Ultimate Cake Off

Review

Common Sense Media says

Cake decorating competition has a slight edge.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

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Kids say

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What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this cake decorating reality competition includes a fair bit of strong language, often uttered in the heat of the moment or when things go wrong (as in one case when a thumb was cut accidentally). The choicest words are bleeped, but those like "sucks" and "ass" aren't. Also, while many of the competitors are quite gracious, some are sore losers who trash talk the others.

  • Positive messages3
    The show encourages teamwork overall, and some of the competitors behave in exemplary fashion. But some veer more toward the iffy side, with some trash talking, etc.
  • Positive role models2
    Some of the contestants behave beautifully, concentrating on doing their best and accepting the results graciously. Others are much less pleasant.
  • Violence0
    Not applicable.
  • Sex0
    Not applicable.
  • Language2
    Words like "suck," "ass," etc., are audible. Others are bleeped; most of the time, it's not obvious what was said, but occasionally you can read the speaker's lips. 
  • Consumerism1
    The show helps promote the decorators, who are all well-known professionals in their field.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking0
    Not applicable.
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What's the story?

In ULTIMATE CAKE OFF, the customer becomes the most important judge. In each episode, three cake decorators must compete to build fabulous cakes for specific events while also participating in challenges. Their work is evaluated on both flavor and appearance by three other professionals.

Is it any good?

 

This is pretty standard fare, as competition shows go -- three judges, petty challenges that only marginally make sense, etc., etc. The resulting cakes are pretty interesting, but there's not too much to be learned here.

Still, that said, it isn't a bad way to spend an hour and is moderately entertaining. Just be ready for a bit of trash talking and somewhat spicy language when the competition heats up.

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What families can talk about

  • Families can talk about whether they think the show's editors put the footage together the way it actually happened. How might the show be different if they changed some of the events around?

  • Does the trash talking ramp up the excitement, or does it just cast the speaker in a negative light? What messages does the show send about how to be a good sport/competitor?

This review was written by Anne Louise Bannon
Teen, 14 years old
October 21, 2009
AGE
6
 
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This review was written by Anne Louise Bannon
TV rating:TV-PG
Network:TLC
Genre:Reality TV
This review was written by Anne Louise Bannon
 

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About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.
Our child development rating guidelines

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