Halloween Baking Championship Season 7 episode 5 recap: Terrifying tsunamis

As the finale approaches, the bakers of Halloween Baking Championship Season 7 continue to succumb to the lake. With each eliminated baker being sent to roam the camp for all eternity, each challenge seems to test the competitors in new ways. Which baker found this wave of sweetness too much to handle?

With Halloween Baking Championship Season 7 past the mid-way point, some bakers seem to have found the clues to success. While there have been a few execution issues along the way, the reality is that the divide between the top and bottom bakers is becoming more apparent.

Going into this episode, it seemed that a few bakers were going to be next on the “serial killer’s list.” Although all these bakers are quite talented, the judges seem more attuned to certain flavor profiles, styles and approaches. It is almost like the supplementary characters in a horror movie. At some point, they all have to go.

Did the Thriller predict the next baker eliminated in Halloween Baking Championship Season 7?

For the Thriller challenge, the bakers had to create doughnuts. Even though this challenge had a little extra time, the reality is that making doughnuts is not easy. From getting the dough to rise to ensuring that the cook is correct, these fried treats are not child’s play.

In addition to the doughnut execution, the bakers had to include a baked element. While some bakers took a simple approach, others were set to impress. Adina’s tuile insect legs were a smart visual even though it might have been a complicated task.

Overall, the bakers were successful with their doughnuts. Although Guillermo ran out of time to create his intricate Dia de Muertos sugar skulls décor, the doughnuts were a flavor hit. When Zac Young describes a doughnut as one of his top five all time offerings, it is a huge win for a baker.

It was interesting that the top two doughnuts had similar flavor profiles. Unlike Holiday Baking Championship or Spring Baking Championship, the judges do not seem to mind the non-fall flavors in the desserts. Maybe everyone is just craving something other than pumpkin spice.

Although Adina might have had a more visually appealing doughnut, Guillermo won the Thriller Challenge. It pays to earn high praise from Zac Young.

Did the Killer Challenge cause a favorite baker to succumb to a tsunami?

For the Killer Challenge, the bakers had to take on tsunami cakes with a camp treat flavor profile. While most of the flavors were straight forward, Renee might have longed for any other flavor option. Few people like tapioca let alone use it as a cake flavor.

While Guillermo had an advantage for winning the Thriller Challenge, it wasn’t a huge extra in his oven. Since he picked first and liked his chosen flavor, the advantage was mute in this challenge.

Although a tsunami cake makes for a great social media visual, it is interesting that Food Network decided to include this trend on Halloween Baking Championship Season 7. While each of these bakers should understand how to tackle the challenge, the flowing icing basically ruins the visual of the cake. They have one shot to get it right. For baking fans who like all the intricate details on the decorated cakes, this idea might have been a miss.

The biggest takeaway from the Killer Challenge was the execution issues with the bakers. Guillermo didn’t let his cakes cool enough and had to start over from scratch. Even though he was able to salvage a good-looking clown cake, it could have been better. Then again, it was quite impressive that he was able to make a cake in such a short amount of time.

Renee’s execution issue was even more confusing. She ran out of icing for her cake. It is curious that she didn’t have enough icing to cover her cake. In addition, why didn’t she roll out some fondant or other décor to cover the empty spots on the back of her cake. Maybe there was some footage left on the cutting room floor.

Overall, the tsunami cakes were impressive. For this challenge, a new baker emerged on top. Ashley impressed the judges not only with her visual but also with her flavors. After riding near the bottom on several occasions, it was good to see her rise to the top. It will be interesting to see if that trend continues or if this challenge was just a shot in the dark.

Adina had a great visual for the challenge. Similar to Ashley, the creepy factor seemed to impress the judges. In some ways, that theme has helped even mid-level desserts make it to the next round. After all, Halloween Baking Championship Season 7 is not about being Halloween cutesy.

Unfortunately, the bottom bakers were Renee and Wes. While everyone expected Renee to be in the bottom because of her icing issues, Wes was a little bit of a surprise. It almost seemed as it was just his time to go.

Overall, Wes has had some good desserts, but they never quite hit the mark with the judges. Often being more cute than creepy, he seemed to be just circling the bottom. With this week’s carrot cake, his time was up.

From his tsunami effect not quite working to his carrot cake not pushing the flavor envelope, the judges sent him to the lake. There would be no last dance for Wes.

With the finale quickly approaching, it is hard to pick a front runner in Halloween Baking Championship Season 7. Even though all of the remaining bakers have had wins, no one has really emerged as unbeatable. The winner could be based on who best interprets the themes of the final challenges.

Which baker do you think will be crowned Halloween Baking Championship Season 7 winner? Have you figured out the clues to the serial killer yet?