5 sweet reasons ‘Is It Cake?’ and Mikey Day should be in Emmy conversation - Gold Derby

Courtesy of Netflix

I have to admit that, much like a good portion of Netlfix users, I did not have high hopes for “Is It Cake?” based on initial previews. The streaming reality TV competition showcases contestants creating cakes that replicate common objects in an effort to trick celebrity judges. Winners of each episode receive $5,000 and a chance to win more money by identifying which display of cash is real and which is cake.

After that initial first episode, I was hooked on a show that is not only worth your time, but Emmy consideration as well. Here are five reasons why “Is It Cake?” should be on your watchlist and on Emmy voters’ minds.

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1. Mikey Day: “Saturday Night Live’s” Mikey Day is an excellent host for this reality competition. He is not only a blast to watch as a viewer, but is truly one of the funniest hosts in recent memory. An Emmy nomination for Outstanding Host for a Reality or Competition Program would be well deserved if it were to happen. Whether he is cutting a cake or interacting with judges and contestants, Day anchors this show like he has been hosting it for years, which is a great perk of hiring “SNL” cast members, past or present, for any project. If I had to compare his hosting style to anything, it is a combination of Joel McHale and Tom Bergeron.

2. The Contestants: The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Casting for a Reality Program has gone to great shows like “RuPaul’s Drag Race” and “Queer Eye.” This competition would be a worthy addition to that prestigious list. While I am not going to highlight every contestant, I will mention a few that you will wish could stay until final episode. Andrew Fuller was meant to be on television with his combination of finesse and personality. Jonny Manganello is an amazing contestant with the best attitude I have ever seen on one of these shows. Dessiree Salaverria can create cakes that will have you second guessing everything you thought you knew about fondant. I can praise this cast all day if given the time, but the moral of the story here is that whoever cast this first season created an incredible cornerstone cast that will be extremely difficult to surpass on future seasons.

3. The Judges: On most competition shows we usually get the same faces every episode. Not on this show. In one season, we had a diverse group of judges pass through. Each and every one of them brought joy and excitement to their role and truly seemed to be having a great time. Daymon Patterson was a lot of fun to watch and put thought into his choices, often noticing little details. Michael Yo, who was in my favorite episode, was hilarious and really put 110% into his guest judging role. Loni Love, who is always dependable for a great time no matter what show it may be, should be a judge on every episode. She brought such a ray of positivity and fun that it was infectious.

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4. The Cakes Themselves: On a show called “Is It Cake?” said cakes need to look amazing to really fool the judges and contestants. Each cake presented to the judges looked like an everyday object and definitely not like a delicious culinary creation. I will just quickly address my three personal favorites. Identifying the cake that looked like a designer clutch was extremely difficult and, of course, I failed miserably. That’s how good the cake looked. The same can be said for the cake that was meant to successfully hide amongst a selection of sneakers and the cake that I could have sworn was a real seashell. This might be the most deliciously difficult competition show on television since every cake looked so much like the real items that even the best chefs will second guess themselves.

5. The Big Prize: When you think of Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Competition Program, shows like “Survivor,” “The Amazing Race,” and other shows that have won over viewers and voters alike come to mind. As of a late, “RuPaul’s Drag Race” has had a firm grasp on that category, but could face a slew of competition from familiar foes and quite possibly this show. With such a stellar first season, “Is It Cake?” has a great shot and definitely deserves to be in the conversation for the upcoming Emmy Awards.

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