Come for the jokes, laugh at the cakes - but DON'T eat them - and if all else fails,
call for Wes. Stay tuned to find out what the cameras don't show you on "Nailed It!"
"Nailed It!" definitely follows the formula for easy Netflix binge-watches,
partially thanks to its easy to digest 30-minute episodes. It may seem like with all of the new
seasons and iterations of the show that it would be easy to churn out new episodes,
but it turns out that filming is quite a process for everyone involved. Host Nicole Byer told
Vulture that filming actually means cast and crew undertake a 12-hour process that includes
time for hair, makeup, and wardrobe fitting, with actual filming taking about 10 hours.
All this means that Netflix has literally hundreds of hours of unseen "Nailed It!" footage
that never made it off the cutting room floor. Even though the bakers
are only given a few hours to present their creations for each challenge,
it adds up quickly. We can only imagine the delusional conversations going on between Byer,
chef Jacques Torres, and the rest of the group while they're stuck in a studio for hours on end.
The obstacles on "Nailed It!" range from predictable to outrageous.
Turns out it's also quite a process for the producers to determine which
challenges will make it to the final episodes as they can't be too easy,
because the point of the show is for the guests to fail in an amusing way.
If each task was absolutely impossible, however, the competitors might give up before even trying.
The show's culinary producer Kim Seeley explained to Variety that it's a long
process to figure out the right cakes and goodies to model for the show. That process
also includes a few rounds of development and testing with folks who remain strictly
behind the scenes. Seeley said the "Nailed It!" crew finds test contestants who are not
filmed for the series to try out the challenges before they make it to the studio, explaining,
"We set up everything just as if they were on the show,
and then we tailor things like the time or the extra details."
Unlike many other popular cooking competitions, "Nailed It!" makes it relatively easy to get in
on the fun. The participants aren't expected to be expert bakers, for one. In fact,
Netflix is actually looking for the opposite.
When the show first came out, in fact, it was almost too easy to get cast. All
that it took was an email to "Nailed It!" casting agents with your name
and a photo of your most ambitious baking creation to get your place in the running.
Nowadays, considering the show's widespread popularity, making it to set as a contestant
is more involved. You can apply to be on "Nailed It!" online via an extensive survey filled with
questions. According to Magical Elves, not only do casting agents want to know your
personal information, but they also expect you to provide links to your social media profiles,
references to people who can attest to your lack of baking skills, photos of yourself and your
baking creations, and a video of yourself baking something from start to finish.
In retrospect, it's definitely more work than it used to be in the early days of the series.
"Nailed It!" host Nicole Byer is an open book, and that's putting it lightly.
"Ugh, I'm just dealing with things. This boy unfollowed me today on Instagram-"
"What?! What?!" "- And I'm REELING!"
It's what makes her such a memorable part of "Nailed It!" even though she has no baking
or cooking skills whatsoever. Ultimately, she's the catalyst for the laughter that
makes the show so unique. Her reactions to some of the cakes that she is forced to eat
and judge tells the audience everything they need to know about whatever she's biting into,
good or bad. However, since so much "Nailed It!" footage goes unseen,
there are plenty of deleted scenes, some of which features super not safe for work jokes from Byer.
In an interview with Vulture, Byer wasn't shy about sharing the naughty jokes she
makes while filming. The comedian explained that during 10 hours of filming, she can cut loose.
As such, editors could essentially create three different versions of the show,
with one decidedly clean version amongst them, with Byer saying -
"You could do wild, mild, or tame. I think they went in between tame and mild.
There's a little innuendo in the show, but I don't think it's any more than, like, a Disney movie."
Jacques Torres is a world-renowned pastry chef, which means that he simply doesn't have the
time to both host "Nailed It!" and create all of the sample cakes seen on the show.
That's actually a job for Charity George, the secret chef employed by the Netflix show.
George told Entertainment Weekly that she is seriously busy, often baking four items a
day on the job, but she remains a professional. And she does get screen time, of a sort, saying
"The hands you see making the things when Jacques's explaining how to do it the right way,
that's this right here, that's me."
George has been a professional baker for more than 30 years and has had a life-long affinity
for baking. However, that doesn't mean that she's perfect. On one sweltering occasion, she recalled,
"We had the AC that didn't quite stay up to snuff. All of these massive chocolate things
literally came apart."
It really proves that everyone can fail, even the experts,
and sometimes that imperfection is way more entertaining than a picture-perfect cake.
Chef Charity George may be in charge of actually making the showpiece cakes, but picking the
inspiration for each one is quite a different yet still involved process for the "Nailed It!" crew.
Culinary producer Kim Seeley told Variety that they consider current events, hot topics,
and untouched subjects when trying to find inspiration for the desserts. Then the team
tries to decide which would be best when viewed through a comedic lens, with Seeley explaining -
"From there, it's just honing the techniques and the things
that will make people just giggle uncontrollably in the final product."
"Nailed It!" creators also have to consider the different formats,
such as the show's doubles competition, "Nailed It: Double Trouble." In that instance,
show runners realized that two people can accomplish more than one. In response,
they increased the difficulty of the challenge as well as the time allotted to the teams.
Though the format may seem skewed at first, "Nailed It!" contestants aren't
totally set up to fail. They are provided with ingredients, basic instructions, and,
occasionally, an added helping hand to at least encourage them to deliver a finished product
to the judges. Yet, the one basic tool that they do not receive is, surprisingly enough,
a timer. Yes, the harsh truth is that they have to watch the countdown clock
and do the math on the fly to make sure their cakes come out just right.
Actor and comedian Paul Scheer spoke to CinemaBlend about his
surprise over the lack of cooking timers when he competed on the show, explaining,
"If I need to cook a cake for 25 minutes, I have to like mentally keep track of it,"
"Guys, with respect, I want everybody here to know - 25 MINUTES LEFT! HURRY UP!"
He added that it was an unforeseen difficulty that threw him for a loop
while filming. His biggest advice to future competitors is to be mindful of the clock,
but take your time in the beginning to set yourself up for success.
Real "Nailed It!" fans are well aware of Nicole Byer's minion and object of affection, Wes, who
is an associate director for the show and is often seen joking with Torres or forgetting the winner's
trophy during the show's highly-anticipated final moment. Thanks to Byer's nonstop on-camera
teasing of her coworker, Wes Bahr has become one of the stars of the show in his own right.
Even though Byer might get a little flirty with Bahr, it's all harmless and based on friendship.
If you're a fan hoping to see Bahr and Byer fall in love, then we have some bad news for you.
Bahr is actually a happily married father, according to Good Housekeeping.
Byer claims that the stage manager sort of loves the attention she gives him,
but it's all in good fun and very definitely not romantic. Bahr is also busy behind the scenes
elsewhere in Hollywood, with production credits on shows like "Top Chef" and "Supermarket Stakeout".
We all love "Nailed It!" for the hilarious hosts and unconventional competitors,
but the truth is that the show would be nothing without the behind the scenes crew
making it all happen. Yet some viewers may not be aware that production for Season 7
was shut down at the beginning of 2022, just four episodes into the filming schedule.
The 50-person crew wanted a union contract from their production company, Magic Elves.
However, according to Giant Freakin Robot, the company would not come to the bargaining table
and instead went for the nuclear option and simply shut down the show.
Entertainment Weekly explained that the protest from the "Nailed It!" crew was in solidarity
with the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees,
an organization made up of more than 150,000 entertainment workers raising their voices
to point out issues like lack of benefits and long work hours. It's important to remember that
there are real people responsible for creating the shows we binge-watch on a regular basis,
a fact made all the more apparent by the "Nailed It!" production woes.
It might seem like the cast and crew of "Nailed It!" get to chow down on endless cakes, cookies,
and other pastries after those long days of filming. However, the show's culinary producer
Kim Seeley revealed to Variety that the cakes actually aren't a popular treat for those on set.
First of all, after being moved around on set all day under hot lights,
the cakes aren't exactly appetizing when filming wraps. In fact, Seeleys says it's
rare that they stay standing up and often fall apart completely at the end of the day.
Additionally, we have to remember that "Nailed It!" bakers are far from experts in their craft,
"I'm so sorry. I was gonna be nice. Oh that's awful!"
"How much salt did you put in there?"
"You put only salt in that."
As Seeley explained -
"They are doing this as quickly as humanly possible, essentially,
and they are people who are familiar with the kitchen but not the best."
That's probably the nicest way to put it, but we are willing to
bet that the example cakes are a more popular snack around the Netflix set.