I know exactly what you mean! I feel so untalented on here a lot, but I ask TONS of questions. I'm sure to to the point of driving ppl crazy I'm sure... But you know what they say "practice, practice, practice". maybe one day I'll be half as good as them on a bad day 
For me, I think it is too much perfection all at once...I kind of wish they could be loaded without going directly on the front page or the recent uploads, so that when you are ready to look, you can, but I've been a little overwhelmed...get some terrific color combo and tiering ideas, but beyond that I am such a beginner these cakes just scare me...make me wonder if I'd ever be good enough...
I know what you mean...But you have to understand that cakes for cake shows are very overly exagerated, meaning overly decorated, which is very nice, but since it is for show, the entries have to look perfect and they are all dummies..they don;t have to deal with baking and keeping th cake fresh 
I do what I feel comfortable and my mind is set on styles that I like doing.. practice !!!is the key word and explore other styles..
None of those people was born knowing how to decorate a cake like that! They worked at it.
Just keep practicing, and trying new techniques, and you will be suprised at what you can learn!
It's dangerous to compare our worst with other people's best...
look at those cakes as something to aspire to rather than something to be discouraged by. 
Most of those cakes (at the Austin show) were in fact dummies (the sculpted cakes had to be real cake to prove it could be done with actual cake). The benefit of the dummies is being able to work on it for weeks.....I would NEVER do as much work as I did for my entry for a regular cake. Plus working on it over time allows you to keep rechecking it and looking for things that are messed up. PLUS.....the vast majority of the cakes at the show were fondant covered....so no worrying about smoothing buttercream!
Keep practicing! Maybe you'll be ready to compete by next year!
april
I love looking at the pictures of the cake shows and watching them on television. It gives me an idea of different techniques that I still can learn. It also shows me that if I keep practicing I will be able to make ones like that. But until then, I am having fun making cakes and practicing all the techniques I have learned so far.
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