Where There's a Whisk by Sarah J. Schmitt - Starting April 24th 2021

[Mummy's Naughty Corner]

Life is what you bake it.

Peyton Sinclaire wants nothing more than to escape her life as a diner waitress in her small, North Florida town and attend culinary school. Top Teen Chef, Food TV's new show that pairs reality TV drama with a fast-paced culinary competition, is her ticket out of her boring future. It's a once-in-a-lifetime chance to make her dreams come true and Peyton is determined to prove to herself, and the world, that where you're born does not determine where you can go. However, once on the show, Peyton quickly discovers that there is more to the competition than just a well-seasoned dish.

As things start to heat up on and off the set, Peyton will have to prove to the judges that she deserves to win while trying to untangle what is real and what is scripted drama, and decide what she is willing to risk to win before her dreams end up on the chopping block.

[Katrina G]

Starting a bit early!

[Katrina G]

5%
(view spoiler)[ I’m not sure if it’s the author trying too hard to be funny or it it’s just a characteristic of Peyton trying too hard to be funny. Either way, somebody is trying too hard and the delivery isn’t hitting with me at all (hide spoiler)]

[Katrina G]

16%
(view spoiler)[ Wow Angelica is being way harsh. Did she forget these are kids she’s judging and not accomplished adults?

I watch Master Chef Junior with Gordon Ramsay and even he doesn’t critique kids the way Angelica is lol (hide spoiler)]

[Trisha (semi-hiatus)]

Can I join in too? I just got approved for this yesterday!

[Katrina G]

Of course!! :)

[Katrina G]

23%
(view spoiler)[ Jeez Caitlin isn’t much better. This isn’t the type of behavior I’d expect from adults towards a teen cast. This is so bizarre to me (hide spoiler)]

[Katrina G]

40%
(view spoiler)[ Dang those disadvantages are tough (hide spoiler)]

[Katrina G]

57%
(view spoiler)[ I just really can't get over how unrealistic these disadvantages are and the fact that Peyton seems to be the only one to get them. Even with scripting, no show would hit that hard on one single person every single time (hide spoiler)]

[Katrina G]

58%
(view spoiler)[ Oh no. And now they're going to say that Peyton cheated because of that pie dough, I just know it (hide spoiler)]

[Katrina G]

68%
(view spoiler)[ I feel like Peyton should have been given an advantage after finally winning one of the challenges lol (hide spoiler)]

[Katrina G]

70%
(view spoiler)[ Ahh I spoke too soon. But I think Peyton was dumb not to use it on Dani and Lola (hide spoiler)]

[Katrina G]

90%
(view spoiler)[ I'm starting to sound like a broken record here, but I don't find it realistic that Peyton would make it to the top two. It seemed like Paulie was always ranked pretty close to the top, so I think it's weird he got cut (hide spoiler)]

[Katrina G]

Finished.
Despite all my complaining, I really enjoyed this lol

[Brinley]

Ill be a bit late on this one, but ill start it soon!

[Trisha (semi-hiatus)]

Same, I'll be starting this in May!

[Katrina G]

I'll pop in to respond to your comments whenever you're able to make them :)

[Brinley]

Starting this one now!

[Brinley]

Up to chapter 3
(view spoiler)[ Ok, i just gotta say. Who in the world starts a conversation/relationship by talking about their dead relatives??? When theyre being recorded?? Like, i get it, these two have an "instant" connection, but thats a bit much (hide spoiler)]

[Brinley]

14%
(view spoiler)[ i hate how "different" Peyton has to be. Everyone else is prettier. Everyone else knows whay they're going to bake. Everyone else is better in some way. Come on, clearly shes an amazing baker, so lets see it!

And i felt like that thing about her accidentally making 2 pies was a bit too convenient, but oh well (hide spoiler)]

[Brinley]

35%
(view spoiler)[ Im getting a bit tired of Peyton's attitude. We get it, you're poor. But that doesnt need to be your entire personality. I swear she brings it into every line, and its getting a bit old (hide spoiler)]

[Brinley]

47%
(view spoiler)[ that just got even more unrealistic... Youre really going to tell me that a grown adult can tell a teenager she cant bake? On life television?? Even after shes had two dishes the judges have raved about?

And im still confused as to how her dishes in the last challenge were too "juvenile"... The challenge was about cooking for kids, right? (hide spoiler)]

[Brinley]

62%
(view spoiler)[ I have so many problems with the last 20%...

First off, she accused him of trying to hook up with her??? She has the personality of a dead fish, shes the only one with problems, and is constantly stomaching about how much better everyone else is. Theres no reason he'd want to hook up with her... And on top of that, all they did was light flirtation. He didnt even try to touch her!! Where did she get the idea that he was trying to hook up with her??

And also, ive watched cooking shows, but i didnt watch them for the drama. Do most people actually care about the contestants? I just like watching them bake/cook, not squabble with each other.

And why in the world is everyone out for Peyton? At this point, its unrealistic. You would think these people would be using their advantages against people who are actual competition, not Peyton, who takes herself out every time.

Finally, whats up with Angelica? Is there some history we dont know about her? Because theres no reason for her to be so critical and rude to Peyton (hide spoiler)]

[Brinley]

70%
(view spoiler)[ Thats an irritating goody-two shoes move. I mean come on, the advantages are there for a reason. If you get it, use it. You know Dani wouldve sabatoged you within seconds. She frustrates me (hide spoiler)]

[Brinley]

Katrina wrote: "70%
[spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[ I totally agree, she shouldve used it and made them pay. It really frustrated me that she didnt (hide spoiler)]

[Brinley]

Katrina wrote: "90%
[spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[ Definitely. Especially when we're told so many times this depends on how interesting a person was, and Peyton had nothing going for her. Even weirder is thay Malik made it, considering he had almost no page time. (hide spoiler)]

[Brinley]

Finished
(view spoiler)[ I complained a lot, but i did enjoy this. I just had to ignore that it was supposed to be realistic, and that none of the characters were fleshed out. I liked the plot and idea though (hide spoiler)]

[Katrina G]

Brinley wrote: "14%
i hate how "different" Peyton has to be. Everyone else is prettier. Everyone else knows whay they're going to bake. Everyone else is better in some way. Come on, clearly shes an amazing baker,..."

(view spoiler)[ I found it weird that she panicked about making a double batch. Like. Why not just continue making it as two and just send up the best one. Made no sense to me lol (hide spoiler)]

[Katrina G]

Brinley wrote: "62%
I have so many problems with the last 20%...

First off, she accused him of trying to hook up with her??? She has the personality of a dead fish, shes the only one with problems, and is const..."

(view spoiler)[ You basically summed up all of my complaints in one comment lmao (hide spoiler)]

[Katrina G]

Brinley wrote: "Finished
[spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[ I was in the exact same boat. I thought it was weird that there had to be so much drama included. I don't think anybody watches cooking shows for drama. This is probably one of the most unrealistic stories I've ever read and it was hard to get past sometimes (hide spoiler)]

[matty]

I think I’ll join on this late!

[Katrina G]

Great! :)

[Trisha (semi-hiatus)]

Madeline wrote: "I think I’ll join on this late!"

Yay! I just started this yesterday!

[Trisha (semi-hiatus)]

Katrina wrote: "5%
[spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[I agree, the humour is a bit overdone, but it's working with me...for now at least (hide spoiler)]

[Trisha (semi-hiatus)]

Katrina wrote: "16%
..."

(view spoiler)[SAME It's so weird, like aren't there supposed to be rules for this kind of stuff?? something like don't make the kids cry at least!? (hide spoiler)]

[Trisha (semi-hiatus)]

Katrina wrote: "23%
[spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[Caitlin was still better for me because it seemed believable that she would tell her what was expected of her, but Angelica was just not okay (hide spoiler)]

[Trisha (semi-hiatus)]

Katrina wrote: "40%
[spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[Yeah, it's like someone was sabotaging her...
oh wait, is that possible? that someone was sabotaging her? (hide spoiler)]

[Trisha (semi-hiatus)]

Brinley wrote: "Up to chapter 3
[spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[I'd thought the same too! Like way to put a damper on the mood, before hobbies, let's just fast forward to dead relatives who we're here for (hide spoiler)]

[Trisha (semi-hiatus)]

Brinley wrote: "14%
."

(view spoiler)[I agree, but I don't know, I was enjoying it a bit because it was like anything that happens, my first thought would be 'and how will this go wrong', and it was as if i'm competing with the book to make Peyton suffer (hide spoiler)]

[Trisha (semi-hiatus)]

Brinley wrote: "35%
[spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[Ooh, same, but then with the scene with caitlin, she's more or less following orders about playing to the audience's sympathy (hide spoiler)]

[Trisha (semi-hiatus)]

Brinley wrote: "47%
.."

(view spoiler)[Yeah, I think something's up with Angelica...
about the show, I think it's more of a serious baking competition than just a fun thing because they're going to get into college based on this stuff, right? (hide spoiler)]

[Katrina G]

Trisha wrote: "Katrina wrote: "16%
..."

[spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[ I also can't imagine that attitude would be good for ratings. I wouldn't want to watch something where a judge talks that way to a kid/teen (hide spoiler)]

[Trisha (semi-hiatus)]

Katrina wrote: "Trisha wrote: "Katrina wrote: "16%
..."

[spoilers removed]"

[spoilers removed]"

Honestly, same, it's pretty unrealistic.

[Trisha (semi-hiatus)]

Brinley wrote: "62%
."

(view spoiler)[I completely agree with every single of your comments.
Exactly, I don't even know why she was so irritated, didn't she already know that there needed to be drama for the show!?? When she was asked to play up on the poor misunderstood card, she should have known that the other contestants must also have been asked to do stuff?!?

Again, same, I never care about the drama, it just feels choreographed and forced, honestly all those interruptions with their commentary about their hate of other characetrs feels jarring, so I'm glad that wasn't in this. I'm usually watching to see people make beautiful stuff and feeling better about not getting to eat the beautiful stuff.

Exactly! this would make much more sense if the whole show was choreographed to get peyton to win at the end, so all the rivalries would at least add to the drama or somehting, but that doesn't seem to be the case.

Right!?!? It would make sense if it was going to be something like the judge hating her throughout the show and then being blown away by her final dish or somehting, but NO (hide spoiler)]

[Trisha (semi-hiatus)]

Katrina wrote: "57%
[spoilers removed]"

Exactly it seems rigged against her

[Trisha (semi-hiatus)]

Katrina wrote: "58%
[spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[I'll be honest, at that point, I'd thought it was going to be like this whole nefarious plot with one of the judges cheating and getting Peyton to win, and that's why the pie dough ended up in that shelf. (hide spoiler)]

[Trisha (semi-hiatus)]

Katrina wrote: "68%
[spoilers removed]"

Yeah, it's like they completely forgot about that

[Trisha (semi-hiatus)]

Katrina wrote: "70%
[spoilers removed]"

Nah, for me, I was okay with it? But she should definitely have used it

[Trisha (semi-hiatus)]

Katrina wrote: "90%
[spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[EXACTLY I had this whole nefarious plot theory going on butting nothing seemed to happen (hide spoiler)]

[Trisha (semi-hiatus)]

Brinley wrote: "70%
[spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[Same, but like in a way that it might help her win points with the audience, but still, it would have been pretty cool to see Dani pulled down a peg or too, but she was behaving pretty weirdly off camera (hide spoiler)]