The American Baking Competition
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''The American Baking Competition'' is a
reality competition Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...
television series that aired on
CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainmen ...
from May 29 to July 10, 2013. It was an adaptation of ''
The Great British Bake Off ''The Great British Bake Off'' (often abbreviated to ''Bake Off'' or ''GBBO'') is a British television baking competition, produced by Love Productions, in which a group of amateur bakers compete against each other in a series of rounds, att ...
'' (which aired in the United States under the title ''The Great British Baking Show''). The series aimed to find the best amateur baker in the United States. The series was hosted by
Jeff Foxworthy Jeffrey Marshall Foxworthy (born September 6, 1958) is an American actor, author, comedian, producer and writer. He is a member of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour, with Larry the Cable Guy, Bill Engvall, and Ron White. Known for his "You might be a ...
and judged by
Marcela Valladolid Marcela Luz Valladolid (born July 19, 1978) is an American chef and author. She was the host of the Food Network television series ''Mexican Made Easy'', and a judge on the Food Network series '' Best Baker in America''. Early life Valladolid wa ...
and
Paul Hollywood Paul John Hollywood (born 1 March 1966) is an English celebrity chef and television presenter, widely known as a judge on ''The Great British Bake Off'' since 2010. Hollywood began his career at his father's bakery as a teenager and went on to ...
. The competition was won by Brian Emmett.


Format

The show aimed to find among its contestants the best amateur baker in the US. Ten contestants were chosen for the first season. In each episode, the amateur bakers were given three challenges: a signature, a technical challenge, and a show-stopper. The three challenges took place over two days, and the dishes made by the contestants were assessed by the judges after each challenge. At the end of the three challenges, the judges chose a Star Baker for the week, and a contestant was also eliminated. In the finale three bakers were left and a winner was chosen from the three. * Signature – a dish using their own tried and tested recipe that the amateur bakers make for their family and friends. * Technical - a dessert using the same ingredients and recipe provided by the judges. The recipe given however has missing instructions and is designed to test the knowledge and skill of the bakers. The bakers are not told beforehand what the challenge might be, and the judges do not observe the bakers at work and judge the resulting dish without knowing who made them. This round is the only one where how each contestant performed is directly revealed. The contestants are given a ranking, but that ranking is not their total score for the episode. * Show-stopper - a recipe designed to impress the judges. The competition was held in one location in a specially constructed marquee. Interspersed in the show were short videos on the background of the contestants, as well as information on the history of baking and visiting various locations. The entire season series was shot over a one-month period. The winner of the competition received a $250,000 grand prize and a publishing contract with
Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster () is an American publishing company and a subsidiary of Paramount Global. It was founded in New York City on January 2, 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. As of 2016, Simon & Schuster was the third largest publ ...
.


Production

On October 17, 2012, CBS ordered the series under the original title ''Bake-Off''. Since
Pillsbury Company The Pillsbury Company is a Minneapolis, Minnesota-based company that was one of the world's largest producers of cereal, grain and other foodstuffs until it was bought by General Mills in 2001. General Mills brands consist of Annie's, Betty Croc ...
held the trademark to the name (using it for its
Pillsbury Bake-Off The Pillsbury Bake-Off is an American cooking contest, first run by the Pillsbury Company in 1949. History The first contest was held in 1949 as the Grand National Recipe and Baking Contest and hosted in the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. The grand priz ...
), the show was later renamed ''The American Baking Competition''. CBS placed casting calls for participants on November 14, 2012. Auditions were held between December 1 and December 15, 2012. The competition took place at the Gibbs Gardens in
Ball Ground, Georgia Ball Ground is a city in Cherokee County, Georgia, United States. The city was originally Cherokee territory before they were removed from the land and it was given to white settlers. A railroad was built in 1882 and a town was formed around th ...
in March 2013.


Broadcast

The first season of ''The American Baking Competition'' premiered on May 29, 2013. It aired four episodes in the Wednesdays at 8 p.m. Eastern/9 p.m. Central timeslot. On June 26, 2013, it moved to 9 p.m. Eastern/8 p.m. Central, to make way for '' Big Brother'', and aired its three remaining episodes in that timeslot. Both of these timeslots put the series opposite Fox's ''
MasterChef ''MasterChef'' is a competitive cooking show television format created by Franc Roddam, which originated with the UK version in July 1990. The format was revived and updated for the BBC in February 2005 by executive producers Roddam and John ...
''. In 2015,
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...
premiered a second U.S. version of the format, ''The Great Holiday Baking Show''. The
Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus, Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by country, around t ...
-themed revival ran for four episodes as part of ABC's December lineup, and featured
Johnny Iuzzini Johnny Iuzzini /u-zee-nee/ (born August 31, 1974) is an American pastry chef, television celebrity, and cookbook author. He resides in New York City. He is a 1994 graduate of The Culinary Institute of America and served as executive pastry chef ...
joined by British judge
Mary Berry Dame Mary Rosa Alleyne Hunnings (; born 24 March 1935), known professionally as Mary Berry, is an English food writer, chef, baker and television presenter. After being encouraged in domestic science classes at school, she studied catering at ...
. The series returned for a second season in 2016, renamed ''
The Great American Baking Show ''The Great American Baking Show'' is an American cooking competition television series and an adaptation of ''The Great British Bake Off'' (which is aired in the United States under the title ''The Great British Baking Show''). Its first season a ...
''.


Bakers


Results summary

Color Key:


Episodes


Episode 1: "Pies & Tarts"

Episode one aired on May 29, 2013. The theme of the episode was sweet and savory pies and tarts. For the signature bake, the bakers were given two hours to bake an American pie. On the technical bake, the bakers were required to bake a free-standing savory pie using Paul Hollywood's own recipe. The pie would be a
hot water crust pastry Hot water crust is a type of pastry used for savoury pies, such as pork pies, game pies and, more rarely, steak and kidney pies. Hot water crust is traditionally used for producing hand-made pies. As the name suggests, the pastry is made by he ...
and the bakers were given two hours. For the showstopper, the bakers needed to make 36 sweet tartlets within three hours. Color key:


Episode 2: "Cookies"

Episode two aired on June 5, 2013. The theme of the episode was all kinds of cookies. The bakers were set the challenge of baking 12 cookies in an hour and a half using their own recipe, and all the cookies baked should be presented to the judges. For the technical challenge, the bakers were required to make in two hours 18
S'mores A s'more is a campfire treat popular in the United States and Canada, consisting of one or more toasted marshmallows and a layer of chocolate sandwiched between two pieces of graham cracker. Etymology and origins ''S'more'' is a contraction of ...
using Marcela's recipe. For the final showstopper, the bakers were given four hours to bake 40 sandwich
Macarons A macaron ( , ) or French macaroon ( ) is a sweet meringue-based confection made with egg white, icing sugar, granulated sugar, almond meal, and food colouring. The macaron is traditionally held to have been introduced in France by the Ital ...
. They must be of two different types, have a delicate crisp shell and soft chewy center.


Episode 3: "Cakes"

Episode three aired on June 12, 2013. The theme of the episode was cake. The bakers were set to make a One-Layer Cake in 90 minutes in the signature bake. In the technical challenge, they were given two hours and fifteen minutes to bake a
Chiffon Cake A chiffon cake is a very light cake made with vegetable oil, eggs, sugar, flour, baking powder, and flavorings. Being made with vegetable oil, instead of a traditional solid fat such as butter or shortening, it is easier to beat air into the batt ...
with Tequila Orange Glaze using Marcela's recipe. For the showstopper, the challenge was to make a Surprise Inside Cake where, when sliced open, a surprise design is revealed. The bakers were given five hours for the challenge.


Episode 4: "Breads"

Episode four aired on June 19, 2013. The theme of the episode was bread and pastries. For the signature bake, the bakers had three hours to make a free-form loaf of bread. The bread had to be yeast bread, and hand shaped. In the technical bake, the bakers were given one hour and 45 minutes to make eight large soft pretzels using Paul's recipe. Immediately following the technical challenge, the bakers went on to make the showstopper, which was two types of
croissants A croissant is a buttery, flaky, Austrian viennoiserie pastry inspired by the shape of the Austrian kipferl but using the French yeast-leavened laminated dough. Croissants are named for their historical crescent shape, the dough is layered wi ...
, one plain and one filled. They were given two hours the first day, allowed the dough to rise overnight in the fridge, and then three hours the next day to finish the bake.


Episode 5: "Desserts"

Episode five aired on June 26, 2013. The theme of the episode was sweet baked goods. For the signature bake, the bakers must make 8 individual
custards Custard is a variety of culinary preparations based on sweetened milk, cheese, or cream cooked with egg or egg yolk to thicken it, and sometimes also flour, corn starch, or gelatin. Depending on the recipe, custard may vary in consistency from ...
, either sweet like a
crème brûlée ''Crème brûlée'' or ''crème brulée'' (; ), also known as burnt cream or Trinity cream, and virtually identical to the original crema catalana, is a dessert consisting of a rich custard base topped with a layer of hardened caramelized sugar ...
, or using a more savory recipe. They had 90 minutes to finish the task. In the technical bake, the challenge was to bake a chocolate
soufflé A soufflé is a baked egg-based dish originating in France in the early eighteenth century. Combined with various other ingredients, it can be served as a savory main dish or sweetened as a dessert. The word soufflé is the past participle of t ...
, however. As the soufflé can fall within minutes of coming out of the oven, the start time for the bakers was staggered so that each bake can be judged immediately after it was baked. The bakers were each given an hour and 45 minutes. For the final challenge, the bakers were required to produce a layered dessert featuring
meringue Meringue (, ; ) is a type of dessert or candy, often associated with Swiss, French, Polish and Italian cuisines, traditionally made from whipped egg whites and sugar, and occasionally an acidic ingredient such as lemon, vinegar, or cream of ...
in five hours.


Episode 6: "Patisserie"

Episode six aired on July 3, 2013. It was the semi-finals of the competition. The theme of the episode was French pastries, often called patisserie. The
tarte tatin The tarte Tatin (), named after the Tatin sisters who invented it and served it in their hotel as its signature dish, is a pastry in which the fruit (usually apples) is caramelized in butter and sugar before the tart is baked. It originated in ...
was the signature bake. The contestants were required to complete it in two hours and fifteen minutes. For the technical bake, the bakers were required to make 4 Napoleons, using Paul Hollywood's own recipe, in two and a half hours. For the showstopper, the contestants had to make a choux tower in four and a half hours.


Episode 7: "Finale"

Episode seven aired on July 10, 2013. It was the finals of the competition. The theme was patriotism, with dishes that were all related to the United States. The contestants could make anything for the signature bake but had to include the official state crop of Georgia, the peanut; they had a time limit of two hours thirty minutes. The contestants had two hours forty-five minutes to complete a Paul Hollywood recipe; a dozen Boston Cream Donuts. For the showstopper the final three contestants had five hours to make 72 miniature desserts inspired by the American flag; 24 mini-meringues, 24 mini-tarts and 24 mini-cakes.


Reception


Critical reception

''The American Baking Competition'' has received mixed reviews from critics. Liane Bonin Starr of ''
HitFix HitFix, or HitFix.com, was an entertainment news website that launched in December 2008 specializing in breaking entertainment news, insider information, and reviews and critiques of film, music, and television. In mid-2010 HitFix crossed the 1,00 ...
'' stated that the series was "surprisingly nice" for a reality TV series. She felt that it was very mellow, so "it was up to judges Marcela Valladolid and Paul Hollywood to provide some acid to the recipe." She did appreciate the series's showcasing of the food, saying "what the show lacks in intensity it makes up for in food." ''
TV Line ''TVLine'' is a website devoted to information, news, and spoilers of television programs. History In late 2010, ''Entertainment Weekly''s Michael Ausiello announced that he would be leaving ''EW'' after nearly two years in their employ to est ...
''s Michael Slezak described the series as "half-baked" stating that there was "not really enough time to focus on getting to know the players" or to get "a real insight into their baking philosophies." Additionally, the pilot's outcome was described as "as predictable as the use of butter in a pie crust." He expressed hope that "future installments might take a few tips from various Food Network competition shows and put a little more emphasis on the actual dishes."


Ratings

The series premiered to a disappointing 1.0
rating A rating is an evaluation or assessment of something, in terms of quality, quantity, or some combination of both. Rating or ratings may also refer to: Business and economics * Credit rating, estimating the credit worthiness of an individual, c ...
in the Adults 18-49 demographic and 5.11 million total viewers. This made it the worst ever Wednesday premiere for a CBS show. However, it rose in ratings for the first two weeks, a feat ratings experts called "extremely rare." It had seemed like the series would be boosted by moving behind ''Big Brother'' on June 26, but it didn't end up that way, as the ratings were generally the same after the move. The last two episodes did not help the series, as it went down slightly, a movement that was not good for the series's renewal prospects. The show was cancelled in July 2013.


References


External links

* *
The American Baking Competition
at
TV by the Numbers TV by the Numbers was a website devoted to collecting and analyzing television ratings data in the United States that operated from 2007 to 2020. It was a part of Nexstar Media Group's Zap2it television news/listings site. History An Internet ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:American Baking Competition, The 2010s American cooking television series 2013 American television series debuts 2013 American television series endings 2010s American game shows 2010s American reality television series American television series based on British television series CBS original programming Cooking competitions in the United States English-language television shows US Food reality television series