Romy Guiot's Spring Baking Championship Scandal, Explained
Contains spoilers for Season 8 Episode 10 of "Spring Baking Championship"
Food Network competition shows like "Spring Baking Championship" have been renewed season after season in part because while many people come for the food, they stay for the drama. The shows are constructed in a way that gets you deeply invested in the competitors, so much so that you may find yourself yelling at the TV. It's kind of like watching the Olympics and being appalled when someone who is a master of their craft makes the smallest mistake, only in this case it's about an intricate recipe.
Instead of yelling at the TV, some people take to Twitter to express their opinions, and it's clear that people are heavily invested in "Spring Baking Championship," especially after a dramatic Season 8 finale. "I guess you can serve undercooked cheesecake and win $25,000. Sweet! There's hope for all of us! What a joke. ROMY WAS ROBBED," wrote one fan. The tweet is a reference to when the eventual winner of the show, Jaleesa Mason, undercooked a cheesecake, but still made it through to the next round of the competition. Meanwhile, Romauld Guiot consistently made show-stopping desserts but ended up walking off the show right before the final bake.
Romy Guiot walked off the show to preserve his integrity
The finale of Season 8 of "Spring Baking Championship" left fans with a lot of questions. It's clear from Twitter and from Romy Guiot's social media feeds that he was a fan favorite to win the show, and viewers were shocked when he walked off the set. After the finale aired, the pastry chef posted a prompt on his Instagram story, asking fans if they had any questions. One fan made more of a statement than a question, saying "Congrats on walking away, you're way above 'cookie salads' and 'sprinkles!"
During the season, the bakers were challenged to make Molly Yeh's signature "cookie salad," which is a Midwestern favorite composed of cookies, pudding, whipped cream, and mandarin oranges. Yeh is also a sprinkle fanatic, so when it was revealed that one of the final elimination challenges revolved around the colorful sugar bits, Romy Guiot put his foot down.
The pastry chef posted on his Instagram story that walking away was the "only step to preserve my integrity." He also added that he does not regret leaving the show and he hopes to work with Food Network in the future. Since many fans think he was robbed, they encouraged him to start a GoFundMe to benefit his vegan bakery, so this may not be the last you hear of Romy Guiot.