''Is It Cake?'' is an American

game show A game show (or gameshow) is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment where contestants compete in a game for rewards. The shows are typically directed by a game show host, host, who explains the rules of the program as well as commentating a ...

–style cooking competition television series created by Dan Cutforth and Jane Lipsitz, and hosted by

Mikey Day Michael William Day (born March 20, 1980) is an American actor and comedian. He was hired as a writer for the NBC sketch comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'' before its 39th season in 2013. He was then promoted to on-air cast status and beca ...

. The series premiered on

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

on March 18, 2022. Contestants create

cake Cake is a flour confection usually made from flour, sugar, and other ingredients and is usually baked. In their oldest forms, cakes were modifications of bread, but cakes now cover a wide range of preparations that can be simple or elabor ...

s 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. The series is based on the

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internet meme An Internet meme, or meme (, Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''MEEM''), is a cultural item (such as an idea, behavior, or style) that spreads across the Internet, primarily through Social media, social media platforms. Internet memes manif ...

of the same name, popularized on

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and

TikTok TikTok, known in mainland China and Hong Kong as Douyin (), is a social media and Short-form content, short-form online video platform owned by Chinese Internet company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which may range in duration f ...

. The meme involves showing a skillfully decorated cake disguised as a common object or food, and challenging viewers to determine if it is real or a cake replica. Day became fascinated by the meme after his manager, Michael Goldman, introduced it to him. Although Day has no baking experience or background, he joined the show as host. Day explained the draw of show is the "human desire... to pick out the 'disguised something." In June 2022, Netflix renewed the series for a second season. The second season, titled ''Is It Cake, Too?'' was released on June 30, 2023. In January 2024, Netflix renewed the series for a third season, titled ''Is It Cak3?'' which was released on March 29, 2024. In October 2024, Netflix announced a holiday season special, titled ''Is It Cake? Holiday Edition'' which was released on November 28, 2024. Similar to the Blown Away spin off series "Blown Away: Christmas", it features nine all-star bakers from the first three seasons.

reprises his role as the host.

Gameplay

Throughout each episode, contestants and celebrity judges are presented with a display of multiple examples of an object, one of which is a cake replica. Three contestants are given eight hours to bake and decorate a cake that replicates the look of an object selected for that episode. Celebrity judges are then presented with three separate groups of five of the same object. Among each of the five-object sets is one of the contestant-baked cakes. If the judges correctly guess which object is actually a cake, its baker is eliminated from that episode. When multiple contestants are able to trick the judges, the winner is selected based on cake quality. The winner of each episode wins $5,000 and is able to win an additional $5,000 if they can correctly identify which of two identical bundles of cash is actually a cake. If they do not correctly identify the cake, the $5,000 is added to the cash bundle round winnings in the next episode. The winners of the three episodes leading up to the finale then compete in the finale to win $50,000. The show does not dismiss any of the eight contestants, who are able to stay during the season and observe. Some not competing in the finale were selected to help support the finalists' baking efforts.

Production

''Is It Cake?'' was created by Dan Cutforth and Jane Lipsitz and is produced by their company, Alfred Street Industries. It is hosted by

. On June 2, 2022, the series was renewed for a second season. The team behind the scenes that make the hyper-realistic cakes are Monika Stout. They create the cakes that the contestants have to guess in the "Find That Cake" and "Cake or Cash" segments.

Episodes

Series overview

Season 1 (2022)

Season 2: ''Is It Cake, Too?'' (2023)

Season 3: ''Is It Cak3?'' (2024)

''Is It Cake? Holiday Edition'' (2024)

''Is It Cake? Halloween Edition'' (2025)

''Is It Cake? Holiday Edition'' (2025)

''Is It Cake? Valentine's Day Edition'' (2026)

Release

''Is It Cake?'' was released on

on March 18, 2022, ''Is It Cake, Too?'' was released on

on June 30, 2023, ''Is It Cak3?'' was released on

on March 29, 2024. and ''Is It Cake? Holiday Edition'' was released on

on November 28, 2024.

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * {{Netflix original current series 2022 American television series debuts 2020s American game shows 2020s American reality television series American English-language television shows Netflix original programming Reality cooking competition television series Works about cakes