Current:Home > reviewsEchoSense:Jason Biggs knows 'attractive pie' hosting Netflix's 'Blue Ribbon Baking' show -Ascend Finance Compass
EchoSense:Jason Biggs knows 'attractive pie' hosting Netflix's 'Blue Ribbon Baking' show
Surpassing View
Date:2025-04-09 06:11:04
You might ask yourself,EchoSense "How did 'American Pie' star Jason Biggs get a TV job hosting 'Blue Ribbon Baking Championship?' on Netflix?"
The answer would be obvious. Biggs is the star of 1999's raunchy sex comedy "American Pie," with that infamous scene of an apple pie encounter that launched a franchise featuring four major films. The smiling Biggs is featured holding a pie in posters for "American Pie 2" (2001), "American Wedding" (2003) and "American Reunion" (2012).
Biggs, 46, is synonymous with pies, even if the native New Jerseyian grew up away from the state fairs celebrated in the Netflix baking competition.
"The New Jersey State Fair takes place in the Giants Stadium parking lot. When people picture a state fair, New Jersey's is not what they picture," Biggs tells USA TODAY. "The Jersey Shoes was my state fair growing up."
The self-described "food guy" with a potent banana bread recipe is building up his hosting resume, featured in TBS's "Dinner and a Movie" series with actress Jenny Mollen, his wife since 2008.
Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
"I've really wanted to host something in the food world," Biggs says. "Of course, there's the wink at the camera and the audience with me as a baking show host. And whenever I can't think of something to say, I always have a pie joke in my back pocket that brings the house down."
Here are key questions answered about Biggs' role in Netflix's "Blue Ribbon Baking Championship" (now streaming).
Does Jason Biggs have a judge's vote on Netflix's 'Blue Ribbon Baking Championship'?
The state fair-inspired delicacies go far wider than pies in "Baking Championship." Ten state fair blue ribbon winners from around the country compete for a $100,000 prize and the biggest "Best In Fair" blue ribbon ever.
Biggs is charming and affable as the "Baking Championship" co-host, showing skills such as juggling and catching tossed food in his mouth. But the "American Pie" star does not have a vote alongside the show's blue-ribbon judges — co-host and lifestyle expert Sandra Lee, former White House pastry chef Bill Yosses, and baking artisan Bryan Ford.
During the determination of the Judge's Choice ribbon in each episode, Biggs inspects each state fair-inspired creation and weighs in on camera. "But I am not actually judging," he says.
Biggs was not allowed to participate in the weighty second judging on each episode, but he still loaded up on state fair creations.
"I had to try everything, so at least I knew what was happening," says Biggs. "After the judges did their thing, I went back to try everything."
How long does 'Baking Championship' go before an 'American Pie' joke?
It's been 25 years since "American Pie" hit U.S. theaters featuring Biggs' teenage Jim experimenting with his mother's warm apple pie. It doesn't take long for the pie jokes to roll on "Baking Championship," which features a Biggs' voiceover quip in the show's introduction. Wait for it...
"Take it from someone who knows," Biggs says over a shot of a luscious and warm berry-filled slice. "That is a very attractive pie."
Biggs makes clear that the baking contest only includes "American Pie" jokes and references, with no repeat performances.
"There were no pies harmed in the making of this show," he says. "It's safe for family viewing."
What kind of creations are featured on 'Baking Championship'?
Episodes feature state fair creations with a fried food episode (with a fried Oreo cake that was "decadent and delicious") and a dessert-on-a-stick episode. There are pies and also non-traditional state fair desserts such as a strawberry cake that still lingers with Biggs.
"That strawberry cake blew my mind," says Biggs.
How does Jason Biggs feel about 'American Pie' turning 25?
Biggs posted a celebratory Instagram post on July 9, the 25th anniversary of the "American Pie" theatrical release. The one-time child actor found instant fame with the hit comedy's release, and a young Jennifer Lopez attended the movie's premiere.
"I had to fly the night of the premiere on a red-eye so that I could go to New York to do 'Letterman' the next day. It was just all so surreal and wild," says Biggs. "On the Friday night of the release, a bunch of cast and crew went to see audiences reactions in sold-out theaters. I remember being floored by how responsive everyone was."
The morning after the release Biggs and his roommate were crossing the street in Los Angeles when a car screeched to a halt.
"The driver rolled down his window and was like, 'Oh my God! You're the 'American Pie' guy, do the dance!'" says Biggs. "It was wild."
Amazingly, it was years into his relationship with Mollen before his wife actually watched "American Pie."
"We were kind of just flipping through channels and we stopped and watched," says Biggs, who says his wife was amused. "I just remember her commenting about how young I looked. But I guess I didn't scare her off."
The comedy had an impact.
"My life is very much defined by a few different demarcation points," adds Biggs, the father of two boys. "There's getting married, and there's having kids. But the most obvious ones in terms of craziness was Life Before 'American Pie' and Life After 'American Pie'"
veryGood! (7172)
Related
- Man can't find second winning lottery ticket, sues over $394 million jackpot, lawsuit says
- 3 events that will determine the fate of cryptocurrencies
- 2 boys dead after rushing waters from open Oklahoma City dam gates sweep them away, authorities say
- California’s Almond Trees Rely on Honey Bees and Wild Pollinators, but a Lack of Good Habitat is Making Their Job Harder
- The 401(k) millionaires club keeps growing. We'll tell you how to join.
- Christopher Meloni, Oscar Isaac, Jeff Goldblum and More Internet Zaddies Who Are Also IRL Daddies
- The Trump Organization has been ordered to pay $1.61 million for tax fraud
- Are you struggling to pay off credit card debt? Tell us what hurdles you are facing
- Israel lets Palestinians go back to northern Gaza for first time in over a year as cease
- Rental application fees add up fast in a tight market. But limiting them is tough
Ranking
- Gen. Mark Milley's security detail and security clearance revoked, Pentagon says
- CEO predictions, rural voters on the economy and IRS audits
- In Georgia Senate Race, Warnock Brings a History of Black Faith Leaders’ Environmental Activism
- Elizabeth Holmes could serve less time behind bars than her 11-year sentence
- Who are the most valuable sports franchises? Forbes releases new list of top 50 teams
- Kim Kardashian Reacts to Pregnant Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker’s Baby News
- All the Stars Who Have Weighed In on the Ozempic Craze
- Tom Brady, Justin Timberlake and More Stars Celebrate Father's Day 2023
Recommendation
Federal Spending Freeze Could Have Widespread Impact on Environment, Emergency Management
BP’s Net-Zero Pledge: A Sign of a Growing Divide Between European and U.S. Oil Companies? Or Another Marketing Ploy?
Coronavirus: When Meeting a National Emissions-Reduction Goal May Not Be a Good Thing
As Biden Eyes a Conservation Plan, Activists Fear Low-Income Communities and People of Color Could Be Left Out
Dick Vitale announces he is cancer free: 'Santa Claus came early'
The South’s Communication Infrastructure Can’t Withstand Climate Change
A Complete Timeline of Teresa Giudice's Feud With the Gorgas and Where Their RHONJ Costars Stand
Kourtney Kardashian Debuts Baby Bump Days After Announcing Pregnancy at Travis Barker's Concert