Have you ever wondered what a baking contest between horrible cooks would look like? It is not pretty. Well,  Netflix’s Nailed It season 6 tests this theory after returning September 15, featuring a variety of newly themed episodes, such as “Paranormal Pastries” and “History in the Baking”, where bakers were asked to craft up confectionary concoctions, but often ended up with dessert disasters.

Nailed It was first released on March 9,  2018, and now contains six seasons, including Nailed It Holiday and Double Trouble, along with four international versions. The humorous baking competition is known for its challenging nature where three amateur bakers must recreate jaw dropping desserts in incredibly short amounts of time. The challenges are first, baker’s choice, and then the nail it or fail it. In baker’s choice, the contestants have averagely thirty minutes to create their best take on a small sweet, such a cookie or cupcake, while in nail it or fail it, and hour and thirty minutes to masterpiece up an astounding cake. Show host, Nicole Byer, and professional pastry chef, Jacques Torres, score the contestant’s wild creations in addition to a celebrity guest judge featured in each episode.

Without a doubt, Nailed It is the best bake-off experience on the market. Compiling laughter, expert baking advice, top-tier cheesy editing, lively contestants, and of course failures to feel pity for, there is always something to be entertained with. Unlike Sugar Rush or Zumbo’s Just Desserts, this series is much less serious and allows participants to be more open and involved with the judging panel, not to mention the iconic golden baker’s cap that the baker’s choice challenge winner gets to wear, and $10,000 winning prize and Nailed It trophy the successor takes home.

This original Netflix series guarantees a good laugh. The bakers are consistently running into problems, seeking last-minute alternatives to finish their recreations. For example, Rice Krispies sheets instead of cakes, or like in this picture, handfuls of crumbled cake with a dash of buttercream on top. While there is a guided recipe to follow, bakers often eyeball measurements or decide to take a risk, which more often than not, does not pay off. For someone who cannot bake, one would think they would follow the instructions, right? Most notably though, are the facial expressions and commentary of the judges tasting the treats; never have so many dishes been seen spit out. 

However, even after five seasons, the show never gets old. Due to Nailed It’s consistent switch of episode themes and diversity in contestants, there is never a dull moment. Apart from other cooking competitions, each round and its rules are the same, but the unique types of confections and skill level required to make them differentiate. One baker’s choice challenge may be pancake art, while another, a detailed self-portrait cookie. Whereas with nail it or fail it, participants are tasked to recreate a complex cake that stays along the episode’s theme. It is a surprise every time! Beyond this, Byer keeps it action-packed with a help button, creating amusing tasks or games for the more successful bakers to play, while the least promising gets three extra minutes to spare.

Yet, the best part is probably that Nailed It is actually very informative. Any time a baker is headed off track, the screen will display a frosted tip which will explain how to properly complete a baking task, use a tool, define an ingredient, or display what should or should not be done when working in the kitchen. While the baking process is chaotic, viewers actually often actually can learn something new. Beyond these, Torres will also express what a participant did wrong to result in such failures and help watchers from making the same mistakes.

As Netflix proclaimed, “It’s part reality contest, part hot mess,” but one viewers do not want to miss!

This crash course for kitchen dummies has become a hit and is easy to see why. From tear-inducing catastrophic failures to exhilarating fast-paced baking and culinary advice, the show has got it all. Look no further for a new binge, because the perfect cheer-up comedy and lighthearted confection battle is ready to be played.

Series director, Paul Starkman, really “nailed it” with this one!