Three Sweet Rounds Stand Between These Bakers and Ten Thousand Dollars
With three holiday themed rounds, there is sure to be enough sugar to go around. Netflix released the second season of Sugar Rush: Christmas on Nov. 27, just in time for all the Christmas festivities. Starring professional dessert masters Adrianno Zumbo and Candace Nelson as judges and Hunter Marsh as the host, Sugar Rush: Christmas celebrates sweets like America has never seen before. Each episode also features a guest celebrity judge. Some familiar faces from this season were Chris Bosh and Jordan Sparks. Throughout each 45 minute episode, four teams compete against each other through three rounds for the chance to win $10,000. The first two rounds are limited to a total of three hours and the final round is three hours on its own combined with the time remaining from the beginning of the competition.
To kick off each episode, there is a cupcake round. Used to warm up the bakers to the competition, the cupcake round normally features a challenge of combining non-traditional tastes to create something unique and delicious. The themes range from Charlie Brown to reindeer treats to Christmas decorations. Following this round, one of the teams would be eliminated and lose their opportunity to collect $10,000. The teams that are left will bank all of the time left for the next challenge.
Immediately after the cupcake round comes the confection round in which each team will make a delectable dish composed of sweet ingredients. The desserts crafted in this round have a lot more range. They can vary from cookies to tarts to small cakes or even another cupcake. Much like the cupcake round, the expectations are relevant to the theme of the episode. The time left at the end of this challenge will combine with the time from the cupcake round to be added later in the competition. At this time, another team will be eliminated and the real test of creativity will begin.
The third and final challenge, known as the cake round, really shows the strengths of the teams. The time left over from the first two rounds is added to the three hour clock and crunch time commences. The bakers work to make a mind-blowing, delicious, next-level tiered cake with a Christmas theme and a curveball to spice things up. Once the cakes are presented, the judges are allowed to check the stations for the requirements of the challenge and to give feedback on the appearance of the cakes. The tasting follows the visual judging and a winner is decided on. It takes two out of three votes for a competitor to win.
Sugar Rush: Christmas is a fun, family program offered by Netflix that suits people of all ages. Whether the spectators are there to gather ideas for their own holiday treats or just to imagine the taste of the intricate desserts made in the program, this is a show worth watching. For anyone interested in more Sugar Rush without the Christmas theme, there are alternate versions also available on Netflix such as Sugar Rush, Sugar Rush: Extra Sweet, and there is even a spin-off called Sugar High (with judges Jackie Sorkin, Stéphane Tréand and Rebecca DeAngelis).
