Holiday Baking Championship returned with its Season 13 premiere. However, one judging moment quickly caught viewers’ attention. Kardea Brown faced criticism for her reaction to a cake.
Kardea Brown draws criticism for spitting out contestant’s cake
The incident happened during the first judging round. Atlanta-based pastry chef Curtis Lamar Scott presented his dessert. He prepared a spice cake with eggnog mousse. The dessert also featured white chocolate eggnog snow.
Brown initially appeared to enjoy the cake. However, one particular component changed her reaction. After taking a bite, she spit it into her napkin. “I’m sorry Curtis,” Brown told the contestant. She then explained what went wrong with the dessert: “It was great up until I tried the snow.”
Scott later admitted that the experience felt disappointing. He also recalled Brown comparing the snow to chemicals. The moment quickly sparked discussions among fans online. Several fans criticized Brown’s reaction on Reddit. One fan called the moment particularly rude.
“OK, Kardea was so rude spitting out the cake! Come on, no one else thought it was that bad!” the fan wrote. Another fan also questioned her reaction. “I liked Duff’s homage to Nancy’s ‘hand dance.’ It made me miss Nancy. So far, it’s good. I’m glad the teams are only in place for two weeks. I agree that Kardea was a bit over-dramatic spitting out the cake, though.”
A third fan shared similar criticism. They felt Brown made the moment unnecessarily dramatic. However, some fans defended the judge’s actions. One Reddit user noticed Duff Goldman and Molly Yeh struggling.
They also pointed out Brown apologized beforehand. The commenter added that judges sometimes spit out food. This also happens on other Food Network competitions. Worst Cooks in America regularly features such moments.
The incident comes during a season of changes. Brown and Goldman now judge alongside Molly Yeh. Yeh replaced longtime judge Nancy Fuller for Season 13. The new judging lineup continues to attract attention, but this brief incident has sparked debate among fans.
