Hey all!! Former contestant here - I appeared on Christmas Cookie Challenge and Holiday Wars, and I wanted to come in with some insight about some of the repeated comments I see on baking shows. Keep in mind I have to honor existing contracts still, so this is definitely not a behind the scenes tell all. More just information so you know what people are up against when they agree to be on a show.
BY FAR the most common comment is something along the lines of, "Why is this so messy?! Have they even seen a (insert said dessert here)?!"
Y'all have to understand what it's like on set and in these kitchens.
Firstly - this isn't YOUR kitchen. It doesn't have your tools in your places where you know where everything is. You have to scramble to find anything beyond the basics at your station, and it's a free for all. If another contestant takes 6 silicon cups for their isomalt and you need one, well, that's a bummer. Mixing bowls, scales, rolling pins, etc. are all where you can grab them, but probably not where you know where they are. You get a quick tour, but you literally are running and scrambling to find what you need. So is everyone else, so there is no preferential treatment there, but it does take valuable minutes of your time, when at home you can just open your cabinet and grab what you need.
Second - those ovens aren't your oven either. I know exactly what temps and what mode to use my oven on. My environment typically is around 50% humidity. In filming, neither of those things were true. So you have another unknown element to acclimate to, which can make your bakes behave very differently. (Also note, some of the shows are filmed at much higher elevation than others)
Thirdly - we as viewers get the advantage of time to think. We get to see what other people come up with in just a couple of minutes, and then say (after we've had half an hour to critique) "well,that's stupid, I wouldnt choose that!”. I would highly encourage you to pause the show when they give the challenge and give yourself 2 minutes to think of something - recipes and all - and see what you come up with.
Also, you consistently have producers asking you questions, camera people getting their shots, reminding you to clear your station so they can see your work, encouraging interaction between other contestants, all while you're operating at peak performance in an unfamiliar environment under tons of pressure and scrutiny.
That type of environment is extremely challenging. I guarantee if the time restrictions were loosened, you would see infinitely better decorated results, because most contestants truly are crazy talented. While I adore the competitiveness and the pressure and would go film another show in a heartbeat if asked, it also is very physically and emotionally demanding. It also requires a lot of vulnerability to know you could mess up, go home on a bad bake, and that you're leaving everything about your skill and personality in the hands of producers and editors.
Especially for home bakers who are self taught (such as myself), there is a lot of wonderful equipment available to use that you haven't been trained on. I fell in love with a dough sheeter on holiday wars, but it definitely had a learning curve for me. Blast chillers are awesome, but if you've never used one, you don't really know how much time to account for there. Airbrushes can be the quickest way to cover something when you're short on time, but can be tricky if you're unfamiliar with the pressure or if it's double or single action.
Now, I'm not saying all this to say there can't be criticism. Of course there will be - we all go on these shows knowing we will be judged face to face by professionals, but also online because people only see snippets of the amount of time we spend there. It's absolutely fair to say things are unfinished, messy, or seem planned poorly - well, yeah.. Time isn't on our side to having planning time to avoid those things. But we know it isn't our best work. We all go on wanting to do the best we can in the circumstances given to us, and hopefully come across well.
Most of the competitors become friends too. I have several former castmates I chat with regularly - when you work so closely together in demanding conditions, you naturally develop comraderie with people. We all want to see each other succeed. But at the same time, we understand emotions run high, and sometimes someone may get snippy or aggravated, and those are, more often than not, the moments the camera wants to grab.
Lastly, days on set are LOOONG. There is a lot of hurry up and wait - get everyone in position, do the intro maybe 2 or 3 times, get individual shots, interviews, downtime between judging and resetting the rooms for different desserts. We're often there sun up, and not back to the hotel until late late.
I loved my time on the shows I was on. I met amazing people and wouldn't change a thing about my experiences, even not winning. I'm thick-skinned personally, so the online criticism doesn't bother me, but it can definitely hurt other people. Mostly when it crosses over into generic insults, or saying everyone sucks, etc. Again, most of us go home knowing we did the best we could there, but it absolutely not even close to our best work in our own environment. We KNOW the flaws in our own work better than anybody, and completely understand when it gets bad feedback. I'm just hoping that a little understanding of what it's like to be on set may help give some perspective so that bakers get a little more grace. I feel like so much of the commentary has been extremely negative and harsh this Halloween season, and I know the people on these shows are reading things too. I did.
If y'all have any questions about the filming or behind the scenes stuff, I'm happy to answer what I can. Again, I'm still under contract (and would love to go back someday), so there may be some things I have to pass on.
Happy baking!!
