Are The Cake Decorating Shows Getting Ridiculous?
Lounge By costumeczar Updated 7 Feb 2010 , 3:17am by michellenj
Or is it just me? I just saw the Ace of Cakes episode where they have to deliver the undecorated bed cake and do it at the last minute.
First of all, if I was the client and they had showed up with that thing I'd be really p.o.'d. Second, when they did bring it out it was basically a big rectangle with a bunch of white fondant laid out on it, and people were screeching about how it was a masterpiece! 
Am I missing something? I understand that the company got a lot of free publicity, but I'm more confused by the reaction of the people looking at the cake. There wasn't much to it, so what the heck? I know that people are easy to impress, but THAT easy???
I thought that too, the cake was pretty sloppy, so hopefully they got it looking presentable. In the end they always photograph it in a good angle and lighting. It must have cost them a fortune as big as it was. so I think I would have expected alot more.
I didn't think it was that great either! Just sheets and sheets of fondant. Nothing special 
It was just big
Thank goodness! I thought I was the onlyone who thought this! I love AOC, and I knew the crew is extremely talented, but a giant rectangle with all white was all I saw as well. I realize that the biggest challenge was probably rolling out pieces of fondant that big, but it just didn't seem up to AOC standards.
this is really funny... i saw that. and looked at my son... and said.. if i were to deliver a cake looking like that.. i would be laughed out of making another cake.. ALL ..of the cake shows is getting ridiculous... they get by with it .. because they are famous... i haven,t bought ace of cakes book.. but when i saw the cakes on tv. that they said would be featured.. i was shocked. at the folds.. cracks.. etc. in the cakes.. they are professionals .... too.. they should know better.. all those cakes they have to patch on the way.. or after they get there.. look pretty bad.. i would just give it to my client .. instead of charging them... ha!
It's all scripted for TV. It has to be interesting or we wouldn't watch it. Gotta love it!!!!! LMBO
I'm relieved to see that others think these shows are getting kind of goofy. I think the challenges on Food Network get sillier and sillier, too. I wish they'd go back to wedding cake or birthday cake challenges (for ONE person, not triplets or sextuplets). Those early Food Network challenges were where I got a lot of inspiration - seeing decorators like Marina Sousa, Bronwen Weber, Colette Peters and others build a cake from the ground up into beautiful works of art. I like some of the up-and-comers like Joshua John and Jason Ellis, Courtney Clark, etc. but I wish they'd bring back the shows that allow them to create truly elegant works of art and showcase their talents instead of simply trying to incorporate fifteen different ideas and requests into one cake for some silly theme.
I don't get it when the get an order for stryrofoam cake. If you are paying all that money (AOC minnimum is $1,000) then it should be cake. If you don't want it to be cake then go SOMEWHERE else and buy it. They are supposed to make custom CAKES! Like that one that was a planet that they were hanging from the ceiling. And everyone was so impressed with the "cake". Now it would have been really impressive if it were actually a CAKE!
Oh and don't even get me started on that show "Cake Boss". I was so excited when I first heard about that show. I was like "yay another cake show I can watch". Well I watched about 3 episodes of that show and thought it was completely ridiculous. I refuse to watch that show now, it is so fake.
I'm relieved to see that others think these shows are getting kind of goofy. I think the challenges on Food Network get sillier and sillier, too. I wish they'd go back to wedding cake or birthday cake challenges (for ONE person, not triplets or sextuplets). Those early Food Network challenges were where I got a lot of inspiration - seeing decorators like Marina Sousa, Bronwen Weber, Colette Peters and others build a cake from the ground up into beautiful works of art. I like some of the up-and-comers like Joshua John and Jason Ellis, Courtney Clark, etc. but I wish they'd bring back the shows that allow them to create truly elegant works of art and showcase their talents instead of simply trying to incorporate fifteen different ideas and requests into one cake for some silly theme.
And the last few that I have watched they don't even get to use a skilled assistant. They get someone that has never even decorated a cake before. I watch that show to see the decorators talent not someone who has no clue what they are doing.
It's all scripted for TV. It has to be interesting or we wouldn't watch it. Gotta love it!!!!! LMBO
I watch them to see the cakes, not the drama. That is the reason why I will NOT watch the Cake Boss.
Oh I love CakeBoss, Ace of Cakes, Ultimate Cake Off. You can learn something from all of them. In fact, I think Buddy is the one who tells you what and how they are doing it. The other shows just show you.
Anyway, just my thoughts.
I still think we need a cake channel. =o)
Yeah Cakeboss is annoying at times...but I love how he shows more technique and how he does things with little tricks...
Yeah, I'm not going to watch any more of the challenges that have someone helping who's never done cake before. It's just stupid.
As for the bed cake, the bed they were emulating is just a big white bed, so they really didn't have much to work with. I think they played up the "last minute fix" for the TV.
I don't know, that was a pretty desperate cake. There wasn't much to play up. If I had done it I would have put the company's monogram on the bed, or the pillows, or SOMEWHERE. It just looked kind of plain and sad to me. I'm just getting tired of the "this is the most amazing cake I've ever seen" reaction. Relax, people! Not to mention the "this was the most amazing cake we've ever made" description from the staff of whatever place is on the show. I know it's played up for tv, but it gets old after a while.
I'm not a fan of Cake Boss either. The times I've tried to watch it, all I see & hear are those crazy people screaming at each other & having all sorts of drama. If I want that, I'll watch the Young & the Restless, thank you very much! I want to see CAKE!!! And lots of it! I still love, love, LOVE AOC...and always will!!! But yes...the bed cake was embarrassingly simple. 
I'm not a fan of cake boss either. The times I've tried to watch it, all I see & hear are those crazy people screaming at each other & having all sorts of drama. If I want that, I'll watch the Young & the Restless, thank you very much! I want to see CAKE!!! And lots of it! I still love, love, LOVE AOC...and always will!!! But yes...the bed cake was embarrassingly simple.
One of the few Cake Boss episodes that I watched showed them going to the gym and exercising. What!?! I am not watching a CAKE show to see these people work out at a gym. Show me the CAKE that is why I am watching. Don't show me all of this other crap, cause I really don't care.
[
One of the few episodes that I watched showed them going to the gym and exercising. What!?! I am not watching a CAKE show to see these people work out at a gym. Show me the CAKE that is why I am watching. Don't show me all of this other crap, cause I really don't care.[/quote]
That episode had the one funny line in it that to lose weight the men were going to switch to "lighter pastries", though! 
I hate the drama - but I understand that it gives them the ratings they need, people love drama. I love to watch the techniques that are used. I like watching Cake boss for the cake but I really have hesitated to watch it lately because it is all about drama and Buddy screaming. Discouraging!
Thank goodness! I thought I was the onlyone who thought this! I love AOC, and I knew the crew is extremely talented, but a giant rectangle with all white was all I saw as well. I realize that the biggest challenge was probably rolling out pieces of fondant that big, but it just didn't seem up to AOC standards.
I thought the same, BUT... that is what the client ordered! They wanted a cake that looked like the hotel bed, the design was their decision. They wowed because it looked just like the bed, I suppose 
Strofoam is used when clients want a large piece for show at their event but don't need that much cake... OR they want to keep it displayed and serve a kitchen cake. Styrofoam is usually requested by the client unless it is needed for support issues: Spheres have to be half styrofoam or they wouldn't stay spherical for very long 
I can't watch Cake Boss because I can't stand the screaming. I also hear too much blaming on other baker's and decorators that I don't think is fair.
I love the challenges! I do wish, though, that TLC could've come up with something a little more original. Food Network is likely saying, "Been there, done that!"
Are the cake decorating shows getting ridiculous?
Yes....which is why I haven't watched one since before Christmas.
One thing that really bothers me about them is the lack of hygiene practiced.
I wouldn't eat 1 thing out of any of their kitchens.....one thing I hate is a person handling any kind of food with their hair hanging down around their face/shoulders.
Are the cake decorating shows getting ridiculous?
Yes....which is why I haven't watched one since before Christmas.
One thing that really bothers me about them is the lack of hygiene practiced.
I wouldn't eat 1 thing out of any of their kitchens.....one thing I hate is a person handling any kind of food with their hair hanging down around their face/shoulders.
That is exactly what I feel too! I was shocked to see that they think it is fine to have their hairs uncovered. And they don't bother to cover it up even for TV! There has to be customers who have gotten hairs in their cakes. So unprofessional (and disgusting)!
I hate the fake time crunches that they always have, and the interpersonal drama. It's much more interesting to me to see how they run their business and the decorating. We always fast forward through the personal stuff.
I hate the fake time crunches that they always have, and the interpersonal drama. It's much more interesting to me to see how they run their business and the decorating. We always fast forward through the personal stuff.
That's what I love about Ace of Cakes - nothing is staged, nothing is fake. It is what it is, and yet they are all very entertaining! (I just finished reading their book 
).
I hate the fake time crunches that they always have, and the interpersonal drama. It's much more interesting to me to see how they run their business and the decorating. We always fast forward through the personal stuff.
That's what I love about Ace of Cakes - nothing is staged, nothing is fake. It is what it is, and yet they are all very entertaining! (I just finished reading their book
).
Except the styrofoam cake, ha ha! I like and dislike things about all the shows, they all have their plusses and minuses. I do get tired of all the fake situations they set up. I guess if they were catering to only cake decorators they'd show more decorating and techniques than they do, but you know they're trying to attract a more general audience, so they have to invent a lot of drama...It just gets to the point where all the fake conversation and staged problems tire me out.
I hate the fake time crunches that they always have, and the interpersonal drama. It's much more interesting to me to see how they run their business and the decorating. We always fast forward through the personal stuff.
That's what I love about Ace of Cakes - nothing is staged, nothing is fake. It is what it is, and yet they are all very entertaining! (I just finished reading their book
).Except the styrofoam cake, ha ha! I like and dislike things about all the shows, they all have their plusses and minuses. I do get tired of all the fake situations they set up. I guess if they were catering to only cake decorators they'd show more decorating and techniques than they do, but you know they're trying to attract a more general audience, so they have to invent a lot of drama...It just gets to the point where all the fake conversation and staged problems tire me out.
This seems to be the formula that most reality shows these days follow. A set in stone deadline that is unrealistic, budget challengers, then something screwy in their personal life that complicates the project. I've noticed it also on shows like "Flip This House".
I love Cake Boss! I love seeing cakes being decorated, but I also love to see how a family tries to work together. I live in PA and made the trek to Jersey to the shop. Going there is like stepping into your TV. Everyone is super nice and they don't have big heads or anything (at least not yet, lol). Plus, I have to say that his prices were pretty reasonable. Yum, cannolis!
Hubby used to live in New Jersey, and he says just that's the way that ethnic group interacts in real life - all that yelling.
Maybe that's why he married me. I will just calmly look at him and say "If you talk to me now, there will be trouble" and he goes off until I'm happier. LOL
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I'll still watch the challenges once, but seldom a second time.
Food Network has stated they are trying to get more men to watch, I just wish they still wanted us, too.
But then, there have been many times when I would've made great TV: Like when my 2 yr old grabbed a gumpaste tiara and broke it as I was carrying the cake out to the car,... when I had too many cakes due and not enough time and delivered all of them 30 mins to an hour late,... my tantrums when the fondant is too sticky and unmanageable on humid days,... when a customer picked up her own cake and took a corner too fast,... when I thought I had a well constructed/supported cake to find out that it had collapsed when I arrived at the party 
All of these have been wonderful learning experiences! I'm sure we've all made mistakes.
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