With much of the world under quarantine amid the Covid-19 pandemic, picking the perfect television series to watch has become an important decision of the day. Making this choice is not easy, as an endless number of dramas, comedies, thrillers, mysteries and documentaries are all now only a few clicks away.
This makes it all the more surprising that the show with the perfect recipe for escapism during this time of crisis comes in the form of yet another cooking competition. Nailed It! has a major twist, though.
The Netflix comedy-reality-show-baking-competition hybrid is the complete opposite of The Great British Bake-Off, MasterChef, Cake Wars and Sugar Rush, in which chefs try to prove their culinary prowess in a highly charged and intense atmosphere. Instead, Nailed It! wants and actively tries to get contestants to fail.
Inspired by Pinterest pictures of amateur bakers’ failed attempts at making complex cakes, three people, none of whom should be allowed near a kitchen, are tasked with making detailed desserts.
Those in charge of proceedings are comedian and host Nicole Byer, renowned pastry chef Jacques Torres and a guest judge. Sometimes, the guest is a cooking expert, but more often than not, it is another comedian. Nailed It!'s continued popularity is proven by the calibre of people who have joined Byer and Torres for a snack and a giggle.
Previously, celebrities Ron Funches, Jason Mantzoukas and Jillian Bell put their taste buds on the line, while in this latest season, Matt Walsh, Fortune Feimster and Adam Scott add to the fun.
The judges provide a comedy commentary on the struggles of the three participants, before running the gauntlet and tasting their creations. It is at this point that Torres has to do the seemingly impossible and pick out a winner.
Since it is bankrolled by Netflix, Nailed It! has some genuinely exciting prizes to dish out, too. The winner of the first challenge goes home with a nifty and useful gift, while the victor in the second and final challenge receives $10,000 (Dh36,730).
Other shows would probably encourage their contestants to be nasty and competitive to claim such rewards, but not Nailed It!, which appears to have only asked nice and courteous people to participate. Even if they wanted to be mean, they couldn't, as they are too busy being awful in the kitchen to worry about their rivals.
But while the entire joy of Nailed It! comes from laughing at the inability of these wannabe pastry-makers, it manages to do so without being cruel or becoming uncomfortable to watch. Even when they are faced with eating the monstrosities before them, the judges somehow find positive things to say, which is all the more impressive because the finished products are always even more of an unappetising disaster than you could have envisioned.
Making sure Nailed It! is both enthusiastic and entertaining is exactly where Byer shines. Not only does she make the seemingly mundane hilarious, but she also almost single-handedly injects the show with an uplifting energy. This is best exemplified by her buoyant laugh, which you cannot help but join in with; it's so infectious, you end up smiling all the way through each episode.
Over the course of the show’s three seasons, two holiday collections and 32 episodes, Torres has become more and more comfortable next to Byer, fully embracing the programme’s inherent silliness and wackiness, while still managing to dish out handy tips.
Which brings me to the definitive reason why Nailed It! is the ideal show to watch as you self-isolate. It will trigger your sweet tooth, and immediately make you want to leap into the kitchen and bake. Especially since there is no way you can do any worse than the contestants.
Nailed It! season four is on Netflix now
