Buddy vs Duff 3: Let the grudge match begin

When Buddy vs Duff premiered on Food Network, it was the realization of every cake lovers dream. Buddy Valastro, the famous Cake Boss of Carlo’s Bakery in New Jersey going up against the Ace of Cakes Duff Goldman, who runs Charm City Cakes in Baltimore.

After weeks of amazing and outrageous cakes, Duff came away the victor. But with a winning margin of just four points, you knew a rematch was coming.

Which is exactly what happened last year when Buddy vs Duff 2 arrived. The series took everything up a notch with the cakes going places no baked goods have any right to. The Star Wars themed cakes from the finale are still to this day some of the most incredible baking I’ve ever seen.

Buddy walked away with the win in Season 2, making things even at one apiece. Which naturally meant that a third season of Buddy vs Duff was on the way. The problem is that, does the competition really have anywhere left to go?

Buddy vs Duff 3 is a much more restrained affair then the first two seasons

The format for Buddy vs Duff 3 is almost exactly the same as last season. Both bakers have a crew of people to help them create cake greatness, each week centered on a theme. Also the cameras are back giving each baker a window into his opponents bakery.

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What aren’t back are the judges and the crowds marveling at the cakes. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the two bakers are presenting their work to a panel of 50 fellow bakers, one from each state, in the form of what is essentially a Zoom call. Also there are no crowds, just a studio space to present the cakes.

If that sounds really boring and not a ton of fun, it isn’t. One of the best parts of Buddy vs Duff was the crowds going ga-ga over the incredible cakes. With that gone, it makes the show much more drab. The judges I can do without since their neutrality seemed to change by the week, but the loss of the audience is a real bummer.

Regardless, there were cakes to bake. For the first challenge the bakers had to create a cake with a safari theme in 20 hours. Buddy of course went big, really big, and did a scene with a rhino and a crocodile in a pond. It was huge and since Duff usually goes for a smaller scale, Buddy thought he would overwhelm the judges with the sheer scale of his cake.

What he wasn’t figuring was that Duff would go big too. He created a scene that included a lion catching an impala mid-air. And it was life size. And it included a bird flying above the scene. And yes, it looked awesome.

The judges thought it looked awesome too because they gave Duff the win, 228 to 217. Buddy was not happy about the loss but hopefully in the future he won’t underestimate Duff and his crew. He obviously came to win and Buddy might need to take things to the next level with his baking.

The battle continues next week.

What did you think of the premiere of Buddy vs Duff 3 Guilty Eaters? Do you think Duff can get the win or are you a Buddy fan? Leave a comment below and let us know or join the conversation on our Twitter and Facebook pages.