The Final Three: Who Is The Next Great Baker?

02/12/2013

Last week, The Next Great Baker whittled the contestants down from 13 to a final three -- Gretel-Ann, Jen and Ashley. But you just knew it wasn't going to be that simple. The first challenge brings the women to Las Vegas, and has them tasked with making and selling at least 400 cookies, 100 pastries, 10 cakes, and 10 pies. That's certainly not a one-person job, so Buddy invites each contestant to choose a team to work with -- from Buddy's staff and family.

Oh, but that's not all.

The final three are also given a choice of past Next Great Baker contestants -- including Peter, Paul, Em, Garrett, Letty and Melissa -- but are at the mercy of their fellow competitors to assign team members. Ashley gets first pick and sends her nemesis Paul to Gretel-Ann. Gretel-Ann then puts Garrett on Jen's team.

Each team draws up a planned menu for the challenge. Jen attemps to win Buddy over with an Italian amaretto cream cake, whoopie pies, caramel apple pie and a bunch of cream puffs.

Gretel-Ann chooses a chocolate dulce delight cake, along with a wide variety of cookies, and lemon bars and eclairs. 

Ashley opts for something called a chess pie (we're intrigued!), raspberry tarts and profiteroles and spiced, oatmeal, chocolate and peanut butter cookies.

Because she's not above doing something incredibly sneaky to win, Gretel-Ann hides the baking sheets from the other teams and alters the temperatures on Jen and Ashley's ovens. That. Is. Cruel.

The strategy works, sort of. Ashley still manages to completely outsell Gretel-Ann. But Gretel-Ann does manage to beat Jen, who goes home in the Las Vegas version of a box truck, a gondola.

And now it's on to the final challenge. Ashley vs. Gretel-Ann. Buddy wants both contestants to go hard, or go home. He wants them to design a cake worthy of the glitz and glamor of Las Vegas, but with a piece of themselves in there, too.  Again, they're given a selection of past contestants to choose from. Ashley creates a cake with an Ashley-as-Elvis theme. Gretel-Ann goes for a slot-machine cake. Special guest, *NSYNC member Joey Fatone is tasked with helping judge.

And then, ooooh twist! All of the past contestants are asked to vote for which cake they like better. Paul asks Ashley if he thinks "a 25-year-old kid" is ready to be the next great baker, and that really pisses Ashley off.

“Is that a serious question? You’ve been a condescending person this entire time. So for you to say…I’m a 25-year-old kid is bullshit. Life experiences? You have no idea what the hell you’re talking about. You don’t know me. You think you’re better than everyone here. You’re an arrogant asshole. You have been this entire time. I don’t need to answer your damn question.”

Tell us how you really feel, Ashley.

Despite her outburst, the former contestants vote for Ashley, 7 to 4. But what do the real judges think?

Yup, you guessed it -- Ashley takes home the whole damn thing! What do you think? Who do you think should have won the whole thing? Share with us in the comments!

Comments

[helen gould]

im disgusted at the way the show turned out you all talk about Ashley and Gretel but what about the 3 one who lost out tlc and buddy should give her a job or something its not right then Ashley not showing up on time for work well buddy you picked her as I said the 3 person involved is the real one who I feel sorry for and tlc should of kicked in shame on all of them how do they sleep at night

[cheryl]

Gretel Ann makes me sick to my stomach! If she won, I would have boycotted the show forever! Ashley won on her abilities, not by cheating!!! BTW... BUDDY, you shot;d have never allowed Gretel Ann to get to the finals with those tactics, because the next season's contestants will think that it is acceptable to cat that way since it "worked" so well for Gretel Ann.

[monniemon]

Iam very happy to see that Ashely won, however, i donot think Gretel-ann should have gone as far as she did in the show, this show needs to set some rules, like NO CHEATING!!! This is the next great baker, not the next disgraced cheater. She smiles and laughs like its a joke and it is expected but no one else sabotag their fellow bakers, they played a honest game, i guess she was not taught the word, Integrity. What does this show her own children. All she showed the world is that she is a backstabbing, lying, dishonest person. And the comment she made after ashley won was unbelievebly immature,selfish and totally crazy. She is a sorry excuse for a human and a more sorry baker, she even turned on her own friend and cried when she got kicked off,her friend never felt the knife gretel-ann stuck in her back. She cheated her way to the top and had a temper tantrum when her dishonesty didnt win, obviously she knew she wasnt good enough and had to resort to cheating to win, and now she smiles an say she was just playing the game, she needs to grow up and own it, maybe she can learn what good sportsmanship is even in her old age and then teach her kids, cause right now all we see is a cheat and a dishonest person,

[Cathy]

So glad cheating Gretel-Ann did not win. Wow she grossed me out, reminded me of elementary school. My thoughts were she needed to be disqualified.

[Lorrie brown]

The thing about karma is it gets you in the end...so glad GretelAnn's cheating and sabatoging the other two contestants didn't help her in the end...someone who is so bitter doesn't belong in a bakery...

[JL]

As far as we are concerned this show has lost all credibility by allowing Gretel-Ann to so openly cheat in order to get ahead. Buddy may have thought he was drawing viewers in, but he was wrong; we're not watching this show anymore. In another note so glad Ashley won over Gretal-Ann. Ashley may have spoken her mind, but Paul deserved it; he was more than a little condescending.

[Karen]

Very disappointed with this season... Gretel-Ann in the final?! Whoaa... So much respect lost for Buddy based on that bizarre decision. I'm still at a loss as to understand why on earth she even won the piping challenge. Her efforts were one of the worst. Jen was one of the most worthy contestants and in my opinion should have won. Gretel-Ann was nothing but a deceitful, twisted individual who didn't exactly have the best baking skills but would slaughter anyone to get what she wanted. Don't really have an opinion on the winner Ashley... But I'm just glad she beat the Gretel-Ann to the title!

[Jill]

I guess the one thing the next great baker does NOT need is integrity. Greta Lyn continually displayed her ability and willingness to lie, cheat and steal. She cut any corner and crossed every boundary. What would make anyone believe she would treat her customers any differently?
Ashley proved that she is an immature, foul-mouthed brat. She doesn't respect others, she does not understand the meaning of professionalism. The only one who deserved to win was Jen. I have lost much respect for Buddy.

[Ellen]

REALLY disappointed in this finale! What Gretel-Ann considered "competition", I saw as cheating. She should have been DQ'd on the spot by Buddy. VERY poor example of sportsmanship. What is that teaching our young people who may have been watching! Very bad decision on Buddys part to allow her to continue.