Food Network CUPCAKE WARS Audition!
September 9th, 2009 3 CommentsSo, yesterday was the “big day” and what a whirlwind! For those of you just finding out about this here’s a breakdown of how I even got this audition: I applied for a post I saw on Cupcakes Take The Cake on Wednesday and got a call back on Thursday night (you can read the details here). We got an audition for Tuesday evening. So now it was crunch time. I had 5 nights to prepare, which you think would be plenty of time right? Here’s what they wanted me to bring: some photos of “extreme” cupcakes and an idea for a stand that would hold up to 1,000 cupcakes. Well, I had 2 orders to fill over the weekend, and 2 sample boxes to deliver as well….not to mention 2 daughters to take care of, a house full of half done renovations (trying to get done before baby #3 gets here) and a husband to keep entertained over the 3 day weekend as well. So, here’s how the prep all played out:
Thursday night…..Thoughts swarmed my head, nerves were going crazy, and really tried to figure out how I was going to manage my time. I couldn’t work during the day….my family is priority and I didn’t want to spoil a 3 day weekend with me working the whole time, so I decided I would just do everything after my girls went to bed. I made sure to focus on the orders I had to fill over the weekend and then just go full force. So, the whole night I worked on cupcake toppers and cake decorations for my already booked orders.
Friday night…..Hubby and I celebrated our 4 year wedding anniversary (10 years together) with dinner. Then, baked 48 cupcakes and topped with decor. Also made a 2 tiered cake (about 80 servings) covered in fondant and decorated. In bed at about 3:30 am.
Saturday night…..After a loooong day of appliance installations, cabinet hardware installation, 4 deliveries, and sprinklers with the girls it was time to get started. Decided to make a couple extreme cupcakes to take in, sometimes pictures don’t do a cupcake justice (especially if I photograph them). Also worked on some ideas for a stand that I passed over to my big brother to sketch out for me. Up until 3:30 am….again! Keep in mind my girls are up at 6:00 am EVERY morning!
Sunday night…..Reality is starting to set in. Daytime consisted of more cleaning, cabinet installation, rearranging EVERYTHING in ALL our kitchen cabinets, a trip to Ikea, and fun with the girls. Then it was recipe ideas with my sister, sketch modifications with big bro, picture printing for a portfolio to present, and one more “extreme cupcake to make”.
Monday night (night before)…..Where did the time go?!?!?! During the day it was breakfast with the family, renovation clean up, another trip to Ikea, a ceiling fan installation at moms, and lots of activities with the girls. Then it was 5 dz cupcakes to bake, finishing touches on the cupcakes, sketch and portfolio and 2:00 am was my cut off time.
So, Tuesday rolls around….it was up at 6:00 am with my girls and then on with the day. We ate breakfast and did a little cleaning together, then it was off to Michael’s. I had to be sure to leave my house in Mission Viejo by 2:00 pm in order to arrive at my moms to drop off the girls and pick up my sister, and make it to LA by 5:00 pm. After Micheal’s and the grocery store it was now lunch time, after lunch it was nap time. The day FLEW by and before I knew it my sister an I were on our way to Hollywood. We took with us 2 “extreme cupcakes”, 4 dz raspberry red velvet cupcakes, 1 dz of our new CHURRO flavored cupcakes, a portfolio with as many pictures as we could cram into it, and a sketch for a display of 1,000 cupcakes.
Chocolate cupcake covered in white chocolate icing, topped with oreo crumbles and adorned with a rose and butterfly
We arrived at about 5:00 (15 min early) and headed into the building where the castings were being held. What happened next still has me busting up! We are walking on the sidewalk up to the entrance of this building and my sister and I see this guy who looks like Alton Brown. My sister points him out and says “OMG is that Alton Brown?” My jaw dropped in disbelief and we just kinda stared at him. He stops at his car and looks over and waves…we wave back. He then walks over and my sister and I just kinda look at each other dumbfounded. He asks if we were here for the cupcake wars audition and we said yes. He then asked if what we were carrying were cupcakes and we said yes. He is now making his way toward us and my sister and I (both getting pretty nervous at this point) realize this is NOT Alton Brown! HAHAHAHA! It was just some Joe Schmoe off the street, maybe just getting out of his audition. We offered him a cupcake anyway and headed inside. My sister and I both felt so silly! We were able to laugh about it afterwards though. We were just so caught up in this whole experience our minds started playing tricks on us.
Our attempt at a snow globe cupcake (our globe part didn’t come in on time with the holiday weekend). This was a red velvet cupcake turned upside-down, covered in fondant and then decorated with the winter olympic mascots, graphics from the website, snow, a mountain, and then there was supposed to be a globe on top. (we’ll post pics of completed cupcake soon!)
So we get inside and there were about 7 people already there. They were also casting for the host of the show. We watched all the hosts (even those arriving after us) going in and out of this room where they were conducting on camera auditions. I sparked up conversations with the other bakers who were all very excited as well. Many of them had been baking for a few years, up to 5 or 6…I’ve been at it less than a year. this began to get me even more nervous. Then, out walked Peter and Nick, the casting directors. They called in the next auditon for host and said hi. They also handed me a 3 page questionaire to fill out. I introduced myself and tried to throw out some whitty comments before they returned to the room for their next interview. I filled out the papers and joked around with the other people in the room. I was trying to get a feel for my competition and sneak a peek at what they had brought. Peter and Nick made it a point to strike up a conversation with all of us as they pulled in the next interview, and I made it a point to stand out. I was always involved in the conversation and tried to make my presence know and memorable. Time passed rather quickly and before I knew it it was about 6:30 and I was up!
Music note cupcake….again no time to order black foil lines that would complete this cupcake.
I walked into the room. This room was small with a white screen on one wall, a chair in front of that, and 2 cameras facing the chair. I sat down, introduced myself and answered some questions. I felt prepared, especially after talking to everyone in the waiting room and seeing what they brought. I really felt like I clicked with Peter and Nick, so that was good. Everything went well in front of the camera and I think Peter and Nick’s personalities really clicked with mine. So we finished up my interview and then I made sure to stick around and talk with them as much as I could before my sister and I left. I asked a bunch of questions about the show and what happens next. They said I would get a call by Friday (hopefully) if I made the show. If I didn’t make the show, there would be no call. He also mentioned that filming would be next week! NEXT WEEK! How fast does all that happen?!?!?!
Cinnamon cupcake topped with vanilla icing and bunuelos (fried tortilla with cinnamon and sugar) pieces.
So, now we wait. What a super fun experience to have had. I had a blast preparing(although it was A LOT of work), the drive up with my sister was fun, and the whole interview process was great! It turns out a cousin of mine (who I hadn’t seen in years) just moved to LA so my sister and I got a hold of him and were able to stop by and visit for a bit. It really was an enjoyable day and i am thankful for the opportunity to have experienced it. i wouldn’t have changed a single thing! We will keep you posted on whether or not we get the call!
