For original fans of the hilarious Amy Poehler and Nick Offerman crafting competition series called “Making It,” the arrival of feel-good spinoff “Baking It,” which includes the additional comedy genius of SNL icons Maya Rudolph and Andy Samberg, was a welcome joy.
Hosted in the same barn where “Making It” housed so many laughs, the “Baking It” competition became a holiday hit for its ability to blend talented home bakers, grandmas, and two Saturday Night Live legends in a six-episode series full of giggles and triumphs centered on fantastic food.
This article will discuss the latest news and information about “Baking It,” including up-to-date insights as to whether a second season may be in the works.
How Do Rounds on “Baking It” Work?
“Baking It” is set up in a similar structure to many other cooking-based competition shows in that contestants are expected to proceed through rounds of challenges of varying degrees of difficulty. However, “Baking It” keeps it considerably simpler than some of its counterparts by keeping the challenges set at a daily “Short and Sweet” quick-bake trial followed by a complex “Pie In The Sky.”
Another unique aspect of “Baking It” that you won’t encounter elsewhere is its team of judges, who are all adorable grandmothers. With highly vocal opinions on whether a baked treat is good and why these shrewd grandmas and the offhand way they express their baking knowledge and their love of younger generations stole the show throughout season one.
The baking duos work their way through these dual tests of speed and creativity each episode, with one pair being eliminated each week. As culinary contestants advance through innovative versions of their own mouth-watering holiday traditions trying to impress the grandmas each week, one pair gets closer every episode to the coveted and comical crown of “Best In Dough.”
Where Can You Watch “Baking It?”
As “Baking It” is a Peacock original, don’t look for it on Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, or Disney +. Currently, “Baking It” is only available to stream through a premium Peacock subscription.
Peacock is the streaming subsidiary of NBCUniversal. The Peacock app is available for download through Google Chromecast, Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Xbox, Mac, Windows, Android TV, and Smart TVs by VIZIO, Samsung, and LG.
What Happened in Season 1 of “Baking It?”
Chock full of campy and fun-loving atmosphere set inside a snowglobe, season one of “Baking It” begins with an exciting bang as contestants arrive not knowing who their celebrity hosts will be. When SNL’s best friends Maya Rudolph and Andy Samberg walk out, there are audible squeals and gasps of disbelieving joy from every bake station. Viewers are then treated to brief introductions by all eight of the following amazingly multicultural pairs of bakers:
Stephanie and Jessica:
As sisters who are eight years apart in age, these busy moms are just happy to be together in a collaborative creative effort. Their black-bottomed pecan pie bites are a hit with all of the grandmothers.
Steve and Tom:
This father and son duo, with their menorah-shaped raspberry shortbread bites, take home the first prize in the “Short and Sweet” category for their take on its “Eight Crazy Bites” Hanukkah theme and charm onlookers with their delight at being awarded a menorah candlepin.
Jordan and Joelle:
Cajun twin sisters with super-spicy personalities and recipes, these two make shrimp and grit cream puffs to bring a little soul food into the savory mix on episode one.
Gerard and Shawn:
With the kind of banter only best friends can bring, these longtime bros make boozy blondies in Christmas tree shapes and laugh fondly together throughout the process.
Sharon and Mike:
A chatty married couple who showcase their southern roots, Sharon and Mike make bourbon bacon pecan tassies that creatively combine the sweet and salty aspects of many regional foods they grew up with.
Niyati and Abhi:
This adorable married couple from India is moved to tears in the first episode by praise from the grandmothers for their baklava cheesecake bites.
Patrick and Jonah:
Spirited and brilliant married couple Patrick and Jonah highlight all of the many threads of their cultural and religious heritages in their stunning noodle kugel, which the grandmas are impressed with because they contain corn flakes that ‘magically’ stay crispy in the bake.
Cesar and Reggie:
Owning one of the most moving backstories seen on “Baking It,” these siblings had not seen each other in three years before reuniting on the show to start strong with their abuelita’s sopes as a first offering.
A newcomer to “Baking It” might be forgiven for thinking that these eight baker duos are more than enough intrigue and fun to carry the show. However, until you have seen the grandmothers, you have not experienced the real stars of the TV show. Nana Harriet and Grandma Anne are best friends and teachers at the New Orleans School of Cooking. Nana Harriet is also a registered nutritionist and cracks everyone up by flubbing the correct ages of her many grandchildren. Grandma Anne is also a cookbook author with the hilarious byline, “Loves Italian, Especially the Men.”
There is also Gigi Sherri, who is full of all the best kinds of attitude and is the Blue Ribbon winner of over 100 recipe contests. Famous for key lime and sweet potato pies, Gigi Sherri collects angels and gives out her ultimate compliment of “Gigi-diggity” to only those recipes which knock her socks off. Lastly, Bubbe Nora is the “firm but fair Jewish grandmother” who ran a catering company and is responsible for making Hollywood’s favorite brownies. Bubbe Nora is also credited with having invented “Mandel-scotti,” a biscotti made of Mandel bread.
Throughout top-rated episodes such as episode three entitled “Gifts and Games” and episode five called “Holiday Hacks and Pies,” the bakers form friendships with one another, showcase incredible innovation in their kitchen skills, and provide wholesome entertainment that the whole family can enjoy.
Who Won “Baking It” Season 1?
Christmas Fest: “Best in Dough”
If you don’t like spoilers, don’t read on!
The winners of the “Best In Dough” and $50,000 prize for season one of “Baking It” are sister duo Jessica Washburn and Stephanie Moikeha. Stunning judges with their final bake, Jessica and Stephanie plan to take a joint family vacation with the winnings. Jessica also runs a boutique chocolate shop called Bliss Chocolatier with their mother. She hopes to see an uptick in the business post this prestigious bit of publicity.
How Much Does the Winner Get on “Baking it?”
Beyond the obvious lifetime bragging rights of being deemed “Best In Dough,” the prize for winning “Baking It” is an impressive $50,000.
About the Hosts of “Baking It”
As longtime collaborators on Saturday Night Live who shared many skits together, Maya Rudolph and Andy Samberg bring an easy familiarity as hosts of “Baking It.” Both decorated improv comedians in their own respective solo careers, Rudolph and Samberg, provide off-the-cuff side conversations to the baking competition that lend humor and insight into their unique professional history.
Andy Samberg and Maya Rudolph in “Baking It” show
Andy Samberg was a Saturday Night Live cast member from 2005-2012. New fans will likely recognize Samberg from his award-winning work in “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” and his two films with fellow comic Adam Sandler, “That’s My Boy” and “Grown Ups 2.” Samberg is also a founding member of the parody band The Lonely Island and is credited with popularizing SNL’s Digital Shorts.
Maya Rudolph’s SNL tenure lasted from 2000-2007. She moved on to a highly respected film career that has included comedies such as “Grown Ups,” “Grown Ups 2,” and “Shrek the Third” to high-profile art flicks like “Inherent Vice” opposite Joaquin Phoenix. Combined with her career-defining turn in the groundbreaking all-female-led “Bridesmaids,” Rudolph has made a name as an actress who can toggle easily in performance between the heights of both light and dark emotion.
Together on an episodic series for the first time since SNL, Rudolph and Samberg tickle audiences with their impromptu singalongs between challenges each week on “Baking It.”
Will “Baking It” Have a Season 2?
“Baking It” may or may not be back this winter for a second season. The possibility is still in the air. Currently, there is no information about a renewal of the beloved holiday TV series but no news of cancellation either. With so many other popular cooking shows like “Top Chef” and “Baking Impossible” alongside the dominance of hugely successful original dramas like “Stranger Things,” Peacock could decide to spend its resources on something the network feels could be more competitive by being less seasonal.
However, with the undeniable popularity of “Baking It” and the competition show in general in mind, there is an equally good chance that fans may get to return to the barn with a new set of lucky bakers this upcoming holiday season. Likewise, the fact that “Baking It” features the combined television savvy of superstar executive producers Amy Poehler, Nicolle Yaron, Pip Wells, Kate Arend, and Dave Becky may hopefully serve as an indication of the show’s worth.
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