Halloween Baking Championship Season 4 episode 5 recap: Clowning toward the finale

Which baker slipped just before the finale on this Halloween Baking Championship Season 4 episode 5 recap? Clowning around could be a fatal mistake.

In Halloween Baking Championship Season 4 episode 5 recap, the bakers are finale adjacent. Only three bakers will make next week’s finale. While this season has been filled with tricks, treats and a few surprises, this week’s episode definitely tests the bakers’ creativity. Who will have clown-filled nightmares for years to come?

This week’s pre-heat sought to predict the bakers’ futures with a tarot card reading. For the first challenge, the bakers had to create a dessert that conveyed a tarot card theme as well as incorporated a mystery flavor.

While this challenge seemed straight forward, the pressure seemed to be overwhelming the bakers. It appeared that almost everyone made mistakes that should have been avoided. Was the pre-heat a precursor of impending doom?

One aspect that wasn’t quite clear about the pre-heat challenge was the presentation of the dessert. While the theme was a tarot card, the bakers didn’t quite understand that the dessert needed to look like a tarot card. Personally, I didn’t get that aspect either. It sounded as if the bakers just had to use the theme, i.e. fool, hermit, etc., not have the appearance of a card too.

Host John Henson announces the time left in the pre-heat, as seen on Food Network’s Halloween Baking Championship, Season 4. photo provided by Food Network

While these clairvoyants of candy tried to channel their inner sage, the desserts were a little lacking. Jamal didn’t finish his dessert. The molten chocolate cake didn’t come out of the mold. This type of mistake so close to the finale is disappointing.

Looking at the other three desserts, everyone seemed to stumble. Lyndsy’s dessert flavors weren’t balanced. Steven’s dessert didn’t look like death. It was all a little underwhelming.

Winning the pre-heat in Halloween Baking Championship Season 4 episode 5 recap was Michelle. She made an orange clove sugar cookie that looked like a tarot card. Truthfully, if the other bakers hadn’t stumbled, this dessert probably wouldn’t have won.

Contestant Michelle Honeman discusses her dish with host John Henson in the main heat, as seen on Food Network’s Halloween Baking Championship, Season 4. photo provided by Food Network

Although Michelle is the last home baker standing, she needs to do more. A simple sugar cookie, although well decorated, was a little safe. To win this Food Network show, she needs to do more, push more and be more creative. Titles, like home baker, don’t matter; delicious and stunning desserts earn a win.

By winning the pre-heat, Michelle got to pick her theme for the main heat and assign the other bakers’ themes. With the theme of creepy clowns, this advantage should have been a good one. Unfortunately, I don’t think that she used it wisely. Could she have given Lyndsy a harder theme?

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The goal of the main heat was to create a creepy clown dessert. Although each clown had a theme, the flavor associated with that clown wasn’t obvious. While Lyndsy’s clown did (Clumbsy Carl slipping on a banana peel), the other clowns left a lot to the imagination. Could the bakers push the creativity and earn a spot in the finale?

Lyndsy easily won this challenge. Not only was her dessert a triumph in flavor (peanut butter chocolate banana cheesecake), her plate showcased creepy clown. The decoration wasn’t in your face clown, but it definitely told a story.

Lyndsy’s dessert was smart. The plate was elevated yet conveyed the theme. It is everything that the judges’ want at this stage of the competition.

Although not perfect, Jamal earned a spot in the finale. His technique and flavors excelled in this dessert. While the plate wasn’t creepy, it was enough to propel him into the finale.

Unfortunately, Michelle and Steven were in the bottom. Both desserts had technical errors. The question becomes which error would be more costly at this stage in the competition.

Michelle’s pumpkin sage handpies were a little under-baked. The soggy pie crust and subtle sage flavors were issues. While her clown decoration was superbly creepy, the baking issues couldn’t be overlooked.

Steven had flavor issues with his lemon strawberry tart. The lemon curd was too tart. Although he purposefully made the lemon curd tart, it wasn’t balanced by any of the sweetness in the dessert. The lack of balance made for an unappealing bite.

Still, Steven got big creativity points for his meaty macaron. The use of the twist, bacon, in the strawberry filling for the macaron was genius. I see meaty macarons in the future. Just think of the possibilities.

Unfortunately, Steven didn’t have a creepy clown decoration. His tart didn’t look scary, chilling or foreboding. The only fear factor on his plate was the too tart curd. These mistakes had Steven sent home.

The judges sample contestant Lyndsy McDonald’s dish from the main heat, as seen on Food Network’s Halloween Baking Championship, Season 4. photo provided by Food Network

The three bakers heading to the Halloween Baking Championship Season 4 finale are Lyndsy, Jamal and Michelle. While I applaud Michelle being in the finale, I wonder if she can compete at the same level as Lyndsy and Jamal.

Thinking about next week, Jamal needs to ensure that his time management is working. An unfinished plate, like this week’s desserts, won’t earn him the title. Although he has been creative throughout the season, little mistakes can be quite costly.

Lyndsy needs to ensure that her flavor profiles are clear. While her decoration themes are usually impressive, a winning dessert needs to have both components.

As Halloween Baking Championship Season 4 episode 5 recap comes to a close, which baker do you think will earn the title this season? Maybe you didn’t watch this episode because the creepy clowns were just too much for your Halloween dreams.