You watched 6 hours of what?!

It all starts with a slight sore throat. Called boss, check. Husband aware, check. Hubby having done his best to tiptoe around, so as to wake poor, sick me, has departed for work. A couple extra Z's, but now I can't go back to sleep. I feel better, maybe I shouldn't have called in. No, "it's okay", I reassure myself that while I have things at work to do perhaps I can accomplish some light organizing.

The next, is the fatal flaw had I actually meant to get anything at all done. I turn on the TV to "just watch a little while I enjoy my tea".

Oh… I have seen this show before, I’ll just watch this episode. The idea is that home bakers come on a show where they will compete against two other equally untrained home bakers. They have cute cameos of each baker as they are announced as they come out of the pantry all together. These cameos are heartfelt announcements about who they are and why they feel they deserve to win. Oft times, these interviews give the judging panel some little thing they may then tease the baker with at some or many points in the challenge.

There are three identical kitchen set-ups and a pantry contestant can use as they wish. There is a tablet at each station as well, as they are lucky enough to have the recipe and some guidance.

After the contestants take their places, the host of the show Nicole introduces Jacques, (a pastry chef, chocolatier and a regular judge), and the guest judge which is usually a comedian or a pastry chef, but has included at least one clothing designer. The judges go behind their table, directly across from the bakers. The first challenge is then revealed. It is usually a cookie, cupcake, or cake pop. These are presented behind a door and the three must hurry to the samples and choose one that they are willing to try to replicate (in my mind, the easiest). When released to do so they rush back to their stations and get to work trying to as closely as possible re-create the designer pastry, looking to not only give the judges something that tastes good, but that is also cute, pretty, funny, or whatever the original was.

What ensues is comedic, because it becomes painfully clear that they are truly out of their depth and also have a time limit, usually 45 minutes for this round. They power through because, well- because it is a competition. What a befuddle brain can do to a charming project is hilarious. Some talk themselves through the process, others get frustrated and aim at getting the look right OR getting the recipe right. The result is that sometimes the judges look at a charming replica, but while watching the process have correctly deduce that the product is undercooked, overcooked, or has way too much vanilla extract. They too power through, sometime spitting the product into a napkin graciously. The winner of this round receives a nice prize, usually of kitchen ware, but there has been a year’s supply of butter or eggs. They also receive a Golden Chef hat to wear through the next round.

The next round, sticking to the theme of the episode, is behind door #2. This is usually a very complicated cake. These confectionary marvels are beautiful to behold and the more complex the better because this round is worth $10,000. The cake is displayed so that the contestant may come up and look at it for reference. I have to say, I am not sure how often that actually helped. The befuddlement starts afresh, but if the contestant has had the advantage of seeing the show, they know that they have to get the recipes right, the cake has got to be good. Having the elements that are in the original is important. The closer approximation of the actual original is, of course better. This round is usually at least an hour. Time seems to fly for the viewer though (it is edited to fit the time slot).

The judges make the last journey to judge, first the appearance and then invite the bakers to cut of the BEST piece of cake to be taste tested. Once the cakes have been evaluated, Jacques announces the winner. The winner is showered with fake money spewed out of a money gun by the guest judge. The winner is also given a very odd-looking trophy. They have won the $10,000 prize, not the money emitted from the money gun.

Highlights of this show that can only truly be enjoyed by binge watching are many. One is that you see the different way that bakers try to keep themselves on task, you see all of the wrong ways to handle dressing a cake, you appreciate the nuances of fondant and the importance of putting a layer of buttercream between two layers of cake. Each episode I started to appreciate these things. I also appreciated when Nicole called for this fellow… Wes. Ah Wes, Nicole pronounced it as though it had an H or two after the W. He is only what I can describe as adorable. He would come out with the trophy at the end playfully dress in something that met with the theme and would exit, his affable smirk being essentially the moment I waited for every episode after the first three hours of the binge.

Aside from adorable Wes, I think one of my favorite things during this delightful binge was how each contestant would present their configuration of the challenge, no matter how horrible they would each in their own way announce (trying to feign conviction); “Nailed It!”

So, if you are going to take a snow day or for no reason at all, binging NAILED IT! is a great deal of fun. I won’t judge- I leave that to Nicole and Jacques.