By Alma Lizarraga
Netflix’s “Baking Impossible” is a baking reality show with a twist; a big part of the competition relies on good engineering.
Contestants are paired up in teams asked to build working contraptions out of pastries.
These range from boats that must float on water made out of Rice Krispy cakes.
Teams are expelled as they are given a pass or fail based on the three metrics of the show, baking, engineering and “bakineering.”
One team that received a fail grade is kicked out every episode.
Teams are made up of a chef and an engineer.
The show has interesting ideas and offers a fresh twist on a well-known genre, but is handled awkwardly.
The contraptions are expected to taste good and work effectively, which is a weird combination.
In one episode contestants build a working robot made out of their pastries which then had to go through an obstacle course.
It feels strange how seriously the engineering side of the show is taken.
It can be a little sad to see teams being expelled because their boats made out of cake didn’t float.
Judges have professional opinions on both the baking and engineering which makes it hard to follow along and judge alongside as viewers.
Turns out baking and engineering terminology is very different.
It is extremely fun to see what the teams do end up making.
Though they do manage to make working, edible constructions that are great to see tested out.
To judge the pastries without having to eat out of creations made out of wires and screws, contestants have to make a separate dish for the judges.
Even though they are judged based on the dishes’ similarities to their contraptions, it does make making objects such as robots made out of watermelon meaningless.
The set design is great complementing how colorful the rest of the show is.
It has a feel of creativity that the show really counts on.
The chemistry between the cast is pretty good, as there are a lot of different people competing.
Contestants seem to enjoy the challenges and give great results.
As the show goes on the engineering aspect of the show gets more and more complicated, which takes out of the cooking aspect.
It is hard to take seriously the insane requests the judges ask of the bakers.
The show is a fun viewing but takes the grading a bit too seriously, especially with what the judges expect.