For some people, the holidays are a time for picture-perfect family portraits and impeccably set dinner tables that Martha Stewart would be jealous of. They watch The Great British Baking Show and study each baker's technique, ready to replicate their work exactly. These people have have a Christmas that looks like the most perfectly curated Instagram feed. That's not me. And chances are, that's not you either. For most of us, we're just struggling to make our lists and check them twice, let alone make everything look pretty. Well, there's one show on Netflix that is there for all of us. Nailed It! Holiday! is really the only show you need to watch this holiday season.
Nailed It! Holiday! is the Christmas-themed spinoff of Netflix's popular madcap baking competition show Nailed It! that pits average (and slightly below-average) bakers in a very friendly baking competition to recreate some of Pinterest's most extravagant edible designs. With this holiday edition, the silliness and frivolity of the first series shine even brighter. It's like adding a chorus of jingle bells to an already rocking score. If the holidays are about celebrating with as much joy as possible, then Nailed It! Holiday! has all you need for a happy holiday. Here are five reasons it's your new favorite holiday show.
Nicole Byer and Jacques Torres are the unlikely pairing that you never knew you needed in your life. Torres makes sense as the host/judge of a baking competition; Torres is a world-renowned pastry chef and chocolatier. Byer, on the other hand, is a comedian who mispronounced "fondant" for all of the first season of Nailed It! But between his earnest expertise and her laugh-out-loud jokes, they form your new favorite dynamic duo. Plus, Byer models a wardrobe of some of the best over-the-top holiday fashions you've seen since Mrs. Claus was last in town.
Each episode features a guest judge, and these range from funny comedians like Lauren Lapkus and Ron Funches to giants of the culinary world. One of the most entertaining episodes is when 88-year-old baker Sylvia Weinstock guests and keeps comedian Byer on her toes with some sharp wisecracks and a successful attempt to steal kitchenware. You'll be wondering when audiences will get a Sylvia Weinstock spinoff series.
Every frame of this show is filled with confectionary wonders and holiday decorations, which makes it an absolute delight to watch. And while Christmas usually gets all the attention on holiday shows, Hanukkah gets to take a prominent place on this one with an entire episode devoted to Jewish celebrations. Nailed It! Holiday! is one of the few shows I've ever seen that presents a fun and festive Hanukkah celebration that's just as colorful and decked-out as any Christmas one, and that's really refreshing to see.
Even though almost none of the contestants successfully complete their baking projects, everyone leaves Nailed It! smiling. No one is on the show expecting to be a champion baker, but everyone clearly has a fun time – and in some cases, an especially emotional time.
In this season of Nailed It! Holiday!, one contestant competes after having spent the last year recovering from a brain injury. She told the judges, "The first time I belly-laughed in seven months was watching you two banter back and forth, and build people up who didn't know how to cook. Nailed It! is the greatest experience I could ever have, because I no longer feel that I can't do it." If that doesn't make you shed at least one, you might be related to Scrooge. This is the heartwarming content the holidays are made for.
