Nailed It!- The Greatest Baking Show of All Time

Image from QZ

Image from QZ

Amanda Mourelatos, Editor in Chief

Image from Decider

While on a weird baking show kick, I came across the greatest baking show man has ever known. Netflix’s show Nailed It! is not your usual baking contest. It has three amateurs per episode with a passion for baking, but not the skill.  Host Nicole Byers and French chocolatier Jacques Torres give the contestants two rounds worth of challenging treats to recreate. Some include fairy tale cupcakes, Valentine’s cake pops, self-portrait cookies, and Donald Trump cakes.

Image from Refinery 29

This show is made for the purpose of entertaining the audience with some of the most horrifying and hilarious creations ever. From the second I watched this show, I fell in love with the comical aspect of the baking show. First of all, the bakers’ reactions to what they have to recreate are priceless: jaws to the ground with fear in their eyes. When the timer starts, they race against the clock to get their needed ingredients and utensils to get started. Some of the funniest bakers are the ones who don’t use measuring cups and say “that’s about two cups,” when it’s really closer to five cups. What’s even more hysterical than that is when it’s down to the final minutes and the bakers aren’t finished, either their cakes didn’t cook or they didn’t leave enough time to decorate, and they start looking for the craziest substitutes. With an undone cake comes Rice Krispies to replace them, and with lack of decoration comes candy pieces that are not always similar to what they should be resembling.

Image from The Hits

Another great aspect of this show is the hosts. Nailed it! would not be what it is without Nicole Byers. She brings light to the horrific cakes the bakers have made. Between her saying, “That is the worst thing I’ve ever put in my mouth,” and “You’re done!” she has me laughing so hard, my family comes to check on me. And her faces, don’t get me started on her faces! Her reactions to what she sees and puts in her mouth are better than the creations the bakers make. Jacques Torres, the God of chocolate, is another reason I love this show. Not only is he incredibly talented, but he has the thickest French accent I’ve heard (I absolutely love accents).  And, of course, the guest hosts. They always bring a spin on the show. My two favorites are Jason Mantzoukas and Iris Apfel.

Whether you like baking shows or not, this is the show for you if you need a good belly laugh. There’s always an element of surprise and there isn’t one episode I didn’t thoroughly enjoy. This is definitely one of the best shows I’ve ever seen, and I watch TONS of shows. I’m telling you, go on Netflix and binge this delicious show!