Sugar Rush

I don't know why so many other reviewers are criticizing the host. It is obvious that there is a bit more planning that goes on behind the scenes, since the contestants have access to things that wouldn't normally be in a standard pastry kitchen. However, I think the host adds a lot of enthusiasm to the show. One of the things I love is that it is always surprising and enjoyable, but doesn't have the negative drama that is present on some cooking shows. This is one show that my husband, my 5 yr old granddaughter and I can all watch together.

This was a great show to put on as I was doing things around the house. I made my way through the whole first season pretty quickly. Overall, I recommend it, though it lacks the charm of The Great British Baking Show.

As a couple of other reviewers have noted, it's so obvious that the contestants have been told their challenges ahead of time! Why don't they just drop the façade and let the audience know? I hate the fake conversations where they have to pretend that they're coming up with their creations on the spot.

I also feel like it's confusing and unfair that the clock doesn't stop (or does it?) when the judges talk to the contestants after round 1. There are several references to the clock continuing to run during this stage, but it's unclear if it actually does.

I agree with other reviewers that the host is a bit off-putting, but fairly neutral and bland. I could have done without his hitting on Candace (so uncomfortable for both the audience and for her, especially in the #metoo era).

I think the ability to save your time is a neat twist but I think a cool feature to announce the elimination would be is if they had the breakers for each stations lights in another room and then they left to discuss it and without saying a word just flip off their lights

Compared to some of the other cooking competitions Netflix has rolled out most recently (Nailed It comes to mind), this one is definitely above the rest. The borrowed time strategy adds a flair of uniqueness that keeps the relatively dated concept new. The host, on the other hand, comes off as that kind of middle manager that everyone's had at some point in their life, and is overly condescending to the contestants - it made the show difficult to watch whenever he came on. I think they were trying to have him motivate the contestants, but he clearly is not equipped to do that when his form of motivation is outright negative.

If you enjoy competitive cooking shows, this covers that pretty well. There is a time limit, but it's intentionally VERY lenient and contestants almost always have time to do what they wanted.

Hunter March is the main host, and he's alright; funny at times, annoying at others. The two other main judges, Candace Nelson and Adriano Zumbo are really not contributing much. They could be replaced by cardboard cutouts and nobody would notice a difference. Guest judges have never wowed me, and are mostly just bakers no normal person would have heard of, or someone from a Netflix show nobody is watching anyway.

While the 3 rounds are explained as "surprises," it's clear the contestants know what they're doing ahead of time, bringing supplies that could certainly not just be things they brought in case, including obscure ingredients that suit the task, or elaborate equipment to stack a very specific final cake.

Some of the themes to episodes are downright cringey, like the "grammable food" epsiode. (Hate to break it to you guys, food isn't "grammable." Keep your food to yourself.)

The contestants are very dime-a-dozen, and sadly there's very little variation in what they do. There's 3 episodes in a row where EVERYONE does a 'geode' cake, which was obviously just the trend of the week at the time, and after the first one it's no longer a cool new thing, just people who aren't actually creative with their own ideas.

So in the end, I like seeing what they make and how they do it, I enjoy the competition, and I love seeing people's souls die when their food comes out bad. It's alright if you have nothing better to watch, but there's better out there.