01x08 - Bridge to Victory

[bunniefuu]

[dramatic music playing]

{\an8}This competition has heated up so much
since we started and we're still here.

[Cindy] Still shocked.

{\an8}-We don't really have the words.
-It feels...

It feels insane to be in the finals.

{\an8}I'm feeling an equal mix of awesomeness,

{\an8}because we've kicked butt
to this point. We're in the finale.

And I'm also feeling slightly terrified
because we're in the finale.

{\an8}[Justin] Welcome, bakineers.

This is your
{\an8}Baking Impossible grand finale.

[softly] Yeah. That's crazy.

[Justin] Cindy and Taylor,
Rodolfo and Sara.

We started with nine teams.

And now, here we are at our final mission.

And this mission is
all that stands between you,

$100,000,

and being crowned world's best bakineers.

You guys ready for this?

-Yeah.
-Yeah?

Judges, since it is the last mission,
maybe we all hit it together.

-Oh, wow.
-Oh, yeah!

All right, let's hit it in three, two...

-[all exclaim]
-Oh, my God.

[woman] Mission launch in three...

-[Cindy] I'm dead.
-[Taylor] God.

...two, one, go.

[Justin] Come on, bake and build
like there's $100,000 on the line.

Wow, finale.

[exhales heavily]

Bridges, bridges, bridges.

-Bridges.
-That's the key. Okay.

-[Cindy] Four-feet bridge across water.
-[Taylor] Moving bridge function.

[Cindy] Two-feet cake landmasses.
Okay. Must include cake... Ooh!

[Sara] ...confection and candy.

There's gonna be a boat
that goes under it,

a car that goes over it,
and then weights that go on it.

-We need to... Yeah.
-Needs to be a big bridge.

For this finale,
we wanted to challenge our bakineers

with something
beyond what they'd encountered.

So, we took
one of the classic engineering structures

and of course we had to take it up a gear.
So, we've made it almost impossible.

Our bakineers have to bake
and build an edible bridge

on a platform that's 16 by 9 feet

and their bridge has to span
a 4-foot body of water.

They'll have two nine-hour days
to complete the challenge.

{\an8}Okay, from an engineering perspective,

{\an8}it's got to be a bridge that lifts up
and can support a bunch of weight.

{\an8}So I'm thinking like
a drawbridge kind of style, you know.

{\an8}So, we can pull this way,
pull this way, and this will go up,

so the boat can go through the middle.

I think a vertical lift bridge,

which is basically two pillars
and then something across

is gonna be the most simple way

to make this happen.

This is the finale. So, we've not got
just one stress test today.

We've got three.

First of all, their edible bridge
has to have the ability to move itself

so we can drive
a motorized boat under them.

Secondly, we're going to be driving
a weighted car over the bridge.

If they manage
to pass those first two tests,

we go on to the third and final test.

They are going to be loading weights
onto their bridge,

firstly in ten-pound increments
and then in 20-pound increments

up to 150 pounds.

My gosh.

You don't think
this is too stressful of a test?

Not at all. This is the grand finale.

While we're allowing
for some nonedible materials

for structural support,

the drivable roadway
of the bridge has to be 100% edible.

Remember when we were testing
with it and we saw, like,

we saw Nina and Hannah use
ramen and stuff in the chocolate?

-Put ramen and chocolate...?
-Mix it up like a concrete...

-Boss.
-Exactly, make a concrete epoxy.

So, dead dough slats,

sausage casing as like a secondary bridge
sort of within the bridge.

Dr. O, bridges seem like

{\an8}those engineering marvels
we take for granted in everyday life.

But a movable bridge sounds like
there's more components at work.

-Tell me about it.
-Oh, yeah.

It has to not only support
itself and vehicles,

but it also has to move
and support itself.

So, really now it's making sure
the moving mechanism works flawlessly.

This is not an easy engineering challenge.

Must include cake, confection, and candy.

There's more desserts
for the judges than usual.

Actually three times more.

{\an8}I want to impress a little bit Joanne.

{\an8}So, I want to bring something from Brazil.

I have a fruit in Amazon
that is called cupuaçu.

Has a little sour.
It's just like passion fruit.

Okay.

So, when we make a mousse,
it's going to be more sweet and sour.

{\an8}So, for the dessert, I'm thinking for the
candy, peanut brittle,

{\an8}this is something really traditional
in Vietnamese culture,

it's really nostalgic for me.

So, Joanne, you're asking them
to make a cake, a candy, and a confection.

{\an8}Most of the missions
we've been seeing cake.

{\an8}So at this point,
we kind of know what types of cakes

Cindy and Rodolfo know how to make.

And I'm excited to try that
and it's going to be delicious,

but it doesn't show their range

and so confection and candy
is really gonna show what else they have

in their toolkit.

{\an8}So, the big idea is a journey
through our entire competition.

{\an8}Our journey through this competition.
How we got here,

{\an8}our trials and tribulations,
our ups, our downs.

Something I feel like
that symbolizes our partnership

{\an8}is like yin and yang, right?
That's like harmony.

{\an8}That feels very poetic. I like that.

I love it. This is so us.

My first two hours
is gonna be baking a lot.

-To get started, you need dead dough.
-I need a bunch of dead dough.

-So I'll start the dead dough for you.
-Let's go build things. All right!

[upbeat music playing]

{\an8}[clock ticking]

More cobalt. Do you like this?

-Yes, I like it.
-Cool.

Okay, I'm just gonna go,
like, this side first.

It's gonna be a lot of isomalt.

[Taylor] We are building up a world

{\an8}around Cindy and my baking
and engineering relationship represented

by a giant yin-yang symbol.

Across it we'll have
a vertical lift bridge

that's comprised of dead dough slats
and then sausage casing netting.

Sort of like a reinforced concrete.

So, that'll go up and down,
the car can go right over,

and there'll be cake
ramped on either side to support it.

On the ground level you'll see lily pads,
hundreds of little baby koi

and a bunch of other wave-like details
that make it feel immersive.

Okay, that's beautiful.

-Wow.
-Hello, Cindy and Taylor.

[Joanne] Tell us what you're making.

We're making an isomalt ocean full of koi.

And this is just a base layer.

We're gonna have two big koi
that are going up.

Cindy, I would love to know about the cake
and confection and candy you'll be making.

Yes! That will be actually the circle
that's, uh, the yin and yang.

That'll be a cheesecake swirl brownie
with walnuts.

[Joanne] Fabulous.

[Cindy] And peanut brittle will be
rocks and stuff scattered.

I'll give you my version
of a peanut brittle.

What about the cake?

[Cindy] We're doing something different,
lemon poppy seed pound cake.

The pound cake will be a part
of the two-feet cake sculpture.

So, either the mountain or the wave.

What would winning this competition
mean to you?

It would mean so much to me.

{\an8}Winning this competition
would really validate

my dreams and aspirations

to create, like, crazy cakes.

I feel like I wasted so much
of my little adult life worrying about

if I was gonna make it or not

and I wish I would've just been
as fearless as I am now

but if it actually happens
and it actually works out and I win,

I'll be like, "Dang, girl, you...
[chuckles] ...you did it."

This is a tribute to all those
little girls and boys that are dreaming.

[Joanne] Taylor, what would winning this
competition mean to you?

Winning this would be
a really, really special way

of, like, showing what I think
my version of engineering is.

It should all be fun and whimsical.

It can all be fun and whimsical.

{\an8}I've spent a lot of my life
avoiding fitting in boxes

that people tell me to fit in

and a lot of times going against the grain
of what an engineer is supposed to do.

A lot of engineers are not
really comfortable with that

and winning this, to me,
would be showing a lot of people

just how awesome
and okay and acceptable it is

to not fit in the box
you're supposed to fit in

and to not be doing exactly
what people are expecting you to do.

Cindy, Taylor, can't wait to see
this enchanting bridge experience.

-Thank you!
-Best of luck.

Thank you.

{\an8}[clock ticking]

{\an8}You wanted me to go on the paper
or did you want me to go here?

-You're talking about how big the road is?
-Yeah.

Just so we have clearance with the bridge.

[upbeat music playing]

{\an8}One of the biggest challenge
for this mission

{\an8}is that I need to bake a lot of cakes.

So, maybe it's gonna be
around like 60, 70 cakes?

[Joanne] Hello, Rodolfo.

-Hi, Sara.
-Hi.

Tell us about your design.

We talked about our journey
and we're like,

"Why don't we make that our thing?"
The journey of us on this show.

Throughout, you'll see little nods
to the different mission.

-Oh, lovely.
-Yeah.

{\an8}Rodolfo and I are
going to create a drawbridge

made of wood and cable,

and suspending a large piece
of edible epoxy cement.

And we're gonna have the four
corners represent different aspects.

One that's a downtown area,

and then we're gonna have a beach
made of buttercream waves

and a cinnamon stick boardwalk.

We'll go over to the mountains, we'll...

-Palm trees and beaches.
-Oh, and palm trees with lights, right?

And then we're gonna have a mountain range

with the big Baking Impossible
Hollywood-type sign on the hill.

And then we're gonna have the desert,
which is gonna be sand dunes

with these little delicious cacti.

Rodolfo, I'd love to know
what you're making for us to taste.

So, I love to have
a special surprise for you.

Something, maybe,
you never tried in your life.

-Excellent.
-It's a fruit from Amazon, called cupuaçu.

{\an8}We need to present three desserts. So,

that downtown area, gonna make, like,

this cute VW red van
and I'm gonna make a lemon-blueberry cake

with the cupuaçu mousse and blackberries.

The second one is gonna be
something special for her and Chantal.

So, on the desert there's, like, a cactus.

So we're gonna make a pretzel cheesecake
and then I'm gonna cover with green icing.

They love the pretzels and cheesecake
so it's a combination of those two.

-That's your confection, the cheesecake.
-Yes.

And the third one, the candy,
is something special for my son, Victor.

-Of course.
-Victor has a say.

[Rodolfo] Third one is the candy.

I'm going to make little planters

and put a little like,
green pistachio truffle on the top.

Seven missions in,
a lot of lessons learned.

What is the main thing
that you're putting into this mission

with $100,000 on the line?

Organize, keep clean,
we have a great team. Like...

Have a lot of fun,
try to make every minute count.

I'm here to win the competition
for my nieces and nephews.

Chantal and I don't have kids, but boy,
do I have another group of little ones.

There are eight of them,
four girls, four boys.

They're awesome.

They're so much fun to be around
and they are at awesome ages.

I'm really excited
for them to be able to be like,

"You did what?!"

I definitely am hoping
that I can do them right

and would love to come home
with the prize money for them.

So, Rodolfo, if you won this competition,

would that kind of be
the cherry on top of your American dream?

-What would it mean for you?
-It is... This is.

Coming from another country as well,
as a immigrant,

getting here and winning
something really big like this one

means a lot.

For family, my son, wife.

So, I met my wife, Patricia,
New York City in a Brazilian supermarket.

We are 12 years together.

We went through very
rough challenges.

Three years ago, she had cancer.

This I think brought us together way more.

Family, for me it's everything.

Keep dreaming
and keep fighting for the dream.

-Best of luck.
-Thank you.

Very best of luck. Can't wait to see it.

{\an8}[clock ticking]

Ooh, oh! Did we get a koi? Yeah, we did.

[Cindy] Aww! He's cute.

[upbeat music playing]

{\an8}I have a slat of dead dough
and before I build this thing out,

{\an8}I want to just test
to make sure that it can bear loading

in the way it will
in the actual stress test.

I'm gonna slowly place weight on...

Which edge?

On this edge of the dead dough.

I've affixed one end of dead dough
to a one-by-three perpendicularly.

And then I'm loading this end...

Fifteen pounds?

...to try to put stress
and see if it flexes, snaps,

understand its behavior under loading.

Twenty pounds...

So, 20 pounds.

That means for us to support 200 pounds,
I'd need about ten of these.

[upbeat music playing]

{\an8}[clock ticking]

I wanna see if, when we pour it,
it sticks to itself. You know what I mean?

That has everything in it
except for ramen and chocolate.

{\an8}Our strategy is to make an entirely
edible span of our bridge.

We need something that'll hold itself
together a little bit differently

when we're talking about the forces
that we'll find in a bridge.

So, I'm thinking
what do I need to add to this

to have properties
that are a bit more like concrete?

I'm thinking what can we add
for an aggregate and so,

crunched-up ramen provides
a ton of surface area

for that epoxy to grab on to
and I'm deciding maybe we'll use chocolate

as something that will have
a little bit of elasticity.

I want to stick that.

[Sara] So it's not
so strong and so brittle,

maybe help with a little bit
of weight as well.

-Hello, Rodolfo, Sara.
-Hello. How are you doing?

{\an8}Am I to take
that these are the deck pieces?

{\an8}[Sara] These are the deck. Yes, they are.

{\an8}[Dr. O] How did you make 'em?

It's a mix of the sort of candy epoxy

that we've been playing with
and then we mixed in...

-May I?
-Yeah! Of course.

...chocolate and ramen.

-Could I grab it and hold it up? Oh, man.
-You sure can, just don't break it.

[Sara] I'm a little concerned
with the weight.

To get something like this to work,
at least in the way I'd like it to work

with a fully edible bridge, we'll need
something that can handle a lot of heft.

I'm concerned that it's gonna come down to
whose bridge is stronger.

-Taylor's or mine.
-Can't wait to see.

-Thank you. Bye-bye.
-See you guys.

{\an8}[clock ticking]

[Taylor] I'm gonna
twist this sausage together

almost like a rope.

So, I'm using sausage casing
to reinforce our dead dough structure,

{\an8}basically like the steel netting
in reinforced concrete

{\an8}and to get it to be extra strong
I'm wrapping it around itself.

Instead of doing it by hand,
I attached it to a power drill

so I can just go... [mimics drill]

...and then pretensions it.

-No way.
-How's that going, Taylor?

You know, it's going as good as
twisting pig intestines can go.

We'll go with that.

{\an8}[clock ticking]

{\an8}Bakineers!

{\an8}Not much time left in day one
of the grand finale.

{\an8}One hour left.

[sighing] So many scales.

I'm starting on the details
with the koi fish

{\an8}and I'm feeling kind of stressed out

because it's gonna take forever to put
all the scales on to the fish.

Time just disappears in that kitchen.

{\an8}[clock ticking]

-Howard is still alive.
-He's alive!

He looks a lot better than he did
last time I saw him.

{\an8}Ten, nine, eight,

{\an8}seven, six, five, four,

{\an8}three, two, one.

{\an8}[Justin] That is it, bakineers.

Day one is up.

So, put your bridges to bed.

You guys get some rest.
You've got a long road ahead.

[dramatic music playing]

{\an8}Welcome back, bakineers.
Lots of baking and building to do.

{\an8}Your day two starts now.

{\an8}[clock ticking]

{\an8}On my end, I still got to build the ramp
for the car to go up on,

{\an8}add the decor. Basically the bridge is
a naked skeleton right now.

{\an8}Yeah, sweet,
and I have all the tastings to make

and then also details
like the flowers and the lily pad.

{\an8}-Tower's finished.
-Yeah.

{\an8}Ramp, mountain.
So, now it's time to create...

{\an8}This sat all night, so I wanna look at it,
see if it's strong, do a test,

then put it back here with the rest.

And I need to start making the cakes.

-We got a lot. All right!
-Okay. Let's go.

-I'm gonna do a test on this first, okay?
-All right.

[electropop music playing]

Okay. Last one.

Basically right here is
where we want it to hit the ground.

And then we want it
to curve all the way up.

How about we carve out a little bit,
so then...

We're on the same page.

So, for this mission
we're building a vertical lift bridge,

{\an8}which means it just
goes straight up and down.

{\an8}On the outside of the bridge
we have a huge cake ramp

so the car can go across.

It's actually massive

and, like, needs a lot of altitude.

Taylor, more like this way, right? Up?

I don't know.
I'm hoping your cake carving skills...

I'm just shaving it to think...

-To what I think you want.
-Sure.

I'm just gonna keep carving

and if I... Carving in a way
where you feel that it's not right...

No, it pretty much seems right.

-Okie dokie.
-I don't... I think.

{\an8}[clock ticking]

{\an8}[Sara] Let's just see
where it lies right now.

{\an8}-Can you go a little further down?
-Yeah?

Three inches short.

{\an8}One of the kinks I'm noticing about
the bridge is that we have a little gap

{\an8}in between our two pieces.

The measurements I was thinking
when I did it in my head and on paper

didn't really account for the extra inch
or two that we were gonna need.

That doesn't make me happy.

It's important that we get this
functionality of the bridge nailed

before he goes to town decorating it,
because we can't do things twice.

We have to get it right the first time
and this is our only chance,

so we've gotta nail it.

What can I get for three more inches
to come off the edge?

-Do another bit.
-With Rice Krispies or something.

-No. Not gonna have time.
-So, come up with...

We'll... So, we'll pour a wedge
and then I'll attach the wedge.

-All right.
-That's the way.

{\an8}[clock ticking]

[Rodolfo] So I'm gonna toast this,
I'm gonna put it in a processor,

because I need to make truffles.

{\an8}-So, we're going to pour it in this.
-How tall?

{\an8}Do you have a where to stop?

I need it to get it to this height.
About three inches.

We have a little gap
between our two pieces

and so I need to add a wedge
to the first piece

so those meet up evenly.

It's two extra inches
so the car can get all the way across.

I'm concerned about attaching this piece
to the full on end,

but I'm thinking that it's our best bet.

So we're going to see how this works.

{\an8}[clock ticking]

[Taylor] I'm looking at the ramp
and getting the car up that slope?

{\an8}Honestly, I'm a little worried.
It's too steep.

I am realizing that the slope for the car
to go up is, like, really severe...

-[Cindy] Yeah.
-...and we should just not risk it.

We want to pass that part
of this stress test.

I figured out a way
I can lower the bridge.

And it's still above the minimum height,
so I'm gonna do that.

This has the potential to be a quick fix
or a multi-hour delay

of me basically starting over.

I need to unscrew the supports
that lift the bridge up

and then lop off, like,
three and a half inches of wood.

Once I knocked off
three and a half inches or so of wood,

put the supports back on,
and lower the bridge.

So, then I need to strip away
all of the coating chocolate

that we put over the structure.

If I do this perfectly,
it's gonna be 15 or 20 minutes.

Otherwise, I have to rebuild
the entire wood structure.

{\an8}[clock ticking]

{\an8}Only two hours left.

-[Sara] Okay.
-You wanna drop in the top?

[Sara] And that can go...

-Okay.
-All right. Very good.

I just want... But it's on the pegs
and it's level-ish. Okay.

-I'm sure that's fine.
-And it's home.

I'm gonna bring over the brush
and just put some more on here now.

{\an8}[clock ticking]

Taylor! It's ripping.

It's ripping. Get that on.

[Taylor] Sorry, fish.

{\an8}[clock ticking]

{\an8}It's about that time. For the last time,
why don't you prepare the...

-[Dr. O] Great.
-[quietly] The stress tests.

Bakineers, your judges are off
to prepare for the final stress tests.

All right. Less than eight minutes left.

-[Rodolfo] No problem.
-One second.

Make sure all the corners are clean, okay?

-[Taylor] Is it working?
-Yep. Okay, hold on, I need more paint.

-[Taylor] Okay, but look at that.
-[Cindy] That's sick.

-Do you need me to hold it?
-No, no, no.

{\an8}[Justin] Ten, nine, eight, seven, six,

{\an8}five, four, three, two, one.

{\an8}Time's up!

{\an8}For the last time,

cakes and cables down.

[exclaims excitedly]

Bakineers, gather round, friends.

You did it.

[sighs]

I hope your bridges can handle
a little weight.

Actually, hope they can handle
a lot of weight.

[engines switching on]

-Wow.
-[Taylor] What a ride.

-[Sara] Chicks with forklifts.
-[Cindy] Yes!

[Rodolfo] I don't know
what I'm more excited about.

Joanne driving this...

-[Cindy] Oh, my God.
-She is wearing stilettos.

-[Taylor] God.
-[Sara] That is...

[Taylor] Such precision.

-Yes!
-[all cheering]

Bakineers, welcome
to your very last stress test,

or should I say tests?

Because there's three.

That's right, bakineers.

We've devised three stress tests
for your grand finale.

For your first stress test,
your moving bridge has to open as designed

to make way for a three-foot
remote-control boat to pass underneath it.

This will test
that your function works as planned

and that you can achieve
the necessary clearance.

For your second stress test,
we're gonna drive a remote-control car

that has been weighted
with 50 pounds total

across the entire length of your bridge.

This is going to test for any weak points
in your roadway,

from one end to the other.

And this last part is the best.

If your bridge survives
the first two stress tests,

then one by one at the same time,

both of your teams with your own hands

will place those weights
in increments of 25 pounds

onto your bridges
and then when things start getting heavy,

you'll add more weight
in increments of ten pounds

until a grand total of 150 pounds rests
across the edible roadway of your bridges,

or until one of your bridges collapses.

No!

We'll taste your cake,
confection, and candy

after your bridge makes it
through our three stress tests.

So, it all comes down to this.

One of you two teams will win $100,000

and be crowned the World's Best Bakineers.

Cindy and Taylor,
you and your bridge are up first.

Let's do it.

Cindy and Taylor.
Tell us about your bridge.

{\an8}[Taylor] So, what you're looking at
is a vertical lift bridge

{\an8}which means it just goes
straight up and down.

{\an8}Structurally, it's a little bit like
deconstructed reinforced concrete.

You have dead dough slats
with sausage casing netting below.

So, that should counteract
any of the forces it could experience

and create fail-safes
for each one of those types of mechanisms.

We have little levitating electromagnetic
peanut brittle holders.

You can see them spinning there.
We have our isomalt koi pond,

which has fondant koi
trapped in 250 pounds of isomalt.

On top of those,
we have modeling chocolate lilies

with rice paper flowers.

We have our 100% cake ascent up
onto the bridge

with modeling chocolate on top
for some support.

And on the bridge,
we have structural sugar cookie on top.

We have our giant koi
which Cindy has made out of Rice Krispie,

fondant, modeling chocolate,
and rice paper.

[Justin] Andrew, fetch the boat.

[tense music playing]

Grab your remote, Andrew. You ready?

-Bakineers, are you ready?
-Yep.

Launch your boat and lift your bridge
in three, two, one, go.

[hisses]

-[Joanne] Very nice!
-Yeah!

[Dr. O] All right.

Taylor, the engineering of your bridge
worked perfectly.

I admit, I got a little bit nervous.

When the pulley was activated,
the two support structures moved inward

and I wondered if you had
the forces balanced out right.

But then, the bridge just moved up nice
and smoothly to the top,

let the boat go under
and then just as smoothly came back down

and nestled right into place. Loved it.

Thank you.

Cindy, Taylor, you passed the first test
and it's time for the second stress test.

Your bridge and edible roadway
has to support... [grunts]

...this 50-pound car as it drives across.

Go ahead and place the car
at the foot of the bridge.

Andrew. Are you ready?

Yes.

Let's drive that car across the bridge
in three, two, one, go.

[tense music playing]

[Dr. O] One thing I can say
about your bridge

is even though the deck performed
really well,

I had concerns about the road
that leads up to the deck

because it's steep

and that led to the car having
difficulties making it up to the crest.

So, what you could've done
is use more of your space

because you do have
a rather large yin-yang symbol there

but utilize a bit more of it
for your road.

Rodolfo and Sara,
may we meet your bridge?

{\an8}[Sara] When we were presented
with this enormous platform,

{\an8}we said what are we going to do
to cover it

that's grand enough for this finale.
So, similarly,

we talked about our journey
through this experience.

What worked, what didn't. Let's face it,

there were days
when we were a little sunk.

[contestants] Oh no!

-Like our boat.
-[judges laugh]

Days when we fell a little on our faces.

[contestants] No!

[Sara] With Howie.

{\an8}Sometimes it takes the results
of a chain reaction...

[cheering]

...and a little pie
to really get things rolling.

[all] Yeah!

[Sara] The golf course.

Sometimes you still need a little
pick-me-up, our café,

{\an8}to really start feeling very strong,

like our building.
And then, you're flying...

...like our car.

Rodolfo and Sara, are you ready?

-Bakineers, are you ready?
-Ready.

Let's do it. Go.

[Justin and judges cheering]

[Dr. O] Good job.

[Justin] Drop the bridge.

-[cheering]
-Well done.

Rodolfo and Sara, your drawbridge did
exactly what it was meant to, it opened.

I was able to sail
straight through the middle,

perfect functionality.

From an engineering point of view,

if I could use
some technical language here,

that was smooth as buttercream.

[Justin] Nice.

It's funny, when a bridge works,
there's really not much to say about it,

except that it works.

If it didn't work,
Dr. O would still be talking.

All right.
It is time for the second stress test.

-You got it?
-Yes.

Bakineers, are you ready?

-[Sara] Yes.
-[Rodolfo] Yep.

In three, two, one, go.

[tense music playing]

-[Justin] Yeah! Boom!
-[all cheering]

Oh, well done.

From an engineering point of view,
that bridge is solid as a rock.

Literally. And it's well-supported.
It didn't move at all.

Clearly structurally sound, I think you
passed that second stress test.

[Justin] Rodolfo, Sara, thank you.

Bakineers, take your position
on your platforms.

[dramatic music playing]

It is time
for our third and final stress test.

Each team will add weight to their bridges
in increments of 25 pounds,

one crate at a time.

If your bridges hold out,

you'll then be adding weight
in increments of 10 pounds,

up to a total of 150 pounds.

Your fate in this competition is literally
in your hands.

Bakineers, think hard about your strategy.

You can place your weights anywhere
on your edible roadway.

Cindy and Taylor, Rodolfo and Sara.

Please place your first 25-pound crate
onto the roadway now.

You have 20 seconds.

I can't do it.

-This?
-No, right there. Back in.

Moving it back. Anywhere...

Let's add the next 25-pound weight.

For a total of 50 pounds. Go for it.

All right, teams,
add your first ten-pound weight

for a total of 60 pounds. Go for it.

One more ten-pound weight
for a total of 70 pounds total, go for it.

Add another ten-pound crate.

-[Taylor] I don't like that.
-Let's do it again.

For a total of 90 pounds.

Cindy and Taylor, how you feeling
about the bridge's performance thus far?

It's performin'.

-Rodolfo, Sara?
-Bring it on.

Add another ten-pound crate,
taking us to 100 pounds.

Let's add another ten pounds, shall we?
For 110 pounds, total.

Try a whopping 120 pounds.

For 130 pounds.

Phew!

Ten more pounds for 140 pounds.

-Right here?
-To the... This.

Oh, my God.

[Justin] The final ten pounds,
giving us a total of 150 pounds.

All right, bakineers.
Add your final weight.

-All right. Where to put it?
-Here.

Right here or there?

It's like me laying on this.

No, here.

-Here?
-Yep.

Bakineers, congratulations.

You couldn't stop 'em, could ya?

Well done.

[sighs] That's tense.

It was. [chuckles]

Cindy and Taylor, Rodolfo and Sara,

I have to say, what you've just done,
really is truly remarkable.

Two 100% edible roadways

with 150 pounds of weight on them

and they're both completely intact.
That's a bakineering record for the books.

It's time for the judges to taste
your cakes, your confections,

and your candy.
Bakineers, prepare your final plates.

Rodolfo and Sara, it is time to taste
your cake, confection, and candy.

So, for our cake
I did a lemon-blueberry cake.

And for the filling
I did a cupuaçu mousse.

{\an8}It's a fruit from Amazon.

{\an8}It's just like a passion fruit,
it's very sour

and I add a little blackberries
on the filling.

That's why I put in a mousse

because you have
a little sweet on the side

just to balance everything.

I love that you've given all of us
a flavor that we've never tried before.

I mean, it's so intriguing.
You know my thing,

I wanna be able
to go back over and over again.

With this one, I want to keep eating it
to try to understand the flavor.

-Cu...? Cupuaçu?
-Cupuaçu, yeah.

Cupuaçu. It's... it's delicious.

That creaminess works really nicely
with the sponges that you've got in there.

As Joanne says,
you keep on wanting to go back

and suss it out and figure it out.
So, really good job on the flavors

and it's very exciting
to try something new.

[Rodolfo] For the confection,
I did something special

for Sara and Chantal.

Their favorite thing is
pretzel and cheesecakes.

So, I combined those.

The outside, I used vanilla buttercream,

just to have this impression
of have a cactus on a desert.

With the cake, you gave me a flavor
that I've never tried before

and with your confection, a combination
that I've never tried before.

I've obviously had a lot of cheesecake
and I like pretzels,

but I've never put them together.
So, I should thank both of you

for putting that idea into Rodolfo's head

and I enjoyed every bite.
Thank you so much.

For my candy, this is something special
that I do for my son.

It's a little weird because he's a kid
but he don't like too sweet.

So he like when I use more dark chocolate,

so I cook condensed milk
with 57% chocolate,

and butter, salt, and toasted pistachios.

Rodolfo, when I bit into this,

it's a beautiful texture
and you get a really interesting chew.

It's much more complex and subtle
than a normal truffle.

So, I'm really pleased
that you went for that.

I love the chewiness of it.
I love the balance of flavors

and, visually,
it's so pretty with the green.

For me, maybe a little bit more
of the pistachio flavor,

'cause chocolate is so strong-flavored.

The caramel notes that are in the truffle
are very strong and forward,

which makes the pistachio
a little bit further back.

I am not a judge of taste here.
I'm just an enjoyer of taste.

I've enjoyed every minute of it.

We definitely have
the best two teams in the finale.

-Thank you both.
-Thank you.

No pressure, but that said,

Cindy and Taylor,

let's taste your dessert, your cake,
your confection, and your candy.

I made a lemon poppy seed pound cake
with a lemon buttercream on top.

{\an8}The lemon buttercream has lemon juice,

{\an8}heavy cream, butter, powdered sugar,

and a little bit of salt.

Cindy, your lemon poppy seed pound cake
is delicious.

I love the addition of the poppy seed.
It just adds a nice little crunch.

I really love the buttercream.

It really just wakes up your whole palate
and makes you want to go back for more.

If I could offer a little bit of feedback,
it is a little bit on the drier side.

Sometimes when making pound cakes,
putting a soaking syrup will help.

But overall it's so well-balanced

and it's very indicative
of all of your skills.

-Thank you.
-Nice.

Cindy, I would love
to have a slice of this with breakfast

and it's such a fresh flavor
that you've got with that lemon.

I would agree. I think
a little bit of syrup might've just

tipped it over the edge,
but it really is fantastic as it is,

and you've got a beautiful colored crust
on the outside.

-So, it's an excellent pound cake.
-Thank you.

Cindy, tell us
about the confection you made us.

For our confection, we had a really rich
chocolate walnut brownie

with cheesecake mixture mixed
into the batter on top.

Mmm.

-Your brownie is divine.
-Thank you.

To do one really well,

where it's baked enough
so that it's not gooey,

but not overbaked so that it's too cakey,
is really hard to do and you've nailed it.

Oh, thank you.

The only thing for me that I was missing
was the cream cheese.

I had a little bit of cream cheese.

I'm not sure if I got a slice
that didn't have a lot of cream cheese.

I was gonna make the same comment.

Cream cheese was one thing
that I was hunting for.

So, I got a tiny bit
and I could taste that it was...

It adds a really nice tang,
but I couldn't get enough of it.

Our candy is a peanut brittle

with a little bit
of brown butter in there.

This is inspired by Chinese New Year.

I just, I love it.
It's very nostalgic for me,

and it brings me back
to that same day every year.

Your peanut brittle is wonderful.

It's tricky to make peanut brittle
so that it doesn't stick to your teeth.

That extra baking soda
I assume that you put in

really helped give it a lot of light lift
and wonderful texture.

I do love the kind of...

The balance of crunch
that we get as we bite in.

You've taken your sugar
to the perfect temperature.

It's a really great set,
which is really important.

Thank you.

Bakineers, why don't you guys come
with me. Judges? Good luck.

This elimination is different
from the rest because it's only two teams

and it's not competing to move on.
It's competing to win.

We feel a lot of pride
that we took ourselves

and put it all on the table.
Like, it's all there.

-You know, it's...
-It's us.

We couldn't have done any more
and we're so proud of it.

Cindy and Taylor really gave us
a stupendous design.

They did not disappoint.

The second stress test is
what I think kind of separated these teams

as far as engineering goes.

Rodolfo and Sara took
the complete journey into account

and made a road that was navigable.

But Cindy and Taylor,
they made that really steep road

that was much more difficult.

[Sara] I feel like we've done
everything we possibly could.

You know, we gave our hundred percent,
probably an extra 15 on either side.

I'm feeling confident
but not overconfident,

but I do feel like
we put something compelling together.

Judges, do you have a decision?

We do.

Let's do this walk one last time.

[dramatic music playing]

Well, here we are, bakineers.

It was a long, nearly impossible road,
that ends right here.

Cindy and Taylor, Rodolfo and Sara,
no matter what happens,

we just want to say
how proud we are of everything

that you have accomplished
in this competition.

Between you two teams, you have won
five of the first seven missions.

You both not only deserve to be here,

honestly, you both deserve to win.

But unfortunately,
that's not how this competition works.

We started with nine teams

and only one of you two can walk away

with $100,000
and the title of World's Best Bakineers.

Before we get into that,
I just want to say

thank you for joining us
on this bakineering journey.

Don't ever stop showing the world
that the impossible is truly possible.

It gives me great pride

to see that you're no longer
bakers and engineers.

You are truly bakineers. Very well done.

Now, before we reveal
the grand finale winner,

it's time to see what else
you've been fighting for this whole time.

[thrilling music playing]

[contestants laugh]

Nice.

So cool.

That is the Baking Impossible trophy.

It'll go to the best bakineers
in the world.

As you know, that can only be one team.

[Justin] As you can imagine,

this was an incredibly difficult decision
for the judges.

Truly came down to
the smallest of details today.

Cindy and Taylor, your whimsical design
is art in edible form.

I just want to eat it all up.

But not only that,
the cakes were absolutely delicious

and your bridge didn't move an inch.

From use of dead dough
to the sausage casings, well done.

Thank you.

Rodolfo and Sara, you've blown me away
by the spirit of bakineering here.

A hundred percent edible
on that bridge deck

and so many details
as we move all the way around.

It's truly impressive.
I want to visit that city.

You've really done yourselves proud.

But there can only be one winning team.

This is it.

The champions of Baking Impossible are...

[tense music playing]

[triumphant music playing]

[applause]

Oh, my God!

[Cindy and Taylor] Congratulations!

If there's one team that I feel honored
to come in second behind,

it's Sara and Rodolfo.

I've been rooting for them.

It almost feels weird not to have been
rooting for them in this one.

I feel that we discovered so much
in this journey about ourselves,

about our crafts. I learned so much.

Same, I... We dug into stuff
I've never even known existed

and getting to do that with Cindy
was just beyond awesome.

I mean, we pushed gelatin how far?

So far! No regrets.

I mean, just to build something
that we're proud of every single time?

We did that. So, I feel really good.

-I believe this is yours.
-Wow.

-[confetti popping]
-[cheering]

[Sara] This was incredibly difficult.

I was tested in ways
I didn't expect to be tested.

Especially when you're doing
a partner competition, you can't give up.

And so we didn't.

[cheering]

I remember sometimes
when I'm a little down,

she always kick me. Like, "Let's go.
You told me you want to win."

So, it's good that we didn't have
down moments at the same time.

So when she was a little down,
I was there to push her up

and when I was down,
she was doing the same thing for me.

-I love you.
-I love you.

[both laugh]

[cheering]

[Justin] Congratulations,
Rodolfo and Sara.

You guys are
the Baking Impossible champions.

[Sara] Yay!

[theme music playing]