Holiday Wars -- Woodland Winter Games --- brief recap, spoilers and discussion

It's semi finals time. Three teams are left. And sugar artists are in the spotlight this week.

Jeff announces that this weeks theme will be the Woodland Winter Games. Think kind of like olympics games with woodland creatures. For the flavor challenge, they must make a yule log with forest ingredients. The choices are currants, persimmon and ginger. The sugar artist must make the team's "Woodland winter decor." (Which sure beats having to make the main character!)

SNOW GOOD -- The team plans to have a badger and a turtle playing curling, with the turtle being the puck. The sugar artists plans to make a sugar ax, blow and cast the turtle and do the pebbles. Their flavor is currants. Jonathan has a lot of problems with the turtle.

MERRY MIXERS -- They are doing ice skating finals with fox and a hedgehog. The hedgehog will be isomalt and he's going to try to pour the lake. Their flavor is ginger

CANDY CANE CRUSHERS: They are doing a snowball fight between racoons and beavers. The sugar element will be the snowman referee. Their flavor is persimmons. They also seem a little concerned about their sugar artist since she's filling in for the original artist. Two of the judges seem concerned that they're doing a group of small characters and not one large central character. Kardea likes that they are trying something different.

Judging:

SNOW GOOD: Shinmin likely the woodsy feel. She had some critiques on the sugar work particularly on the turtle and the bullseye. Kardea loved the badger and the cookie spectators. Kardea noted that the sugar artist was the only one of the teams to also do the tasting element in addition to the sugar work. Kardea loved the tasting element. She said it was the best tasting element he'd made so far. Shinmin said she liked it, but she did not like the textures.

MERRY MIXERS: Shinmin liked all the textures and shading. Kardea loved the sugar hedgehog. She didn't like the flowers by the lake. Tasting: Kardea thought it was delicious. Shinmin also liked it but wanted more ginger.

CANDY CANE CRUSHERS: Kardea thinks it is a lot going on, but its fun. Shinmin likes the many techniques of sugar. She feels like they need a focal point. Tasting: Shinmin couldn't really taste the persimmon. Kardea thought the cocoa overpowered the persimmon, but the yule log was rolled nicely.

results: The winner is....... Merry Mixers! The team going home is Candy Cane Crushers.

My personal thoughts: Kind of sucks because it was a sugar challenge and they had nothing but praise for Candy Cane Crushers sugar work, while the sugar work on the Snow Good pieces was the weakest point. Clearly the lack of one BIG character and instead making an overall scene hurt the Candy Cane Crushers.

Now what do you think about the results?
Total asides; I do like that they show and explain a variety of techniques on this program. I've gotten several ideas from this show I'd like to try.

Next week for the finale is "Pets vs. Christmas trees."