Food Network’s Spring Baking Championship: Meet the Final Four

Spring Four

 

Next week marks the final showdown in Food Network’s Spring Baking Championship. Don’t get caught thinking that the final episode will feature just two chefs, as many people did during last winter’s Holiday Baking Championship–the final is a three-for-all, which means that tonight’s Final Four is an impossibly sweet semifinal.

Last week saw Sandy wave goodbye, after she presented so-so cake pops in the primary heat and an underwhelming Italian meringue in the main. As Duff put it following her loss, “Sandy is a naturally gifted baker and her personality really comes through in her food. She is so much better than the cake she made.” He was also quick to praise her effort through the first four episodes of the Championship:

 

Sandy never lost sight of who she is. Sandy always made her food the way she wanted it to be. She was always laughing, always having fun, and when she went home she was disappointed, sure, but she was also so excited to have been there. We can all take a page out of Sandy’s book (present company included) and learn how to bake with joy, passion and, most of all, poise.

So: Who is left standing?

 

Spring Three

 

Dwayne Ingraham, of Oxford MS, won either a primary or a main heat in the first three episodes of the show, and has been extremely impressive with his presentation and his creativity. He caught some flak from the judges for failing to finish berry-ing his cake last week (though it still looks pretty wonderful, as you can see above), but hasn’t had a major misstep yet. Of the remaining contestants, he might be the most professional, in that he’s not a big risk-taker, but the quality of his work is very consistent.

The same is not necessarily true of Damiano Carrara, who is quickly becoming known as the Italian Stallion thanks to his penchant for starting slowly and finishing with great strength. Damiano tried to excuse himself our of poor performances in the first three overall competitions (primary and main heats) by saying, off-camera, that he had either never worked with the required ingredients or never made one of the required dishes. At that point, it was pretty easy to consider him the pretty one who wouldn’t be around for long. Then, he started busting out Italian cream cakes and spun sugars and all sorts of tricks from his homeland, and charmed (at least) one of the judges right into his corner. Assume that, tonight,  you will hear Nancy say “Damiano, I could eat this all day long” at least once.

 

Spring One

 

Andy and Simone, on the other hand, both came near tears last week when talking off-camera about the influence of their children and families on their baking. It’s clear that both bakers are feeling the effects of being away from home for so long. Where Andy seems to get melancholy and introspective, though, Simone uses whatever she’s feeling as a means of further empowerment. So far, nothing has gotten her down–in fact, she’s won praise from the judges (and Duff in particular) for taking criticism and applying it directly to her next challenge:

 

Another thing Simone made clear was that she was doing what Lorraine had told her to do, and that was bake from the heart. If anyone ever wants to compete on a show like this, it is really important to listen to the judges. We don’t want anyone to lose, so when we are criticizing, it is only to help you win. It’s never personal!

The remaining contestants, though, still know how to relax when the (TV) cameras are turned off. Just this week, Simone tweeted out a sweet picture of the final four enjoying a greasy meal together, and trying not to sweat the next-to-last show:

 


 

What do you, the viewers at home, think? Who has the skill and the savvy to pull out the win? How are demographics going to play into next week’s championship round–what sort skill and pretty face does Food Network both want and need?

Tonight’s semifinal matchup airs on Food Network at 9 PM EST.

 

(Photo credits: Food Network)


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