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00:00Previously on Sweet Empire, 14 elite bakers and confectioners arrived at the Winter Lodge,
00:07ready to prove their worth.
00:10Let's go!
00:11Whoa!
00:12Not only do I have to impress the judges, I also have to impress my fellow competitors.
00:16Wow.
00:17My eye is immediately drawn there because it's so bright and beautiful.
00:21The face is spot on.
00:24The top six rose to power, forming their own Sweet Empires.
00:28Jonathan, you will form the sixth and final empire with one of these three talented bakers.
00:34I'm gonna go with Cameo.
00:35But for two bakers, their journey crumbled far too soon.
00:39I'm sorry, Yaya and Cory. Unfortunately, you'll be going home.
00:43Now, with the empires formed, these bakers must unite their strengths and prove that together, they're unstoppable.
00:51Game on.
00:52Let the Winter Wars begin. This is Sweet Empire.
00:57Yours truly, Lord Gingerton.
01:00Hey, bakers. Looking good.
01:03We're gonna kick butt, so all you other teams better watch out.
01:06I'm really grateful that I'm still here. Now the world is getting to see what I can do.
01:12There's only space for one empire.
01:14We are here to win, and it takes a team to win.
01:17If you wanna be the best, you gotta beat the best.
01:20This is starting to look a little serious, huh?
01:23Ha ha ha.
01:24It's go time.
01:25You guys ready to start working as a duo?
01:27Yeah.
01:28Oh yeah. Oh yeah. Let's go.
01:29There are six empires of two heading into this challenge.
01:32But by the end of the day, two will crumble, and their players will be picked by stronger teams.
01:38What?
01:42I knew it.
01:43They're eating us. Like, they're taking us.
01:45Are you serious? I just formed this empire, and you're telling me there's a possibility I'm gonna lose it?
01:50The only way to keep your empire growing is to stay on top. For those of you who rank the highest, this will be your chance to pick up a powerhouse player.
02:00Oh.
02:01And your empire becomes even stronger.
02:04Oh.
02:05If I could pick anyone to join our empire right now, it would probably be Jonathan. I want his sugar skills.
02:11Today, channel your inner child and build a showpiece inspired by a vintage toy.
02:17Like us.
02:18Old school, baby.
02:20The best ones, they spin, they rock, they roll. Bring your toy to life, and make it seem like it just sprung off of Santa's workbench.
02:29The judges are looking for vintage presentation, movement, and of course, delicious flavor.
02:36This is your first challenge working as an empire. There's a lot at stake. You've got eight hours.
02:43All right? Your time starts now.
02:50All right. Vintage toys. So, I'm gonna be honest. When I was a kid, I never had a toy.
02:55The only toy my mom bought me was a doll that, like, you know, like, when you, like, when it's, like, laying down, it closes eyes, and it opens up, you know?
03:02Yeah, well, the dolls, they're scary as crap, so let's go really...
03:06Any, any kind of porcelain doll, like a Victorian.
03:08Yeah, let's go Victorian porcelain doll.
03:10We're making a realistic vintage porcelain doll with a beautiful, cute little bonnet, a really nice Christmas dress, and then for our moving component, we're gonna make the doll's eyes move.
03:23This doll is going to be creepy because those dolls were creepy.
03:27They hid the porcelain, and then the rest of them...
03:29Yes!
03:30...is raggies.
03:31I'm the top dog now, but now I've got Lou on my team, and I feel like we are definitely the ones to watch out for.
03:38We've got the same weird sense of humor. I mean, she used to be a mortician.
03:42This is great. I really wanna work out how to do those eyes.
03:45Just something else.
03:46Okay. All right, let's do this.
03:48Let's do this.
03:49So for our piece, what we're gonna do is a vintage rocking horse.
03:53We're gonna do little tiny gold jingle bells, which will be our entremet, and we're gonna actually have the seat that's gonna lift up with a little compartment, and inside's gonna be our tasting element.
04:02That way, it's a nice little surprise.
04:04Just a little splashy, splashy.
04:07I'm going to make the chocolate whiskey cake, and Rainy's gonna go ahead and make the filling components.
04:12I am making an orange chocolate ganache, and I'm also candying some nuts.
04:16Tap, tap, tap, tap.
04:18In the oven.
04:19My natural instinct is to advise and to lead.
04:23Be safe with that knife.
04:24I know, they're sharp.
04:25Yeah.
04:26You know, I mean, 20 years of cake artistry, people would do well to listen.
04:30Popcorn.
04:32Syrup.
04:33For this challenge, we're going to be doing a vintage elephant pulley toy.
04:37We are also going to make the ears move so it brings some life to the elephant.
04:41I would describe my leadership style as a bit more hands-off.
04:45I like instilling trust in my team members.
04:49I'm really relying on Tatiana with her cake sculpting skills, and I'm gonna step in with the fine details and give the judges flavors that are gonna knock their socks off.
04:59Game plan today, we're gonna do a peanut brittle inspired cake, and because we're doing an elephant, we want to kind of bring a circusy element.
05:05So we're gonna do some popcorn in there as well.
05:07So kind of like a peanut brittle buttered popcorn caramel cake situation.
05:12We gotta create this huge body of an elephant.
05:15So I'm carving some cake and trying to get it done and stick it in the refrigerator so it's nice and chilled by the time we cup it.
05:23This is your space for the tasting element, okay?
05:27Okay, perfect.
05:28Let's get this bitch built.
05:29Quick.
05:30Quick.
05:31So we're thinking vintage robot.
05:32We're really hoping to do a basic body type.
05:35I'm excited to have movement.
05:36We're gonna have the head spin.
05:38We're also wanting to do like a little satellite spinning on top of his head.
05:41It's definitely gonna be out of my comfort zone again.
05:44I'm finding that that is the theme of this competition.
05:47We get some pineapple going for the filling.
05:49Yeah, caramelized pineapple will be so good with that.
05:53They don't call me the sugar daddy for nothing.
05:56I am working on carrot cake.
05:58Going into this challenge, my strategy is to let Sarah work on artwork.
06:03And I'm doing all the baking.
06:05I'm thinking of throwing in like a little bit of cherries.
06:08A little bit of cranberries for the season.
06:11All the fruits.
06:12Yeah.
06:13That sounds amazing.
06:14Oh yeah.
06:15That's sexy.
06:16I think we have to do like a commercial train that's gonna get like even coal or some oranges
06:22or something like that inside.
06:23All right.
06:24So we're gonna try to keep them with the Florida.
06:25Yes.
06:26All right.
06:27Right away, I was sure I was gonna make a train.
06:29We're gonna have the train transporting coal and oranges.
06:32All the structure is gonna be in chocolate.
06:34Because I know my skin in chocolate.
06:36I'm pretty sure Neil's got a strong skin in chocolate.
06:39And together we can make a beautiful train, I'm sure.
06:41Nice to work with somebody that does chocolate too, right?
06:43Yeah.
06:44Yeah.
06:45I actually do a lot of chocolate.
06:46I learned from Ewald Nader who's from Switzerland.
06:49He had a school in Orlando for a little bit.
06:51And that's where I got classically trained in the European style of this.
06:54All right.
06:55There we go.
06:56Keep this cleaned up.
06:57Because chocolate can pile up and get funky real fast.
06:59With the train, we're trying to show a bunch of techniques.
07:02He's gonna do some molded cylinders.
07:04We're gonna do some hand cut pieces, brushed rivets.
07:07All right.
07:08So, these are your wheel holes we'll need to drill.
07:11We've got connectors doing everything.
07:13Chocolate is a bit risky.
07:14I don't know what the judges are gonna think.
07:16But also, it has to be extremely precise because a third of a centimeter difference,
07:21that is the difference between a wheel turning and a wheel not turning.
07:24Oh, yeah.
07:25There we are.
07:26We've got the citrus cart, and then we've got the cold cart, which feeds the engine.
07:29We're gonna have the bonbons sitting in it.
07:31We're gonna make sure there's enough liqueur in there to really have a pop of flavor.
07:37Ooh!
07:38That got a nice kick.
07:39For my oranges, I want to show off a little.
07:41I will really use a lot of technique.
07:43Chocolate technique, sugar technique.
07:45I'm doing the orange segment now.
07:47So, I'm making this white chocolate ganache, adding orange juice at the end, and we're gonna whip it.
07:52Inside, we're gonna have jelly with agar agar.
07:55Adding orange confit and orange segment inside.
07:58We're gonna do the charcoal in one minute.
08:00One minute.
08:01The charcoal.
08:02The charcoal.
08:03The charcoal.
08:04He's using fancy French terms.
08:05We are making the coal with the sugar rocher until caramel,
08:09and we're adding some rye icing inside to make it pop.
08:13I know what he likes.
08:14He likes something soft.
08:15He likes something tender.
08:16We're gonna give him.
08:18Soft and tender.
08:20Oh, like my heart.
08:22I would just cut that a little more.
08:27Yeah, I mean, I'll do some fine work when the cake's on there.
08:31We're making a helicopter.
08:33Big cake structure with a pole going all the way through with a propeller on the top that spins.
08:40Currently making my tasting element.
08:42It's gonna be like my version of an Italian cream cake.
08:45And then we're gonna add a little amaretto for a little fun twist.
08:47I'm gonna take care of the whole entire tasting element.
08:49And Kami's gonna really focus on the structure and building of the helicopter.
08:53You got cake going in already.
08:54Heck yeah.
08:55Nice.
08:56I'm also gonna take care of the propellers and all the side pieces that really take this helicopter to the next level.
09:01This is awesome.
09:02Totally up my alley.
09:03Helicopter blades.
09:05Let's freaking go.
09:06Jonathan brings a lot to the table, but he's a big personality.
09:10Cheers, guys.
09:11You want it?
09:12No, I'm good.
09:13I'm working.
09:14So I need to be able to, like, rein him in.
09:17Holly, give me sugar.
09:20You're sugar.
09:21You don't need it.
09:22Doesn't count for you.
09:23I've got him focused.
09:24Everyone leave him alone.
09:25God.
09:26I've lost him again.
09:28I had him reined in.
09:30He was working hard, being a good boy.
09:33And I left.
09:35I don't want to be in the bottom again.
09:37It was a terrible feeling.
09:38So going into this challenge, I do have something to prove.
09:42Yeah.
09:43And then we can just test this, too.
09:45It's moving.
09:47Okay.
09:48Then, yeah, we're good.
09:49Okay.
09:50I'm just quickly putting on the buttercream, and then I'm gonna chuck the cake on.
09:54I've got Cooley going.
09:56Me and Lou are gonna divide it up pretty evenly.
09:59Lou's gonna make a lot of the fabric and stuff for the doll, because she's really good at doing the fine attention to details.
10:05I'm gonna be the one to make all of these tasty components.
10:08So we're making a sponge cake with a raspberry buttercream, a raspberry Cooley, and a white chocolate fouettine popping candy crunch.
10:17All right, cake's going in the oven.
10:19Perfect.
10:20Look at that.
10:21And then I'm gonna start helping Lou with all those final details that we really need to get done.
10:25Right now, I am gonna be melting some chocolate for the face, because a doll's face, it's very smooth, plasticky.
10:31So I feel like chocolate is my best option to get the smoothest part.
10:35The most important thing is the face.
10:37It has to be perfect.
10:38It has to have that, like, plasticky, almost lifeless-looking feel to it.
10:43All right, Holly, say a prayer for me.
10:45We're gonna make a mould with her face, out of chocolate, and then afterwards, we're gonna paint it.
10:49Go slow.
10:50Go slow.
10:51Oh!
10:52Look at that!
10:54Creepy!
10:55And awesome.
10:56And very Christmassy.
10:57This is amazing!
10:58Oh, this is so beautiful!
10:59Mommy.
11:00Mama.
11:01Mama.
11:02Got the whiskey.
11:04I mean, it's early, but, you know.
11:06I'm just gonna add it to the whiskey caramel sauce.
11:10For our piece, I'm sculpting my horse's head and the body.
11:14Renu's part for this is the chocolate runners.
11:17She's also gonna help with a lot of the sculpting elements as well.
11:20I'm putting those clay pottery skills to use here.
11:23I mean, why not?
11:24So hopefully these work out, Elizabeth.
11:26I am nervous about time management.
11:29There are a million things to do.
11:32All right, I'm gonna start that caramel.
11:34I'm just hoping that I can keep my side of things up,
11:38because I know Elizabeth can.
11:40There's a time for being delicate, and this is not it.
11:42She's hardcore.
11:44I'm just gonna take these.
11:46This is for our entremets.
11:48So our entremets are gonna be put in here and layered.
11:51Nice.
11:52Our tasting element is a Jingle Bell entremet.
11:55It's an Elizabeth's chocolate whiskey cake.
11:57My cheesecake.
11:58I've never made Jingle Bells before,
12:00and I'm feeling incredibly tense.
12:02I know it's our first time working together,
12:04but that's what I'm all about.
12:06Yeah, the details are what make the magic.
12:08We have a lot to get done, and not a lot of time to do it.
12:11Yeah, just leave it stride.
12:12Move on to something else.
12:13I'm gonna move on to the main.
12:14You have to melt it in the microwave.
12:16That just keeps it warm.
12:17Okay.
12:18Look at my little boxy beauty.
12:20Looks very good, guys.
12:21If you win, take me on your team, okay?
12:23That's called bribe.
12:25Hey, hey, hey.
12:26Why you jumping ship on me so soon?
12:28We haven't lost yet.
12:29Did you just shake your head at me?
12:31That's me judging you a little bit.
12:33Kids these days.
12:35I definitely think throughout the competition,
12:37my age is going to be something that people like to remind me of.
12:41But I graduated from the Culinary Institute of America
12:44with a concentration in advanced baking and pastry principles.
12:47So don't discount me.
12:48I know what I'm doing, and I'm here for a reason.
12:51And it fits perfect.
12:53Right here.
12:54Oh, shoot dang.
12:55Couple of chocolate bros.
12:57Ha!
12:58I'm confident because I got my best teammate.
13:00Niels and Francois in action.
13:01Oh, yeah.
13:02Let's go.
13:03Francois and Mills' bromance is so cute.
13:06Keep it clean.
13:07Keep it clean.
13:08Oh, yeah.
13:09I want to get them, like, matching shirts or something.
13:12And, you know, have them going, ah, to each other.
13:15Look, buddy.
13:16Oh, yeah, dope.
13:17Teamwork makes the dream work.
13:19Dream work.
13:20Take it down a notch.
13:21Bakers, you have four hours.
13:23Four hours remaining.
13:24Can you get Molly and Chocolate so we can start getting panels on?
13:29Dana?
13:31Dana!
13:33Where did my partner go?
13:35Every time I turn around, Dana's gone.
13:37Niels, what you doing?
13:38Working.
13:39What are you doing?
13:40You making, like, strips?
13:42Dana!
13:43What are you doing?
13:44He's getting ideas.
13:45Don't worry.
13:46But Niels has some chocolate going on.
13:47Okay.
13:48We've got to hurry up and get this done.
13:49We need to worry about getting that turntable affixed to that head.
13:53We can just do that together.
13:54Yup.
13:55La-dee-dee-da-da-doo-doo.
13:58Dana!
14:02Dana!
14:03Did you lose your partner again?
14:04Dana's gone again.
14:06I can't keep track of him.
14:10Hey, that looks pretty good, Francois.
14:12What you making?
14:14A little cage.
14:15A little cage.
14:16Dana!
14:18Dana!
14:19Did you call me?
14:20Great timing, Dana.
14:23Okay, we've got to hurry.
14:24We got this, baby.
14:25Where is Dana?
14:26Dana is doing the running.
14:28See, my strategy keeps Sarah working on the art.
14:32That means I have to do all the details.
14:35I'm doing electronics, motors, the isomalt, lights, voice activation.
14:40When you push the button, it'll talk to you.
14:43Downloading in five, four, three, two, one.
14:47Detecting Chef Wells.
14:49I hear you make a mean hot toddy.
14:51Download the recipe into my system now.
14:53Bakers, three hours left.
14:56Okay.
14:57I'm going to give you a quick little lesson on moulds.
14:59Sure, sounds good.
15:00It helps when you put off the rough size you think you'll need.
15:02Okay.
15:03Just push it in.
15:04Yep.
15:05Try doing it.
15:06It does take a little bit of work.
15:07I do think that, you know, all these little gold accents will really make it pop.
15:11They're beautiful.
15:12I just squish it and model it.
15:15Call it clay.
15:16I teach art, ceramics, so I'm really confident in my sculpting skills with clay.
15:21And this is a totally different environment working with fondant on these details for the rockers.
15:28It's hard to learn how to manipulate those mediums.
15:31Just to confirm these.
15:33Oh, this little mat here with the holly and the berries.
15:35No, you don't have to do anything to do with that.
15:36Okay.
15:37Because there was two of them, so I just want to make sure.
15:38Nope.
15:39I just gave you this one.
15:40Perfect.
15:41Communication is usually the issue in all relationships.
15:43So I just want to get it done and do it really well.
15:46I could take this cake out here, right?
15:48Cut it.
15:49That's what that's for.
15:50Can you take a quick peek, Elizabeth?
15:51You're only going this wide.
15:53Sorry, say that again.
15:54Can I see that?
15:55Can I see that?
15:56No, one second.
15:57Okay.
15:58I'm noticing that Elizabeth is super strict when it comes to her leadership style.
16:02And I totally get it.
16:0350 grand at stake.
16:05This long.
16:06Okay?
16:07I'll do my best.
16:08But also, you're here to have fun.
16:10Relax a little bit, love.
16:13Want some sandwich?
16:14Yeah.
16:15Oh, thank you.
16:16You want some sandwich, Cammy?
16:17Yes.
16:18That's so good.
16:19Mm-hmm.
16:20I know that Holly has her eye on Jonathan, but if we can win this one and get first pick,
16:27I'm going to swipe him from underneath her nose.
16:30What's up, Elizabeth?
16:31Are you trying to take me already?
16:32We haven't lost.
16:33We're going for a victory here.
16:35I just know who I have my eye on and who I'd like to come join the Empire.
16:39That's all.
16:40Elizabeth is definitely my one to watch.
16:42She's a force to be reckoned with.
16:44I'm coming for you, Jonathan.
16:45I want you on my Empire.
16:47Come to Queenie.
16:48We're in the middle of this challenge, and Elizabeth is already plotting who she's going
16:52to take.
16:53What the heck?
16:54Elizabeth, relax.
16:55We haven't lost yet.
16:56We might win.
16:57Telling us we're going to lose .
16:59So I'm using these little plastic round balls, and I am going to dip them in cocoa butter.
17:07And then hopefully, Lou, if I put it in this little thing, I put her eyes in there.
17:12And then when we put her head back, she'll close.
17:14We put her eyes, she'll go forward.
17:15That's awesome.
17:16Does that make sense?
17:17Yes.
17:18We're going to make the doll's eyes move.
17:19The only thing I worry about is making these doll's eyes move.
17:24I think I might have to cut this a little bit.
17:25This part?
17:26Yeah.
17:27I can cut that.
17:28Okay.
17:29The attention to detail that we have to do, it's a lot of work.
17:32Yeah.
17:33It's very hard to paint when they move.
17:34So right now, we're going to try to fit the art mechanism in, because we have to have
17:38a movement in our build.
17:40So we've just pulled this away from the corn, and we're going to make it real pretty, like
17:46a real dolly.
17:47I'm going to start dressing her up now.
17:49I think she's definitely going to have to bonnet her hair, so.
17:53Yeah.
17:54So I was thinking about giving a little bit of pleats.
17:56Yeah, that's wicked, right?
17:57Yeah, so I'm starting to cast the propellers out of sugar for a helicopter.
18:00Sugar propellers is a risk, especially in that kind of environment.
18:07They just, some mediums don't work.
18:10I think working on these sugar blades and taking the time to do that isn't maybe the
18:15most important thing, because I just don't think that they're going to work.
18:18Sugar is very, very heavy.
18:19I think it's going to, you know, it's that risk versus reward.
18:22He seems focused on making these out of sugar.
18:25He's the leader, and we're going with sugar.
18:28I'm going for it.
18:31Let's freaking go.
18:32They're on?
18:33Yeah.
18:34Awesome.
18:35I've got this last hard and hardened, and then we're going to test it and make sure it spins.
18:40I broke it.
18:42Damn it, Jonathan.
18:45I'm going to cast another one.
18:52We can make them shorter.
18:54But that isn't what they look like.
18:56To say I told you so doesn't bring me any joy, but I told you so.
19:03They weren't going to work.
19:04They weren't going to work.
19:05A little frustrated that we took the time, we boiled the sugar, we did all the things, and they didn't work anyway.
19:11So it was a lot of time wasted for nothing.
19:13I'm not going to fail because they want to see something out of sugar.
19:19Yeah.
19:20What is going to be light enough to spin and not snap on me?
19:23I have an idea.
19:24I'm going to use some cake board, and we're going to coat them in chocolate, and we're going to spray it in silver luster.
19:30It's going to look great, lightweight, and it's not going to break like sugar.
19:34I don't want to freak you guys out, but yeah, two hours.
19:38You've got two hours left.
19:41Now she looks like a flying nun.
19:43No, look.
19:44That's fine.
19:45Isn't that a bonnet?
19:46Yes, it is.
19:47Oh, it's so cute.
19:48Yeah.
19:49It's all about the details now.
19:50I feel like this is where I get to shine.
19:52I'm going to be a mortician, so it does actually help me when I'm doing some facial features.
19:56I feel like the dolls have very thin eyebrows.
19:59Yeah.
20:00I'm going to paint her eyelids a different color, maybe.
20:02Having knowledge in anatomy definitely does help me in my cake designs.
20:07One time I did a cake, and we had to figure out where the blood should actually shoot out from, like the femoral artery.
20:12I know it sounds a little weird, but that's very helpful.
20:15Perfect lips, a perfect butt and nose.
20:19Oh, how pretty!
20:21We want to have the ears swing, but you've got to make sure they're attached the right way.
20:27For the motion element, our plan is to attach the ears to the elephant's head with some hinges.
20:33Hold the cake, please.
20:40It's not going to work.
20:41No?
20:42The modeling chocolate, is it too heavy?
20:44Too heavy.
20:45They're like, fall off.
20:46They're not holding.
20:47The ears are way too heavy, and the structure is not good enough to hold them up.
20:52Come please, I'm just doing nice ears.
20:54Are we not going to do it with the hinges?
20:56They're not holding.
20:58But then the only movement we have is the wheels.
21:00What do you want me to do?
21:02I know it's not your fault.
21:04And I'm not blaming you.
21:05Okay?
21:06No, no, no, no, no, no.
21:07I don't take it like that.
21:08Don't worry.
21:09I just want to make sure.
21:10I have a decision that it's better not to have the flap ears.
21:14I don't want to get the piece to judges and the groove, and it's on the floor.
21:18We'd rather have a whole nice, done piece.
21:21All right.
21:22I'm extremely concerned that our elephant doesn't really move beyond being on top of wheels.
21:29We're missing one of the main criterias of this challenge.
21:32All right, one hour left.
21:36Here we go, crunch time.
21:37I'm going to start piping, so be careful when you move.
21:40What about the pieces on the runners?
21:42Am I good to attach them?
21:43No.
21:44Remember the very last thing?
21:45Perfect.
21:46Remember? Follow your list.
21:47Of course, of course.
21:48It's like a long list.
21:49I can't remember it all.
21:50Yeah, no, I'm just excited.
21:51We have a plan for a reason.
21:52I'm excited.
21:53I know you're excited, but stick to the plan.
21:54Stick to the list.
21:55I am nervous about those runners because when you're in a rush, you don't know how well you've
21:59attached things, how well they've set, and they are part of the moving element, and if they're
22:03not attached, it's almost like a fail.
22:06But we're sticking to the plan.
22:10There you go.
22:11I'm looking at this big, plain robot, and there's no details on it.
22:15We've got to hurry.
22:16Let's start painting it.
22:18I'm starting to stress.
22:19This is the main character.
22:20It has to be right.
22:22We've got to be fast on making him silver, because then I want to just hit it with some detail.
22:27Like that?
22:28And then this other one?
22:29Yeah, right next to each other.
22:30You're going to pipe around these, right?
22:31Yes.
22:32Our plan was to set the windows into the cake, but they ended up being a lot thicker and not
22:40as precise as I had imagined.
22:42So it looks rough at first, but you can go back with a wet paintbrush and smooth it out.
22:48I'm a little upset that we took the time with thick propellers.
22:52I would have rather used that time maybe more wisely.
22:5530 minutes, everyone!
22:57No!
22:58He's starting to look like a robot.
23:01I think the next build, we should definitely go big.
23:03I think we need to put her in the box.
23:05Looking around the room, I'm a little bit worried.
23:08Like, is our cake too small?
23:10That's better.
23:11That looks so much better.
23:12Yes.
23:13Mm-hmm.
23:14A little wee bit stressed.
23:15Just a little bit stressed.
23:18You okay?
23:19I just want to make sure that this is, like, moving freely.
23:22These attention to details, they've got to be perfect.
23:25I hope it's going to be enough to get us through.
23:29It's getting down to the wire.
23:3215 minutes, Bakers.
23:33You have 15 minutes left.
23:35This is coming together real good.
23:37I don't know what you're talking about, Nils.
23:38I'm trying to make sure that there is, like, enough definition.
23:42I'm going to start putting the runners on.
23:44Yep.
23:45All you need to do, chocolate on wood.
23:47The elements I'm most worried about are the rockers.
23:49If they're not attached, that's a big problem.
23:52It's not holding.
23:53Yeah, it's because it's not touching.
23:55I wanted to put it on earlier.
23:57Elizabeth, she didn't want it on earlier
23:59because she was working above it.
24:00She was worried.
24:01Maybe from the other side, do a bead of it at the top.
24:04I'm feeling incredibly tense.
24:06I don't want any chocolate elements that I'm responsible for
24:09to be the reason why we're on the bottom.
24:12Yes, we've got to get it on.
24:14Bakers, you have five minutes remaining.
24:16Five minutes, everybody.
24:17Five minutes.
24:18Let's go, focus, focus.
24:19Okay, I've got to spray this and we've got to put a little sparkle on there.
24:23All right, let's get these wheels looking right.
24:27One minute remaining, Bakers.
24:30One minute.
24:32Just as long as it hides everything.
24:35Five, four, three, two, one.
24:40Hands up, Bakers.
24:42Why was that so huge?
24:45Because I did it quickly.
24:47I usually like to be done, you know, not down to the last second.
24:51So the last rocker I attached, the seam wasn't as clean as it should have been.
24:55One of them is more messy than I would have liked.
24:58I can feel the angst, you know, the eh, just like building up inside.
25:03I feel sick to my stomach.
25:09Bakers, excellent job with your vintage toys.
25:12Christmas morning at my house never looked like this.
25:15Sorry, Mom.
25:17So I think we have to start with the elephant in the room.
25:21Aaron and Tatiana.
25:27I love the tusks, the position of the mouth open as if he's excited.
25:33And the skin.
25:34There's so much texture, especially around his eyes.
25:37I mean, the folds in his many lids all around his eyes.
25:40And despite being a toy, still have quite a lot of life to them.
25:43I love the piping around the saddle.
25:46It's not an easy thing to do.
25:48And that screams years of experience to me.
25:50But the toys itself, what we ask is some movements.
25:54It moves because there is a tree with wheels on the bottom.
25:57But it doesn't really move.
25:59Yeah, so we had a plan to do an ear flap.
26:02Oh, okay.
26:03Yeah.
26:04The problem was the ear was too heavy.
26:06And we were afraid that they will fall off.
26:08We'd rather have a solid piece instead of, you know, having a piece that has no ears.
26:12Technically, they didn't quite meet the challenge.
26:14And in this competition, one small bad mistake, and that could be, you know, for you.
26:20All right, let's try some elephant meat.
26:22So we have a brown sugar cake with a butter popcorn syrup, peanut butter mousse, a butter popcorn caramel, and chocolate candied peanuts.
26:32I can really smell the peanut butter.
26:38Oh, good.
26:39It's a good cake.
26:40Crunchy, flavorful, moist.
26:42Mm-hmm.
26:43Very flavorful.
26:44Who came up with the flavor combo?
26:46We definitely wanted to tie in with the elephant.
26:49You know, they eat the peanuts and you're at the circus.
26:51So we tied the popcorn to that.
26:53Yeah.
26:54It tastes like a chocolate bar.
26:55Oh, yes.
26:56Does it?
26:57Yes, you're right.
26:58And a beautiful presentation.
27:00Well done, you two.
27:02Jonathan Cammy.
27:03Wow.
27:08Oh.
27:09Ground control to Jonathan.
27:14You're clear for takeoff.
27:15I do like that it looks like a toy.
27:21It's moving.
27:22I have lights.
27:23Is the back spin also?
27:24You can flick it with your finger.
27:26That's it.
27:27You turn.
27:28I did it.
27:29I like that you make the rivet.
27:31The color is kind of cool.
27:33Jonathan, the windows are sugar, correct?
27:35Yeah, correct.
27:36Did you consider cutting openings into the fondant before placing the sugar?
27:41Because when you stick something on top that's already set or hardened, you can no longer mimic that curvature.
27:48So I can see where the windows are sort of very straight next to the beveled side of the helicopter.
27:53I can see this as well with the letters.
27:56Sure.
27:57True.
27:58Well, you want to try it?
27:59Yes.
28:00So we did kind of a riff on an Italian cream cake.
28:04A brown butter cake with coconut and pecan.
28:09coconut cream filling and a cream cheese buttercream flavored with a little bit of amaretto.
28:16It's crunchy, moist, light, flavorful.
28:21One little minus if you don't mind.
28:23Amaretto.
28:24I want a little bit more amaretto in it.
28:27I'm sorry, you know, I'm ready to party here.
28:30Great job, guys.
28:33All aboard!
28:35Francois and Nils.
28:36Wow.
28:39This is so cool, guys.
28:41How does this move?
28:42So first we can move it like this.
28:45And then you move completely like this.
28:49Oh, wow.
28:50Oh, wow.
28:51Working wheels.
28:52That's amazing.
28:53So did you make those wheels?
28:55Yes.
28:56It's 100% chocolate.
28:57I love chocolate.
28:59I love the different techniques that you use.
29:03You brush the chocolate to make it look like wood.
29:06Yes.
29:07Which is great and it's beautiful and it really looks like wood.
29:10But what I like actually is making tubes in chocolate is never easy.
29:14It's very technical, but I'm wondering what do we eat?
29:17We're both from Florida.
29:18So we want a train that just bring all the tasting to the table with our orange team.
29:24Florida.
29:25His accent is not Florida.
29:27On the right, you have orange ganache.
29:30Inside, you're going to have a segment of orange, orange confit.
29:33So multiple textures.
29:34It's all orange flavor.
29:35So your second tasting element is going to be a dark chocolate, orange liqueur bonbon
29:42to sort of finish everything out.
29:44Mmm.
29:45It's flavorful, light.
29:47The coating of the chocolate on the outside is very thin, just enough crunch.
29:51Although I'm a cake girl, I don't miss the cake in here.
29:55I love the light and airy texture and the bonbon was spectacular.
30:00Thank you guys.
30:03Holly and Lou.
30:06Nope.
30:07That's her.
30:08Wow.
30:09That is terrifying.
30:10I'm going to wake up and hunt your genes.
30:16Does she move?
30:18Her eyes actually move.
30:20Okay.
30:21And then her arm actually moves.
30:23So she's got a mechanism in it to make her arm move.
30:26Okay.
30:27The movement is going to be me running away from this one.
30:30This really looks like a vintage doll to her.
30:33I really want to compliment the use of corn silk for her hair.
30:38What a good move.
30:39Who did her makeup?
30:40Because her face, her eyes, her makeup, the way the lipstick looks so printed and painted
30:47on.
30:48It's just spectacular.
30:49The eyelash, the eyebrow, everything.
30:51Well, let's try her.
30:54So we made a vanilla sponge cake with a raspberry buttercream, a raspberry coolie and white chocolate
31:03popping candy.
31:04I love strong flavor.
31:06And here, you have the raspberry coming to you.
31:09Definitely you know what it is.
31:10The pop candy does delicious.
31:12But the cake is a little bit on the dense side.
31:15But the buttercream is light and go very well with it.
31:18Holly and Lou, thank you so much.
31:19Well done.
31:21Thanks for the nightmares.
31:24Elizabeth and Renu.
31:26Wow.
31:27I think I know how it moves.
31:31It does obviously rock like a real rocking horse.
31:36It's very elegant.
31:37The eyes, look at how real those eyes are.
31:40The ears, the mane, it's beautiful.
31:43I'm loving all the ornamentation along the bottom as well.
31:47I think that was a really good addition.
31:49Who made the rockers?
31:51I made the rockers.
31:52Maybe you like a little bit of time when you assemble them because we can see a lot of the
31:57gluing in between.
31:59But a beautiful job.
32:01What part of the horse do we eat?
32:03So yes, that's part of the fun.
32:06The saddle lifts up.
32:07Wow.
32:08With a little hinge.
32:09And sometimes people would even put little tiny secrets and toys and things in there.
32:13So even more movement.
32:14Oh!
32:15There is a chocolate whiskey cake layer, a cheesecake layer,
32:20and a orange chocolate ganache.
32:23And a whiskey caramel as well to help bring forward the whiskey just a little bit.
32:27I like the thinness of the chocolate.
32:29This is great.
32:30The crunchiness.
32:31A little bit on the sweet side.
32:33But the flavor come true and it is delicious.
32:36A lot of different flavors but they go really well together.
32:39Yes.
32:40As well as texture.
32:41And the shell is just perfect.
32:42You can bite into it easily.
32:44And just that hit of dark chocolate to coat everything is lovely.
32:47This is absolutely amazing.
32:49Well done you two.
32:52Sarah and Dana.
32:53Please bring us your robot.
32:58So we took it back to a really old school like back in the day robot.
33:03How does the robot move?
33:04We have a couple elements.
33:06Oh!
33:07Oh wow.
33:08That's one.
33:09Oh!
33:10Oh hi!
33:11Well wait.
33:12I can make him turn back and forth.
33:13Oh wait.
33:14This is a little poltergeist.
33:15If any of you would like to press the button in there.
33:18Okay.
33:19Yes, Jacques.
33:20My batteries are low.
33:21Please recharge me with 70% cocoa please.
33:26You want my Mr. Chocolate.
33:28Wow.
33:29That was awesome.
33:30I think your robot is an example of what ingenuity is.
33:38There's movement in two places.
33:40There's sound.
33:41There's lights.
33:42There's so much expression.
33:44That's what's bringing out the sort of toy-like nature for me.
33:47With relatively simple shape, you give it so much life.
33:52But it can be a little bit smoother.
33:55There is two boxes.
33:57And if it was, you know, one-third smaller, it would be a lot easier for you to make the details.
34:02How do we eat robot?
34:04So the tasting is in the foot.
34:06Is that a carrot cake?
34:08It is a carrot cake.
34:09We did a caramelized pineapple.
34:11Punched it up with just a little bit of rum.
34:13And then made Italian meringue buttercream with a little bit more rum.
34:16And kind of embellished with like the cherries, cranberries, to bring a little more Christmas.
34:21I like the holiday twist that you put on carrot cake.
34:24It could use a little more rum.
34:26Okay.
34:27Yes, a little bit more rum and make more festive.
34:29But it is delicious.
34:31You both did an amazing job.
34:32Thank you so much.
34:33Thank you so very much.
34:37This competition messes with you.
34:39Two teams are going to crumble.
34:41We're really scared about how this is going to go.
34:46This is where the game changes.
34:53There are six empires now, but only four will survive.
34:58If you land in the bottom two, your empire will crumble.
35:02And each of you will be joining a new team.
35:05Jacques, who's our winning empire?
35:08The winning empire is...
35:15Francois Anil.
35:19Oh my God.
35:20We did it with first place.
35:22The Florida Bro first.
35:25As you know, we base our judgment on the presentation, the innovation, the movements.
35:31The bromance.
35:32The bromance.
35:33The bromance also, of course.
35:35And also the taste.
35:37And you excel in all those departments.
35:40Congratulations.
35:42Francois Anil.
35:44There you go.
35:46They are the team to beat.
35:47We just need to break the two of them up.
35:50The second empire we've selected is...
35:53Elizabeth and Renu.
36:00That was quite the vintage toy you delivered today.
36:03Congratulations.
36:04Although Elizabeth has incredibly high standards, I respect Elizabeth's skills incredibly.
36:09And I trust what she believes will work and what's possible.
36:12There you go.
36:13Thank you very much.
36:14You're welcome.
36:15I love Renu.
36:16She wants to please and she wants to do a good job.
36:18There is a tension between us occasionally, but we pulled it off.
36:21The third favorite empire is...
36:30Holly and Lou.
36:34You did a beautiful doll.
36:35You deserve it.
36:37We did it.
36:38Our empire is surviving.
36:40So this means that two empires will be crumbling and one will be safe.
36:44My mind is immediately shifting to who's going to pick me?
36:51Whose team do I hope to land on?
36:53Honestly, I'm scared.
36:54And the last safe empire is...
37:03Tatiana and Aaron.
37:05I'm in shock.
37:06You and me both.
37:08You was tied with the presentation, with the other cake.
37:14But what saved you is the flavor.
37:17Your cake was amazing, so congratulations.
37:22A little pat on my back being that it was the tasting cake that ultimately saved us.
37:27Sarah and Dana, Kami and Jonathan, unfortunately your empires have fallen.
37:34This means each of you will be chosen to join other empires.
37:39I'm devastated.
37:40I don't want to be in this position again.
37:42I honestly hope that I've proved that I am a team player.
37:46I am a good worker.
37:48I just don't want to be picked last.
37:50Looking at the different teams, I don't know where I would fit.
37:55All right, safe empires.
37:57Choose wisely.
37:58Because the challenges are only going to get more difficult.
38:03Choose someone who will make your empire even stronger.
38:07Francois and Nils, you are a winning team.
38:10Which means you get first pick.
38:12Who are you choosing?
38:13The first thought is, is man, do we even need another person?
38:17Like, is bringing another person in going to make us better?
38:20Or is that going to ruin the bromance, right?
38:23Like, if you own a business and you hire somebody who is no good and they are destructive,
38:26it will destroy you from the inside out.
38:28So you have to protect the culture at all costs.
38:32So what do you think?
38:33If we're working at, like, hyper-realistic cakes, it's going to be Sarah.
38:37I don't think you're going to work with Sarah.
38:39That's fine.
38:40Yeah.
38:41Yeah.
38:42They're obviously going to choose me.
38:46You never know.
38:47That was a joke.
38:48Jonathan actually would be an obvious pick because we all have fun.
38:53We want to win this.
38:54Francois, who will you be choosing?
39:01Francois, who will you be choosing?
39:05We...
39:08Gonna go with Camille.
39:11What?
39:12I literally cannot believe that they picked me.
39:17I got picked first this time.
39:19I'm so excited.
39:22I didn't see that coming.
39:23Francois, why did you choose Camille?
39:25We're good at chocolate and sugar and we need somebody, a cake artist, with us.
39:29And I was very impressed by our beaver, so...
39:33Elizabeth and Renu, who will be joining your empire?
39:38We do already have a chocolate person.
39:42And unfortunately, as much as I love her, I do have a cake person.
39:46And that's me.
39:48So, for the sake of the empire...
39:51Jonathan, you sure do look good in green.
39:53Come on, get your butt over here.
39:57I was bloody shocked that the bromance themselves
40:00didn't actually go and pick Jonathan.
40:02So, yeah.
40:03I'm gonna go ahead and snag him.
40:05Of course I am.
40:06Especially before Holly can get him.
40:08Got a big head.
40:10Two empires remain.
40:12Two free agents available.
40:14Up next, Holly and Lou.
40:18Now here comes the hard part.
40:20I have no idea who I'm gonna pick to join my empire.
40:23Dana's really quiet.
40:24He's like secret assassin.
40:26And then you've got Sarah, who's super loud and energetic.
40:29I've really gotta be strategic with who I pick.
40:32We're gonna go with Sarah.
40:34Oh, really?
40:35Thanks.
40:39I crown you gold.
40:41Dana, obviously that means you can join your empire of Tatiana and Aaron.
40:47Happy to have you.
40:48So, being that we're in fourth, we don't get to choose who we add to our team.
40:51But, that being said, we are super excited to work with Dana.
40:54He's very talented and he can bring a lot of sugar skill to the table.
40:59Today, the empire has shifted.
41:01Some crumbled and some gained new teammates.
41:04Your mission remains the same.
41:06Get on and stay on a winning empire.
41:09And at the end, you could win $50,000.
41:12Mm-hmm.
41:14Seeing these new empires, this competition is really starting to get real.
41:19Let's do this.
41:24Next time on Sweet Empire, you'll design and build an edible 3D movie poster.
41:31What?
41:32Make him look real pirate-y.
41:33They kind of need to listen to me a little bit because cake, that's my forte.
41:38Remember the plan.
41:39I remember the plan.
41:40It can get frustrating if someone's bossing me around.
41:42We gotta get that sugar boom, boom, boom.
41:44If they want to go any faster, we're gonna be calling medics.
41:48You better bake like your empires depend on it.
41:50By the end of the day, one's gonna fall.
41:53Where's his hat?
41:54I don't have it done yet.
41:56Oh, .
41:57He's falling.
41:58I'm gonna end up at the bottom.
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