Great Chocolate Showdown episode 3 really tested the bakers’ skills

Great Chocolate Showdown was back on the CW this past Saturday and it was the best episode yet. The bakers were challenged to think outside the box and learned a new skill that looked a lot easier than it turned out to be. This episode had me on the edge of my seat.

The first technical challenge had the bakers testing their panning skills. Panning is when you coat fruit or nuts in chocolate by rolling it around in a bowl. The more times you coat it, the thicker the chocolate shell is. It’s not as easy as it looks, especially when you only have an hour and a half and you have to make a whole dessert too.

The contestants were put in pairs of two by T who won the elimination challenge last episode. T paired himself with Vanessa, Casey was paired with Andrew, Fadi was paired up with Trinity, and Kathy was paired up with Renu.

Overall, the teams worked really well together. Although, Casey dropped her bowl of panned almonds on the ground so she and Andrew had to start again and there wasn’t a ton of time left. It was definitely a blow. I guess the five-second rule doesn’t count here.

Great Chocolate Showdown adds some spice to the chocolate this week

Some teams also forgot to make chocolate a big part of their dessert. T and Vanessa were missing a big chocolate element in their madeleine dish and the judges called them out for it. If chocolate would have made more of an appearance, they probably would have gotten immunity.

The elimination challenge was all about spices! The contestants were randomly assigned a spice or herb. Casey, who specifically said how much she hated lavender, of course, got lavender. The reality show gods demanded it. Some of the other spices included pink peppercorns, cayenne pepper, star anise, cinnamon, and ginger.

The desserts looked delicious! Although, Andrew’s ginger creme brulee almost ended up looking like a poop emoji. Luckily, he quickly changed it and made it into a ganache volcano (the best kind of volcano).

Unfortunately, making it into a volcano didn’t save him. The judges thought his creme brulee was overcooked and was like “chocolate mashed potatoes.” So he was the one to go home this week.

Renu, who has done amazing chocolate work throughout the competition, won this episode.

Next week, judge Anna Olson will be showing the contestants how to use a mirror glaze. Based on the preview, it looks both amazing and super difficult. The elimination challenge will have the bakers making a dessert inspired by a cheesecake. Yum!

Did you watch this week’s episode of Great Chocolate Showdown? Who is your favorite baker? Let us know in the comments below!