i was happy to see that courtney clark would be competing. she is so dynamic and uber-talented!
i especially liked the barn and the hat tiers of her amazing cake.

I liked hers, and Norman's. That lady was sharp to note that Norman's tiers seemed to be stacked incorrectly (pants on top of shirts). I wish they had told him that on air.

LOL I was going to comment abou the same 2 things you both did LOL...but you beat me to it

What I really loved about the barn Courtney did was the roof and how she used poppy seeds to get that effect of shingles...very smart girl.

the 3 competitors were all very talented but I have a soft spot for Courtney, she is so amazing

I love that the square dancer noticed that too and, like lcubed, wanted to see his reaction to it. Too bad they didn't mention it to him (or it was left out). I've not heard of the third contestant before. Is she a member here? She seemed very gracious and self confident which was great to see.

I loved Courtneys cake it was really great! Norms was also good!

I loved Courtney's and thought she should win. Norm's was fantastic too. But can I just say that I hate the little time out's and the competitions. I know they have to do that to set themselves apart from the Food Network Challenges - but I really hate them.

i agree about the time outs and was dismayed that they had two of them this time.
i think that if they want to deviate from challenge's format, they could do something more positive and less punitive.

I actually loved that they did a skillscompetition. That really helps showcase the talent, I think. The 30 minute time out following a taste test bugs me though (though I love that they give feedback about the actual cake!).

I am fairly sure they did this time out thing on food network ...I know I saw this before, and I hated it then too....I mean really can we just see who can make the best cake without throwing things in the way to make them more frustrated....after all is it the best cake decorator or the best person handling freakin stress.........I wish they would let us see more hands on stuff too

I love watching this show too. Courtney's was my favorite. I wish they would show more of how they assemble the cakes and put the support structure together. Especially Courtney's topsy turvy stuff. Everything always looks great. I would really love a book or a video on how to do that kind of cake. Maybe someday.

Courtney's was my favorite!

I loved the fact the client figured out what was wrong with Norm's. I live in TX, last I heard shirts are on top.

Too bad, his cake was spectacular.

I'm pretty sure they have always had the time outs. This would be the 3rd show I've watched and there has always been 2 time outs.

This would make it the same amount of hours that the other network does.

I too, liked cortneys cake the best and think she deserved to win. But what i didn't like is the way her attitude came across. I don't know the girl and can't imagine that she is really as catty as the cameras make her seem, so i do believe alot of it is editing but i just wish that she would stop giving them ammunition. JMO

i know how fixated i get when i'm working on my humble projects and can only imagine how flooded with adrenaline the competitors must be. to slam the brakes on must be painful. i think a better reward would be an extra assistant for 1/2 hour.
courtney is very young and fiery. i think they do some editing to add drama.