156 replies to this topic

[Ciarrai]

Did anyone watch this show? I am a huge fan of cupcakes of any type, so I tuned it. However, I found the sisters and their mother pretty irritating, so I don't know if I'll watch again. I did love the dogs in the second episode though.

[White Lies]

I watched and while I wanted cupcakes the entire hour I wasn't too impressed. These were only the first 2 episodes and it already feels like stuff has been played up for the camera.

[Lorimar263]

I couldn't get past their lack of professionalism. I didn't even finish watching the first episode.

[Lopethina]

I LOVE Georgetown Cupcake (like, fantasize about the frosting daily), so I've been really excited for the show. But I was let down. I'll give it another try, but it felt very scripted. And several of their employees annoyed me -- Andres, Yasmin, and Mommy. Gah.

Also, I wish they'd stop with the big projects and "artistry" and just make single cupcakes, because neither of their projects turned out well.

Man, I sound bitchy. I still want one of their cupcakes though. Right now.

[Pepperminty4132]

It was sort of interesting. I think there's only 6 shows so I'll watch the others. Since I live in DC, maybe I'll see someone I know. I've had the cupcakes once and they were pretty good.

[Cream Cheese]

It's not surprising that it would be atleast semi-scripted but they made it painfully obvious. The one sister saying "Mommy" over and over was annoying and actually, neither woman was particularly endearing or interesting.
I agree that the special projects looked like shit.

Love cupcakes (who doesn't?) but this show and it's "stars" are a big dud.
I wish TLC would get off of the tip of the speciality show dick. Large families, little people, east coast stereotypes, chocolate makers, cupcake bakers, etc...etc...lame.
Doesn't TLC stand for "The Learning Channel"? The only thing they have taught me is to use condom's and avoid New Jersey.

[millk]

I think I've been to one too many health department trainings because everything in my was screaming hairnets! I think their kitchen may get a visit on Monday.

They've been in business 2 years and mommy doesn't know how things are done? And they don't have any sort of routine?

This show screamed script!

It was like The Cupcake Girls only TLC-ified. I'll stick with Heather and Lori thanks.

[tortietat]

Yes, it did make me want a cupcake, but no, I don't think I'll watch again. Agree with the post about lack of hairnets...(don't like Duff's crew for the same reason) and found the owners waaaay to whiney for my taste.

[chessiegal]

Here's a WaPo's TV review - basically panned it. I take that as a grain of salt. They don't like much of what's on TV. However, WaPo also did a "who has the best cupcake in DC?" in their food section this year, and Georgetowon Cupcake didn't even place. Pretty much dissed.

Washington Post Review of TLC cupcake show

[fashionista79]

It was sort of interesting. I think there's only 6 shows so I'll watch the others. Since I live in DC, maybe I'll see someone I know. I've had the cupcakes once and they were pretty good.

But good enough to stand in line for an hour like one of the sisters said? I like cupcakes, too, but I don't think I have the patience for all of that. Today they had a special at both of their locations--M St. and Bethesda: a free vanilla or chocolate cupcake, one per person. Like I said, I love cupcakes, but I don't know if I could've stood in the sweltering heat for who knows how long for one free cupcake.

Now, I don't know if it's because they were told to play up their personalities or what, but they sound more like they're reading lines (in their Talking Heads) than anything. Well, they sound like that in all of their interactions, actually. I wonder who at TLC thought that this would be a good idea for a show? Anyway, watching the show really does make me want some cupcakes, but I don't wanna go down there and have to stand in even longer lines just for a red velvet cupcake.

Edited by fashionista79, Jul 16, 2010 @ 11:44 PM.

[snarlygrrl]

I love cupcakes, but this show is UNWATCHABLE! The staff is dull, the sisters irritating in all their 'go team' corporate rah rah speak and everyone looks and sounds like they are following a badly written script.

Not sure if it's that the other reality shows have better 'actors' or if these people are being given really bad direction, but the result is worse than boring....it's grating.

The head baker seemed like he might get better, but the contrived scene with 'Mommy' and the ovens pushed my finger to hit 'next.'

10:1 Mommy has never been in the store until TLC showed up and needed a 'character'

[mamapajama]

You're right Lopethina. They should just make cupcakes. The big, inedible looking projects are what turned me off about Cake Boss. In the beginning it was cool watching the artistry, but the projects look like they taste like sawdust. And the "signature swirl"??? Puhleeze, it's a blob of frosting with a curl on top, not brain surgery.

[Puds38]

BORING! When they were trying to figure out how to color the frosting without the food dye taste my mine immediately went to fruit.They acted like they had just discovered fire.

[Lopethina]

@ chessiegal:

However, WaPo also did a "who has the best cupcake in DC?" in their food section this year, and Georgetowon Cupcake didn't even place. Pretty much dissed.

I can't find the article you're talking about. It's not this, is it? Because here they're listed as one of the best in the area, even winning the 2008 Food section Cupcake Wars.

edit: Their cupcakes and frosting are very rich and sweet, which I love. My friends who prefer the lighter whipped-cream-type frosting don't care for them as much. But I think they're amazing. I'm not sure I'd wait in line for an hour for one, but I'd definitely wait for a half-dozen. Not that I've done that bef-- oh, wait... :p

Edited by Lopethina, Jul 17, 2010 @ 7:19 AM.

[fountainof]

I didn't really understand the issue with the horrible tasting purple icing since they were using it on the crispy rice part. Do people really eat these iced crispy cakes used on all these cake shows? I thought it was just building material but cheaper and better for the environment than actual foam. In the end they used foam so the icing was just a cover and didn't need to taste good. I'll admit the mask was pretty but I didn't think the dog was, it was strange looking.

The cupcakes looked pretty tasty. I have watched the Canadian cupcake girls show and the cupcakes on this show look better tasting. I know we have a cupcake place in our city and people have said the cupcakes are a bit dry, but I guess people like them enough as cupcakes seem to be all the rage these days.

I was less grossed out by the lack of well tied up hair then the dog jumping in the van with the dog cake - that really grossed me out!

I wonder if the red velvet cupcakes have cream cheese icing, that is really the best party of red velvet to me. It would have been interesting to learn more about the business in the first episode. I would like to know more about the flavours, which are the top sellers, etc. rather then just jump into a we need a charity cake for tomorrow thing. We didn't even learn about the signature swirl until the second episode. I like the look of the swirl better then how most places pipe on the icing, the icing on these cupcakes also doesn't look like it is too much. I know my grocery store makes fancy cupcakes where there is more icing then cake, I really like icing but not that much!

Edited by fountainof, Jul 17, 2010 @ 9:28 AM.

[kers]

I hated this show. Not only was it contrived, it wasn't that interesting. I've never bothered to try GC (turned off by the lines, I prefer another city cupcakery) and this doesn't make me rush down to try GC, either.

[EngineerChic]

it felt very scripted.

Totally agree with that. It felt super-scripted when they were talking to the staff about how much they appreciate them. I swear there must have been a teleprompter offscreen, the delivery was THAT scripted. And on the Valentine's Day episode when the brunette sister handed the last customer the bag of cupcakes & locked the door ... That was also super-scripted feeling. As in, "Oh, I better go get the owner so she has the honor of handing off the last bag & locking the door, even though she hasn't been out front all day & hasn't had to deal with the annoying customers who can't make up their minds about what cupcakes they want."

Overall - this show made me realize how much better Ace of Cakes is, and how realistic those people seem to be. I don't even really like AoC, but compared to this? It's awesome.

[Gardencrown]

I think I've been to one too many health department trainings because everything in my was screaming hairnets! I think their kitchen may get a visit on Monday.

THANK you. I also agree with the previous poster that this is my problem with Ace of Cakes (that and I never, ever see them wash their hands). Seriously grossed out.

God, they seemed like characters for an awful sitcom. The "practical sister," the "pretty but stupid sister," "the gruff baker with a heart of gold," the "mommy who annoys but who ultimately wins over the crew with her mommy-ness." Ick.

And would St. Judes really wait until the day before to get items for their auction? My daughter and I couldn't even watch the second episode.

[millk]

To be fair to Ace Of Cakes, at least Adam the baker looks....whats that word.... Oh yeah, CLEAN! The baker on this show looked icky.

[quickychick]

Wow, one episode down and five minutes into the second and I'm changing the channel to watch what's left of Jersey Girl.

Although I laughed and laughed and laughed at how the Mardi Gras mask fell apart overnight. Since when would rice crispy treats be considered structurally able to hold up a bunch of cupcakes, especially after you add to their moisture content with a layer of icing? This show is a big ol' fail in every area.

[FutonPotato]

Here's a WaPo's TV review - basically panned it. I take that as a grain of salt. They don't like much of what's on TV. However, WaPo also did a "who has the best cupcake in DC?" in their food section this year, and Georgetowon Cupcake didn't even place. Pretty much dissed. Washington Post Review of TLC cupcake show

Eh, it's writer Hank Steuver who doesn't like anything on TV, or anything in general. He's a pompous ass. Wish Lisa de Moraes were to review it, but at least one of us can toss a question about it her way during her Friday online chats (which I recommend to any TWoP readers and they are super snarky and fun).

I wonder how TLC ended up with this particular bakery. There are so many high end cupcake stores in DC.

I agree that the show was heavily scripted. There's no way that St. Jude's would call in a huge donation or order at the last minute for a fundraising gala. Actually, I worked for an event planner on a fundraising dinner for 1,000 people at that same venue (National Building Museum, which is more fun that it sounds!), and NOTHING is left to the last minute or even last week. That order would have been placed weeks or even months in advance.

I have to wonder if the owners would be happy about being shown on tv as bumbling idiots -- taking supposed last minute charity orders on busy days, having "Mommy" messing up the cupcakes, etc.

The closing line of "best part is we did it all together" made me want to barf.

And the fake tension on the next episode was a real eye roller: "If we can't teach someone how to do the swirl frosting, we're in trouble." Something like that.

[beden]

And adding just a personal pet peeve here; the point of frosting a cake or cupcake, aside from the added flavor and texture, is to 'seal' the bare cake so it doesn't dry out. These piped icing things always have a ring of bare cake which doesn't get frosted.

Okay, maybe their turnover is high enough that it's okay when you buy them but leave them for a day or so and that bare ring would be getting hard.

I hate that.

[violet04]

I caught the re-run of this show on Saturday and kept it on in the background while I did housework. I think the fact that I was busy doing other things was the only reason I didn't change the channel.

Like others, I thought this show was overly scripted and contrived. None of the staff seemed very likeable at all. The constant use of them saying "Mommy" was really irritating.

I might watch this again just to see if the episodes can get any worse. This show is not off to a good start.

[Lorimar263]

I was very surprised that on the busiest day of the year thy would have put someone in charge of removing the baking cupcakes who wasn't 100% on their game. Another thing that bugged me was how it took what seemed to be 12 people to make a small little bowl of icing. Plus they were messy and unorganized.

[Kara6891]

But good enough to stand in line for an hour like one of the sisters said? I like cupcakes, too, but I don't think I have the patience for all of that.

A couple of week ago as I was working for the Census and I had the (mis)fortune of being placed in the Georgetown area. Every day for about a week and a half I would pass by the cupcake store and there was ALWAYS a line leading out the store and around the corner. One day as I was standing on the corner waiting to cross the street someone behind me asked someone in line if they were really standing in line for a cupcake. The person eagerly shook their head yes. The passer-by then asked "Are the cupcakes really that good?" And the girl in line said "Oh yes, the best", while people behind her added their two cents in agreement.

So on the last day that I was supposed to be there, I decided to try a cupcake. I waited in line for like 20 minutes and finally got one. I ordered the chocolate cupcake with the vanilla icing. And while it was good (although I think they put too much icing on top) I didn't think it was good enough to charge $2.75! I wasn't impressed at all, at least not with all the hype. But clearly they're doing something right if business is booming.

BTW, they had a little poster in the store promoting their show and I knew it was going to be wack. I haven't watched one minute of the show and don't plan to.

Edited by Kara6891, Jul 17, 2010 @ 8:37 PM.

[SpringBarb]

The thing that got me about others not knowing how to do the signature swirl is that they have two shops. Clearly someone else knows how to do it. I've only ever been to the Bethesda shop, and while there's generally a line, I don't think I've waited longer than 10 minutes or so. It's just that the shop is so tiny that the line HAS to spill out. (I'm in love with their peanut butter fudge cupcake, but don't like the ones with ganache frosting.)

I can deal with it being scripted, but I couldn't cope with how incredibly stiff they appeared in the confessionals. You could tell that it was the 10th take for each of those.

Edited by SpringBarb, Jul 17, 2010 @ 11:14 PM.

[pasdetrois]

They were all desperately performing for the camera, and it was uncomfortable to watch. But being a DC area resident, I found it fun to try to spot locations and people I might know.

Do the sisters sound as if they have a trace of a Canadian accent?

[LuckyStar311]

I wanted to like this show! But the dog they made was hideous and I would have been embarrassed to deliver that to such a huge gala. I missed the mask episode. I agree on all points that this is terribly scripted and feels so fake. Sigh. So much for this one!

ETA: I swear, if I heard the blond one say "pupcakes" one more time, I was going to smash her face in. to. her. pupcakes.

Edited by LuckyStar311, Jul 18, 2010 @ 8:34 AM.

[needschocolate]

I had this on for background noise while I worked. I heard most of the show and the "mommy" calling was ridiculous. The only parts I actually saw was the dog jumping into the van and the signature swirl teaching. Seriously? Only two people in the store can do the signature swirl? It never occured to them that it woudl be a good idea of someone else could do it too? Were the signature swirlers not allowed to go on vacation? And people that have worked in abakery for years have to be taught how to hold a pastry bag? And the swirl wasn't even tough, despite the scripted "it looks easy but it is not." I was impressed how that one guy managed to make the frosting spurt out of the bag - I have frosted many cakes (a hobby, I am no professional) and have never had that happen - even when the seam on the bag tears, the frosting doesn't spurt like that.

Not only is this show scripted, the script was written by 8-year-olds - too illogical and too contrived - "oh, this is the lovable older woman, we all call her mommy, she can't bake but she is just so gosh darn cute that we can't let her go." To prove her adorable-ness and lack of baking skills, they have mommy not know which vinegar they want for the red velvet cupcakes - even though she has worked there for years. Then a few minutes later, after telling us it is there busiest day of the year, the have mommy help with the baking. Of couse, she screws it up.

During the swirl teaching segment, it looked like they had quite a few employees - yet only two can do the swirl and apparently only only one can bake - so one guy bakes, two people swirl and the other 14 people handle money and fetch vinegar.

TLC has to give up the notion that fake drama in a bakery is a good concept. I imagine that there was a planning meeting where someone says, "just think of all the drama and excitement of running a cupcake shop. Like sometimes they will not have enough time to get an order done, and sometimes they may have to throw out a batch, or have a time crunch, or have something go wrong with a batch, or have too many orders in too little time. I know that it all sound like the same two concepts, but, trust me they will be totally different on the show. And this show will be totally different from our other drama and excitement in a dessert place - for one thing, these people are all average height and, secondly, they are not all from the same family - well, two of them are sisters and there is a woman they call mommy, but, trust me, this show is totally different from our other ones."

[stephf13]

And adding just a personal pet peeve here; the point of frosting a cake or cupcake, aside from the added flavor and texture, is to 'seal' the bare cake so it doesn't dry out. These piped icing things always have a ring of bare cake which doesn't get frosted.

Really? I've taken a cake decorating course, and I actually own several cupcake cookbooks, and they all recommend leaving a ring of cake visible. I always thought that was the "proper" way to frost them.