Baking Impossible Season 1: Release Date, Episodes, And More - What We Know So Far
We're getting another food show soon where people will try to do the impossible — and no, Robert Irvine isn't hosting. The personality behind "Restaurant: Impossible" and "Dinner: Impossible" must not have a trademark on the "Impossible" brand. Either that or the world's biggest streaming service bought him out.
Netflix is adding to its food TV lineup with "Baking Impossible," which the streamer just announced. The new show enhances a food lineup that includes quality travel shows ("High on the Hog," "Somebody Feed Phil"), succulent meat dishes ("The American Barbecue Showdown," "MeatEater"), and the always popular baking competition subgenre. Netflix brings us "The Great British Baking Show," the American title of a show that is among the most popular ever in Britain (via Variety). You can also find "Nailed It!", the Netflix baking show that doesn't take itself seriously at all, and "Bake Squad," released just last month (via Pressparty).
The latest installment in this fast-growing food roster is a little bit like "Nailed It!" if that show took itself very seriously. It may remind some viewers of Season 3 of Food Network's "Buddy vs. Duff" with its highly complex creations (via Discovery) — except on "Baking Impossible" the judges will get to taste the competition.
When will Baking Impossible be released?
Netflix announced on September 8 that the all-new competition show "Baking Impossible" premieres next month. The streamer has been known for appealing to binge watchers by dropping all episodes at once — with a few notable exceptions. In 2019, Netflix decided to release the latest season of "The Great British Baking Show" one episode at a time, every week — just like old-fashioned cable TV (via ComicBook). Earlier this year, Netflix released a season of the social media competition show "The Circle" in batches: four episodes per week for three weeks, then the season finale in week four, according to a Netflix announcement. Netflix may be experimenting more and more with dribbling out episodes over several weeks because it's hearing footsteps from Disney+. The Motley Fool says some shows on Disney's streaming service have more staying power on top-10 charts with the one-per-week approach.
"Baking Impossible" is another Netflix show that won't be dropping all at once. Netflix says the eight-episode season will come out in two "batches," one week apart: October 6 and 13 (via Pressparty). The network didn't specify how many episodes come with the first batch, but we figure Netflix will leave us with a good cliffhanger to chew on for a week.
What will we see in episodes of Baking Impossible?
This is why the new Netflix show "Baking Impossible" might remind you of "Buddy vs. Duff" Season 3: Competitors will need to design and build well, not just bake well. As the series trailer Netflix posted September 8 on YouTube shows, the nine teams competing on "Baking Impossible" will consist of two members each: a baker and an engineer. Before contest entries get the taste test, they must pass an engineering stress test, according to a Netflix news release (via Pressparty). The trailer gives us some glimpses: A cake car gets a crash test (complete with dummy), cake boats will float (or not), and a confectionary skyscraper will be subjected to a simulated earthquake.
This cooking competition happens in a warehouse, not a kitchen, and we only assume the "bakineer" teams competing for a $100,000 prize have more than the standard two hours to build their cars and golf courses. "Baking Impossible" is not like "The Great British Baking Show" for one big reason: You won't be trying the competitors' creations at home.
Who will host and judge Baking Impossible?
Contestants on "Baking Impossible" will be some of the best bakers and smartest engineers in America, according to the show's trailer on YouTube. But if the show itself is going to have structural integrity, it'll need a strong host-and-judge team. Stepping up to host "Baking Impossible" is Justin Willman (via Pressparty), a magician and comedian who already has a hit on Netflix with "Magic for Humans" (via IMDb). Willman also has appeared (and probably disappeared, too, given his skill set) on Food Network's "Cupcake Wars" as host and "Nailed It!" as guest judge.
"Baking Impossible" judges will be Andrew Smyth, Joanne Chang, and Dr. Hakeem Oluseyi.
Smyth is uniquely qualified to judge "Baking Impossible." His website says he's an aerospace engineer and a baker, and he practically invented bakineering. Smyth was a finalist on "The Great British Bake Off" in 2016. Chang is an award-winning baker with her own bakery/cafe in Boston called Flour, according to the bakery's website. Her TV credits include a victory over the titular chef in "Throwdown with Bobby Flay." If they gave an award on "Baking Impossible" for smartest person in the room, it would probably go to Dr. Oluseyi, whose title comes from his Ph.D. in physics (via Discovery).
With an astrophysicist, a James Beard Award-winning baker, and one of the original bakineers on the judging panel, we're worried competitors won't impress unless they come up with a cake that flies to the moon without losing any of its delicious icing.