Jason Biggs and Sandra Lee are the famous faces of the new Netflix baking competition Baking Championship with Blue Ribbon. The show is themed around the State Fair—the bakers are all winners at their local fairs, and the challenges in the show are directly inspired by the foods at the fair: think cakesicles and deep-fried Oreos. But the challenges force the bakers out of their comfort zones and require them to put a twist on these classics, and in most cases, the results are impressive.
Opening shot: The moment in which Baking Championship with Blue Ribbon begins, there are great Great British Baking Show Mood: rousing orchestral music, idyllic green pastures, a barn instead of the typical Baking competition Tent.
The essentials: This variation on a reality cooking competition takes place at the State Fair, a hotbed of American culture. The rides, the frying of everything, the baking contests, it all evokes a charming display of wholesome fun. Jason Biggs serves as host, which seems odd, you think, “What pie did he fuck to get this job?”, but then you realize that while he can read lines competently, all these years later he still relies on pie-fumbling, like fourth-wall-breaking quips like, “Take it from someone who knows, this is a very attractive cake.” If you heard a few muffled noises, that was my eyes rolling so hard they popped out of my head.
The show’s judges include chef and television personality Sandra Lee, baker Bryan Ford and former White House pastry chef Bill Yosses. It brings together a group of bakers from across the country who have been competing in baking competitions at state fairs for years. In each episode, they compete in a sort of quickfire, a so-called “Fast Fair Bake,” in which they must reinvent classic fair foods. The winner receives a “Judges’ Choice” ribbon. For this challenge, they had to create a sweet snack on a stick.
In the first episode, the ribbon went to a Long Island potato farmer named Larry, whose chocolate-covered potato candies surprised and delighted the judges.
This challenge is followed by a more elaborate Blue Ribbon Bake; in the first episode, they must transform the blue ribbon-winning dessert they are known for into a layer cake. Surprisingly, at the end of the judging, it was Larry, the same contestant who won the first ribbon, who was eliminated from the show for baking a peanut butter and jelly cake that was too dense. The rest of the performances ranged from impressively precise, intricately decorated layer cakes to downright homey, rustic dishes, proving that the skills of these bakers vary widely, but while some excel more at decoration, most impressed the judges with their taste. (Larry was dismissed when Biggs told him, “Larry, your time at the fair is over,” an elimination line that I think could have gone on a little longer.)
Although Larry’s departure was disappointing, he took the loss in his stride and was bid farewell by his fellow competitors in tears. And with his elimination, the other participants are one step closer to the final prize money of $100,000.
What shows will it remind you of? The gentle format and aesthetics of the show are pure Great British Baking Show.
Our opinion: While my initial reaction to this show and its hosts was an “indifferent shrug,” the truth is that the bakers are all incredibly skilled and skilled, and the challenges are so creative that they produce baked goods we’ve never seen on baking shows before (says the woman who has watched ALL the baking shows). Despite having no baking experience, Biggs is ultimately a competent host who provides hilarity in the form of corny dad jokes. The choice of Lee as a judge—the woman who made her name on the Food Network by using pre-made, packaged foods in her recipes—feels a bit like being judged by Ellen DeGeneres in American Idolbut here she is so sophisticated that I can forgive her Kwanzaa cake and other past indiscretions. Ford and Yosses provide the more formal critiques and praises and offer their technical thoughts, but no one is here to crush dreams or rebuke, the harshest comments come in the form of comments like “Needs more blueberries!”
While the hasty “Fast Fair Bake” challenge is directly inspired by Top chefthe rest of the show really owes something The great British baking competition in every other way, from the festive decorations and colorful equipment in the baking barn to the illustrated representations of the contestants’ baked goods as they describe them on camera.
For fans of shows like Baking competition, Blue Ribbon is an Americanized version of this show with supporting contestants who are mostly self-taught. Although it is not quite at the level of Baking competition Competitors, the concoctions they come up with are still impressive and (mostly) look damn tasty.
Farewell shot: Biggs tells the remaining contestants to “go out and enjoy the fair” after explaining that the next episode’s challenge will be all about apples.
Remarkable performance: Yosses and Ford are baking professionals with decades of experience, so their judgment and comments are honest, fair and constructive.
Memorable dialogue: “In the world of baking, ribbons are everything,” says contestant Nathan, adding, “I should just wear a T-shirt that says, ‘I have a lot of blue ribbons.’ Embrace your success, Nathan!
Our call: STREAM IT! Baking Championship with Blue Ribbon is definitely a baking treat on TV, it’s calming fun for all the family that focuses on the positive rather than fierce competition, and unlike so many American baking competitions where many contestants slip up to the point of indecency, the chefs here really hit the ground running despite a few minor failures and tend to whip up some really interesting and impressive stuff.
Liz Kocan is a pop culture writer from Massachusetts who is most famous for winning the game show. Chain reaction.
