How Baking It's Judges Help Make The Show So Unique
The season's newest holiday baking competition TV show, "Baking It," premieres today on Peacock. The six-episode show, hosted by Maya Rudolph and Andy Samberg and produced with the help of Amy Poehler, takes place in a log cabin, where eight teams comprised of siblings, parent and child teams, and spouses, compete for a $50,000 prize (via YouTube), and, of course, bragging rights. The real fun, however, comes in with the judges: Four grandmas, who the show promises to be as ruthless as they are funny, kind, and constructive.
Teams whip up holiday treats, including some inspired by Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanza (via Northwest Florida Daily News), Foodsided reported that when it comes to tasting, the grandmas can be difficult to please, often looking for a baked item that is more traditional than innovative. Another Foodsided article noted that just like in real life, the constructive criticism of a grandma might be blunt and hard to hear, but in the end, they want the best for the contestants and only hope to help them.
Baking It's tough grandmas have soft spots
According to the Northwest Florida Daily News, one of the grandmas of "Baking It," Sherri "Gigi" Williams' signature catchphrase when it comes to indicating which dishes are the most fabulous is "GiGiDiggity." "If you get a GiGiDiggity, that's freaking amazing," Williams said. Williams is no novice when it comes to home baking if her refrigerator full of blue ribbons means anything. "I've won a lot of competitions. One thing (is), they want you to be your absolute self, no pretense. If you curse, they want you to curse. They don't want you to be scripted, so I think that's why chose me," Williams said.
Also featured on the show are Harriet Robin, also known as "Nana," and Sheldon "Anne" Leonhard, also referred to as "Grandma," both from New Orleans, and both teachers at the New Orleans School of Cooking. "We took our jobs very seriously because so much was on the line for the contestants. It was such a learning experience – the talents of the contestants were overwhelming and inspiring," they said in a joint statement to Adore.
The judging experience was not only a special experience for the contestants, but also for the grandmas. "Seriously, in all of my foodie adventures, this is, by far, the best... here I am now, living my best GiGiDiggity life," Williams said (via Northwest Florida Daily News).