Reviews

Cake Fails

Kristen Lawson

Nailed It! (Netflix) may be the best reality show I’ve ever seen. This high-energy parody inspired by internet #fails makes “serious” reality TV look even more ridiculous than usual. In the first round, Baker’s Choice, amateur bakers attempt to recreate artisanal treats for the chance to wear a sparkly golden chef’s hat. In round two, Nail It or Fail It, they must reproduce elaborate cakes, like a cake pop solar system or a volcano cake that actually erupts, to win $1, and the Nailed It! trophy. The disastrous confections and irreverent hosts Nicole Byer and Jacques Torres will make you laugh until you cry. Contestants can use the hosts against their opponents with aids, such as Nicole Nags or Pardon My French, they win in the first round. Bilingual Canadian fans get an extra layer of icing on their cake as Jacques “helps” anglophone contestants with professional baking advice in French. Good thing these bakers only need to make the least-bad cake to win. These contestants have little to no experience, which gives hope to the average person, like me—if they can be on TV and win the jackpot, then I can too. Applying to compete is easy—I sent in my name and baking disaster pictures while writing this review. Wish me luck!

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Kristen Lawson

Kristen Lawson writes digital content for businesses in Vancouver, including blogs, reviews, social media posts, and copy for websites. She studied Digital Marketing at RED Academy and New Media Journalism at Simon Fraser University.


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