Tucked away in a nondescript studio in Burbank, Calif.,
in the heat of summer, production is underway on the third season of Nailed It and its festive counterpart Nailed It Holiday, the Netflix culinary competitions where the best of the worst walk away with $10,000. Hosts Nicole Byer and Jacques Torres, along with guest judge Fortune Feimster, have just inspected the first-round creations by four contestants and are announcing the winner. After a few stumbles — and ensuing laughs — with the teleprompter and transitioning to the next portion of the episode, Byer and Torres get the action back on track.
“I had looked Jacques up before meeting Jacques and then I was like, ‘Oh my f—ing God, they put me with a world-renowned, very well-respected French pastry chef,'” Byer tells EW between filming. But Torres says he respects Byer, a comedian, just as much for her talents: “I love to work with Nicole because we laugh all day. She makes jokes all day, and she’s so good at what she does.”
Just outside the studio housing the show’s colorful set, you’ll find what you might see in one of those buy-in-bulk stores; row after row of tall shelving lined with every utensil and kitchen appliance imaginable: stand mixers, spatulas, whisks, piping bags, and so much more. And then there are the edible items: sprinkles, food coloring, flour, sugar, fruit, fondant.
“Oh my gosh, I have failed plenty,” says Chef Charity, the exasperated expression on her face saying more than her words. “We had the [air conditioners] that didn’t quite stay up to snuff and all of these massive chocolate things literally came apart.”
“Accept that you’re not going to be perfect,” encourages Torres, “and accept that you’re certainly going to do better than our bakers.” Adds Byer, “You need to fail in order to learn how to succeed.”