[enchanting music playing]
♪ Wes, it's day one ♪
♪ Aren't you excited? ♪
[Nicole giggling]
[director] Let's settle. Action.
Jacques, in all our years together tasting and judging on Nailed It!...
-[female contestants] Nailed it! -...we've eaten a lot
of bad cake.
The consistency of that was insanity!
We definitely had.
I am not gonna take it anymore.
It is time for Nicole to eat some good cake.
-Tell me more. -Jacques,
I have set up an epic baking experiment to get us the cakes that we deserve.
-[gasps] -Ugh!
[pleasant music playing]
[Nicole] I found ten people with big dreams of being great bakers.
-[gasps] -[Nicole] Let's be honest,
they have no idea what they're doing.
It's gonna take a whole lot of cocktails from moito transform these bakers.
Yes, Nicole.
[Nicole chuckling] I'm trying so hard.
-I don't know if this is right. -I'm fighting with this thing today.
[Nicole] Least improved baker is out each week,
which, oh boy, breaks my... my poor little heart.
Don't do this to me, cakes.
In the end, the best baker will emerge victorious
and take home a lot of dough...
-Whoo! -[woman laughing]
...to pursue their baking dreams.
-[bakers cheering] -Can you believe it?
If we pull this off...
I don't know what to do.
...someone might actually...
-Nailed it. -...nail it.
[gasps]
This is The Big Nailed It Baking Challenge!
[music ends]
Yeah!
[enchanting music playing]
[all exclaiming excitedly]
[Jean] Oh my God.
[Frank] Wow.
-[Emily] Look at this. -[Ignoisco] Oh! Oh, look at the names!
[all laughing and exclaiming excitedly]
-Wow. -[Ignoisco] Oh my goodness.
Welcome, bakers! Yay!
Bonjour, bakers.
-This is a nice kitchen, Jacques. -I know, right?
I am your host, Nicole Byer.
I've waited my whole life.
How old are you?
[bakers laughing]
[Nicole] This man, he's one of my favorite people.
Acclaimed pastry chef and chocolatier, Jacques Torres.
[all cheering]
-Hello, all my new friends and protégés. -[bakers chuckle]
You've all been brought here because you have big baking dreams,
but you have no idea what you're doing.
[bakers chuckle] Yeah.
We enlisted two fantastic coaches to teach you everything you need to learn.
[Nicole] And set you up for success before each elimination challenge.
She's an acclaimed pastry chef,
a New York Times best-selling cookbook author,
Erin Jeanne McDowell.
Hi, everyone.
-[cheering] -Hey, Erin.
Hi, Erin.
I have been baking since I was 14 years old,
and the thing I love more than baking is teaching people what I know.
Awesome, awesome.
And he's a sensational cake artist known for his fantastical modeling skills.
He's got millions of loyal followers on his socials.
Robert Lucas!
[cheering]
As far as decorating, he's just a beast.
Just... Oh my God. He's phenomenal. [chuckles]
I'm so excited to be here.
Not long ago, I didn't know a thing, just like you all.
But if I can do it, you all can too.
But that's not true.
[all laughing]
Yeah, man, I... I don't know.
I want to learn how to bake cakes because right now my goal
when I bake is basically don't make anybody throw up.
Are you guys ready to hear what you're competing for?
-[bakers] Yes. -[Nicole] All right. Get ready.
[dramatic music building]
$100,000!
[cheering]
[Nicole] Right?
My life would change completely.
I'm currently a grad student, so I have loans I need to pay off.
But I'm competing because I want to become a better baker,
and I want to show people what I can do.
[Richard] I have five daughters.
[scoffs] You know what I could do with 100 grand?
All right, recruits, ready to see the very first cake
that will send you frolicking into the frosting?
-[Angie] Oh my God. -Yes, yes, yes.
[Nicole] Here we go!
-[bakers exclaiming] -Okay.
[Angie] Whoa.
Ooh, it's business in the front, but...
-[chuckling] -[bakers exclaiming]
...party in the back.
Oh my goodness.
-We gotta make both of them? -Ha-ha.
Whoa.
Oh my gosh. I'm shaking in my boots.
[Nicole] That's right. It's a two-sided cake.
From 9:00 to 5:00, it's just a regular office day,
but from 5:00 to 9:00, Jean from Accounting...
-Ooh! She breaks out the jungle juice. -[all laughing]
-[Travis] Hey! -[Angie] Oh, okay, okay.
-I'm going to cut a piece of the cake. -[suspenseful music playing]
[enchanting music playing]
-Look at that. -[bakers exclaiming]
-[Nicole] Surprise! -Oh my gosh.
This is the first one.
How do you even get that in? Is it just, you drill a hole through it?
Zero clue.
Don't worry, my newfound friends.
You won't need to make your surprise cake till later.
-First, you... -[bakers] Ah.
[laughing]
[all laughing]
My God, all of you were so relieved.
[bakers laughing]
[Nicole] So listen, first you get to learn the key skills you need to make this cake
from Erin and Robert in Baking 101.
[Ignoisco] Oh, good.
[Nicole] Your coaches will teach you how to stack and crumb coat a cake.
But you won't just be learning. You'll be competing!
[bakers exclaiming]
[Nicole] You need to keep up with your coaches in Baking 101.
Because when the lesson is over, you will have 30 seconds
to finish stacking your cake as high as possible.
Bakers, remember, if you start the cake crooked,
it's going to stay crooked and it's too late.
So, pay attention to detail.
The baker with the tallest crumb-coated tower will win an advantage
in your elimination challenge, the Big Cake Bake.
Ooh!
Good luck, friends.
[enchanting music playing]
[dramatic drumbeat playing]
[Robert] So first up, I'm going to show you all how to level your cakes,
and what that means is taking the domes off the top
because you want a very flat surface to start stacking.
That first cake is on. Placing my hand on the top,
and I'm going to keep this nice and steady going around the cake.
Where do the knife... Knife, knife, knife. Phew.
[Erin] And, remember, use your turntable for this because you can rotate it.
I think that works.
This, honestly, looks flat enough to me, but...
Whoo. Oh, that's not even at all.
[in sing-song] Come on, baby.
And I'm gonna set that one to the side
because I'm going to level each cake off before I start stacking.
All right.
Jacques, our bakers on Nailed It!have been
very, very, very, very, very bad.
Is this why we're starting with the fundamentals?
Yes, I think foundation is very important.
Constructing is very new to me,
even though I've been on Nailed It!before.
[Nicole] Angie, how are you doing?
[Angie] I think I'm doing pretty good.
It wasn't all a bed of roses.
-[Jacques] Oh my God, I think they melt... -[Angie] Oh my God!
...the measuring cup in a microwave.
That was a couple years ago.
There's a new and improved Glamma. Now I'm ready to read and react.
Robert is already about to start his fifth cake.
-What? -[dramatic music playing]
[Ignoisco] Oh, snap!
[Jean] Oh, I cut too much off.
I just screwed up my cakes.
I'm immediately lost.
I don't want to cut myself.
I feel like a sheep who's wandered off from the flock,
and... and I can't get back.
I... I'm in the forest.
I can't see the... the flock through the trees.
I... I... I can't do it.
Oh no, no, no, no, no, no, no!
And I'm gonna start stacking now.
Shoot. I'm not supposed to be stacking them yet.
I'm skipping steps just to make sure that I get enough cakes stacked in time.
[whimpers]
I'm looking around, and it actually looks like everybody is going off on their own.
Oh my G... Oh my God.
I'm just leveling right now.
And I'm following along because I have so much to learn.
I'm trying to get my bakery-café business off the ground,
so I need to learn some stuff that I can use in that shop,
and I need to win so I can have a good...
[laughing] ...down payment.
It looks like some of you are already starting to use buttercream on your cakes,
and Robert hasn't even demonstrated yet.
-[snickers] -[Jacques laughs]
-I'm following your lead, Georgina. -Never follow my lead, Richard.
[laughs]
[Georgina] I've stacked and leveled cakes before.
So I don't really think I need to pay that much attention.
I really need an advantage for the Big Cake Bake today,
so I'll just move ahead and do my own thing.
[Robert] So for this, I'm going to use an ice-cream scoop.
It's a good way to scoop frosting onto a cake,
but it's also a good way to measure.
[whimpers]
[upbeat music playing]
When it comes to baking, I usually take my time.
And so, in this fast-paced... you gotta, like,
be like a chicken, you know, going back and forth and looking.
If you have too much buttercream, what can happen?
Your cakes are gonna start shifting and sliding.
And because this is going to be tall, we definitely don't want that to happen.
I'm just leveling. I gotta start stacking.
Look. They use a rubber spatula.
I think what happens is you start using things that you are familiar with.
Like, when I think of an ice-cream scoop, I'm not like, "Oh, frosting." You know?
Yeah, you're right.
-Doing great, Robert. -Awesome. Thank you.
The thing is nerve-racking when it gets taller.
Yeah.
[amusing music playing]
Oh my God, everyone's way ahead of me.
Wow, Frank, avoid cutting your cakes while they are stacked
because this could lead to serious disaster.
I'm all about disaster.
[giggles]
I really believe in shortcuts in life.
My brother taught me at a young age
that it's important to 80/20 things as much as you can.
[giggles nervously]
You can get 80% of the results with only 20% of the work.
I'm sorry, I'm too much of a perfectionist.
Seems like Ignoisco's doing a really great job.
[Jacques] He put it very level. I like the way he work.
-It's a little slow. -[Nicole] You know what they say?
[uncertainly] The hare was fast and then the tortoise was like, "Nah."
And then the tortoise won.
Okay.
[Erin] Robert is just about to crumb coat it now.
Which means that he's using that buttercream
to cover up the crumbs on the outside of his cake.
[Robert] Because this cake is so tall, I'm going to add some with a piping bag.
And the crumb coat is going to hold it all together.
Oh my God, it's coming out the wrong end!
Oh my God!
Jean. I love Jean. Look... Look at her.
What? Oh no.
Oh no.
[upbeat music playing]
Now I'm going to take a scraper.
And this is going to make sure that I have all the sides covered.
[Andy] Fun times. Oh God, stop!
This is starting to look like the Leaning Tower of Pisa. [giggles]
I was thinking, "How do I actually crumb coat such a tall cake?"
Oh!
Look.
[ominous music playing]
Frank!
Are you using your hands to crumb coat?
Yeah, it's called efficiency.
80/20 it. All good. [giggles]
[giggling]
[Angie] It's gonna fall. Don't fall over.
[Nicole] I hope they realize they're being judged on height and crumb coat.
-[Andy] Holy crap. Ah, beans! -[suspenseful music playing]
I'm taking too much time. [chuckles]
I'm way behind, but I want to make sure that my structure is nice and solid.
I'm going with slow! But slow usually win the race!
Ah!
I'm done. And that's how you bake, stack, and crumb coat a cake.
-All right, 30 seconds left. -[tense music playing]
We're going to make sure this is stable. That's it.
-Oh no. Everyone's using their hands. -[Georgina] It's just the quickest way.
[Richard] Um, leaner. I have a leaner.
[Frank whimpers]
Oh, don't you dare fall on me.
-Five, four, three... -[suspenseful music building]
-Please don't fall. -...two, one.
You're done!
Ah! I love it! Ah! She said it!
-[Nicole] Step away from your towers. -Ha!
[shouting] Step away, Emily!
-I'm sorry! -Look... Look at Frank's cake.
[sinister orchestral music playing]
-Oh! -[bakers exclaiming]
-[screams] -[Robert laughs]
-[Jacques groans] -[bakers exclaiming, laughing]
[Emily] No!
No!
-[Erin] It's gonna fall! -[both laughing]
-No! -[Erin] Travis! Oh no, Travis!
Oh no, Travis!
-[Angie] No! -No! No... Agh!
[people laughing]
Oh no!
-Another one, another one! Ah! -No! No, no, no, no!
[all laughing, exclaiming]
That's not staying either!
I said don't fall! I said... Oh!
I mean, yeah. You made it, eat it.
-Ah, ah, ah, ah! -Oh, yes!
Ignoisco played it safe, and look, he might be rewarded for it.
He did. He played it very safe.
Oh my gosh, don't fall.
Nicole, I am ready.
-[laughs] -♪ I'm going slow and steady ♪
♪ But steady usually wins the race! ♪
[chuckling] I'm looking around at these people's cakes right now.
My goodness. I'm feeling pretty good.
[Nicole] Angie, let's see how tall yours is.
Yes. Yes.
Okay, you.
[suspenseful music playing]
-[Nicole] Mm-hmm. -Okay.
And the crumb coat is not "complete" complete,
and it's bending a little bit.
-Okay. -Yes. Lovely job.
-Cura, it's standing. -[Cura] It's standing.
-[Jacques] The crumb coat is pretty clean. -[Nicole] Yes.
-Ignoisco, Ignoisco. -Yes, ma'am.
-It is the flattest of anyone's. -Yes.
-Even when they were still standing. -I agree.
That's pretty stable, Nicole.
-Don't slap the cake. -[laughs]
Mine is solid, okay?
It's called a firm foundation.
-It's called spanking, Nicole. Spanking. -[laughing]
[exciting music playing]
[music ends]
Bakers, we absolutely loved your confidence and commend your ambition.
We were not easy to keep up with in this challenge,
and you really did your best.
Bakers, remember, building a cake is like building a house.
Be careful that everything is very level.
If it starts to tilt one way or another, eventually that cake will end up down.
So take a little bit more time, level everything,
and then build your cake in a sturdy way.
Okay.
This was a real close call,
but the winner is the baker whose tower was not only the tallest
at 13 and a half inches,
but also decently crumb coated.
The winner is...
[suspenseful music plays, fades]
-Cura! -[screams happily]
[all cheering]
Your crumby tower has won you an advantage in the Big Cake Bake.
[enchanting music plays]
-You get a panic button. -[bakers exclaim]
[Nicole] Hit that button and for five whole minutes,
you get to use a cake leveler to save you a lot of work.
[dramatically] But that is not all.
While you get ahead,
your baking rivals will have to bust a move while they work,
and I call it Bake Dancing!
-[bakers laughing] -[upbeat music playing]
Whoa!
[laughs]
[Nicole] Bakers, you have three hours to complete your business in the front,
party in the back surprise cakes.
You'll be judged on your cake's appearance and taste,
the execution of the surprise in the middle, and most importantly,
what you just learned, your construction skills.
But we're not going to be the only ones judging.
No!
A surprise is coming.
Your mouth is open. Close it.
-[creaks] -[all laughing]
We'll be joined by an exceptional comedian who now boasts the most appearances
in Nailed It!guest judge history.
He puts the "fun" in "unches."
Close your mouth.
-[creaks] -[Ignoisco laughs]
-It's Ron Funches! -[noisemakers blowing]
-[all cheering] -[upbeat game show music plays]
[Nicole] Ron is going to help us decide the winner of the Big Cake Bake,
and unfortunately, the bottom baker will be leaving the competition.
Bakers, good luck.
Coaches, do some coaching.
-I gotta go. -[bakers laughing]
[pleasant music playing]
[Richard] Oof.
I'm coming back with my pans.
Two and a half cups of milk, two tablespoons vanilla extract,
one cup sour cream.
[Robert] How do you think Baking 101 went?
What do you think? I've been dying to talk to you.
Uh, I... The 101, uh, they might not have heard us.
-Yeah. -[both laugh]
Oh my God, I don't know what I'm doing.
[Erin] By the looks of it,
I'm not sure many of them know how to measure ingredients properly.
[Robert] Hey, bakers, remember,
liquids and dries, they measure a little bit differently.
So make sure you're using the right cups for your batter's ingredients
or it may mess it up.
Oh!
[chuckles]
We're learning every step of the way.
Hi, coach.
-You're the first I've seen using two. -[chuckles] Thank you.
-You'll need a lot of cake for this. -Exactly.
Make sure you scrape the side. You have flour on the sides
-you want to incorporate. -Okay.
Gotta rock and roll.
[Angie] I feel pretty confident right now.
[chuckling] You know, I feel like I'm winning.
I'm excited to return to Nailed It!
because I really want to get to do a good cake.
I have seven grandsons,
and then I also have one granddaughter out of all those boys.
They're always asking for something sweet, like after dinner,
they want a cake or they want cupcakes.
I want to get better, I... I have to get better,
so that one day my family would say things like,
"No one else could bake this like Glamma can."
[chuckles]
I think I gotta go a little more.
[spraying]
Hey, Cura.
-Hey, hey, hey, hey. -How's it going, challenge winner?
-It's going. -[chuckling]
Good. It's going.
All I can do is... is get better from here, I guess.
[Erin] You're doing the most important thing,
getting that parchment in there.
One thing that you can do is trace your cake pan, if you've got a pen.
Yes.
[Erin] This is a competition. Gotta get this going.
[dramatic music playing]
I think one of the biggest tips that hopefully we can impart on them
is to remind them that you can do multiple tasks at once.
Like cutting a single parchment circle.
-I'd be cutting them all simultaneously. -[Robert] Exactly.
[imitating Gollum] Making precious cakes.
[speaking normally] The thing I hope that I learn the most from Erin and Robert
is time management.
That is the weakest skill I have in the kitchen.
♪ These are gonna be some greasy cakes ♪
But I'm feeling confident. I've got lots of batter in the cake pans.
And I'm ready to move on and start working on my buttercream.
And this cake's going in. Okay.
[exciting music playing]
[Robert] You have two and a half hours left, bakers.
You should be getting your cakes into the oven.
[music intensifies]
[Jean] I am way behind.
-[Richard] How are you doing, Ignoisco? -Good, good.
I would consider myself to be maybe not the best baker just yet,
but I've dreamed of having a bakery since I was in seventh grade.
I am a music teacher.
Between teaching and singing for gospel artists,
I don't get to bake as much as I really would want to.
But one day, I will be opening up Buttera Bakery Lounge for people to come,
get a good treat,
and see a great performance,
putting all the things that I love into one space.
Uh, how many grams is in a pound?
Uh, you can change the units.
Oh, how? Oh!
Am I supposed to mix the powdered sugar and the butter totally
before I put the milk in?
It's in the recipe.
-[laughs] -[gasps] I didn't beat the butter.
Good tip, always read the recipe through, and then you start.
Oh my.
You're learning. That's the point.
[Angie] My buttercream is messed up.
-Gotta whip your butter first. -We gonna make it work.
-Gonna make it work? -We gonna make it work.
-[hip-hop music plays] -♪ We're gonna make it work ♪
♪ While we're doing a twerk ♪
[vocalizing]
[music fades]
Okay, bakers, you have about two hours left.
What?
Okay, cool. That's one layer.
[suspenseful music playing]
[Richard] Good enough. All right.
[Georgina] Ew!
[gasps] Did I forget something?
I keep opening the oven to check my cakes, and they're still just liquid soup.
My cake looks really gross.
I'm looking, I don't think I missed anything, but it's liquid and bubbly.
What's the bottom of the cake gonna be? 'Cause I cannot serve a one-tiered cake.
I'll make the bottom layer out of Rice Krispie Treats.
If anything, I can tell the judges
the surprise inside was the Rice Krispie Treats.
-How's it going? Where's your cakes? -Oh, it's in the oven.
Okay, not there yet.
Yeah, and I think I made them, like, a little, maybe, too thick,
so they're taking longer.
Everybody is pulling their cakes out of the oven,
and my cakes are still rising and rising and rising.
Oh my gosh.
And it kind of dawns on me
that I think I put too much cake batter in the cake pans.
Here comes the hard part, child. Working with this dadgum fondant.
[upbeat synth music playing]
Yellow.
Travis, they looking like people?
-Yeah, they do. -That's all that you need to do.
-For monsieur. -Aprez-vous, s'il vous plait.
Oh, please.
Hi, Erin. Hi, Robert.
-How are you doing? -Okay, bakers,
you got an hour and a half left!
-[wails] -Oh my God.
-Whoo! -Whoo!
I don't know if that was excitement or not.
-[laughs] -Come on, Jacques.
Let's go check in on some of these bakers.
Andy, so if you win, what are you gonna spend the money on?
Uh, my wife and I, we actually started the process
-to become foster parents. -Keep working.
-Uh... -Oh my God, that's so sweet.
My wife and I are becoming foster parents,
and we're ready to change these kids' lives,
and we're ready to bake with them.
I really want to be able to show them that baking is for anybody.
Winning this competition could really change everything for us.
One hundred thousand dollars could be such an amazing start
to getting rooms ready for foster kids.
You'll do great.
I'm gonna do my best.
Jean? If you win the money, what are you doing with it?
Uh, maybe put money down
on a tiny little bed and breakfast or something.
-Oh, that's sweet. I like that. -So nice.
You know, the way I'm going today, I don't see that happening.
-You're okay. -[laughs] Thank you.
I'm so excited.
I'm gonna be practicing the skills...
[chuckling] ...the few skills that I learned from Baking 101.
If I just get a standing cake, I've achieved my goal.
I'm not sure, though, that that's going to happen.
[laughs]
-Hello. -[Frank] Sorry about the mess. Hello.
-[Nicole] It's okay. -[Frank] I have a knock-knock joke.
My name is Frank, so do you want to do knock?
Okay. Knock, knock.
Who's there? Oh, I'm sorry. Sorry. Knock, knock.
-Who's there? -Frank.
-Frank who? -Exactly.
Oh, my last name is Hu. Sorry. I should have introduced myself before.
[chuckling]
[Angie] Come on, cake.
I think my guys are good. What do you think, Georgina?
-Huh? -Hey, how's it going?
-Oh my God! That's so good! -[chuckling]
So, how's it going with these bakers?
Some of them are just going haywire.
[Richard chuckling]
-Did you put it in the freezer? -Yeah. Take them out the pan first.
-[Erin] They are going rogue. -[chuckling]
I need a drink.
There's tequila over there.
[gasps, groans]
I'm sad about my cake.
[dramatic music playing]
One of my cakes, it did not cooperate
because I did not put parchment paper in one.
Smart thing to do at this point
is just to flip that cake over and then level that side.
But... Aha! I have a panic button.
[cymbals crashing]
-What? -[both] Whoa!
[screams]
[spits]
-[Erin laughing] -It's a panic!
-[laughing] -[exciting dance music playing]
Robert!
Bring her a cake leveler.
-Let's go. Let's go. -Let's go.
Everybody else, start dancing.
[music continues]
Hey! Hey!
We dancing.
-Come on. Do the bump. -We're dancing.
-[laughing] -Do the bump. Come on. Hey!
It's gonna be super easy to do this, okay?
You may want to flip it over and actually level the other side.
-Oh! So... -You can actually save this cake.
[Cura] Oh, okay.
Dance harder.
-[grunting] -[music continues]
Make sure you're sawing and it should go right through.
-[Cura] Like that. -[Robert] Don't push through
because you may destroy the cake. Alright, good luck.
I got this. I'm gonna take this one home. [chuckles]
Travis, dance harder!
[music continues]
Georgina!
Cura, your time is up. The rest of you can stop dancing.
They need to make antiperspirant for the face.
Bakers, you have, like, an hour left.
-Okay. -[Nicole] Well, I think you guys
-have your work cut out for yourselves. -We definitely do.
So, Jacques and I are gonna go have a margarita.
-[Erin laughs] -[Robert] Have fun.
♪ Baby, baby, baby ♪
This is raw in the middle.
-How's it going, Emily? -The inside of my smalls are raw,
so my thought is cut the middle, fill, stack, stack, stack.
Yes, I like that plan. I think you need to get started
assembling your cakes as soon as possible because...
-[Emily] I can do it now. Thanks. -[Erin] Yes.
My solution to the unbaked center is to simply carve it out.
I need to fill the center anyways,
so I'm carving out all of the unbaked bits.
[gasps]
All right, that's okay.
I am praying that this cake tastes good
because I feel like that will be my only saving grace at this point.
[whimpers]
[upbeat funk music playing]
It's not going well.
I'm just trying to get this first layer down. [chuckles]
I think I might pull this off, honestly.
[Cura] Okay, that's that.
[suspenseful music playing]
Hey.
A leveler would be much easier.
[Angie] Stacking my cakes, leveling my cakes.
That is the hardest part of this challenge.
But that's the most important thing.
I never thought I would get to this part!
[music fades]
Alrighty.
-[grunting softly] -[pleasant music playing]
[Andy groans]
Put some of these. Some more of these.
Dry strawberries?
[Frank] They're super sour.
I don't know.
I'm gonna start finding a fun add-in to throw in.
So I'm hoping to make my cake stand out from the rest
by introducing a, like, surprise aspect inspired by a bloody cake
from Taylor Swift's "Blank Space" music video.
I love Taylor Swift.
[chuckling] Is it gonna go right? Nope.
But... But you know, we're out here to... to have fun.
I'm hoping the judges accept the maybe-not-as-aesthetically-pleasing
surprise of strawberry jam blood goo.
[giggles]
Jam is not going to fall out of a cake when you cut it.
-Nope. -You want something very loose,
something that you can visually see.
Now it may ooze out a little bit, but that's not what we want.
[Andy] Gummy bears.
Okay.
I am running behind. It is looking grim for this boy.
Toothpick test.
I finally got my cakes out of the oven, and they're thick cakes!
-Like, thick cakes! -[dramatic thuds]
[clatters]
It's hot.
I'm worried that I'm not going to be able to get them cool in time
to get the buttercream on there without melting.
So I throw them in the blast chiller.
The blast chiller is the very last place that I want to be
with 30 minutes to go in this Big Cake Bake.
I'm in trouble.
We got this. We got this. We got this.
[upbeat electronic music playing]
I'm putting M&M's in the cake.
[Frank] Some of my favorite snacks right there.
Mine too. You gotta have chocolate.
-[Erin] Ignoisco. -Hey. Yes.
Are you worried at all about the structure of this cake since it is a two tier?
[Ignoisco] I already messed up because I used a bigger board here,
so we're going to see the board and not the cake.
Okay. But you're on the right track,
especially seeing you're assembling your cakes.
I really do not like
that you can see the board and you can see the structure,
but there's just so much work to be done and not enough time.
So I have to kind of just keep going.
All right. Come on, Angie. You can do it!
Oh my gosh. I don't know.
Things are just happening all over this cake.
Once again, I'm looking at my cakes, and they're leaning.
I didn't level my cakes properly or give it some type of support.
And I'm just praying that they won't fall over.
Did I learn anything in the first challenge?
I feel the pressure. Seventeen minutes.
Oh my God, Georgina.
[chuckles]
I'm feeling good. With the help of the Rice Krispie Treat base,
I've got the pink side, I've got the white side.
It's looking pretty good.
I just need to add a little bit more detail.
Good shape, goo shape. All right, so, doing okay.
[Richard sighs]
[suspenseful music playing]
[Andy] Still a little warm, but I ain't got much of a choice.
I just need to accept the fact that this is going to be a cake
as moist as I am.
I'm a very sweaty boy.
♪ Made a mistake with this cake ♪
[exciting music playing]
Oh, no, no, no!
Come on, y'all. Come on!
[Erin] All right, bakers, five minutes left.
Party over here.
[Angie] That's a nice cake. Can I order one of those?
-[blows raspberry] -[gasps]
Ignoisco.
-One minute left, bakers. -[whimpers]
Thirty seconds, bakers!
[Jean screams]
[chuckles]
[suspenseful music building]
[Andy] Commence the freaking out!
Three, two, one.
You're done.
[bakers] Whoo!
[Erin] Bakers, congratulations.
You survived your very first Big Cake Bake.
[laughs]
-[Andy groans] -Just barely.
[Nicole] Bakers, meet your guest judge,
Ron Funches!
[all cheering]
Aw, there's so much applause!
Thank you so much! That really affected me.
[Nicole laughs]
I am so excited that Ron's going to get to taste my cake.
I really hope it doesn't kill him.
Cue the judging lights.
[low droning]
[both] Ooh!
Travis, Emily, Ignoisco, please come forward.
[enchanting music playing]
-Hello, Travis. -Hi.
Let's remember the business in the front, party in the back,
surprise in the middle cake you were trying to make,
and let's see what you did, sweet, sweet Travis.
[drumroll]
Nailed it.
-[Nicole] You know, Travis... -[pleasant music playing]
...that's nice. Spin it around.
[record skipping]
Ooh! Wow, they're having fun in the back.
[Jacques laughs]
I think you have the business in the front,
and then it feels like you have the perils of underage drinking in the back.
[all laughing]
We have a cake that's, uh, tilting a little bit, huh?
If I had that leveler...
-[Nicole] Ah. -[Jacques] The leveler, yes.
-[Ron laughs] -[Jacques] Okay, let's see the surprise.
Oh.
-[Nicole] Oh. -[Jacques] Oh. Okay.
So maybe a little bit more of whatever you put inside flowing out.
[Travis] Okay.
[light, suspenseful music playing]
It's light, it's tasty. It's not too overpowering.
-I'm... I'm quite enjoying it. -Okay.
-It's fairly good. -Yeah.
-Travis, I bid you adieu. -Thank you.
We have more cakes to see. Oh my God, I just threw cake at you.
[laughs]
-Bonjour, Emily. Let's see what you made. -[drumroll]
Nailed it.
-[laughing] -Yes! Emily!
Let's spin that around.
-Huh! -[all laughing]
Your boom box is haunted.
[sinister music plays]
It's pure chaos, and I love it.
You have the height, but it looks like the top cake collapsed.
-[Emily] Yes. -Definitely the structure
was not completely there.
All right, the moment of truth.
[Ron and Nicole] Ooh!
[chuckles]
-[Nicole] A lot of sprinkles. -[Ron] Mm-hmm.
-Pretty good. -[Nicole] Okay.
-Hey! -[Jacques] The cake is nice. It's baked.
And I really liked how your surprise tumbled out.
Thank you so much.
[Nicole] Hola, Ignoisco.
Wubalow embala is what Ignoisco say.
-[Nicole] What does that mean? -Uh, it just means "hello."
In what?
In Iggyism.
-Oh, you have your own language? -I sure do.
-I like you. -[Nicole] Yeah.
-Wubalow embala. -Wubalow embala to you, my friend.
Yeah, come on.
-[Ron chuckles] -Okay, well, let's see what you made.
[drumroll]
[in high voice] Nailed it!
-Wait a minute. -Wow.
[Nicole] Ignoisco!
-He's even getting a clap from Ron. -[Nicole] This is very nice.
-[Ignoisco] Thank you. -I will say,
I can see your cake board.
Oh, your slip is showing. Your slip is showing.
-Oh! -[Nicole] Yes.
I like this lady.
Thick lips. 'Cause if it ain't thick, it ain't right.
-Oh! -[laughing]
I love M&Ms, so I cannot say anything bad about it.
I like the play between the cake and the chocolate.
Wow.
I think that one thing that you did right, you put four cakes on top.
-[Nicole] Mm-hmm. -They're not very thick,
so you have that repartition of buttercream in between,
and that makes everything more moist.
-[Nicole] Yeah. -Hey, okay.
-Okay, Georgina, let's see what you made. -[drumroll]
Nailed it.
-Georgina! Good! -[Georgina chuckles happily]
[Nicole] I like those fat roses on top.
-[chuckles] -[Ron] Oh...
-It's a party. -That's fun.
[Ron] I feel like if I was at a party,
I'd go looking for this guy in the green shorts
'cause I know he's got something for me.
[laughing]
I like the height. You built it very well.
I'm the only one who had Rice Krispie Treats as the bottom tier.
So I'm just kind of saying over and over again,
"It's okay. It's okay."
Here we go.
[Ron and Nicole] Oh! Oh! Oh!
-It's a struggle. -[Jacques] Oh!
-[Ron] You want me... -[Nicole] You skipped arm day.
-I think I see all Rice Krispie Treats... -[Nicole] Ah. Ah.
...on the bottom.
[Ron laughs]
-Where is the cake? -[dramatic sting]
Oh my God!
[Jacques] I know people substitute Rice Krispies for cake on Nailed It!,
but that won't work on this competition.
Okay, let's try the top tier.
For me, I like the flakiness of it. It comes apart nicely.
-You like the flakiness of the cake? -I like the flakiness.
-[Nicole] I never heard that. -I know!
I really liked your surprise in the middle.
Thank you.
-[Nicole] Frank, Richard, and Jean. -[drumroll]
[all] Nailed it!
Jean!
Okay, I'd like you to focus on I got the height right.
Jean, you have a standing cake.
[Jean laughs]
Sure, the decoration is a little Jackson Pollock.
[laughing]
Nothing says a party like dismembered body parts to me.
[Jacques] It's almost a one-tier cake, but the construction looks good.
It might look a bit like the bloody cake from "Blank Spaces"
in Taylor Swift's music video.
Oh, okay.
-It's my favorite song by her. -[chuckling]
Look in the camera and tell Taylor what you did for her.
Taylor, I made a cake for you. I'll make it better the second time.
-[giggles] -Richard, there's balloons.
-[chuckles] -[pops]
-[sputters] -Oh!
-[Nicole] Do you do that at parties? -If it's one of my kids, I don't mind.
Here comes the surprise.
Oh, shoot.
[laughing]
You know what the surprise is?
Is that I really like the flavor of this cake!
Thank you, thank you.
So are you always going to be making cakes for Taylor Swift?
-[Ron] Oh, God. -Maybe. [giggles]
-How many kids do you have? -[Richard] I have five daughters.
-Wow. -Which one do you like best?
-Oh, I can't say that. Ugh. -[Nicole] Yes, you can.
[Richard] You know, we'll just say the one that's named after me.
Her name is Ricky.
-Wow, heard it here first. -Ugh!
-Your dad, Richard, only likes you, Ricky. -[Richard] Oh no.
[Nicole] We need to see Cura, Andy, and Angie's cakes now.
-Cura, let's see what you made. -[drumroll]
[Cura] Nailed it!
[Nicole gasps] That is a neon delight.
Cura.
-[Cura chuckles] -Oh no!
The arms are so much longer than the legs.
[all chuckling]
I thought the dude in the purple was saving a baby.
-Like he's... No! -Like, no!
-[Ron chuckles] -Wow. Okay, let's do it.
-I want to see a surprise. -[Ron] I want to see a surprise.
Oh.
[Cura] They're gummy worms with some dirt. Well, they're chocolate chips.
So your surprise for us was dirt?
[all laughing]
Um, the flavor is a little bit under-sweet,
-which, for me, I like. -[Cura] Mm-hmm.
I would love to see a little bit more layering.
Buttercream makes it, you know, better.
And then I like the chocolate chips with the cake.
Thank you!
-Andy. -[drumroll]
Nailed it!
-Oh! -Andy!
It's a little messy. Let's see the back.
-[gasps] -Oh!
[Jacques] What happened? The cake was a bit warm when you put it together?
Yes. I tried to chill it as much as I could.
I definitely learned my lesson.
-Ready? -I can't wait.
-Bones? -[Andy] There's bones in it.
Oh, you know, it's kind of working.
Oh, Andy!
Oh my, my.
My. Oh my.
Nicole's doing a strange thing with her mouth.
Oh my.
And I slowly start to realize that maybe this cake doesn't taste that good.
Oh my.
I can't tell if that's a good "oh my word" or a bad.
The cake itself, uh, the flavor is... is not quite there for me.
Whew. Okay.
Because you overfilled your pans, your cake didn't bake all the way through.
It turned into a... a paste of sorts in my mouth.
-Did you taste it? -Hold on.
-Yeah, I got it. -[Nicole] You do?
[laughing]
I'm feeling great.
-Then let's get into it. -[Angie] All right.
-[drumroll] -Glam nailed it!
[chuckles softly]
This cake is all melty.
-[Angie] I know! -[Nicole] It's okay.
My men are falling. They're falling.
I think you're using the term "men" loosely.
[all laughing]
[Jacques] Uh, it looks like your bottom cake
is a little bit smaller than what we ask you, maybe?
[Angie] Yeah, it is smaller.
[Jacques] We don't have the complete height,
maybe because the cake was warm.
-It's possible it shrink a little bit. -I'm gonna agree with you on that one.
-[Ron laughs] -[Jacques] Yes.
[Nicole] I love it, Angie.
[suspenseful music playing]
I have the bottom cake, and the weight just compress it.
-You see how dense it is? -It was kind of like a dinner bread?
-A dinner bread. -[Jacques] Yes.
That lay... That bottom layer. Yes, you're right.
Would I pass up this cake? Not at all.
Thank you very much.
Bakers, you did it.
Congratulations on completing your very first cake.
Sadly, one of you darlings will be going home.
Jacques, Ron, join me in the bakery for a scone and a chat.
Shall we? Let's prance.
-[Ron] Whoo-whoo! -[Jacques] Ron, you do it so well.
[Ron] Thank you. I'm a natural-born prancer.
[suspenseful music playing]
[Nicole] Oh my God.
[Erin] Who's feeling nervous?
-[nervous chuckling] -Everybody over here.
I was panicking.
My tum-tum feels weird, and I don't think it's from the cake.
-[bakers chuckling] -[Erin] Aw.
I'm in a little bit of trouble because my cake turned to mush in their mouth.
It was just a big mistake.
[groaning] Ooh.
But I have a slight sliver of hope that I might stay
because the bottom part of Georgina's cake was just made of Rice Krispies.
My least favorite part of the cake was the cake. [chuckles]
I think I definitely can be going home because my cake was mostly Rice Krispie.
But, hey, Ron Funches said that my cake was pretty good.
I have that going for me.
It was either I... I serve that, or I just serve drippage on the bottom.
So I think I made the better choice.
Oh boy. Oh boy. They're getting up.
-Okay. We did it. -[Ron] My dear.
[Andy] I'm nervous.
[Nicole] Bakers, congratulations on all your hard work.
Today was definitely a learning experience,
and there is still much to come.
[Nicole] Now...
Cura...
Georgina...
Emily...
Andy...
Ignoisco...
and Angie, please come forward.
[suspenseful music building]
The bakers we'd love to recognize for their great work today are...
Cura.
Clearly your advantage paid off
because your cakes were nice and level,
and we enjoyed the chocolate chips inside your cake.
Ignacio.
Your cake looked close to the original,
and your cake construction was very well done.
[whispering] Yes.
Emily, you gave us the best surprise of the day.
Great job.
[mouthing] Thank you.
We also want to give a quick honorable mention to Jean.
Your cake looked a little bit like a hot mess,
but it was the best-tasting cake of the day.
Oh my gosh. Thank you.
There was one baker who surprised us the most today in a good way.
-Ron, tell us who won this thing. -Ooh, I'd love to. I get the good job.
[laughing]
The baker who won the Big Cake Bake
was a fast learner who really got the hang of cake construction.
Our winner is...
Ignoisco!
-[all cheering] -[upbeat music playing]
[Ignoisco squealing happily]
Ignoisco, you have won $1,000!
Oh my goodness! That's a big check!
[laughing] Thank you! Wow!
I feel amazing!
[Ron laughs]
[Nicole] Magnificent job.
[Emily] Good job.
You three may go back to your stations.
Keep up the delicious work.
Andy, Angie, and Georgina,
today was a little bit tougher for you.
You know, Angie, your cake had no support and the bottom layer was collapsing.
Andy, your cake was lopsided and mushy
because you construct it when it was too hot
and the buttercream completely melts.
And, Georgina, half of your cake was made with Rice Krispies.
Ultimately, this came down to the cake being poorly constructed,
and a texture to match.
The baker packing up their sprinkles is...
[suspenseful music building]
Andy.
You just didn't nail it today.
[clicks tongue] Yeah. I figured.
[gentle piano music playing]
-[Nicole] I'm sorry. -It's okay.
-But... -[music stops]
...we don't want you to give up on your dreams.
[hopeful music playing]
So, we have something special for you.
The number one thing anyone asks when they visit our set is,
"Where's the bathroom?"
But the second thing they ask is
if they could take all the cool stuff here home with them.
It is time for the inaugural pantry raid!
-[siren blaring] -[all chuckling, exclaiming]
[Nicole chuckles]
It's the cart.
-Yes. -[Andy] Yes!
You have one minute to grab anything you want except for me.
Ingredients, tools, appliances, tables, lights, it can all be yours.
Wes can help you because he's got big, meaty hands.
[dramatic rock music playing]
Wow! Whoa. He works out.
-[chuckles] -He'll help you. Your time starts now.
-Go! -[Ignoisco] Go!
-[Nicole] Go! Go, Andy! Oh! -[upbeat ska music playing]
Stand mixer, food processor.
I'll take one of these airbrush machines.
-And that part. -[Nicole] Yes!
-Thank you, Wes! -[cheers]
[Cura] Yeah!
[Andy] I'm taking everything that's in this kitchen.
I'm not leaving unless I got everything.
I'm gonna get it all!
Faster, Wes!
-[Cura] Yeah! Look out! -[Nicole] Thirty seconds!
My wife is going to be super proud of me, even though I didn't win.
Let's go!
I'm gonna take all these skills back home with me.
And if baking is a way that I can connect with foster kids that come into our home,
then I am so glad for my time on The Big Nailed It Baking Challenge.
[all] Five, four, three, two, one!
-[Nicole] You're done! -[all cheering]
[Ron laughs]
And I'm taking the GoPro, too.
[laughing]
[applause]
[Andy] Goodbye, my friends.
-[Nicole] Bye, Andy! -[Jacques] Bye!
[Nicole] This season onThe Big Nailed It Baking Challenge.
[Jacques yelling]
Go big.
[exciting music playing]
[Nicole] Our experiment has only just begun.
Whoo!
The competition is about to get more intense!
Are you serious?
[laughs]
I am here to win.
[Ignoisco] No friends on Nailed It!
-You're done. -[laughing]
Oh, this is going to be an interesting ride.
It takes only one bad cake to go home.
-You just didn't nail it. -Every week, we're pushed to our limits.
[Nicole] There's lots more to learn.
Extracts, emulsions, purees. It's tricky.
-No, it looks great. Call the police. -[Nicole laughs]
[Nicole] And tons of cake left to eat.
-It tastes better than that looks. -There is impressive work being done.
-I loved it. -I'm, like, obsessed with it.
[Nicole] In the end, a master baker will emerge.
We finally had good cake.
[Nicole] And take home $100,000...
-[Georgina] This isNailed It! history. -...to make their baking dreams come true.
[Travis] One day, I want to open up my own bakery.
Everyone loves to underestimate me.
Is this a joke?
Today is going to be even harder.
-[Ignoisco] You are kidding. -What the hell is that?
[closing theme music playing]