- 19 hours ago
Gingerbread Land: The Biggest Little Holiday Competition - Season 1 Episode 4 -
The Final Chapter
The Final Chapter
Category
😹
FunTranscript
00:00Sugar and Spice, where five teams of master gingerbreaders came together for the biggest
00:07little holiday competition ever.
00:10Go bigger, go home.
00:11It all comes down to this, the season finale.
00:15Three teams remain, with Team Villa in last place.
00:19Being in the bottom two, two weeks in a row, we need to give the judges exactly what they
00:23asked for and fix all of the seams and make everything look seamless.
00:27Team Coastal in second.
00:29Our journey to get here has definitely been a rollercoaster ride.
00:32They think that we're the underdogs and we're going to show them what we can do.
00:35And Team Chalet winning the advantage.
00:38I feel like we're riding high, like we have this new sense of camaraderie.
00:41We're refocusing because we came here to win.
00:44With $100,000 on the line.
00:47And a finale guest judge that will have our gingerbreaders in tears.
00:51Fine.
00:52The final chapter is about to unfold.
00:54I am so excited that we get to be in the finale and we get to finish our project.
01:04This is it.
01:04Just need to dough big or go home.
01:07Hmm.
01:07Okay.
01:09All right.
01:10Sorry to those other people in those other teams, but we're going to win.
01:14Mm-hmm.
01:15Yeah.
01:15That's so cute.
01:17We really want to win because we want to prove to people that self-taught, stay-at-home moms,
01:23we can accomplish anything.
01:25But we can't start our finale without a big entrance from our host.
01:30That's me, Oliver Hudson.
01:32Oh, my God.
01:32Oh, no.
01:34Seriously?
01:35Knock, knock.
01:36It's finale time.
01:38Oh, God.
01:39Are you stuck?
01:44He did.
01:45This is gingerbread land, where the houses are tiny, but the prize is huge.
01:52We are talking $100,000.
01:56Woo!
01:56Now, only one challenge stands between a team and claiming the grand prize.
02:00I cannot wait to see how you finish off the fourth and final corner of your world.
02:06Before I introduce your next challenge, let's welcome back our judges,
02:10Chef Gilgannon and architect Michael Ford.
02:13Oh.
02:15For me, the holidays are all about joy.
02:19So, teams, your final theme is where we play.
02:26We want you to leave it all out on the field and create a fun and festive communal space.
02:32And we want you to add a touch of holiday magic, so your builds must include a special effect.
02:39Oh, my gosh.
02:40Think big.
02:41Dazzle us.
02:42We don't know how to do special effects.
02:45But that only spurs me on to try harder.
02:49Play isn't just your theme.
02:51It's an opportunity.
02:52Your creativity is going to make the difference.
02:54So, I don't want to see anybody holding back.
02:56Execution is critical, and make sure your new section integrates seamlessly with the stuff you built before.
03:04They're judging your entire gingerbread land.
03:07So, guys, remember, you can still go back to your previous builds and improve anything that the judges critiqued you on.
03:12And we're going to be bringing just a bit more magic with a truly special guest judge.
03:17OMG, you are going to want to impress this person.
03:22We have 12 hours to bake and build until the clock strikes 12.
03:28Ready?
03:29Go!
03:29We made it to the finale.
03:33All right.
03:33I am so excited.
03:35Like, we are so close.
03:37Okay.
03:38So, finale.
03:39Quadrant four.
03:40Where are we playing?
03:41The stakes are higher than they've ever been.
03:43What I'm looking for are different things from the different teams.
03:47For Team Chalet, I'm looking for them to soften things a little bit.
03:52With Team Coastal, I'm looking for the opposite.
03:54They've really gotten this far on how much heart they have and how warm it is.
04:00But I need a little more precision.
04:03Team Villa, on the other hand, lacks some of that warmth and softness as well, just like Team Chalet.
04:11I'm still looking for some holiday magic.
04:13I need to be wild at this point to give away $100,000.
04:17Yeah.
04:18Out on the line.
04:19Let's check it out.
04:20Let's walk.
04:21Maybe we can, like, build things around this big, grand tree.
04:25The challenge this week is where we play, and we're thinking to, like, bring a little bit more fun.
04:31So, this is serving as, like, the common recreational area for our village around the Christmas tree.
04:37We're planning to populate our space with a cookie shop, a coffee shop,
04:41and a gingerbread house for Santa.
04:43We're going to have a train, the playground, and a bounce house for the kids.
04:48I think I can step it up a bit with the isomalt techniques and make something that looks like a snow globe.
04:55I think it's a great plan.
04:57Are we so excited or what?
04:58We're very excited.
04:59We're going to do, again, like, a mix of the both styles, but Arlene is going to put, like, her magic everywhere.
05:07It's supposed to be the Arlene show.
05:09Oh, good.
05:10Yes.
05:10I'm pouring isomalt for the skating rink.
05:14They want to see more techniques from us, so we're going to incorporate an ice rink.
05:18The rink is actually going to end up being the special effect.
05:22The isomalt disc is going to sit on top of a rotating turntable to give the illusion that our skaters are skating around the rink.
05:29So, the ice rink foundation is set.
05:32And then I go back and I etch some skate marks into it because I want to make sure that we have this realistic look going on.
05:40There.
05:42That looks cute.
05:43That's so stinking cute.
05:44Oh, my gosh.
05:45I'm making homemade wallpaper.
05:47Susan is making homemade wallpaper.
05:50It's going to be cooler when it's done.
05:52Handmade wallpaper.
05:54I like it a lot.
05:56Now I'm going to start working on our clubhouse.
05:59I'm going to add the color to our royal icing to match the color of the gingerbread, so when I put the pieces together, they look just perfect.
06:08My son is definitely the motivation.
06:10I need to win this because mommy is telling him that if you work hard, you can conquer everything in life.
06:17Hey, Leonardo, this is all for you, papi.
06:20Hello, Team Coastal.
06:24Hi.
06:24Hi.
06:25What are you thinking?
06:27A boathouse where they can play.
06:31So this is a boathouse.
06:33There will be a pier and a dock.
06:35It's the hub of this community, so we're going to bring this boathouse to life by having kids playing in the snow, a seafood boil, a gingerbread house competition.
06:45There will be a horse and sleigh carriage going up the hill and a boat on shore.
06:50Y'all have had a strong emotional pull on everybody who comes in.
06:54We do this truly because we love it.
06:58We do it because of the friendship.
07:00I've known these two for a while now.
07:03Wendy actually lives five blocks from me, but then I met Jennifer at a gingerbread competition in 2017, and we haven't stopped talking about gingerbread since.
07:12As a team, we are staying true to our artistic style and the way that we feel gingerbread houses should be made, handmade, handcrafted with a ton of different details so that when you look at our piece, you're not having to be told what that story is.
07:31Hello there.
07:32Hey, Team Villa.
07:34How are you doing?
07:34We decided we would start by giving you guys what you asked for in the first three, trying to focus on covering some of our themes.
07:42Wow.
07:43So what are you thinking about with where we play?
07:46We are presenting a seaside play area where we will have one final large structure that is going to be open and lit.
07:54We have a Christmas tree, and we're going to have a few market stalls where we can put teeny tiny little details and really show how the community comes together.
08:03But I think one of the biggest challenges for us with this theme is that the Mediterranean has no snow.
08:11Not being able to use snow to make things look more holidayish, more Christmassy, we can't really do that.
08:18But are we in the Mediterranean, or are we in gingerbread land?
08:22I think that's one of the things that we can do.
08:24We can dream.
08:25It's the holidays.
08:26We're bending reality.
08:27Christmas miracles do happen.
08:29It doesn't really snow in the Mediterranean, and I think we really took that very literally.
08:36However, it's become clear that the judges want snow, and so we need to figure this out.
08:41So, Carolina, talk about what you're doing.
08:44So I'm working on the clubhouse.
08:46I'm putting a lot of people, like, dancing.
08:48That's awesome.
08:48And I'm planning to put, like, these lights that they go, like, with different colors.
08:52Strobe lights.
08:53Exactly.
08:54Okay, you ready for a tough question?
08:55Yeah.
08:56You're competing with these two other teams.
08:57Yes.
08:58What edge do you think that they may have on you?
09:01They're seeing beauty on their imperfections, you know?
09:05And I was so focused on the perfection.
09:08Yeah.
09:08So I'm just letting that go and focus on what makes these things alive.
09:15All right.
09:15Keep it going.
09:15The main priority for me is the faux gingerbread house, where you go meet Santa.
09:23Okay.
09:24This little gingerbread house is taking me the longest time.
09:29I'm seriously not used to this scale.
09:30The smallest I make is three or four feet.
09:33This is actually the smallest house I've ever made.
09:35So I feel like I can't do some things just because of that.
09:40I'm fine.
09:41I'm going to be fine.
09:42This little house will not destroy me.
09:44I realize I need a turntable so I can get the edges of the house together.
09:50There, a makeshift turntable.
09:52And then the worst thing happens.
09:55What, what, what?
09:57What?
09:57Oh, my gosh.
10:05What, what, what?
10:07Santa's house, it just goes kapooey.
10:10Oh, my gosh.
10:12I've never had this happen to me before.
10:15Do you want this turntable?
10:17I would love a turntable.
10:18I couldn't find one.
10:20The shame.
10:21The embarrassment.
10:23That's four walls and a roof.
10:25How do you screw that up?
10:27You don't cry.
10:29Moisture's not good for gingerbread.
10:30I'm just going to stick it back together.
10:32It's gotten my dander up, so now I'll go faster because now I'm mad.
10:37Oh, bloody.
10:39Susan, how are you?
10:41Okay.
10:42I had a little crash earlier.
10:44Now I'm bringing it back to life.
10:46Well, you know that I used to DJ.
10:48Don't you dare.
10:49Don't you dare.
10:50You will be building this.
10:56So for this challenge, we get to see our whole coastal community come to life.
11:02We want a boathouse that looks like a community center.
11:05I'm double layering the gingerbread.
11:07It makes things overall more sturdy.
11:10This is my last wall to do like this.
11:12We want it to look like somebody handcrafted that boathouse out of scrap that they took time to do.
11:18Is that your timer?
11:20Yeah.
11:20Okay.
11:21All right.
11:21I just didn't want to turn it off.
11:23When it comes out of the oven, we're going to have a front, a middle piece, and a back piece
11:28so that that will help hold up the roof.
11:31I'm just aging the boathouse a little bit with edible oil paint.
11:36Once I constructed the boathouse, it was time to pass it on to Jennifer to work on the metal roof.
11:41We're going to use white gingerbread that has been applied to regular gingerbread.
11:45With white gingerbread, you just take out a cup of your flour and add a cup of titanium dioxide,
11:52and it is a nice white.
11:55Okay.
11:56I would love to win to pay off my house.
11:58I want to be debt-free on that end.
12:00I just had a grandbaby.
12:02I'm a grandma.
12:04So for me to have my house paid for, and my goal was to leave it to my children for them
12:12to have a home base when they came back to North Carolina.
12:15That's my ultimate goal.
12:18The judges keep saying we need more Christmas.
12:21Yeah.
12:22And more snow.
12:23What do you think we should do?
12:24Give them what they want.
12:25We have that pump system.
12:28Mm-hmm.
12:28What if we shoot snow out of that, and then it could, like, snow on everything?
12:33All right.
12:33We know what we want our special effect to be.
12:36We want a snow-blowing machine.
12:38We find PVC pipe that is the perfect dimension for our air pump.
12:43We take a sugar substitute and add a little bit of our luster dust just to kind of make everything
12:49a little sparkly.
12:50Look at this.
12:51Aim it that way.
12:53Button there.
12:54This way?
12:55Yep.
12:58Whoa.
12:59I got engaged earlier this year to my fiancé, Christopher.
13:04I had promised him that I was going to take this year off of competing for gingerbread
13:09because it is so time-consuming.
13:12We're working up to a year towards the national competition.
13:15We're doing marathon days on weekends.
13:17So with the prize money, I would love the opportunity to travel with my fiancé, Christopher,
13:22to spend that time really dedicated to our relationship.
13:26Wow, that's cool.
13:29All right.
13:30See you guys.
13:32It should be good and hot.
13:34So the challenge is where we play.
13:36So we're going to incorporate an isomalt bounce house because my kids love to, like, literally
13:39jump on everything.
13:41We're going to let it cool down some.
13:43For Team Chalet, I would love to see some new techniques and this snow globe might be it.
13:49I'm hoping that I haven't seen the breadth of their skills.
13:53Yeah.
13:54All right.
13:55Moment of truth.
13:55Isomalt is this extremely hot, melted sugar that, you know, could very easily pop the water balloon if you're not careful.
14:04So much like you do with a dipped wax candle, you have to just gently build up layers as you dip the balloon.
14:11That's what we did not want to happen.
14:13That really concerns me.
14:14I want to do something different so that I can make sure that we successfully execute the technique.
14:21So I'm thinking about trying to make the dome out of gelatin.
14:23Oh, that's perfect.
14:24It's scary because this is for everything.
14:26Like, everything is on the line.
14:28My teammates are relying on me.
14:29I'm not going to be the reason why we go home losers.
14:33There's a nice, thick layer on here.
14:36I need to make adjustments so that we can make sure we're successful.
14:40Gelatin can't be crystal clear like Isomalt, and it's not going to be perfectly shiny like Isomalt, but it's still a very good backup option.
14:48Oh, that works.
14:49That is a bounce house.
14:50That is awesome.
14:51That looks perfect.
14:52That looks perfect.
14:53Guys, you are halfway through your time.
14:56Oh, my gosh.
14:57We have so much work left to do.
14:59We don't have roofs on our buildings.
15:01We don't have things painted.
15:03There's no Christmas elements yet.
15:05We are stressed.
15:08We've got $100,000 on the line.
15:10There's more pressure than there's ever been.
15:11What can they do to impress you?
15:13We'll see how people live in this space and not have too many barriers from one quadrant to the next.
15:19I'm dying to see what their whole vision is.
15:22Yes.
15:23I don't.
15:24I'm not in charge of that.
15:26Yeah, go.
15:26Go do your thing.
15:27Or do.
15:27You're running out of time.
15:29And for me, it's all of a sudden, it's like clarity.
15:31Like, you know what needs to be done.
15:33We're almost like a ballet group.
15:35We start doing the dance.
15:37We're going to be making a horse-drawn sleigh ride.
15:40For the sleigh, I'm going to roll out some red gingerbread.
15:43And then I cut out pieces.
15:45And I use black gingerbread for the runners.
15:48And then you kind of have to, like, cut things down, add things to it.
15:51I'm going to add in some gold filigree on the side.
15:55For the horse, we're going to use dissolvable sutures.
15:59And I'm going to drill a hole through where his mouth is, run the suture through, and that
16:04will be the reins.
16:05Just put the tube there.
16:07So we have to include a special element in this quadrant.
16:11So what's better than to have the fog?
16:14Fog will set in a coastal area.
16:17Turn it on, babe.
16:18There you go.
16:19Look how it's coming out of the crease.
16:21Look at that.
16:23That's what you want right there.
16:24That's it.
16:25That's it.
16:25For us to include, especially element, is a big challenge.
16:29We are not engineers.
16:31I'm a little worried about that.
16:33But $100,000 prize is a huge prize.
16:35So you take the risk to get the reward.
16:38That works.
16:40There we go.
16:41We've decided to do more of an open market.
16:45So there's very big arched windows in it, and it creates very, very thin pieces on the
16:50side.
16:51All these pieces here.
16:52I put Tylos glue on it.
16:54I just have to pray and hope that it dries in time for me to put it together in time.
17:00Things are moving so fast and so quick.
17:03I know I need a handoff painting to Greer.
17:06There is a reason that we don't let me paint things, and it's because I don't have the
17:11patience that Heather does.
17:12But I'm just going to go ahead, and I'm going to paint it.
17:16Oh, no.
17:18What happened?
17:18Sorry.
17:19I just dripped brown all over our nice white side and shutters.
17:25Dang it.
17:26Oh, that's not good.
17:27You dripped all down the side of this building.
17:33I know.
17:34I'm sorry.
17:34I try to paint over it, and the brown quickly comes through that white paint again.
17:39I don't like that.
17:40And the clock is just ticking.
17:42I got to think of something else.
17:43I'm trying to figure out if it makes sense that we would have greenery there.
17:48It's obviously not a spot for shutters or another window.
17:51We can't do anything like that.
17:52But eventually, I'm able to take vodka to dissolve that brown paint.
17:56So I'm absolutely thrilled when it starts working, and we're in the clear.
18:02Beautiful.
18:04Attention, teams.
18:06Put the gingerbread down.
18:07We are stopping the clock.
18:10Oh, my God.
18:11Come on down.
18:12Gather up.
18:12Here comes Oliver with this twist.
18:14And I'm just like, oh, my gosh.
18:17What is this going to be?
18:21Traditionally, Christmas crackers contain a toy or a fun riddle.
18:26But these hold your final story prompts.
18:31Okay, someone from each team, grab a cracker.
18:34No cracking until you're back in line.
18:37All right.
18:39Open your cracker.
18:41Release the cracker.
18:43Whoa!
18:43Whoa!
18:44That was aggressive.
18:47Team Villa, what's inside?
18:49Shining Star.
18:51Shining Star.
18:52Team Villa.
18:53Shining Star.
18:54We're excited.
18:55That's pretty generic.
18:56And we were already going to have a star at the top of our tree.
18:58And we think that works perfectly in our story.
19:01Team Coastal, what's your story prompt?
19:03Ring-a-ding.
19:04Oh!
19:05It worked out well.
19:06We could incorporate a bell on top of our boathouse without really changing the design.
19:11Team Chalet, what's inside?
19:13What are we reading?
19:14Oh, what?
19:14Let me see.
19:16Thumpity, thump, thump.
19:18Thumpity, thump, thump.
19:20Oh, no.
19:20What's that?
19:21All I can think of is rabbits.
19:23Okay, so Team Chalet.
19:24I promised you guys a special advantage after winning the last challenge.
19:28Here it is.
19:29You can swap your story prompt with any other team.
19:33Remember, this is the final build.
19:36Every choice that you make, it could be the difference between you winning $100,000 and going home empty-handed.
19:42Oh, my God.
19:43Last time we had the advantage.
19:45We didn't want to sabotage anybody.
19:47Thank you, thank you, thank you.
19:49But this is the finale, so I don't know.
19:53Yeah.
19:53Team Chalet, make your choice.
19:56I don't want that thing.
19:57I feel like we should change and get the shining star because a star makes sense.
20:03And we realized very quickly that we're going to get the shining star stolen from us, and we're going to end up with thumpity, thump, thump.
20:11No, no, no.
20:13Oh.
20:15Super excited about stealing that.
20:17I'm loving this advantage.
20:18Yeah, that was the best thing I heard.
20:20I mean, it wasn't the nicest thing, but also I'm grateful to have had the room to do it.
20:24I can't even front.
20:26Okay, guys, remember, our judges want to see creativity, overall design, clean execution,
20:32and now great storytelling in your builds.
20:35Let's restart the clock.
20:38All right, get cracking.
20:39All right.
20:42We had talked about putting a cupola on that barn.
20:45We can find a bell.
20:47We want to put a cupola on top of our boathouse.
20:49Then we're going to put a bell in the middle.
20:52The plan for the cupola, I ended up taking some gingerbread, I've cut it up, glued it together with isomalt,
20:58and then laid in red roof tiles all the way up the top.
21:00I think we're going to make a star to go on top of the tree.
21:04And what I'm going to do is I'm going to add a light, and I'm going to make it out of isomalt.
21:09Perfect.
21:09And then we put some lights.
21:11We'll be good.
21:12Very convenient.
21:12All right.
21:13All right.
21:13I'm the special effects girl, so I have to make this star shine.
21:18To make this shining star, I use a star cutter to pour melted isomalt in and cast a perfectly shaped star.
21:25And then I'm going to cast another one that I will then attach to both sides of that star to make it three-dimensional so you can see all around it.
21:33Carolina.
21:34Yeah.
21:35Yay.
21:35Yay.
21:37That's cool.
21:38We finally have a shining star.
21:40We're thinking to, like, bring a little bit more fun.
21:44We want to have this really big Christmas tree moment.
21:46We're going to have a train for the kids.
21:49This is deal.
21:50This is on earth.
21:52I have this crazy idea of using deal to cover our Christmas tree.
21:58So I'm going to start just taking branches one by one and then build my way up.
22:04This is time consuming, but I think it's so worth it because it will give a very, very nice impact.
22:10That looks perfect.
22:12Success.
22:14Okay.
22:14So thumpity thump thump.
22:16They've talked about, like, our stories are just not strong enough.
22:19Does anybody know anything about, like, Italian culture?
22:22I heard about a character called Lava Fana.
22:25Okay.
22:25And so she's kind of like a Santa Claus character.
22:27She brings toys and candy.
22:30That's how we introduce Lava Fana, because you can hear her walking up on the roof.
22:34What if we have Lava Fana on top of this big building, throwing candy to the children below?
22:41Legend of Lava Fana is that she is portrayed as kind of a good witch.
22:46With Santa, you could hear the reindeer's footsteps on the roof.
22:50While Lava Fana, children can hear her wooden shoes.
22:54Thumpity thump thump.
22:56She's an older woman.
22:57She has a shawl in her head.
22:58She rides on a broom and has, like, a burlap sack that she carries her toys in.
23:03I like this Lava Fana character.
23:04Give the judges what they want.
23:05Play up the magic a little bit.
23:07Thumpity thump thump.
23:08We have this giant world, so I am making a ton of people to make sure that our little festival is fully populated.
23:17It's a lot of effort.
23:18I put the gum paste in the mold.
23:20I squish it together.
23:21I open it, and I trim the sets.
23:23And it's just a long process.
23:24And then when it's hard, Heather paints them.
23:27Everything is super tiny.
23:29But super tiny things are super cute.
23:31But it's not going to look right until we have some sort of snow.
23:36And make it look like a real snowy festival and give the judges Christmas.
23:40Oh, my gosh.
23:42With the snow, it looks so Christmassy.
23:44It's not enough time.
23:46The hook is sticking, and I'm thinking, oh, my God, we're not going to make it.
23:50Here's the accident-prone one.
23:52That's so cute.
23:53It was just like going everything in snow to make it seamless.
23:58Oh, my goodness.
23:58I'm in disbelief, honestly, at what it is that we've been able to create.
24:03Like, it's so beautiful.
24:05We have a train.
24:06That looks perfect.
24:08We have ice skaters on a rink, a lit Christmas tree.
24:12And we also have a dance party going on in the clubhouse.
24:17Okay, teams, 20 minutes left, and the judging room doors are open.
24:25Before we can move.
24:27All right.
24:27Oh, whoa, here we go.
24:29We're the first team moving our piece into place.
24:32Slowly.
24:33Okay, straighten around.
24:34I'm feeling excited to have the opportunity to just finish this beautiful gingerbread village.
24:40And I'm also really nervous because a lot is on the line.
24:43Right there.
24:45Okay, ready?
24:46Okay.
24:46We are moving.
24:47Look at behind you, man.
24:48Y'all stop.
24:49We've got this beautiful, incredible piece.
24:52It really is personal.
24:53We're kind of the underdogs here.
24:55Are we good?
24:56That's about right.
24:58Team Villa, we've got about five minutes.
24:59Five minutes left.
25:01We have so much work left to do.
25:03The lighting part of this process, it's more difficult than I anticipated.
25:08Now I need to finish connecting the lights.
25:09I have to fix the lights or we're not going to have lights.
25:12Yes, we are in the finale.
25:15We have a chance of winning $100,000.
25:18But if we don't have lights throughout the entire build, we're screwed.
25:21We've got 90 seconds left, teams.
25:24Why don't we start rolling?
25:25I can fix this in there.
25:26Go, go, go.
25:26Okay, you got it.
25:29Team Villa, the final team in the judging room.
25:33All right.
25:34We have one battery pack that powers it all.
25:37And lots and lots of lights that all have to go to that one place.
25:4130 seconds.
25:43Getting down to it.
25:45Come on, guys.
25:46Okay.
25:47I got it.
25:48Christmas miracle.
25:49We have 10 seconds.
25:51Oh, my God.
25:53Hold on.
25:53Move out of my way.
25:54All right, go.
25:55Okay, you guys.
25:57Six, five, four, three, two, one.
26:03All right, that's it.
26:04Time is up.
26:07The building is over.
26:09You have completed your gingerbread lands.
26:11Congratulations, teams.
26:13And they're all beautiful.
26:14You did an excellent job.
26:16We hope that we have done enough.
26:19As artists, you hope that the judges feel what you felt putting into it.
26:24I feel very proud.
26:25$100,000 is a lot of money, and it'd be great.
26:28We did what we came to do.
26:29We did it well, and we're very proud of ourselves.
26:33We really pushed our limits.
26:35We've done everything we could possibly do.
26:37It's really in the judges' hands.
26:39Oh, God.
26:40Oh.
26:43Okay, teams, it is time for your final judging.
26:48Each of you have built a one-of-a-kind gingerbread land in a unique architectural style.
26:54You started with one house, growing with each challenge into incredibly detailed, miniature worlds.
27:02This is it.
27:02This judging is all about crowning our champion.
27:07Everything's on the line.
27:08This is what we've been working towards, this moment right here.
27:11But first, as promised, we have a very, very special guest judge.
27:17Her love of family and tradition and holidays makes her the perfect judge for our world.
27:23She's an entrepreneur.
27:24She's a New York Times bestselling author and the co-founder of Magnolia.
27:29So, please welcome the one and only Joanna Gaines.
27:38Oh, my God!
27:40How are y'all?
27:41It's surreal.
27:42It's overwhelming.
27:43I've dreamed of meeting her, and then there she's standing there.
27:47I feel like a kid on Christmas morning.
27:50I'm so excited.
27:51We're so happy you're here.
27:52Thanks for coming to play with us.
27:54Oh, my gosh.
27:54You love gingerbread as much as anyone in the world.
27:57Oh, my goodness.
27:58And building gingerbread houses is an important tradition in your family.
28:02So, what are you looking for today?
28:04So, for me, when I look at this, I think, what's telling the story?
28:08What is giving me that feeling?
28:10Because we all know that design is beautiful, but when you can go past what's beautiful and
28:15really touch the heart, the feeling of things, that's when things really start moving you.
28:21Oh, Jennifer, you're a little worked up there.
28:24What's going on, Jennifer?
28:29Beautiful expression with no words.
28:32You are so cute.
28:33Hi.
28:34Nice to meet you.
28:35Nice to meet you, too.
28:36Thank you for being a part of this.
28:37Oh, my God.
28:40Okay, gingerbreaders.
28:41Up first is Team Chalet.
28:46Tell us about your build.
28:47Welcome to Snowcap Springs at Sugar Pine Village.
28:51This is our version of an amusement park and recreational space for children and adults.
28:56We have a bounce house for the kids to bounce in, and that's actually a gelatin dome.
29:01And then we also have this train that the kids ride on.
29:05We have Santa out with you guys standing right there in front, admiring Susan's handiwork on this lovely gingerbread house.
29:12And then we have this really funky Christmas party going on.
29:16For our special effects, we eat.
29:23Yes.
29:24That's magic.
29:25So our story prompt was Shining Star, and it is this star on this beautiful dill Christmas tree.
29:31Let's start with Chef Gail, shall we?
29:33This is just such a wonderland.
29:36One of my favorite things is how my eye is drawn in and how I'm drawn in from down low to way up high.
29:43Like, there's so much dimension.
29:45And I love how you interpreted Shining Star, which is done with isomalt sugar.
29:49It's great.
29:50And the movement.
29:51I love it.
29:53You did an amazing job at executing this architectural style.
29:57The precision that I see, I think you hit every major architectural element that you can find with the Mountain Chalet.
30:03You showed some new techniques.
30:05You've been pushing for new use of materials.
30:07So I see that you've created, is it a sugar dome for the snow globe?
30:11It's actually gelatin.
30:12Yeah.
30:13So the isomalt was not cooperating.
30:15I think it was successful.
30:18We love to ski every year.
30:19This truly reminds me of a ski town that we love so much.
30:23What brings the magic to it, it's the twinkly lights.
30:27It's the pond that's spinning.
30:29It's the dill tree dead center.
30:32That you've created this kind of magic.
30:34It says a lot about your individual talent.
30:36My critique would be that there'd be even more whimsy.
30:39It is so beautiful and so impressive that my brain can't compute that this is gingerbread.
30:45Thank you all.
30:45Team Chalet, thank you guys so much.
30:48Exhale.
30:49Okay, team Coastal.
30:53So welcome back to our Coastal community.
30:55In this challenge, it is where you play.
30:59And so here we have our boathouse, and then we have our sleigh ride, and then our flotilla.
31:05Our story prompt was ring-a-ding.
31:07So we decided to add a bell tower with our lofty seagull at the top.
31:12Ring-a-ding.
31:13I like that.
31:14Would you like to see the special effect?
31:16Yes.
31:17Of course.
31:17Yes.
31:17So as everyone's gathering, they're waiting, but something rolls in that could spoil our flotilla.
31:25Do I just hit the bottom button?
31:26Uh...
31:27We had to learn to work a lot of things.
31:29Give it a minute to come through.
31:32I heard it.
31:32I hear it.
31:33Oh, it's coming.
31:35Fog's rolling in.
31:36That is awesome.
31:37It's a lot of pressure knowing that Joanna Gaines is going to be the judge for this challenge.
31:42That is so cute.
31:43You so want to impress her and hope that she can appreciate all that hard work that you put into it.
31:48All right, Team Coastal started from the bottom.
31:52Yeah, we literally did.
31:53But now, with this final piece, you've made it completely open.
31:56You can see the interior.
31:58There are small details we're getting.
32:00You all do not use templates.
32:02You don't stamp things.
32:03So I saw you making each one of those cedar shingles.
32:06I didn't understand how they get weathered over time.
32:10It has a storybook quality to it, almost like you're opening a pop-up book.
32:15It's great.
32:16Your craftsmanship is beautiful, very precise, very clean, which I asked for.
32:21Your special effect requires a lot of labor to get it going, but it is there.
32:28This is so saturated in story.
32:31Yes.
32:32And that's what feels really special.
32:34So when we step into this little world, it makes me feel like it's real.
32:39It's alive.
32:39But then it's also so dreamy and whimsical, which I think is that beautiful balance of gingerbread.
32:44Nothing is the same.
32:46And that's what I love.
32:47That's the craftsmanship.
32:48It's like you took every literal piece and said, how can we make this feel special?
32:53And that's what I see here.
32:54It feels emotional to me.
32:56I have a little seven-year-old boy who loves to fish.
32:58This would be his dream.
33:00Good job.
33:01Thank you, Team Coastal.
33:03Good work.
33:05All right, Team Villa, tell us about your build.
33:08Welcome to the Mediterranean.
33:10We decided that we were going to have a Christmas festival in a nice big Christmas tree.
33:15And we set up some market stalls.
33:17We have toys and things that we are selling to the children.
33:20Wow.
33:21We heard you when you said more open buildings.
33:24So we went with a very, very open building.
33:27Upstairs, we have the bar where you can sit and you can overlook the water.
33:32Up here, we have a figurehead that is a local tradition.
33:36La Bafana, or the witch.
33:38She kind of plays into our story prompt.
33:41We got thumpity thump thump.
33:43In Southern Italy, they do believe in Santa Claus, but they also have La Bafana, the witch.
33:48It is said that the three wise men approached her while they were taking their gifts to
33:53the baby Jesus, but she turned them down because she was too busy with her chores.
33:58And she regretted that decision.
34:00So instead, she gave all of her gifts to the local children.
34:03Little kids will hear her worn out shoes, and that's when they know that she is at the
34:08house.
34:08Thumpity thump thump.
34:09Is the shoes.
34:10Special effect.
34:11So we decided that this year, because the children love snow so much, that we were going
34:16to name our piece, Miracle on the Mediterranean, because it actually did snow.
34:23Snow!
34:25I like that.
34:27I appreciate it.
34:28I couldn't think of a better judge for this last part, and I can't believe that we were
34:35able to create something that she gets to see.
34:38Dang, that is awesome.
34:40And hopefully she really likes it, because that would be the ultimate validation.
34:47Yeah.
34:48So I love the realistic nature of it.
34:50I love the story that I'm hearing that I've never heard of before.
34:54La Bafana.
34:54I love all the details, all those little moments.
34:57You brought Christmas to this town.
34:59But I'd say my one critique is just that architectural anchor.
35:02I feel like it's kind of all the same level, and my favorite thing in this whole set is
35:08that church.
35:09And it's like part of me wants that right in the center to, like, ground the whole village.
35:13You show progress throughout this competition.
35:15So you have a lot of openness, the open-air porches.
35:20You have opportunities for people to enjoy this environment.
35:24I also want to commend you on taking a risk and saying, you know what?
35:27We're not in the Mediterranean.
35:28It is our gingerbread wonderland.
35:31And we can have snow if we want to.
35:33I like that.
35:34Team Villa, I love that you went back and added lots of Christmas stuff.
35:39The snow kind of ties the whole thing together.
35:42The walkways, you know, show just enough.
35:45I also want to compliment you on the fact that you have seamless build.
35:49There's a whole other level to this.
35:51I almost can't tell where the divisions of each quadrant are.
35:57We didn't have that last time.
35:59Team Villa, thank you guys.
36:01Great job.
36:03The judges have seen your complete gingerbread lands.
36:09This is going to be their toughest decision yet, absolutely.
36:12So when we come back through these doors, we are going to announce the winner of the grand prize,
36:18which is $100,000.
36:21So teams, please return to your stations while the judges deliberate for the final time.
36:27Thank you guys.
36:27You were amazing.
36:28Great job.
36:35Okay.
36:35So judges, we've seen the builds.
36:37I think it's time to make some decisions.
36:39Okay.
36:39I think my favorite thing about this chalet build is the scale feels very realistic.
36:45Like I'm looking at it and that looks truly like this little mountain town.
36:49Team chalet, they're precise with their architecture, construction of their roofs.
36:54They were doing calculations of angles to try to get some of these gables and ridges to line up.
37:00I can breathe a little bit easier, but I'm still like, ah, you know?
37:07Team Coastal, they are a complete contrast from the approach of team chalet and team villa.
37:15It's not perfect, but it's the imperfection of it that brings the beauty and brings the charm.
37:20It's got a childlike quality about it.
37:22It has a sense of humor.
37:24Yeah.
37:24Playful, but still very on when it comes to the architectural details.
37:29I love the elevation shifts.
37:31You've got this buildup and then you have these smaller moments and then it comes to the water.
37:34Like that's what makes this one so interesting.
37:36Yeah.
37:36That feels natural.
37:38We didn't get eliminated early.
37:40We got to build the whole thing and that's what we wanted to do.
37:43It's a lot to be proud of.
37:44If we didn't win, it's a lot accomplished.
37:47We did the best that we could do.
37:49We did a lot.
37:50Well, and everybody here was amazing.
37:51I'm like, I said, this is like being at the best beauty pageant you could be at.
37:56Team Villa, when you look at all of the textures across each team, I mean, the terracotta roofs are probably one of the best textures.
38:04It's incredible.
38:05Same with their stucco.
38:07They were true with thinking about like these sun-baked colors.
38:11You want to make sure that blue is not too blue.
38:13I mean, that's impressive.
38:15I mean, everything about it looks so real.
38:17They did that so well with the pie shop, with the greenery shop.
38:21Like those little magical moments you see during Christmas time that just make it feel a little more festive.
38:26I mean, we got the reigning national champ.
38:28Like we need to get this title too, right?
38:32Yeah.
38:32I mean, $100,000 is, it's a lot of money and it would be great.
38:37But I think we really need to be really proud of what we did.
38:41Oh, absolutely.
38:41Like, ah.
38:42Okay, let's go give someone $100,000, shall we?
38:46Let's do it.
38:47All right.
38:48Okay.
38:53Okay, gingerbreaders, gather up.
38:55The judges have made their decision.
38:58Team Coastal.
39:01What would winning mean to you guys and your families?
39:04I've said that I would love to pay off my mortgage.
39:08I have seven payments left.
39:10So that would be nice.
39:12And just to complete that.
39:14Thank you guys for sharing that.
39:16So Team Ville, you guys have been on the edge of being sent home twice, but you have persevered.
39:21As a team, what are you guys most proud of?
39:22I've not had too many partnerships with people where I can take something that I've created
39:28with my hands that I'm very proud of and hand it to another person and trust that they're
39:33going to make it look better than even I could.
39:35So I have that with both of these women and I'm very, very proud of what we have done.
39:40And I think that it's just the beginning.
39:42We are all bonded together now in friendship, in artistry, in talent.
39:49I think that...
39:49And just respect for each other.
39:51Team Shelley.
39:52So when you guys first walked through the doors, could you imagine that you were even
39:56standing here at this moment?
39:58I think I've been waiting for this moment.
40:01I'm living my American dream.
40:04I'm super happy with Aline and Susan because they are super talented.
40:09And I think we are going to inspire a lot of people to know that you can succeed when you
40:16do things with passion.
40:18My mind is completely blown.
40:19All of you women are magic makers and I'm just so proud of you.
40:25You're amazing.
40:26You're amazing.
40:30Okay, gingerbreaders, it's time.
40:34It's only one team can claim the prize of $100,000.
40:39The winner and the champion of gingerbread land.
40:42The biggest little holiday competition.
40:45It is.
40:48Team Coastal.
40:59Team Coastal.
41:01Team Coastal.
41:02We won!
41:03We won!
41:04We won!
41:05We won!
41:06We won!
41:07We won!
41:08We won!
41:09We won!
41:10We won!
41:11We won!
41:12We won!
41:13We won!
41:14We won!
41:15We won!
41:16We won!
41:17We won!
41:18We won!
41:19$100,000!
41:20Team Coastal are the winners.
41:21You brought your world to life like nobody else.
41:24Oh my God.
41:25How do we feel?
41:26Absolutely stunned.
41:27We're like when you do things from the bottom of your heart and from joy, people see it.
41:34What this shows is that when you work with people that you love and you create something
41:40that you love, it shows.
41:41And so, with their gingerbread lands complete, our sweet story ends.
41:47Happy holidays to all and to all a good night.
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