taste all three final products!!
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Post by Arielflies on Dec 22, 2018 4:06:18 GMT
Me, too. All the bakes in the finale looked luscious. Remember when they had the 20 layer cake as a tech challenge in the British version? I think our three did just as well as any of those.
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Post by libgirl2 on Dec 22, 2018 14:28:40 GMT
The ending was good; I give those contestants credit for accomplishing what they did within the time constraints. The gingerbread scenes turned out well! Five hours sounds like a lot of time, but obviously wasn't quite enough for some. I liked the last challenge of building a three tiered cake: it's open enough to let them show their talents and tastes, but they had to include a crunch and two (?) flavors. I wanted to taste all three final products!! The issue with the gingerbread is people get too ambitious and run out of time.
I think the final three cakes were heads above what they made for final bakes on FN's Holiday Baking Championship.
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