My Guilty Pleasure? Nailed It!

If anyone were to ask me what I like to do in my spare time, I would probably respond with reading novels or watching documentaries. You know, something seemingly sophisticated. And although this is not entirely false, it does omit the fact that when I really just want to relax and turn my brain off, I turn on an episode of Nailed It!

Usually, I am not one for cooking shows or baking competitions, but there is something blissfully therapeutic about watching amateur bakers attempt to create a confectionary monstrosity that is entirely impossible to complete in the given time frame.

Every episode includes three contestants who are challenged with two back-to-back competitions. The first is a short round called "Baker's Choice" where each contestant gets to choose one of three small creations to try and copy. Typically, these creations are a decorated cake pop, cookies, or cupcakes but there have been curveball episodes. The second and final round is called "Nail It or Fail It" where the contestants are presented with a cake masterpiece they need to attempt and replicate.

Now it is one thing to ask someone to make a creation like this unicorn cake from Season 2...

Seeing as the show sets the contestants up with a state-of-the-art kitchen and every baking supply you can think of, maybe if you let them take all the time they wanted to create this they could come out with something similar.

But what fun would that be?

No, give the contestants a time limit of 1 hour and 30mins and you get a very entertaining display of swears, curses, mistakes, and a finished product looking something like this...

Now contestants are not only judged on the appearance of their cakes. They are also judged for the taste, so scrap that idea of just trying to make it look pretty! It's what's on the inside that counts!

As hard as the contestants try in their valiant efforts of competing for the stylish Golden Bakers Cap and the ultimate prize of the Nailed it! trophy, each winner's creation doesn't typically look much better than the above example.

So why is this my guilty pleasure?

The answer is that it is not JUST about the regular people baking on TV! This show is not just a baking competition setting their victims up for failure, it is also a comedy show! There is a total of about 1.5% seriousness in the tone of this show, which is my favourite part. The show's host Nicole Byer is a fantastic wit who fabulously hosts every episode complete with sass and eye-rolling puns. She admits to not knowing how to create these treats, but as a taste taster, she will be judging you...I mean, your baking.

Of course, no baking competition is complete without a baking master, and that is where Jacques Torres comes into play. He co-hosts each episode with his baking expertise, and tries to allow us to make sense of just how (not) complicated it is to create these sugary masterpieces!

Lastly, we have Wes, who Nicole frequently gushes over. Although he appears to be a member of the camera crew, he now makes 1 or 2 appearances in each episode to present the contestants with their prizes. I don't think this was supposed to be a regular occurrence in the show, but he quickly became a fan favourite with his good looks and silent humor.

Perhaps there is just something satisfying about watching a fellow untalented baker try to succeed at an impossible task and get rewarded for it. Like with all competitions, the best worst cakes receive the Nailed It! trophy and a $10,000 cash prize. After all, there can't be zero incentive to put yourself through this type of torture. Plus, who wouldn't want this beautiful golden piece of art to decorate their shelf at home?

Then again, maybe at the end of the day Nailed It! remains my guilty pleasure because it just seems so relatable. No matter how great the intentions or attempts may seem, the final result usually doesn't turn out the way we plan. Either way, until it gets canceled, Nailed It! will remain a regular show in my favourites section.