The Food Network introduced its reality cooking competition “Bakers vs Fakers” last year. The show has the basic premise as other Food Network competition series like “Cooks vs Cons”. Four contestants compete against each other in a baking contest to win a cash prize. Each show, the contestants consist of 2 professional bakers and 2 amateur bakers. The judges do not know who is professional and who is amateur, so the contestants are judged based on their baking schools, innovative ideas, presentation and the taste of their final dessert.
If the winner is a professional baker, he or she gets $10,000. If the amateur wins, he or she gets $15,000. As in other cooking contests, the chef must use a certain ingredient to create a certain type of desert. Of course the secret ingredient can be anything from beer to hot peppers which challenges the chef to create an appealing cupcake or tart. Each show consists of 2 rounds where 1 contestant is eliminated in the first round and the final 3 compete for the prize in the second round.
Here are 5 things you didn’t know about “Bakers vs Fakers”.
Buddy Valestro
The host of season 1 of “Bakers vs Fakers” was the “Cake Boss” Buddy Valestro. Valestro rose to reality fame on 2008’s “Cake Boss”. Valestro’s cupcake and had were featured in a scene from the film “Bridesmaids”. He began learned his skills in his family’s business, Carlo’s Bakery, which he has expanded. A character in IFC’s podcast “Comedy! Bang! Bang!”. Carlo lives in New Jersey with his wife and 4 children.
Lorraine Pascale
The second season host of “Bakers vs Fakers” is Lorraine Pascale. Pascale is a British chef and baker who has had 3 television shows in Britain. She owns a bakery outlet in London that sells baked goods. Pascale is a former 1990’s fashion model. She modeled for Versace, Donna Karan, Katherine Harmnett and The Gap and worked with Kate Moss Christy Turlington and Naome Campbell. Pascale was the first black model featured on the cover of American Elle magazine.
Worst Bakers in America
Just as “Cooks vs Cons” spawned a spinoff “Worst Cooks in America”, “Bakers vs Fakers” spawned “Worst Bakers in America”. The baking boot camp follows 12 contestants with no baking skills as they are mentored by Loraine Pascale and chef Duff Goldman. The contestants have 6 weeks to turn into expert bakers. A panel of baking experts will judge the 2 finalists in the finale. The winner gets a $25,000 cash prize.
An expert baker wins
Courtney Hubbard of Hampton Bay, New York found it difficult to not tell her friends and family that she won “Bakers vs Fakers” before the show aired on the Food Network. The 21 year old grew up helping her grandmother bake cookies and her favorite brownies. As a teenager she started experimenting with baking and got creative in the kitchen. Courtney completed a culinary course in Baking and Pastry Arts at Suffolk County Community College and started “Courtney’s Sweet Tooth”. She credits her baking skills to her grandmother and to her culinary teacher who taught her to be confident and to never get discouraged. For the competition Courtney made chocolate cupcakes with hot pepper jelly and ancho chile and chocolate milk Fruit Roll-ups with chocolate milk inspired pastry cream and a Fruit Roll-up reduction with port wine.
An amateur wins
Anthony Damiano was completely inexperienced in baking until he got hooked on the Food Network’s “Cake Box”. He took what he learned from the show and created a cake for a friend who couldn’t believe it wasn’t from a bakery. Anthony began experimenting and created “edible art” centerpieces for his friends. For “Bakers vs Fakers” Anthony baked a deconstructed chocolate chip cannoli with the secret ingredient of chocolate stout and a lemon rosemary soufflé and graham cracker raspberry truffle with the secret ingredient, fresh herbs.
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