CAUTION: SPOILERS for this episode of HBC!

My favorite bit of dialogue this week:

Kardea:“Nico, I just want to get, like, a lawn chair, and park it in your brain, and just…”

Nico (giggling deviously): “It’s a scary place up there, I don’t know if you want that.”

Duff (emphatically, to Kardea): “No, you don’t.”

Kardea: “I do, because it’s just– pure entertainment.”

Lol but okay, for real, what is actually going on with Season 12? We’re halfway through now, and I have questions. Why have they changed up the format so drastically? Why are we only getting one challenge per episode? Are they trying to trim the amount of desserts in order to save time for more drama and tension and character development, so it’s not just forty minutes of “cake, cake, cake, cake, cake”? I can kinda see that, I guess, but I never felt like the format of the episodes left anything to be desired, in the past. I still got invested in the characters and the drama in previous seasons. I’m not sure why they felt the need to change it up like this. I can’t say I’m a fan.

It completely threw me for a loop that they let the Naughty Team steal a team member, not just for this week but permanently. So Alyx is on the Naughty Team now? I’m both happy and sad about this: happy because I’m rooting for Team Naughty (Charles and Nico are both on it), and Alyx is really strong so this gives them a major advantage; but also sad, because I just feel like Alyx belongs on Team Nice, and now we don’t have the Alyx-Ashleigh rivalry that was so exciting to watch! Readers, how are we feeling about all of this – the team format, the single-challenge episodes, and the crazy advantages? If there’s not two challenges next week, I personally am going to shit a brick.

This week was tough. The only ones who did well were Charles, Chase, and Tarek. Everyone else’s reviews were mediocre to scathing. What happened?

I was so sure that Ashleigh was going to do great – and she thought so, too – that board game cake looked amazing, and fit the theme perfectly! But apparently she overdid it with the freaking almond extract. I’ve said it before and will say it again: I don’t know why any contestant on any baking competition show ever even lays a finger on any bottle of extract (other than your average, unoffensive vanilla) (although Charles apparently would have some things to say about me calling vanilla “average” and “unoffensive,” lol). It literally never goes well. Haven’t these contestants watched these shows before? Don’t they know that extract is virtually guaranteed to doom them to failure?

Tarek has apparently found his stride, though. After winning last week, he produced a fabulous rum raisin carrot cake this week, and wowed the judges once again. I hope he keeps it up. Also of note this week: Chase. He’s kind of taken over as boss of the Nice Team now that Alyx is gone. It’s been interesting to watch his evolution from chill and unassuming peace & love yoga instructor to the hotshot competitive team captain. He is one of the best, for sure. I mean, that brownie recipe this week, am I right? I think he could very well be the winner.

Finally, I was bummed about Camrey’s elimination – you all know she was one of my favorites since day one; she seems really lovely. But, unfortunately, I think this was a fair call. The judges didn’t really have a single nice thing to say about her spice cake. Alas – and then there were seven.

Superlatives from the judges: 1, “Your best yet” – Nancy to Charles (running total: 4)

Judge says “remember, you’re on Holiday Baking Championship”: 0 (running total: 1)

Nancy says “bite of food”: 0 (running total: ½)

High point: My favorite wins! Charles actually looked a bit emotional when Nancy started weeping over his vanilla cremeux? And then he even went on to say how happy he was to help his team! “My team”?! Episode 1-3 Charles would never! I love his arrogant, competitive, smart-assy side (which is still very present), but it’s nice that we’re also getting to see his warmer side as well.

Low point: Why were the judges so hard on Jean Carlos about his décor? I really felt for him, as this seemed like such a personal thing to share, and I know I would have been really embarrassed if I’d presented something so personal and then gotten shitty feedback. Plus, it wasn’t even messy! I mean yeah, the Christmas tree fell off, but before that happened, it looked fabulous. It was a design of a little kid coloring, for goodness’ sake – have the judges ever seen a little kid coloring? It’s supposed to be slightly chaotic! SMH.

The dessert that I would most have liked to eat: Chases’s peanut butter s’mores brownie. No leavening agent, only whipped eggs, apparently gives it a fluffy yet gooey texture like cheesecake. With a layer of homemade peanut butter! Chase mentioned that at his bakery he used to get a line out the door two blocks long for this brownie, and I can totally see why. It looked stunning too, with that perfect cross-section and the flawless fondant “indoor picnic” foods.

Mith’s official prediction for the order of eliminations from here on out: Jean Carlos, Tarek, Nico, Alyx, and in the final, Charles, Ashleigh, and Chase (OR, it could just as likely be Charles, Alyx, and Chase in the final). And I think (and hope) that Charles will be the winner. What do you think? Leave me a comment!