Why Everyone Will Be Talking About ‘Baking It’ This Holiday Season

Photo credit: Jordin Althaus/Peacock
Photo credit: Jordin Althaus/Peacock

It seems like there's a new cooking and baking competition show every month these days, and for the most part, the format feels very one note (or one flavor, if you will). There's always a host and contestants scrambling around for some big prize at the end. There are high stakes and wild challenges that often leave the viewer feeling just as stressed as the contestants.

Because of those factors, food competition shows aren't usually for me, and with the exception of a few (I'm looking at you, Great British Bakeoff), I don't tend to watch them. But there's something about Peacock's latest baking competition Baking It that has me really excited. The show follows eight different baking teams as they compete to win a cash prize while baking through different holiday traditions. It's also a sort of spin-off from the show Making It, hosted by Amy Poehler and Nick Offerman.

The format is similar to the shows described above, but everything else feels less serious and simply more heartwarming. I got a sneak peak at the first episode, and here's what I loved.

It's hosted by Andy Samberg and Maya Rudolph.

Yep. I mean, instantly, those hosts alone makes it a great show. A really fun aspect of the first episode is that the contestants don't know the pair is hosting, so when they walk in, everyone freaks out, and rightly so.

"Maya can attest—I was really stressed out by it," Andy told Delish. "I was like 'They are going to hate me. They are going to be let down!"

"You really get nervous 'cause you don't know how they're going to respond," Maya continued. "But it was so sweet. It was so much more than we bargained for."

The two add a comedic and very light-hearted tone to the show, and their partnership reminded me of the way the hosts banter on the Great British Bakeoff.

The contestants aren't trained bakers.

They are not super serious professionals, but avid hobbyists who just love to bake and have learned by making sweets at home for their friends and family. You really feel for them when they struggle to make a really beautiful cake or pastry, because it's hard work! And you celebrate with them when they are able to pull off something amazing for the first time. The contestants also come in pairs, meaning some are father-son duos, best friends, spouses, or siblings, who are working together to bake something delicious. The dynamics of those relationships certainly find their way into the show, too, which is really relatable.

Photo credit: Jordin Althaus/Peacock
Photo credit: Jordin Althaus/Peacock

The judges are grandmas.

Instead of world-renowned pastry chefs and famous foodies, Baking It is judged by four grandmas who aren't world-class bakers, but self-taught bakers themselves. The humor they bring in, while judging the contestants in the most sweet and innocent ways (like only a grandma can) is perhaps the most endearing quality of the show.

Photo credit: Jordin Althaus/Peacock
Photo credit: Jordin Althaus/Peacock

The set of the show is in a snow globe.

Well, they're not literally under water. But imagine if a Hallmark movie was a holiday baking competition—that's pretty much the show's set. It's like the inside of a gingerbread house, and it brings you all the good nostalgic and familiar feels you want during the month of December.

Baking It premieres Thursday, December 2 on Peacock.

You Might Also Like