Common Sense Media Review
By Joyce Slaton
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Dessert-focused cooking competition is mild but a bit dry.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 10+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
What's the Story?
Four contestants are recruited each week to compete in the baking competition CUPCAKE WARS. Contestants are asked to make cupcakes on a certain theme using ingredients supplied by the show that the competitors learn about just before they're expected to cook. One competitor is dropped in each successive round of baking. The final round between two competitors is the hardest. Competitors must bake 1,000 cupcakes in two hours and meet with a carpenter who whips up a custom display. Best cakes displayed in the most ingenious way wins the maker $10,000.
Is It Any Good?
It is nice that like Food Network predecessor show Chopped, Cupcake Wars focuses on the cooking and food rather than drama between contestants. But watching cupcakes getting made is simply not as entertaining as watching meals get made. Why? Because cupcakes are by their nature limited. Contestants whip up batter, scoop it into tins, frost. Over and over. And over. It all lacks the excitement of watching a cake decorator sculpt a towering cake, or a chef make a unique dish out of what was just a bunch of ingredients.
Cupcake Wars looks like something you could do, and that's just not that much fun. Mark this one for bakers-to-be and cupcake fanatics only.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about why a cupcake baker might want to appear on Cupcake Wars. Would it be good for a business if the baker won? What about if she lost?
How do you think the contestants who appear on Cupcake Wars feel when they stand in front of the judges? Is there a time at school or in your life when you have to stand up and be judged like this? How did you feel while you were standing? After you sat back down?
Many of the battles on Cupcake Wars feature an organization that is going to have a party. Why do you think these organizations appear on the show? What do they get out of appearing? Free food? Publicity?
TV Details
- Premiere date : December 27, 2009
- Cast : Candace Nelson , Florian Bellanger , Justin Willman
- Network : Food Network
- Genre : Game Shows
- TV rating :
- Last updated : September 21, 2019
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