Just last week, Arielle Yang was the top baker on the season premiere of Food Network’s “Kids Baking Championship,” rising above her 11 fellow competitors with a chameleon-themed tart that judge Kardea Brown described as “art.”
But the 11-year-old baker from Sandy, Utah, found herself in a completely different situation during the second episode, which aired Monday night.
Who was eliminated on ‘Kids Baking Championship’ Episode 2?
During Monday night’s episode, the 11 remaining bakers were challenged to make animal-themed macarons, complete with an edible habitat.
Arielle made macarons that resembled lambs, and filled them with a mango pastry cream. She created a farm habitat, using brown sugar for dirt, and made a lemon cream cheese frosting to balance the sweetness of the macarons.
While judges Brown and Duff Goldman praised the flavors — they told her they wanted the recipe — they had one major issue with Arielle’s creation: the macaron shells were significantly underbaked.
The judges noted how Arielle had been the top baker just the week before. But this time around, the baking mishap put her in the bottom two, along with 11-year-old Pierce Sario from Atlanta.
It was a close call, but Arielle ultimately managed to avoid elimination as the judges chose to send Sario home for only producing seven macarons when the challenge asked for a dozen.
Next week’s episode, airing Jan. 20, will celebrate the upcoming animated movie “Dog Man” by challenging the 10 remaining bakers to pair up and create two-tiered “Dog Man” cakes with one essential ingredient: bacon.
Who is Arielle Yang?
When Arielle learned she was going to be competing on “Kids Baking Championship,” she studied previous seasons and had two big takeaways: You have to know your stuff, and you need to be good at time management (the baking challenges on the show involve time limits).
The time limits were a challenge, but Arielle said she also works well under pressure. Baking has always been an activity that calms her down, so even amid the stress of it all, she said she felt fairly relaxed.
During filming, under the pressure of the judges and the cameras and the time limits, Arielle said she was proud of herself for baking new things and trying out new techniques in the kitchen.
“At first I was really nervous, but I was also really excited, too, because my brain was like, ‘I’m on TV!’” she previously told the Deseret News. “And it was also really surreal, because I saw the show on TV before. But to see it in real life was really cool.”
Arielle’s love for baking started years ago, watching her mom bake birthday cakes and cupcakes for her. When her mom taught her how to pipe a rosette, Arielle watched video after video of bakers piping flowers.
“It sparked an interest in baking that I’d never had before,” said Arielle, who is a sixth grade student at the Waterford School in Sandy. “So I just kept baking new and different things, and I’d like to say I got better.”
“Kids Baking Championship” marks a major milestone for Arielle. And while she still has a shot at the grand prize, the best part for her has been meeting kids her age who share her passion for baking. She now calls many of them friends.
Episodes of “Kids Baking Championship” will air each Monday through March 3, culminating in a season finale that features the final three contestants baking zoo-inspired cakes for a shot at the $25,000 prize.