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Baking ingredients spread out on table
Baking ingredients spread out on table
Photo by Viktor Hanacek from PicJumbo
Culture > Entertainment

Review Of ‘Wizards of Baking’ The New Harry Potter Baking Competition

Adamari Ruelas
The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at CU Boulder chapter.

The Food Network has given Harry Potter fans a lovely mixture of The Wizarding World and an intense baking competition in the new show, Wizards of Baking. As a diehard fan of the Harry Potter series and also someone that absolutely loves baking and watching baking shows, I was ecstatic when I first heard it. In the show, nine teams of two compete in baking challenges to win the Wizards of Baking Cup and the opportunity to be included in the new Harry Potter Cookbook. It premiered on Food Network and for streaming on MAX on November 14, and so far has only three episodes– with a new episode premiering every Thursday– so I wanted to give a quick review that might entice others to watch it before the season ends and one of the teams is crowned the winner. 

One of my favorite parts of this show are the hosts; James Phelps and Oliver Phelps, who portrayed the beloved Weasley Twins in the Harry Potter films, return to the Wizarding World to host this show. Fred and George were two of my favorite characters in both the books and the films, so I was very excited to hear that they would be the hosts. Together they bring  a playful and comedic air to the show, and it truly feels like they were made to be the hosts of this competition. Alongside them, other Harry Potter cast members have joined them as guest judges including Warwick Davis, Bonnie Wright, and Evanna Lynch. Seeing the actors that I have loved since childhood return to the Harry Potter space has been so special, and I love seeing them together again. 

The location of the show is another enticing and engaging aspect. It was filmed at the Warner Bros. Studio Tour: The Making of Harry Potter which is where the movies were actually filmed. As someone who has had the wonderful experience of actually visiting the Studio Tour, I absolutely love that this is the place they decided to film the show. It strongly ties in the Harry Potter aspect, allowing the bakers to see the sets and get inspiration from them with first-hand experience. Each episode has a theme; the first one being the team’s favorite part of Harry Potter, the second being Gringotts, and the third being Diagon Alley, so far. I also love that they’ve involved actual Harry Potter fans in the experience as well, allowing them to taste test the baker’s creations in the third episode. I’m only a little bit salty that I wasn’t invited. 

As I mentioned above, the bakers are paired together. However, what I like about this is that their partners are chosen for them. This adds a unique challenge to the competition since neither of the teams have ever worked together before. I also like that each team is made up of a cake decorator and a pastry chef, which allows them to both shine in each baking challenge since both skills are necessary to create a show winning piece. I have truly loved getting to know each of the competitors as the show continues, and I’m confident I’ll be heartbroken as more and more leave. Yet, I do have my favorites and I really hope that they win (Go Elizabeth and Juan!) 

Unfortunately, nothing in this world can truly be perfect, and there is just one thing about the show I didn’t love.. In the first episode, the teams present their creations one by one by the judges who then immediately choose if they move on or not. I didn’t like this because it meant that the judges made their decisions without tasting  or even seeing all of the creations. I felt like this made it unfair to competitors and it doesn’t make much sense to me. For instance,  what happens if they reject someone, but then another team does way worse? However, this style of judging was only used in the first episode so I don’t have that much of an issue with it— unless they bring it back. I also wish that the judges were a bit more direct in the critique to help the bakers grow and learn. Most of the time they make unenthusiastic remarks like: “I didn’t like that,” and I’m like okay?? How is that helping?

This show has made Thursdays the highlight of my week, and I cannot wait to see what happens next. If you are a Harry Potter lover or even if you aren’t, this show is so comforting and such a great way to unwind after a long day. I truly feel like this was such an incredible idea and I truly hope we see many more seasons of Wizards of Baking.

Adamari Ruelas

CU Boulder '26

Adamari Ruelas is a contributing writer for the Her Campus chapter at CU Boulder. Her job within Her Campus is to write at least two articles a month, one contributing to a theme week. Outside of Her Campus, Adamari is a first-generation college student who is currently a Junior at the University of Colorado Boulder, majoring in English Creative Writing. During her spring semester of freshman year, Adamari studied abroad in London, wanting to learn about different cultures while also being able to study in a Literature-rich city. Adamari also an intern at the College of Arts and Sciences Magazine at CU Boulder where she write articles based on faculty research and expertise. In her free time, Adamari enjoys reading and writing, at least when she isn’t hanging out with her friends or playing Overwatch with her little siblings. She is a very proud Mexican-American who loves sharing her culture as long as Mexican history with anyone who lends an ear. Adamari is also a massive nerd, especially with Harry Potter (she’s a Ravenclaw btw) and Marvel. In the future, Adamari hopes to become a published author, sharing her works with the world and hoping they help people the way books have helped her.