Bakers vs. Fakers (2016–…): Season 1, Episode 6 - Lemon Bar Brawl - full transcript

I'm Larissa from Dallas, Texas,
and I am a professional baker.

I'm Terry from Minneapolis,
Minnesota,

and I am a professional baker.

I'm Anna from Eastchester,
New York,

and I am a professional baker.

I'm Troy from Sanford,
North Carolina,

and I am a professional baker.

Hang on!
The fun is about to begin.

Four bakers are here
to do battle.

Golden-brown delicious.

Two are amazing amateurs.



Do I look like I need help?

Hey, have you got
an Easy-Bake Oven down there?

And two are professionals.

- Lovely.
- Out of this world.

But only they know
their true identities.

Their mission?
- Just winning a bunch of money.

Outbake the competition.

If a professional baker wins,

they take home $10,000.

That sounds fancy.

But if an amateur is able
to fake out the judges...

I didn't want to stop eating it.
You're a baker.

...and take down the pros...
- Pssh! Pssh!

...they walk away
with 15 grand!



- Wow!
- [Gasp]

Bada-bing, bada-boom.

Are you a baker or a faker?

- I...
- Am...

A...

[ Suspenseful music climbs ]

What?!

- Yes!
- Get out of here!

I don't believe it.

How we doing?

- Pretty good.
- Great.

We're hiding your identities
from the judges

so they are completely unbiased,

but in this competition,
the best baking wins!

- Whoo!
- All right.

There are two rounds
of competition here.

In Round 1,
you will be baking...

lemon bars!

Ooh.

Yay!

- Do we like that?
- Oh, yeah.

Any amateur can make
a lemon bar.

I mean, it's lemon curd
in a cookie.

No problemo, easy peasy,

but it takes a real pro

to make delicious lemon bars
using...

Oh, no.

Coffee!

[ Laughs ]

Aha!

Who doesn't love coffee?

We got coffee beans,
espresso powder,

coffee syrup, coffee ice cream,

and for those of you
with a sweet tooth,

coffee candy.
- Okay.

I think the challenging part
about working

with coffee in a dessert
is balance,

'cause the coffee could
overtake the whole dessert,

and then you just have
a bitter mess on your hands.

The person who makes
the worst lemon bars

is going home.

45 on the clock.
You ready?!

- Yeah.
- We're ready!

Get baking!

♪♪♪♪

Judges, how are we
gonna be able to tell

who's the bakers and the fakers

with lemon bars and coffee?

I mean, those are two
super aggressive flavors.

That's like putting you
and me in one baked good.

Ah!
I know.

The baker is going to think
outside of the bar,

do some kind of re-creation
or play on the lemon square.

- Or raise the bar.
- Ooh!

NANCY:
I would mash up the candy.

Ooh.
Ugh.

And then just have
a very fine dusting of candy.

All right, big boy,
what would you do?

I'm avoiding the coffee candies.

I mean, they taste like someone
with coffee breath, all right?

Bleagh!

I'm going with
the espresso powder

because it doesn't add
any extra moisture.

However, if it
doesn't disintegrate,

you're going to get clumps,

and I think the faker
would take the easy way out

and just put the espresso powder
in a crust.

Let's see what happens.

And that's good enough.
Beautiful.

I would describe myself
as a compulsive cook.

And here we go.

My baking style is
rustic pastries with a twist.

So, creating something familiar,

but also that showpiece
that people will remember.

Today I am making
an espresso lemon tart

and a torched meringue.

I'm not a coffee drinker,
but I love coffee in stuff,

so I'm gonna put my espresso
powder in my lemon bar's crust

to slightly flavor that and give
it a little bit of a depth.

How we doing?
I am doing absolutely fantastic.

What do you got cooking for me?

A lemon bar with espresso powder
for the crust.

I'm using the syrup
to flavor my meringues.

Okay. Oh, that's gorgeous.
That's frickin' gorgeous.

You seem like
the life of the party.

When I'm cooking,
I'm the life of the party.

If I'm not cooking,
no one wants me.

[ Chuckles ]

If I win the competition,

I will throw the biggest
honkin' party

you have ever seen.

Terry is a madman.

He has a bajillion ingredients.

He has super creamy
lemon filling.

He's making
espresso powder dough.

- Oh, God, that feels nice.
- But here's the thing.

Terry's not parbaking his crust

before he adds
the lemon mixture.

That is a faker move.

You want to pre-cook that crust,
get it nice and crispy.

That's the way
a baker would do it.

Yeah, he's the guy that wants
to impress his friends

at a dinner party.

I disagree.
I think what shows me

that he's a chef -

he's balancing
the bitterness of the espresso

with the sweetness
of the coffee syrup.

He's just totally
at ease with himself.

He's done this a million times.

Let's get that
to cook if we can.

[ Laughs ]

When I'm in the kitchen,
I'm very focused, happy.

I always try to incorporate
my Italian background

into my baked goods.

Anyone who's Italian knows

espresso comes with
a slice of lemon peel.

It's a common Italian
flavor combination,

so I'm making lemon
espresso shortbread stacks.

The way that I'm gonna
make my lemon bar

is I'm making
a mascarpone cream filling.

Mascarpone cheese is
an Italian savory cheese,

but I'm gonna add
the instant espresso powder

to make it kind
of like tiramisu,

which is a very Italian dessert.

- How we doing?
- We're doing good.

Tiramisu is part
of my inspiration.

- Are you Italian?
- Oh, yeah, I'm Italian.

- Hey!
- Hey!

Fuggedaboutit.

Now I need to make
my shortbread.

I start beating my butter
with the sugar and the vanilla,

and then in a separate bowl,

I mix together
the flour and the salt.

I then slowly add that
to the butter mixture

and I have my dough.

I got flour everywhere,
but it's okay.

Baking's messy.

And I want to make
perfect rectangles

in order to stack them properly.

NANCY: Anna is handling
that dough way too much.

That's just gonna
make it tough and dense.

I think she's a faker.

She is rolling it paper thin
so it bakes quickly

and it will be nice and crispy
when it comes out.

She's a baker.

ANNA: If I were to win,

I would want to take my family
on a big trip to Italy

and visit our family there.

We didn't grow up going on
extravagant vacations,

so this would be
the perfect opportunity.

Let's see here.

I take cooking very seriously.
I do have Southern roots.

My style of cooking is down-home
Southern-style cuisine.

I'm making an espresso lemon bar
with a caramel-coffee drizzle.

First thing I'm gonna do
is I'm gonna mix flour,

some sugar, butter,
a little bit of vanilla,

and some espresso powder
in for the crust.

Gorgeous.
I've got this.

I put it in the oven and let
the top of it get golden-brown.

Oh, yeah.
- Aha!

Troy is going to precook

that crust so it gets nice
and brown and crispy.

That's a baker move.

Now that I got
my crust in the oven,

I got to focus on
making my lemon curd.

However, he might be a faker

'cause he's going to town
on those lemons.

Ooh, with the box grater.
That's a faker move.

A baker's gonna know
to use the microplane

to get just that
essence of lemon.

I would always use a box grater.

Old people use old tools.

TROY:
Smells like coffee, doesn't it?

As I'm making my lemon curd,

I'm gonna go after
that espresso powder.

I think it'll give that
extra coffee pop.

Put that lemon zest in the bowl.

Troy worries me.

If he makes that too thick,
it's not gonna bake in time.

BUDDY: The vessel that he used
was pretty deep.

That's not giving him
a lot of time

to have that filling congeal.

This dish brings back memories
of a first date

I had with my wife

where we ate lemon pie
in a coffee shop.

We had that first kiss
that night.

I want people to experience
that in this dish.

Oh, it looks so pretty.

Doesn't have to be
too pretty to be good.

Right?

The style of food that I do,

I call it home style

because my kids
are used to comfort foods.

Sugar!

I am going to make
the lemon espress.

It's a lemon bar
with espresso powder,

and then I'm gonna make
an espresso cream drizzle.

Smells like coffee.
The first thing

I'm going to make
is the shortbread crust.

I choose the espresso powder

because I'm hoping
that it will be easier

to infuse the crust
with coffee flavor.

So I just mix it up like crazy
and cross my fingers.

Larissa just added
the espresso powder.

As she's processing it,
it's gonna break down.

It's not gonna affect
the wet or dry balance.

It's just gonna add pure flavor.

That's a baker move.

LARISSA: I've made lemon bars
in the past

from a box for my kids,

but I've never made
one with coffee.

I'm feeling pretty confident
that I can pull this off.

It's very important for me
to make my kids proud.

Better not toss it just in case.

So, the next thing I need to do
is work on the dreaded curd.

I'm starting with the lemons.

I'm gonna juice them
and add the eggs

and the sugar and mix those up.

Larissa is making
lemon tartlets.

She's baking them
in the muffin tins.

Really smart.

She's gonna spoon
the custard in.

She knows
it's gonna bake quickly.

She's a baker.

LARISSA: Okay. Next.

Ooh.
Ooh.

Oh, no.
I forgot flour.

Without the flour, my curd
is not gonna set up properly.

Well, there goes that one.
This is gonna be terrible.

I should just say
goodbye to you now.

Don't hate.

Oh, yeah!
There we go, baby!

Are you a baker or a faker?

- I...
- Am...

- A...
- Oh!

BUDDY:
You had me. You had me!

So, I didn't put
flour in my dish.

- You have to start again?
- Yep.

I forgot to put flour
in my lemon curd,

and the flour's
gonna be important

to help the curd set correctly.

I have to start
over from scratch.

Thankfully I didn't throw
my crust away, so I can fix it.

It's important for me that
all of my children understand

no matter what life
throws at you,

you can make it through.

I'm gonna throw
the flour in there,

I'm gonna re-cut the crust,
and save the day.

BUDDY:
Larissa is remaking her filling.

She's a faker.
Bakers don't forget flour.

Oh, please.

She's going back
into the already hot pan,

which actually is pretty smart.

She knows if the pan's hot
and she's putting the dough in,

it'll cook faster.
- Wait a second.

Are you trying to say
that she did that purposely?

No, but I'm saying that
she's using it to her advantage.

Baker.
- Don't touch that oven.

- How you doing, Troy?
- Oh, I'm doing just awesome.

ANNA: Yeah?

I'm feeling phenomenal
right now.

My lemon bar is in the oven.

I'm gonna start making
my caramel drizzle.

Come on, sugar.

I've made plenty
of caramel sauces.

I think that coffee syrup,

which is kind of sweet,

would go well
in a caramel sauce.

And I'm gonna put a little bit

of that
espresso powder in there.

Trying to get my coffee right.

Really kick up
that coffee flavor.

Troy is using the coffee syrup.

On top of the lemon bar.

I think that that
would absolutely work

as long as it's not too heavy.

That's a baker.
- I'm with you.

Try not and burn the caramel.

Ah.

If I can just
get the crust to set.

- Yeah.
- [ Laughs ]

The bars are in the oven,
so I got to make my meringue.

Oh, yes.

So I get my sugar syrup
into the bowl

while the mixture's running,

then I top it off with just
a little bit of that

espresso syrup to give that
just a little coffee flavor.

And I love meringue.

Oh, yeah.
My meringue's perfect.

Excellent.

Terry's my baker because
he's so efficient.

He has the most creative recipe.

He's smooth like lemon meringue.

- So, how you doing?
- I'm doing good.

I got a lot of things
going on here.

You got a lot of things
going on here.

I take a look
at my shortbread cookies.

They need more time to bake.

Now I need to start
on my lemon curd.

I'm peeling the lemons
to get the zest off

so that I can blend it
with lemon juice

and make my lemon curd.

Anna does not know
how to deal with the lemon.

What do you mean?

She's peeling it like you would
make a suprême of a citrus.

It's going in
the food processor.

She knows what she's doing.

A faker would not be confident

taking something
that powerful and using it.

Anna is definitely a baker.

Okay, but there's
an awful lot of zest.

We'll have to see.

All right, let's heat this up.

To make lemon curd,

you have to constantly stir

until it reaches
170 degrees Fahrenheit.

It's thickening.

And I wait until
it's perfectly thickened,

and then I throw it in the
flash freezer so it's cooled.

Mmm-mmm-mmm!

Oh, boy.

So, I've got my lemon curd
in the oven finally.

Now I need to start working
on the espresso drizzle.

I start softening up
some butter,

cream cheese, powdered sugar,

adding a little espresso powder
for good measure.

Why not?
It is a competition with coffee.

This topping will help sandwich

the lemon between
the two espressos.

Cross your fingers.

Larissa's
tapping the center of that.

She just knows by touch
when they're done.

So, the curd comes out.
It looks better.

Oh, how's that crust?

Ooh.

BUDDY:
Five minutes left!

TROY: Man, that clock flies.

Feel like I just put
something in the oven.

It's time to take a peek
at this lemon bar.

This thing didn't set.

I don't have enough time
to let it stay in the oven.

I got a hot mess on my hands.

The mom in me
wants to help you, but...

Ah, I don't need any help.

I decide I'm gonna turn
this stuff into a parfait,

and I still think the flavors
are there to carry it.

Okay.
I need to win today.

I got a 16-year-old son
about to go to college.

Last time I checked,
college ain't cheap.

Look at Troy go!

His lemon bars didn't set up.

He changed gears,
put it in the form!

That's what bakers do.
- That's right.

He's making something
out of lemons.

Lemonade!

No.
You know I love a recovery.

However, he's in panic mode.

He's not confident.
Faker, faker, faker.

Not quite how I imagined it,

but you got to do
what you got to do.

Two minutes left!
Zac, who are your two bakers?

Larissa's definitely a baker.

Her tarts actually look great.

They baked down
to a perfect shape.

My other baker is Anna.

The way she's layering this,

her shortbread looks beautiful,

she thought outside
of the standard bar.

That's a baker thinking.
- Nancy?

I'm going with the boys.

- Ooh.
- I'm going with Troy

because the caramel sauce
is such a smart move.

It's going to bring out
the flavor of the coffee.

And definitely Terry,

because he's balancing

the nuttiness of the coffee

and the bitterness of the lemon,

and presentation-wise,
it's beautiful.

We're not judging on prettiness.

I mean -
- Well, yes, we are,

because first you feast
with your eyes, darling,

and then your palate.

10, 9...

Together: 8, 7, 6,

5, 4, 3, 2, 1!

Drop the lemons!

LARISSA: The thing that
I'm the most concerned about

is that I didn't have
an opportunity

to parbake that crust,

so the crust
is gonna be chewier.

Oh, dear God.

I'm hoping that the judges

will take into account
that I took a hot mess

and turned it into
a very flavorful dish.

Bakers and fakers,
I gave you 45 minutes

to make great lemon bars
using coffee.

Now it's time
to face the judges.

Whoever made the judges'
least favorite lemon bar

is going home.

Terry, what'd you make for us?

Today I made for you
a lemon espresso bar

with a torched meringue.

I used the espresso powder
in the crust,

and then I used the espresso
syrup in the meringue.

Your lemon custard
is texturally perfect.

It's not too firm,
it's not too soft.

It has just the right amount
of acid to it.

I love the play
on the lemon meringue pie.

I would say because your crust
wasn't baked enough,

you didn't activate
the coffee flavor.

Had you parbaked it,

the oils from the coffee
would've heated up

and it would've been
perfectly balanced then,

but I'm still searching
for the coffee here.

I tasted the coffee
in the crust.

And yes, perhaps the crust

was not as crisp
as some would like,

but -
- It's raw.

- It's not raw.
- It's raw.

[ Laughs ]

It was cooked through.

It was just not cooked
to the point

where you get that break.

And the meringue was well done,

and I thought the presentation
was outstanding.

- Thank you.
- Anna.

I made lemon espresso
shortbread stacks.

I used the instant
espresso powder

in my mascarpone cream filling.

You nailed this execution.

The balance of your
whipped mascarpone -

[ Record scratches ]
- Mar-scarpone.

- Anyways...
- [ Laughs ]

The whipped mascarpone
is a beautiful break

from the acidity of the lemon.

Perfectly whipped, too.

The only thing that I'm missing
from this is the coffee.

Where's the coffee?
- I totally disagree with you,

Zac, about the coffee,

'cause it's definitely there.

I did not care
for the lemon curd.

The lemon was overbearing.

There was a bitterness
which did not allow

for the coffee flavor
to really come out.

But overall,
a very pleasant experience.

- Thank you.
- Troy.

We've got a lemon
espresso parfait.

There's espresso that's actually
in the lemon mix

and there's coffee syrup
and espresso

that went into the caramel.

Troy, I know that the bar
didn't work out for you.

Turning this into a parfait,
genius move.

When life give you lemon,
make lemonade.

However, there are some
technical problems here.

I think your custard,
it was underbaked.

It's nicely hidden, though,
in the layering in the parfait.

And that caramel sauce
with the pop

of the espresso was silky,
it was smooth.

Impressive.
- Thank you.

The caramel sauce,
I didn't get enough of.

I think it helped making

all those components
come together,

but it didn't stand out.

My biggest criticism

would be that the texture
of the crust was gritty

because there was
too much moisture.

It didn't cook out.

- Thank you.
- Larissa.

I prepared the lemon espress.

I used the espresso powder
in the crust

and also in the drizzle
on top of the bar.

Larissa, I was really
worried about you

when you had to
remake the custard,

but you got the custard perfect.

- Thank you.
- It is smooth and creamy.

Really spot on.

The crust had great flavor.

The espresso came through.

It was a little bit cakey.

I wanted it to be
crispy and crunchy,

and instead I think it was
underbaked and a little soggy.

- Okay.
- I loved the coffee sauce.

It was not overly aggressive.

It's lovely, but I want
a lot more filling

because it is so delicious.

It was smooth, it was elegant,

but just not enough of it.

- Thank you.
- Thank you all.

Now it's time for the judges
to deliberate.

The judges said
the crust is too gummy,

but I hope the curd
was good enough

to make it through
to the next round.

Bakers and fakers,
I gave you 45 minutes

to make lemon bars using coffee.

You've already faced the judges.

Now it's time to find out
who won the round,

who's going home,

and who that person really is.

So, Zac, who was
the winner of this round?

The winner of this round is...

Terry.

- Congrats.
- Thank you.

When they said my name,

it was a combination of relief

and then panic

'cause I know I have to do it
all over again.

Terry, despite delivering

a slightly undercooked crust,

you delivered a complex,

multifaceted dessert

that went way beyond the bar.

- Thank you, Terry.
- Thank you.

BUDDY: You're safe.

Nancy, who made
the second best lemon bar?

The second best lemon
bar was made by...

Anna.
- Thank you.

Good job, Anna.
You're safe.

Zac, tell us who's
moving on to Round 2.

The person moving on
to Round 2 is...

Larissa.

Thank you.

Good job, Larissa.
You're safe.

Troy, unfortunately,

that means
you've been eliminated.

Before you go, please tell us,

are you a baker
or are you a faker?

I am a professional...

faker.

Oh! Oh!

[ Singsong voice ]
Both of you were wrong!

He got me.

What do you do for a living?

I'm a network engineer.

- So you're an I. T. guy?
- Yes, I am.

I'm a network engineer

for a yarn manufacturer
in North Carolina.

I handle servers
and communications.

Shuts the network down.

My job has absolutely
nothing to do with baking

other than I love
to share my baking skills

with the people I work with,
my friends and family.

It would've been nice to win
that 15 grand for my son,

help pay for college,

but there are other
opportunities out there.

I'm still a damn good baker.

Thank you.
I had a blast.

BUDDY: Thanks, Troy.

Bakers and faker...
- [ Laughs ]

Welcome back.

In this round,

bake whatever you want

as long as you include...

pretzels!
- This is good, this is good.

- Yeah!
- I can do that, I think.

- All right.
- We have mini twists,

Bavarian soft pretzels,

filled nuggets, honey wheat,

and sesame pretzels.

I think the most challenging
part of baking with a pretzel

is to make sure
it tastes pretzel-y,

'cause sometimes when you have
an ingredient like that,

it tastes great on its own,

but then you put it
in something else

and you've totally lost
the flavor completely.

Whoever bakes the best dish
incorporating at least

one of these pretzels inside
takes home the dough.

- Beautiful.
- Whoo!

Get baking!

Like a bunch of scrambled eggs
running around.

Pretzels!

The interesting thing
about pretzels

is they're all kind of the same.

You know, you're gonna
get that saltiness,

but I think the baker

is gonna maybe use
different types of pretzels

to get different textures
in the dish.

What would a faker do?

The faker's going
to do chocolate

because that's something
easy for them.

They've probably made

chocolate-dipped pretzels
before.

I think a faker is just gonna
crumble some pretzels on top

and say,
"Eh, and I'm done."

I think the baker would use
cardamom or cinnamon.

Those flavors go so well
with that pretzel saltiness.

I don't know.

I mean, I think
anyone can play with spices.

I'm looking for a transcendental
pretzel experience.

I want to experience pretzels

like I've never
experienced them before.

Pretzel to the max!

- How's it going, Minnesota?
- Oh, yeah.

ANNA:
In the second round,

I know I'm gonna make a cupcake
because that is my specialty.

I'm going to incorporate the
pretzels in two different ways.

I'm making a vanilla cupcake

with a pretzel cookie crust

and a chocolate hazelnut
pretzel buttercream.

Looking good.

The first thing I have to do
is make my pretzel cookie crust,

grind up my pretzels,
and mix that all together.

Mmm-mmm-mmm.
Look at this.

I throw it in the oven
so that it can bake a little bit

while I prepare my
vanilla cupcake batter.

Anna is baking
that pretzel crust first

so it gets nice and crispy,

then she's gonna add her batter.
What a pro!

Oh, my God, I'm such a mess.

Now I have to add my batter

then put it back in the oven

and let the cupcakes bake.

My biggest worry
is that the cupcakes

won't have enough time to bake.

I hope that they don't
come out raw.

All right, bake, bake,
bake, bake, bake, bake.

Larissa, what are you
making over there?

A cinnamon roll.

- Cinnamon roll?
- Yeah.

I am the master
of cinnamon rolls.

There's a tradition
in my family.

We make them every Sunday.

I could do a pecan
and pretzel topping,

and it'll really make
that cinnamon roll pop.

Where is...

The first thing I need to make

is my yeast-raised
cinnamon roll dough.

Okay.
I start by making a proof,

which is milk, yeast,
and a little bit of sugar.

It's gonna be harder,
maybe take a little bit longer,

but I'm feeling confident
that I can pull this off.

She did a yeast dough?

It's so technically
challenging, right?

Because with a yeast dough,

you need time for the yeast

to do its thing
to let the dough rise.

That's a real pro move.
- Oh, absolutely.

There's no room
for error on this one

because it takes cinnamon rolls
30 minutes to bake.

I got to get this right.

The next thing I do is roll out
the dough and add the filling.

I'm just gonna roll it up quick
and loosen enough

so that that center part
of the dough

can get cooked completely.

So, this is the time
when I get serious.

NANCY: Take a look at Larissa.
I'm a little bit worried.

You have to roll
that dough tight,

or else you're going
to get an air bubble

and then there's going to be
a hole in your dough.

To a real baker,
it's a natural habit

to roll that nice and tight.

Nobody wants to miss
the middle of that.

That's the best part.
- Exactly.

Come on, look pretty for me.

Going in.

Get this and this.

For the second round,
I'm making a pecan pretzel pie

with a pretzel crust.

Power helps.

I'm thinking I can pull this off

because I know the crust
I want to make,

and time isn't gonna
be the enemy

like it was with the lemon bars.

Are we all baking a crust?

I've never baked
with pretzels before,

but I think if I can
incorporate them in my crust

and in my filling,
I can pull it off.

♪♪♪♪

You beating someone up
over there?

A pretzel within
an inch of its life.

With the crust, I'm gonna
take the twist pretzels

and I'm gonna press them
in the crust.

- Terry!
- Hello.

Pretzel-pressed crust?

Yeah, so I take my pie crust

and then I press them
right into the crust

so you get that nice
salty element with the pie.

All right.

Guys, who's doing
two kinds of pretzels?

Anyone else?
- No, we don't need to.

Oh, see, now that was mean.

My crusts are looking great,
so then I get on the filling.

Little bit of cinnamon,
little bit of nutmeg,

brown sugar,
and little bit of bourbon,

get that blended up
so it's thick.

Then I add my honey wheat
pretzels and my pecans.

Oh, yeah.
- Here's the thing -

Terry using two
types of pretzels.

That shows that he is a baker.

He's using the twists
in the crust.

He's using the wheat,
which is gonna add flavor

to that pecan pie filling.

Terry has now rolled over
to the baker side.

I love it!

Life is just getting
good right now.

Getting good?

Oh, my God,
who's your pie daddy?

I am.
- [ Laughs ]

Okay.

Why are we getting
pineapple from Terry?

I see the pineapple and I'm
thinking I can work with that.

This is how I'm gonna
really impress the judges.

Terry's making me
really nervous.

What does pineapple
have to do with pecan pie?

Yeah, that's what
I'm not getting.

TERRY: If you haven't tried it,
don't knock it.

I know I'm making pies, but
I'm also making a frickin' mess!

The pie's in the oven,
so I grab the pineapple.

I just can't imagine
where that pineapple is going.

With pineapple,
nothing's better with bourbon.

Just adds that just enough of
a touch to make it seem special.

NANCY: Terry's putting bourbon
in something.

Yes, my kind of boy.

Hey, Terry,
are you using whiskey?

I'm using bourbon,
and there's a difference!

And if you don't know
the difference, we got an issue!

Oh, yeah!
There we go, baby.

That's what I want.
- Whoa!

ZAC: Terry's making me
really nervous.

Terry's probably one of the most

talented home bakers
I've ever seen.

- I think he's a pastry chef.
- So what do we got here?

- Not too close.
- No, no, no.

You'll burn those nose hairs
right off.

There's other ways
of taking care of that.

ZAC: Terry's giving
a really good show,

which could be overcompensating

and trying to fake us out.

He is a flaming faker.

The pecan pretzel pie,
it's got a good flavor to it,

but sometimes you want
a little acid to cut it.

That is awesome.

TERRY: I made Buddy happy
with the pineapple.

If I can do that, I got this.

All right, guys.

Buddy, while you were gone,
I switched.

He is the best faker
we've ever seen.

I can hear you over here!

And you are the baker, baby!

[ Laughs ]

After tasting his pineapple,
Zac, you're wrong.

He's the baker.
- No!

Yes, yes, yes, yes.

Okay, it's coming, it's coming.

While the cinnamon rolls
are in the oven,

I make the cream cheese
frosting.

I combine cream cheese,
butter, powdered sugar,

little bit of lemon to add
a creamy, little bit of tart,

little bit of sweet
to the cinnamon rolls.

Okay, topping, topping, topping.

Next I'm making the pretzel
and pecan topping.

I'm not seeing a whole lot
of pretzel in Larissa's kitchen.

She should've put them
in the dough

or in the sticky goo

or in the bottom of the pan
or in the cream cheese frosting.

I mean, she should've
done something with it.

It looks like she's just
gonna dump them on top.

That's definitely a faker move.

I'll forgive her.
I still think she's a baker.

So, we've got topping,
we've got frosting.

The only thing I'm struggling
with at this point

is if those cinnamon rolls

are gonna have
enough time to bake.

Frosting, topping.

Just waiting on you, baby.

Just waiting on you.

I'm concerned,

because I've got
to get these rolls

out of the oven with enough time

to let them cool
for like a minute or two.

Come on, cinnamon rolls.

I want to make Hannah proud.
I want to be the proud mom,

and I'm so close I can taste it.

I'm peeking.

Nope.
Not ready yet.

My cupcakes are still
really light in color,

so I know they are not done.

Come on, bake, bake, bake, bake.

So I'm gonna make my buttercream

while the cupcakes
bake in the oven.

All right.
Waiting on the cupcakes.

The secret ingredient
in this round may be pretzels,

but my secret ingredient
is my Italian heritage.

My dad loves pretzels

and my mom absolutely loves
chocolate hazelnut spread,

so I combined the two

and I think it's gonna be
a great flavor combination.

Combining the pretzels with
the chocolate hazelnut spread.

I mean, sweet,
salty, chocolaty, nutty.

Can we ask for anything more?

Because this dish is
a tribute to my parents,

winning this competition
would mean so much,

and I would be able
to take my parents

on an amazing trip to Italy.

All right.
There are only five minutes left

and I'm just taking my cupcakes
out of the oven.

Better be done.
- Oh, no, no.

Anna's just taking
out her cupcakes

from the oven
with five minutes left.

- You don't listen.
- If she's the baker

I think she is,
she's taking them out

and putting them
right into the freezer.

Cool down!
I don't have enough time,

but I don't want to serve
the judges a hot cupcake,

so I throw them
in the flash freezer

to cool them down a little bit

just to prevent the buttercream
from melting all over them.

I think we're all gonna need
a little bourbon

after this, right?

BUDDY:
Two minutes left!

Zac, who are your two bakers?

The ladies - Larissa and Anna.

Larissa made yeast dough.
Come on!

What faker would try
to fake with sticky buns?

And Anna's execution
is fairly flawless.

I mean, that crust
that she did looks

so perfectly baked and crispy.

That's the sign
of a truly talented baker.

The way she's piping that
frosting says faker to me.

Mr. Showmanship over here,
he is a faker.

It's all smoke
and mirrors, Buddy.

That man is all baker.

Yeah, I agree with you.
He's a professional baker.

It's all about the bourbon,

which cuts the sweetness
of the pecan pie.

Just mmm.

- Who's the other baker?
- Larissa.

She's done that before.

I'm telling you,
Larissa's the home baker

who bakes for the kids.

That cream cheese icing,

that consistency is perfect.

Oh!

10 seconds.

10, 9, 8, 7, 6,

5, 4, 3, 2, 1!

Step away from the pretzels!

TERRY: When they taste my
pecan pie with the pineapple,

I'm hoping that they see that
there's a different way

to do pecan pie

and it's something
that they hadn't expected.

LARISSA: Did I play it too safe
with the pretzels?

Um...

I don't know.

Are you a baker
or are you a faker?

- I...
- Am...

- A...
- No way!

NANCY: Yes!

Bakers and fakers,
you had 45 minutes

to make whatever you like
using pretzels,

but now it's time
to face the judges.

Larissa.

Yes.
What did you make for us?

I made a pecan pretzel
cinnamon roll.

The pretzels are
in the crumb topping.

- Hmm.
- This is a divine sticky bun.

ZAC:
It is that ooey, gooey,

slightly underbaked center.

The thing I'm missing
is the pretzels.

- Yeah.
- Had you integrated it

into that filling
and given me the salty,

pretzel-y bite, I mean,
I would be on the floor.

I'm gonna tell you
how it really is.

- Okay.
- I am impressed with your dough.

I thought that
the taste was delicious.

Unfortunately, you didn't
roll it tight enough,

and when you don't
roll it tight enough,

it leaves a bubble,

and there's nothing there.

I got all the goo.
Hey, I'm happy.

Terry, what'd you
prepare for us?

I made a bourbon pretzel pie

with a bourbon sautéed
pineapple compote

with a bourbon whipped cream.

Your pecan pretzel pie
is a revelation.

Who would've thought
that putting the pretzels

into that goo would
be successful?

They did get soggy,

but they had
a really cool texture,

almost like a semi-candied nut,

which was really nice
with the crunch of the pecans.

Your pie dough,

I do wish that you had
taken those pretzels

and instead of pressing them in,

blended it in
with the entire crust,

because I don't get it
as I'm eating it.

I want that in every bite.

NANCY: But you accomplished
a great feat

by getting this crust

as well cooked
in 45 minutes as you did.

It's great.
The pineapple,

it's right on the edge
of being too caramelized,

but it's not too caramelized.

Very tasty.

But by putting the pretzels
in the pie filling,

they absorbed the liquid

and left my palate
with a dryness.

Anna.
What did you prepare for us?

ANNA: A chocolate hazelnut
pretzel cupcake.

I used the mini twist pretzels

in the pretzel cookie crust
for the cupcake,

and I put it in the buttercream.

I really wanted a full
expression of pretzel.

And you delivered pretzel.

From that crust -

that buttery, crunchy,

salty crust on the bottom

to the pretzel
in the buttercream on top.

I mean, it was pretzel,
pretzel everywhere.

For getting so much flavor
out of the pretzel components,

you kind of let the cake layer
just be there.

It's just kind of
boring old white cake.

Let me tell you about
the boring white cake.

The fact that you
didn't have any pretzel

in that cake made it even finer

because it didn't take
anything away from it.

The hazelnut frosting,

I would've liked
to have had not so sweet.

I didn't love your presentation,
but I did love your cupcake.

Thank you.

You all did an amazing job,
but now comes the hard part,

so give us a second.

I knew it was a risk to only
put the pretzels on top,

but it was a risk
that I shouldn't have taken.

I know my flavors were good.
They loved the crust.

I think it's a winner.

Thank you.

In this envelope
is the name of the winner,

but before I tell you who won,

I need you to reveal
who you are.

Let's start with Terry.

Tell us, are you a baker
or are you a faker?

I...

am...

a...

Terry, are you a baker
or are you a faker?

I am...

a...

baker.
- No!

- I knew! I knew! I knew! I knew!
- I told you!

They both flip-flopped.
I was consistent.

Terry, where are you a baker?

I own and operate John Jean Juan
Cakes and Catering

in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Oh!

Amazing!

I am the pastry chef and owner

of John Jean Juan
Cakes and Catering.

Welcome to Minnesota.
[ Laughs ]

We specialize in wedding cakes
and specialty desserts.

Jen, can you
get the oven to 375?

I need to get these and put them in there.
Absolutely.

It's about meeting
with the client,

figuring out what
their dream pastries are,

and then making that happen
from their perspective.

I think what gave me the passion
to bake is the idea

of being able to share it.

I remember from a young age
making a cookie for my dad

and having him be
so appreciative.

It was something that
I could show that I care.

It just kind of clicks
in your head

that baking is love.

All right!

So, we got one baker
and one faker left.

Anna, tell us, are you a baker
or are you a faker?

I am a...

faker!

- What?!
- Yes!

- Get out of here!
- Yes!

I said it the whole time!

- I am flabbergasted.
- Unreal.

So, Anna, what do you do
for a living?

I'm a registered nurse
at a hospital in New York City.

- She's a nurse.
- Can you check my pulse?

'Cause I think I'm gonna
have a heart attack.

Sure, no problem.
I provide nursing care

to patients who have just had
orthopedic surgery.

Hi, Jamie.
How are you feeling?

I love my job.

Does your I. V. feel okay?
Is it hurting you?

I absolutely love spending time
with the patients

and getting to see them from
when they come out of surgery

to when they can get up
and go and walk again.

I think there is
a strong correlation

between nursing and baking.

I hope you like them.

It does require being precise

and putting love
into what you do.

Well, Larissa, I guess
we know what you are,

but for the record,
are you a baker or a faker?

- I am a baker.
- Oh!

- And I had that right.
- Where are you a baker?

I own Hannah's Bakery,
which is in Dallas, Texas.

Oh, how great.

LARISSA: I'm the owner of
Hannah's Bakery in Texas.

We specialize
in home-style items,

so we do cakes
and custom things like that.

It was my daughter's dream
to open up a bakery.

One day you're gonna have
to do all this, Hannah B.

Of course, we're most famous
for our cinnamon rolls,

and our motto is love first,
bake second.

There we go.

Ta-daaaa!

I love to bake,
don't get me wrong,

but what I really enjoy
is that moment

when someone tastes our stuff
for the first time.

Mmm.

It's really amazing.
It's like this little spark.

So, now we know
who you guys are.

It's time for me
to reveal the winner.

Larissa and Terry, if you win,
you're taking home 10 grand.

Anna, if you pulled it off,

you're taking home $15,000.

- Phew.
- Here we go.

The winner is...

Anna!

[ Laughs ]
- What?!

Oh, my God.
I was not expecting that.

What?! Are you sure?

I won.
I can't believe it.

That cupcake was so honest,

so pure, and so perfect,

and that is the one
that I wanted to keep eating.

Anna, not only did you make
a perfectly delicious cupcake,

but you paid homage
to the pretzel in a new

and very unique way.

It feels really good to beat out
two professional bakers.

Fakers prevail.
I'm off to Italy.

Ciao.

Oh, my God, this is
like a dream come true.

Am I dreaming?
[ Laughter ]

Congratulations.