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You may be wondering, “How did ‘American Pie’ star Jason Biggs get the job of hosting ‘Blue Ribbon Baking Championship’ on Netflix?”
The answer is obvious. Biggs is the star of the raunchy 1999 sex comedy American Pie, which featured the infamous apple pie encounter scene that marked the beginning of a four-film franchise. A smiling Biggs can be seen holding a pie on posters for American Pie 2 (2001), American Wedding (2003) and American Reunion (2012).
Biggs, 46, is synonymous with cake, even though the New Jersey native grew up far from the state fairs celebrated in the Netflix baking competition.
“The New Jersey State Fair is held in the parking lot of Giants Stadium. When people picture a state fair, New Jersey is not what they picture,” Biggs tells USA TODAY. “The Jersey Shore was my state fair growing up.”
The self-proclaimed “food guy” with an effective banana bread recipe is currently working on his hosting career and can be seen on the TBS series “Dinner and a Movie” with actress Jenny Mollen, whom he has been married to since 2008.
“I’ve always wanted to host something from the world of food,” says Biggs. “Of course I wink at the camera and the audience when I host a baking show. And if I can’t think of anything to say, I always have a cake joke up my sleeve that will bring the house down.”
Here, important questions about Biggs’ role in Blue Ribbon Baking Championship (now streaming) on Netflix are answered.
Does Jason Biggs have a voice as a judge on Netflix’s Blue Ribbon Baking Championship?
The State Fair-inspired delights of the “Baking Championship” go beyond pies. Ten State Fair Blue Ribbon winners from across the country compete for a $100,000 prize and the largest blue ribbon ever for “Best In Fair.”
Biggs is charming and affable as co-host of the “Baking Championship,” showing off skills like juggling and catching thrown food in his mouth. But the “American Pie” star has no voting rights alongside the show’s high-profile judges – co-host and lifestyle expert Sandra Lee, former White House pastry chef Bill Yosses and baking artist Bryan Ford.
As the judges are selected in each episode, Biggs examines each State Fair-inspired creation and offers his opinion on camera. “But I don’t really judge,” he says.
Although Biggs was not allowed to take part in the important second evaluation of the individual episodes, he still delivered a lot of creations for the state fair.
“I had to try everything so I at least knew what was happening,” says Biggs. “After the judges did their job, I went back and tried everything.”
How long does the Baking Championship last before there’s an American Pie joke?
It’s been 25 years since American Pie hit theaters and Biggs’ teenage Jim experimented with his mother’s warm apple pie. It’s not long before the pie jokes start rolling in “Baking Championship,” which features Biggs’ voiceover in the show’s introduction. Wait for it…
“Take it from someone who knows,” says Biggs over a glass of a delicious, warm slice filled with berries. “It’s a very appealing cake.”
Biggs makes it clear that the baking competition is all about jokes and references to “American Pie” and there will be no repetitions.
“No cake was harmed in the production of this show,” he says. “The show is family friendly.”
What kind of creations will be presented at the “Baking Championship”?
The episodes feature State Fair creations, including a fried food episode (featuring a fried Oreo cake that was “decadent and delicious”) and an episode featuring desserts on a stick. There are cakes, as well as non-traditional State Fair desserts, such as a strawberry shortcake that still sticks in Biggs’ mind.
“This strawberry cake blew me away,” he says.
What does Jason Biggs think about the 25th anniversary of “American Pie”?
Biggs shared a celebratory Instagram post on July 9, the 25th anniversary of the release of American Pie. The former child actor rose to instant fame with the release of the hit comedy, and a young Jennifer Lopez attended the film’s premiere.
“I had to take a late night flight the night of the premiere so I could fly to New York the next day to shoot ‘Letterman.’ It was all so surreal and wild,” says Biggs. “On the Friday night of the premiere, a few of the cast and crew went to the sold-out theaters to see the audience’s reaction. I remember being blown away by how attentive everyone was.”
The morning after his release, Biggs and his roommate were crossing the street in Los Angeles when a car screeched to a stop.
“The driver rolled down his window and said, ‘Oh my God! You’re the American Pie guy, dance with me!'” says Biggs. “It was wild.”
Amazingly, it took years for his wife to even see “American Pie,” even though he was already dating Mollen.
“We were just flipping through the channels and we stopped and watched,” says Biggs, who says his wife was amused. “All I remember is her saying how young I looked. But I don’t think I scared her away.”
The comedy had an impact.
“My life is very much divided by a few different lines,” adds Biggs, who is the father of two boys. “There’s marriage and there’s having kids. But the most obvious craziness was life before ‘American Pie’ and life after ‘American Pie.'”
