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11 things you probably didn't know about Netflix's 'Nailed It!'

Kirstie Renae   

11 things you probably didn't know about Netflix's 'Nailed It!'
"Nailed It!" is a Netflix original series.Netflix
  • "Nailed It!" is a hit Netflix original competition series about amateur bakers who attempt to recreate impressive desserts.
  • Producers specifically sought out comedian Nicole Byer to host the show, even though she doesn't bake.
  • Byer and her costar, renowned pastry chef Jacques Torres, are friends in real life.
  • The judges really do eat the dishes that competitors make on the show.

The Netflix original "Nailed It!" is a hit with home bakers of all skill levels.

The series, which pits amateur bakers against one another to recreate stunning and delicious desserts, stars comedian Nicole Byer and world-renowned pastry chef Jacques Torres.

And although you might've watched dozens of episodes of the show, you may not know everything that goes into making it.

Here are 11 interesting things you might not know about "Nailed It!"

The show was inspired by "Pinterest fail" memes.

The show was inspired by "Pinterest fail" memes.
The bakers on the show have plenty of dessert fails.      Netflix

"Nailed It!" executive producer Jane Lipsitz told the LA Times that she thought the show's concept was a "long shot."

"One of our development execs brought in the [meme] photos, and we just all started laughing, and we said, 'Why not?'" Lipsitz recalled. "And we walked into the meeting [with Netflix] and they bought it in the room."

Host and judge Nicole Byer doesn't actually bake — the comedian said she was chosen to star on the show because she's "good at poking fun."

Host and judge Nicole Byer doesn
Nicole Byer is a comedian.      Netflix

Although she lacks culinary experience, Byer was asked by showrunners to be the host and a judge on the baking series because of her years of experience in comedy.

After being pitched the idea for "Nailed It!," Byer told Vulture, "I really liked it, and I felt like I'd be able to toe the line between judging people's creations and being funny, but not being too mean."

In an interview with NPR, Byer explained that although she is "good at poking fun" it's against her nature to be legitimately mean.

"I'm not mean," she said. "I can't do a roast. It's so hard for me to insult people."

It can take up to 14 hours to shoot one 30-minute episode.

It can take up to 14 hours to shoot one 30-minute episode.
"Nailed It!" episodes can take half of a day to film.      Netflix

It can take around 10 to 14 hours to shoot an episode of "Nailed It!" even though much of the footage won't make it into the final cut.

"For me, it's like a 12-hour day because I have to do hair and makeup and then wardrobe fittings," Byer told Vulture. "But we shoot for about ten hours."

Torres added, "And sometimes more. One day, I remember they had us do 14 hours. So it's long. Oh my God, yes."

"Nailed It!" was such a hit in the US that Netflix released other international versions of it.

"Nailed It!" was such a hit in the US that Netflix released other international versions of it.
"Nailed It! Mexico" aired in 2019.      Netflix

After the US version of "Nailed It!" became a hit, Netflix decided to expand on the franchise and create multiple international iterations of the show.

Comedian, actor, and singer Omar Chaparro and Chef Anna Ruiz star on "Nailed It! Mexico."

The French version of the show features comedian and actor Artus Solaro and former "Top Chef" competitor Chef Noëmie Honiat.

"Nailed It! Spain" stars singer La Terremoto de Alcorcón and pastry chef Christian Escribà and "Nailed It! Germany" features model Angelina Kirsch and chef Bernd Siefert.

Byer said she frequently makes inappropriate jokes that don't make it onto the show.

Byer said she frequently makes inappropriate jokes that don
Nicole Byer said some of her jokes get cut.      Netflix

Speaking to Vulture, Byer said that she makes a lot of jokes with sexual connotations and innuendos on the show — but some of them get edited out and don't make the final cut.

"I just make a lot of d--- jokes that don't make it in … I don't know who they thought the show was going to be for before they got into the edit," Byer said. "We shot for ten hours, I gave them three different shows. You could do wild, mild, or tame. I think they went in between tame and mild."

The judges really do eat the food that the competitors make on the show.

The judges really do eat the food that the competitors make on the show.
"Nailed It!" is hosted by Nicole Byer and Jacques Torres.      Adam Rose/Netflix

Some of the creations on "Nailed It!" look straight-up inedible — but no matter how bad the dessert, the judges always try it.

"We eat raw dough. We eat raw cookie. We eat massive buttercream in cakes that are still warm. We eat salt," Torres told Vulture. "We have to taste things that you will not put in your mouth. But you know what? That's television. You have to do it.'

For example, some fans might recall season two's dreadful salt cupcake, in which a contestant used salt instead of sugar in his dessert.

Torres recalled the moment he tried the cupcake during an interview with Refinery29, saying, "We had to spit it out. Nicole couldn't believe it. It was inedible, but we cracked up."

Byer said she was initially intimidated by Torres, but the two have since formed a fast friendship.

Byer said she was initially intimidated by Torres, but the two have since formed a fast friendship.
Nicole Byer and Jacques Torres are the stars of "Nailed It!"      Netflix

One of the best aspects of "Nailed It!" is the genuine sense of comradery between Byer and Torres.

And although the two are now friends, Byer told Entertainment Weekly that she was initially worried about meeting Torres.

Byer said, "I had looked Jacques up before meeting Jacques and then I was like, 'Oh my f------ God, they put me with a world-renowned, very well-respected French pastry chef.'"

Chef Charity George is the one behind the impressive "Nailed It!" creations that contestants must replicate.

Chef Charity George is the one behind the impressive "Nailed It!" creations that contestants must replicate.
On "Nailed It!" bakers must recreate impressive-looking desserts.      Netflix

San Diego-based pastry chef and cake artist Chef Charity George is the one who crafts the desserts the contestants must try to replicate.

She owns d'Zrt Cake Studio in La Mesa, California, and she specializes in chocolate and sugar art.

Being on the show is harder than it looks, according to former contestant Paul Scheer.

Being on the show is harder than it looks, according to former contestant Paul Scheer.
"Nailed It!" contestants sometimes recreate savory dishes.      Netflix

Actor and comedian Paul Scheer said he was excited to be a contestant on the "Nailed It!" holiday special — but the experience turned out to be far more stressful than he imagined.

Speaking to CinemaBlend, Scheer called being on "Nailed It!" the "most nerve-wracking thing I've ever done."

"You get on the show and there's an element of like, 'Oh, I'm cocky. I know how to cook. I like cooking. I like baking, and I could do this.' And then once they reveal that first thing, you're like, 'I know nothing. I'm terrible ... ,'" Scheer recalled.

He said the show is fun, though, and the recipes given to the contestants are thankfully pretty simple.

Contestants keep track of their own time while they're baking.

Contestants keep track of their own time while they
The "Nailed It" kitchens supposedly don't come equipped with timers.      Netflix

Speaking to CinemaBlend, Scheer explained that contestants must also keep track of the time while their desserts are baking.

"It's weird … there's no timers. So like, if I need to cook a cake for 25 minutes, I have to like mentally keep track of it," Scheer said. "But I don't have a watch, so I have to look [wherever I could]. It made it hard. It was really, really hard."

Torres said he agreed to be on the show because he loves to teach and thinks other cooking shows "are too serious."

Torres said he agreed to be on the show because he loves to teach and thinks other cooking shows "are too serious."
Jacques Torres said he wants to help contestants learn more about baking.      Netflix

Torres explained to Refinery29 that he enjoys being on "Nailed It!" because he's passionate about culinary education and appreciates the lighthearted nature of the show.

"I rarely work with professionals," Torres said. "If you look at my career, I love to teach. I'm the dean of a school called the International Culinary Center. I rarely do demonstrations in classes for professionals because I like a blank slate."

He went on to say that he also wanted to be a part of something more fun because other competitive cooking shows "are too serious and they are fake."

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