Nailed It! (2018–…): Season 1, Episode 3 - Head Under Water - full transcript

I'm Nicole Byer and this is Nailed It.

Other shows will give you this.

But here on Nailed It,
we keep it real.

Today, three home bakers will recreate
epic, magical desserts

over two rounds of competition.

One of them will walk away
with ten thousand dollars.

Let's meet our bakers.

My name is Sal Venturelli.
I'm from Abington, Massachusetts.

And a little bit of this,
and a little bit of that.

My wife, Diane,
she's the boss of the kitchen.

But when I win this competition,



I'll be able to prove
that I have a place in the kitchen

right alongside of her.

My name is Danielle Ariola,
and I'm from Santa Monica, California.

All right, so now I'm gonna
put this together.

Being a mom from Santa Monica,
there is a little bit of competition

as far as who's throwing
the better birthday parties

and who can make the best baked goods.

I wanna win this competition
not only to keep up with the Jones'

and keep up with my Santa Monica moms,
but it's also to know that I can do it.

My name is Maaz
and I'm a Special Ed math teacher.

One of the things that I as a teacher
try to emphasize with my students

is having a growth mindset.

This idea that once you become
more experienced,

you should always improve and have
the goal to do better in what you do.



So that's why I continue baking.

I want to continue to grow as a baker
and grow as a person.

Today on Nailed It, we're diving deep
into the vast ocean of potential failure

by watching all of you try to bake
some aquatic-themed treats.

With me, as always, our head judge,
Chef Jacques "Cousteau" Torres.

And our special guest judge today.

She has one of the most popular sweet
shops in Los Angeles, Valerie Gordon.

It's so exciting to be here.

You all are gonna have
an incredible competition.

You guys ready to get your bake on?

-Yeah.
-Yes, ma'am.

There's a special prize
for the winner of this round.

Baker's Choice.

You know, when I'm really stressed,
I like a spa day.

And sometimes animals get stressed,

and I'm like,
"Why can't they have a spa day?"

Today is their lucky day,
because you'll be recreating these...

chocolate animal mud baths.

Wow.

Holy mackerel.

[Byer] These cakes are covered
with ganache mud

and surrounded by chocolate candy bars.

Inside of each,

the elephants, zebras, and the pigs

are enjoying a nice, relaxing soak
at the end of a long day being an animal.

And don't forget
about that little chocolate towel

and the beautiful bow
pulling it all together.

It's Baker's Choice, people.
Go grab your treats.

You can move faster. I promise.

I'll take piggy.

Why didn't you choose the pig or zebra?

Uh, I avoided the pig
for some of the obvious connotations

with my prior job.

-[alarm sounds]
-Um...

-[laughter]
-And the zebra looked a little difficult.

Okay, let's get muddy!

Forty-five minutes on the clock.
Get your bake on!

Go! Go!

All right, let's do this thing.

I gotta get the cake made first.

Chocolate cake base.

Forty-five minutes.

[laughs]

That's not a lot of time.

-It's a very tough challenge.
-Mm-hmm.

First you have to make the cake

and surround that cake
with some little pieces of chocolate.

Mix pure chocolate and heavy cream
to create the ganache.

Cover the cake with the ganache.

Use fondant to make the little ribbon
and those animals on top.

And then add the little bow
and little towel on the side.

One whole container of this.

My plan is...

I just have to be really focused.

Gotta put my hair up.
It's getting serious here.

It's like second-grade art class.

Danielle is not measuring how much
they're putting into those cake pans,

which means uneven layers
and uneven bake times.

All right.

Some cake base.
Gonna throw a couple of eggs in.

This is harder
than I thought it was going to be.

-Sal didn't even look at the recipe.
-Oh, my God.

A little water.

-That did not look right.
-He hasn't even turned on his tablet.

Sal's renegade.

Oh, boy.

I was a cop for 25 years,

and being a cop, there are certain rules
that you have to follow.

And that's fine.

But when I'm in the kitchen
and I'm baking,

I kind of don't follow the rules.

Anything that I cook or bake is not going
to be A, B, C, D by that recipe.

There's gonna be a little bit of Sal
in there. Just a little bit.

A little vanilla extract.

Oh!

-He's just winging it. He is just going.
-I'm a little bit afraid.

It's all about the presentation.

And the finished product.

[Ahmad] My strategy is to play it safe.

I'm making five
in case I mess up on some of them.

The more I have, the higher the chance
of it actually working out.

Already making a mess.

So, the cakes are in.

Heavy cream

and eight ounces of dark chocolate.

Yes, I can feel it melting.

Something to melt on that damn thing.

Chocolate. Chocolate.

That'll work.

See what happens there.

Okay. So, I think they're not using
chocolate chips for the ganache.

-They're using candy melts.
-Little candy melts.

The recipe calls for chocolate chips.

What is the difference between candy melts
and chocolate chips?

Candy melt is a product
that doesn't contain cocoa butter.

So the difference is that
it doesn't set properly.

You have to be more careful
when you work with it.

Temperature is very important.

Did I do it right?

I have no idea.

This looks like...

Doesn't look like a nice mud bath.
It looks like... it's like a cement bath.

I'm getting some aroma in here.
Do you smell that, Jacques?

-[Torres] Something is burning.
-[Gordon] Yeah.

Oh, Jesus.

Yeah, that chocolate's done.

Ooh, God.

-Oh, no.
-Oh!

[Ariola] A little smokey over there.

-What happened?
-Ack!

-I quit smoking in '93.
-[laughs]

-I'm gonna check in on Sal.
-[Gordon] Yeah.

Perfect.

We're not gonna be able to use that,
I don't think.

Oh, no, Sal!

Sal!

-We're not...
-Oh, wow!

It looks like it's alive.

-Don't taste it.
-You don't think I should taste this?

All right, let's try this again.

Uh, Sal is doing some experimentation
with chocolate syrup.

Oh, what the hell is this
with this smoking?

[Torres] Oh, my God.

We need to keep Sal away
from the microwave.

There's wafers in there, and they burn.

Oh, boy.

-They look ready.
-Oh, yeah.

Freeze it down.

I'm gonna check my cake.

Uh-oh, they're overflowing?

Oh, my God.

Okay, I don't think it's ready.

Why is it oozing?

I'm making my piggies.

Never used fondant before,
so this should be interesting.

It's ruining my manicure.

The basis of an elephant
looks like a couple of globes,

so let's, uh... let's go with it.

Okay. Give it some eyes.

Ears.

He got a nose.

That's good.

Okay. Come on, come on, come on, come on.

Ooh. Oh.

-Oh.
-Oh, that looks good.

That's a surprise.

All right, I just have to see
what's going on with it,

'cause this is pretty brutal.

Yes.

I think it's called a lava cake.

[laughing] Yeah!

Hopefully this one is done.

Uh-oh. I'm scared for her.

I am very surprised that this actually
might be a cake inside.

Hell yeah, that's a cake.

-Danielle has a cake.
-I have a cake!

[Torres] Yay!

That's all I can ask for at this point.

Dump a bunch on top.

All right, buttercream.

This is all gonna be hidden, right?
So, whatever.

Danielle and Maaz are using buttercream
as the glue to hold their fences up.

Sal's coming along with that edible glue.

Gluing it around.

Come on, hang in there, baby.

Damn it.

Oh, you son of a gun.

[exhales]

Ah, you.

I don't know what he's doing. The cake
has to have buttercream around it.

[Gordon] Who's tasting Sal's cake?

-That's the important question.
-You are.

[Torres] You're going to.

Now, if nothing falls, I'll be...
Hey, you son of a...

Three minutes, guys. Three minutes.

Oh, this is horrendous.

Nope, nope. Oh, f...

This is not good.

[Ariola] Just stay in there. Ugh!

It's a major leak.

So, look. Take a look at Sal.

I don't seek ganache there anywhere.

I have no idea what I'm doing.

This is terrible.

I got a zebra. I'm just gonna say
the rest are under water.

It's not gonna get any better.

All right, no, that's...

Oh, look at that.

Ridiculous. Oh, you...

One minute, guys. One minute.

Oh, come on.

-Bye, little piggies.
-Five,

four, three, two, one. You're done.

-[alarm sounds]
-You got that right.

-You got that right.
-You got that right.

[laughter]

Okay, Maaz, this is
what you were trying to make.

Let's see what you did.

[drum roll]

[fanfare]

-Nailed it.
-Oh. Okay.

We have a leak.
We have a chocolate flood.

[laughter]

[Byer] Tell me about your animal,
chocolate mud bath cake.

There was an overflow at the pool.
All the zebras ran away.

It's just a mess.

I think what happened here
is instead of using chocolates,

you used candy melt,
which is chocolate with no cocoa butter.

It doesn't set properly.

It's difficult to make it
adhere to the cake.

Yes, we do have a little leak
in the front,

but you have a cake, the ganache,
the zebra, the towel, the ribbon,

which is pretty good.

The zebra you have,
he's got a cute expression.

You got a little bit of detail on him.
I think you did great.

-I do.
-Thank you so much.

Great. I cannot wait to taste this thing.

[Torres] It's very sweet.

I think that when you eat
everything together, your tongue...

-it sticks a little bit to your palette.
-That was good.

I agree with Jacques.
I found it a little bit sweet.

You get a lot of sugar happening
instead of chocolate.

I liked your cake.

I did get a lot of buttercream,
and the buttercream was good.

It's pretty solid.

-That's pretty good.
-Thank you.

Moving on to Sal.

All right, Sal!

Let's just remember
what you were trying to make,

and let's see what you made.

[drum roll]

[fanfare]

Nailed it.

[laughter]

[Byer] I don't mean to laugh,
but, oh, those elephants.

They have no breathing room.

Why didn't you use chocolates?

I tried melting the chocolate.

You don't melt it.
You put hot cream in it.

Well, now I know.

You would've known
if you looked at the tablet.

-Sal!
-Who are you to judge me?

-Oh, you're the judges.
-Come on now.

-At first I was like, "Well, who am I?"
-[laughs]

-The host of the show.
-Yes.

But you didn't give up

and you made a cake
with your own recipe, which is good.

Valerie, what do you think?

I think Sal should follow the law.

Are you gonna give me a ticket
or can I talk my way out of it?

[laughter]

-Sal, let's taste it.
-All right.

Oh, man,
did not even put it in your mouth.

-No, I did.
-You did?

I don't know how you did it,
but that has like a gelatin consistency.

Mm-hmm. Yep.

-It's like cake pudding.
-The texture, something is lacking.

Maybe not enough eggs.

Maybe not enough fat,
but the flavor, you know, is okay.

You know, you did bake a cake
without a recipe,

-so that's good.
-[laughter]

-Thank you so much, Sal.
-Thank you.

Okay, Danielle.

So just a reminder,
this is what you were trying to make.

Let's see what you made.

[drum roll]

-Nailed it.
-[fanfare]

Okay.

-That pig's coming out of the hot tub.
-Yeah.

Yeah, that pig's trying to break free.

I did have a tough time with the cake.

It was overflowing, and when I went to put
everything together, it was still warm.

And thus, dripage.

Temperature is the biggest thing
to pay attention to.

But, you know, really, really good effort.

You certainly, I think, made the ganache

with also the candy melt,

-not the chocolates.
-Yes, I did.

I think I was hoping that the ribbon
would actually keep it all together.

Yes, and that actually
doesn't work like that.

The ribbon is only visual.

-Should we taste this?
-Sure.

Cake is warm.

[laughter]

-I like the lightness of it.
-Mm-hmm.

Um, the chocolate flavor is there.

I like your cake.

I hate the way it looks.
It has things flowing all over.

I would be so happy

to come to your kitchen after school
and have a warm piece of cake.

But the look is tricky.

And just the streaks
of, you know, gritty, nasty

is really a lot for me
to take in visually.

Oh, boy. This is tough.

Sal, you can relax.

You will not win this round.

-[laughs]
-Okay?

All right, Jacques,
will you do the honors?

So, the winner of the Baker's Choice is...

Maaz.

-Congratulations, Maaz. Way to go.
-Congratulations.

Valerie, tell him what he's won.

Maaz, you have won something
that every baker needs.

You have won a brand new stand mixer.

Hey!

Yes, and Maaz, you are the one to watch.

-You are in the lead...
-Yay!

...so you will be wearing this beautiful,

puffy, golden, Nailed It baker's cap.

-Ah, yes.
-Woo!

Now, Sal.

Ooh, lord, you had trouble in that round.

-Didn't I?
-But don't worry.

We're gonna give you a little extra help
in round two.

So, follow me. Come on. All of you. Come.

Welcome to door number two.

Put that last round behind you

because the ten thousand dollar
grand prize

goes to the winner of this challenge
that we call Nail It Or Fail It. Valerie?

Just when you thought it was safe
to go back in the water,

here it comes.

The shark attack cake!

[laughing]

Are you kidding me?

[Gordon] This is a beautiful shark cake

that you will build and then carve.

You cover it with fondant,

and then you have a chocolate surfer

and a chocolate surfboard being flung out
of this incredible wave of buttercream.

[laughs]

Okay.

I know this cake looks pretty scary,
but don't worry,

we're gonna give you some help this round.

Each of you has a panic button
on your counter,

so if you get in trouble,
just hit the panic button.

[screams]

And one of our experts will come help you
for three minutes.

And Sal, since you struggled so hard
in that last round,

we're gonna give you
an extra helping hand.

You have an extra button on your counter
called Nicole Nags.

You hit that button...

♪ Watch out ♪

And you send me
to your opponents' stations,

and I'll just nag them
like a friend in the kitchen.

Guys, I'm annoying, so get ready for that.

All right, here we go.
Two and a half hours on the clock.

Ten thousand dollars on the line.

Go do it! Why are you standing there?

First, um... mix milk.

Some pans here.

Let's see.

Uh...

[harp strums]

Ooh, yeah. Back it up.

Ooh, spin it, Wes. Ooh, yeah.

Yes, Wes.

Ooh, push it, Wes.
Ooh, you're strong, Wes.

Yes, pull it, drag it.

Ooh, Wes. Ooh.

[laughter]

[Byer] Jacques, where do they even begin
with this cake?

[Torres] First, they have
a lot of cake here.

Then, carve and place the pieces
that make the shape of the shark.

Then wrap that with fondant,

and then add the little detail to it,

which includes
the white modeling chocolate teeth,

making the chocolate surfer and board,

as well as the buttercream waves.

More organized I feel this time.

I'm coming into this second round
really focused.

I learned from the previous challenge
that I gotta make more cake.

I just don't want them to overflow
like they did last time.

Chef said I gotta be more precise.
Im trying to get my measurements right.

I thought the ganache take from earlier
was hard.

This is a big, crazy, amazing-looking
cake. Don't know how I'm gonna make this.

So, I'm getting my third batch
of batter ready.

My plan is to make an alternate  vanilla,
chocolate, vanilla, chocolate cake.

I think that can push me over the edge.

I think it's time...

that I finally follow the law

and try to find the recipe.

Guys, something wild just happened.

-Sal turned on his tablet...
-[Torres] Oh, good.

...and he read the directions.

-Sal knows.
-[Torres] Very happy about that.

There's no way I'm gonna be the loser
of this second round.

Well, I'm gonna throw these in.

-They're all making a lot of cakes.
-It's a big cake, huh?

All right, cakes. Bake big.

Soften butter.

All right.

Sal I think is making buttercream.

Let's try this microwave thing again.

I didn't have too much luck with it
the last time.

He has a weird relationship
with the microwave.

-Yeah, definitely.
-Right?

[microwave beeps]

Softened butter.

All right, butter's in.

-He melted the butter.
-Like, to liquid.

The butter should be soft,

-but not completely melted.
-Why?

Then you've got liquid. You've got
what you pour on top of popcorn.

Nothing's gonna stay together.

Oh, man.

-Danielle, did you make your frosting?
-I found some that was made.

Oh, get the hell out of here.

What a waste of time this was.

So, while I wait for my cakes to be ready,

I want to get everything else ready
for decorating

Oh, he's got the fondant ready.

I'm trying to get a base
for the surfboard.

[Torres] Maaz used cardboard,
and then he wrapped fondant around it

to make the surfboard.

[Gordon] Smart.

I mean, it's smart
until we have to eat it.

Awkward.

Let's see how these cakes turned out.

That's a ready cake.

That's a ready cake.

Yeah!

Yeah, beat that pan.

-Yes.
-That's a ready cake.

All ready cakes.

All right, I'm gonna stack this bad boy,
and I don't have a plan.

-Uh, help!
-[screams]

-Oh! It's a panic.
-It's a panic.

Danielle, I'm coming.

-What is it?
-What do I do?

-I'm stacking the cake.
-Okay.

But I just need to...

You are not gonna build any cake
until it's cold.

-Okay.
-Put them in the deep freeze right now.

Let's go, let's go, let's go.

I need to learn how to do the fondant
and put the fondant on top.

Okay, so, the fondant.
Think about play-doh.

-You're a mommy.
-Yeah.

Think about play-doh.
It's the exact same thing.

-Okay.
-You throw a little bit of cornstarch

on the work surface.

Use your roller.
And you roll it out just like play-doh.

Then putting it onto the cake.

You're draping it over.

-And then for the mouth here.
-Yes.

For the mouth
you fondant the whole thing.

And then you can create these layers
and shove teeth in it.

[Byer] Maaz!

Quit eavesdropping.

I'm not eavesdropping.

Use the cake layers.
Build it up, build it up, build it up.

Shove a huge rod
right through that sucker.

-That's your stabilizer.
-[Byer] Five, four, three.

-Two, one.
-You make sure you're cold and trim down.

-[Byer] Panic's over.
-You can do this. You got it.

-All right, more fondant.
-Oh, my God.

Got plenty of time here.

No need to panic.

I am stacking cakes.

[Torres] See what Sal is doing?
There's no buttercream in between.

Oh, my God.

'Cause that's just gonna like come down.

Sal, buttercream.

Put buttercream in between the layers.

-Maaz's cake looks the prettiest.
-That looks gorgeous, actually.

Those are good-looking cakes.

I'm putting these in.
Hopefully it keeps them in shape.

I saw a video once,
so I'm gonna go with that.

It'll keep it together.

I got cakes.

My cakes are ready, and I'm slathering
it all up in buttercream.

And I just keep stacking.

It's a whole lot of buttercream.

I've got a hundred and one cakes
to work with here.

Oh, yeah.

I look pretty good.

She's got her skewers in there.

She's got a nice foundation happening.

-Danielle's going.
-Proud of Danielle here.

Not too bad if I do say so myself.

[Byer] While Sal on the other hand...
What are we gonna do with poor Sal?

All right, on the front.

I think I'm gonna need
another thing of fondant.

I roll this out.

Oh. What the hell?

Cake down. Cake down.

Oh, man.

The top three layers of the cake
have fallen onto the ground.

Sal, what happened?

I suffered a little tragedy there.

But time being what it is...

I'm gonna make a shorter shark.

It's a shark with a disability.

Sal, you saying
your shark has a disability?

Yeah, you got something
against sharks with disabilities, Maaz?

I'm a Special Ed teacher. No.

I guess I'm gonna lay
a foundation of buttercream

so that the fondant sticks to the cake.

Just a little bit.

I need all the help I can get.

Matter of fact...

♪ Watch out ♪

-Oh, you called that button.
-♪ Watch out ♪

Could you mess with my competitors,
please?

Woo!

Oh, boy! What are we making?
What are we making over here?

Are those Rice Krispies Treats?

Frosting, frosting, frosting, frosting!

Ooh, yay!

Danielle, what's this?

Danielle, what's this?

[laughter]

Why are you ignoring me?

-That's annoying, isn't it?
-Wow.

Oh, my God.

-Maaz!
-Nicole!

What's over here? What's in your mixer?

Why are there sticks in your cake?
Why are there sticks in your cake?

There's sticks in your cake. Why?

Excuse me. Excuse me. Excuse me.

Why won't you talk to me?
Excuse me. Excuse me.

What's your mom's name? Linda?

-[buzzer sounds]
-Bye.

[laughing]

You did well, Nicole. Thank you so much.

♪ I'm feeling like a million bucks ♪

♪ My confidence level is high ♪

♪ I got to keep my head turned to the sun♪

I think my shark looks pretty badass.

Maaz. Oh, no.

The cake's leaning.

I'm just hoping it stands.

My cake is leaning.

And I don't know how long it's gonna last.

Come on.

If it falls on the floor and that's
what I serve to the judges, I'm toast.

I just hope it doesn't fall over.

Coming up on three minutes.

What will push this cake over the edge?

Don't say push over the edge.
It's gonna fall over.

[laughter]

That was bad word choice.

As good as I can do, you know?

I think I'm done.

I don't know what else I could do
to improve this thing.

[whistling]

Sal, you done? You cleaning up?

Yeah. There's not much more I can do
over there. Don't get up.

-Have a seat. Relax.
-Yeah, have a seat.

-Thank you, sir.
-You worked hard.

Yeah.

We're not keeping you from anything,
are we?

-Keeping me from anything?
-You're done?

-I think so.
-Okay, you were a cop in Boston.

-Yeah.
-Tell me a good cop story.

Or like a good gang situation? Mafia?

-Really? You're gonna go there, right?
-[laughs]

Hey, Sal, you're not a judge.

I was invited over to the table.

Is that all right with you?

[laughter]

Oh, sass pants!

Just make your cake and take
your ten thousand dollars, all right?

I think you should be the new judge.

-Can I judge? Can I take your place?
-No you cannot take my place.

You need skill for that. I'm sorry.

Oh!

Come on.

One minute, guys. One minute left.

What else can I do here?

[chuckles]

Put the surfboard in there.

I'll just make that the eye, I guess.

Add a little aquatic touch.

That's nice.

Thirty seconds.

Oh, that blood is... All right.

Five, four, three, two, one.

You're done.

-You're done.
-[alarm sounds]

[Ariola] Woo!

[exhales]

Maaz, a reminder,

this is the amazing shark cake
you were trying to make.

Let's see what you did.

[drum roll]

-Nailed it.
-[fanfare]

The blood is still running.

[Gordon] It is running.

I thought I was actually seeing things,
but I'm like no, that's moving.

-It's a fresh body.
-Yes.

So, this is a shark.
I named him Leonardo,

'cause he's leaning
like the Tower of Pizza.

Okay. The Tower of Pizza?

Whatever it's called.
I teach math, not history.

-Sure.
-Um...

How did this shark eat somebody
with them teeth?

They are just laying flat
on top of each other.

A very messy kill.

Um, why do you think, actually,
the cake is leaning?

I think the way I put the pipes in.

I meant to put them all straight down.

Uh, one or two kind of went in an angle.

It's good to put some Rice Krispies Treats
on the bottom.

So, when you put those skewers,

you actually put them

into the Rice Krispies Treats
on the bottom.

The cake will not lean
because there is something to hold on.

-Maaz, thank you. We gotta move on.
-Mm-hmm.

Okay, Sal, let's see what you did.

[drumroll]

-Nailed it!
-[fanfare]

Uh-oh, that one is scary! Nicole.

[Byer] I think it looks
like a Pac-Man shark.

I think that the water color on this
is phenomenal.

I look at that and I see it that way.

And it really does have
a gorgeous iridescence to it.

You do have a way with the spray can.

Sal, you didn't put anything
between the layers of the cake.

Did you?

-Yes, I did.
-Oh, you did?

-You did?
-It was a layer of, uh, oxygen.

-[laughter]
-Okay. Okay. I understand.

I personally like it.

-He is stumpy, but I think that's okay.
-So am I.

Some sharks are, you know,
not like the other sharks.

-This one's a special shark. Mm-hmm.
-He's a special shark.

Sal, thank you so much.

We got one more cake to see.

Danielle!

You have some really tough competition.

Let's see what you did.

[drum roll]

-Nailed it.
-[fanfare]

Wow!

I think you did a good job
on the surfboard.

I like the blood. His teeth look good.

It's amazing.

The slow clap.

I love this cake.
You can bring it to any birthday party.

Any kid would be like, "That's my mom.
She made me this cake."

[Gordon] I think this is amazing.

When you went to get the little wafer
cookies for the man, I got nervous.

I thought, "Oh, God. Is this going to look
like a cardboard stick?"

But it doesn't. It works.

-Thank you.
-[Byer] Jacques?

You have almost no teeth
on the bottom jaw.

So maybe a little bit more teeth
on the bottom jaw.

But you have the height,
you have the shape, you have the color.

You have the water.
You have pretty much everything.

So, I'm anxious to try your cake.

[laughs]

Okay, so, I want you guys to cut
the perfect slice of your shark cake.

And the three of us are gonna taste them,
and it's gonna be fun.

I love it. Let's do it.

My cake is just not as good
as it should've been

in terms of presentation.

I'm pretty confident
in the taste of my cake.

I used both chocolate and vanilla,

and I think that can push me
over the edge.

Okay, Maaz.

[Torres] The cake is pretty light.

You can have a little bit more buttercream
maybe in between the layers.

But having those two flavors,
I really enjoy that.

Thank you.

Those are very even layers,

which looks really, really good
and very professional.

This tasted like a cake.

I wasn't like, "Ugh!" [spits]

-Good job, Maaz.
-Thank you.

Okay, Sal!

Let's get into this cake.

Oh, my God, it has blood everywhere.

[laughs]

Sal, not having that buttercream,
you need that fat, you need that flavor.

To me, it's unfortunate,

because with the buttercream,
it'll be really good.

I also missed the buttercream,
but what a good cake!

-That cake was really, really tasty.
-I'm glad you liked it.

-Is this a secret recipe of yours, Sal?
-No, I followed...

You followed the recipe.

-I would say to the letter.
-That's why.

Thank you, Sal.

All right, Danielle.

I hope this doesn't taste bad.

[chewing loudly]

Uh, the taste for me...

it was... it was okay.

It was passable.

Um...

I'm just kidding. It was really delicious.
I really, really liked it.

I was really just like acting.
I'm like a really great actress.

You like believed it, right?

I did get a lot of fondant in my bite,

which is incredibly sweet.

The cake itself is baked very well.

You cut a slice of the bottom jaw,

which is a dry piece of cake standing up.

The rest was layered with buttercream.

And I think you will agree with me
that that piece that you give us

doesn't have buttercream.

Give us the best piece.

I think it's unfortunate
because this is what we are judging.

I think we've made our decision.

Only one of you can win
the ten thousand dollar grand prize

and the soon to be legendary
Nailed It trophy.

Which is...

Wes.

I can't believe Wes is under the table.

[sighs] All right.

Now, the moment you're all waiting for.

This is the first time
in Nailed It history

that we think someone actually nailed it.

Sal, it was not you.

Really?

Danielle, you win!

-[Torres] Yay!
-Hit her with the cash!

Oh, my God. I won. I just won Nailed It.

Congratulations!

[cheering]

Danielle!

Thank you.

-Congrats.
-Thank you so much.

I am so thrilled.
I can't believe I just won ten grand.

This is awesome.

I'm going to go on a awesome vacation
with my family.

I nailed it.

Okay, ready? Three, two, one.

Thank you for watching Nailed It.

Remember, keep shaking and keep baking.