Food Network Challenge shows

[JeanneCake]

Managed to see the Big Bash catering "challenge" over the weekend, and wondered whether anyone else saw it.

I thought the judging was inconsistent - to tell one company their appetizers were not too creative but then to have them go on to place second by a hair's breadth seemed not to add up so maybe that was more the editing than anything else. Personally I liked Giada's Big Bash show much more than this kind of challenge - I liked seeing how an established company made a big event happen.

Did anyone else see it? What did you think?

[emmalish]

I haven't seen this one, but I love watching these challenge shows. Especially the pastry & sugar art related ones.

[rickster]

I like the pastry and sugar shows as well, but as they do more and more of them, I wish they could find a broader pool of contestants. The same people seem to keep competing. Is there not one else qualified or are they too busy to take the time to do it?

[LBNoble]

I watched the fruit carving one, I thought it was interesting, although I definitely wouldn't have watched it onsite for 8 hours!

[caroled]

I'll have to raise my hand as well and admit to watching these challenge shows.

I do enjoy the ones that feature the world pastry competitions and I do like to watch the cake decorators have a go at it. But it seems that lately they are grasping for concepts to draw us in .

Just last week the challenge was Ice cream, and in some of the individual challenges ( I think there were 3 per this episode) the contestants could use premade ice cream. I'm guessing that the contestants had to make it ahead of time (as opposed to a bought, premade) On this particular challenge was a former Top Chef contestant, Marisa Churchill.

This weeks Big Bash Catering challenge had another TP also ran, Suyai Steinhauer.

Is any one else sensing a theme???

[Porthos]

I only tune them in when I need something to fall asleep by. So yes, I sort of watch them - but not for the right reasons.

[WiscoNole]

Some of them are OK...but so many of them are lame. The Disney Cake Challenge comes to mind.