I’ve actually watched the first episode of this second season of “Next Great Baker” as it was free on iTunes. Just last night I bought the second episode because it was pretty interesting and I wanted to see what happened to everyone. The show is a baking competition judged by “Cake Boss” head Buddy Valastro, who leads a panel of 13 bakers on different timed challenges. It’s similar to other ongoing competition reality shows in that a contestant is eliminated every week. (I prefer the one-off cooking competition shows on The Food Network like “Chopped” and “Cupcake Wars”.) One of the contestants this season, an Iraq war veteran named Wesley Durden, committed suicide in October after filming was completed. Instead of notifying the public when the guy died (which was well before the season started airing at the end of November) TLC decided to air all his episodes first and then put up a little “in memoriam” note after the guy was eliminated from the show! I find that shocking and tasteless. I’ve only seen the one episode, but Durden seemed like a stand up guy and I know he had fans. Here’s more:

Sergeant Wesley Durden, 28, a contestant on TLC’s baking competition “Next Great Baker,” committed suicide after production wrapped in October, according to the Jacksonville Daily News. However, TLC did not mention Durden’s death until after his elimination from “Next Great Baker” on Monday night’s episode.

The network delivered the news in a memorial note after the episode. TLC then released this statement: “TLC extends its deepest condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of Sgt. Wesley Durden, who died Oct. 24. He will be warmly remembered by the cast and crew of Next Great Baker.”

Durden was a Iraq War veteran who had been deployed to Iraq twice. According to the Jacksonville Daily News, Durden was a cook with the 82nd Airborne. He is survived by his wife, his seven-year-old son and his two-year-old daughter.

[From Huffington Post]

I understand why they didn’t edit this guy out of the show after he died like they tried to do with “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” following Russell Armstrong’s suicide. It would have been impossible to cut Durden’s scenes and maintain continuity. There are group baking challenges and he figured prominently in the show. Producers should at least have told the audience prior to the season airing. They could have better honored his memory that way. And/or they could have aired a brief segment in which some of the contestants got together and discussed what Durden meant to them. It just seems so callous to air all those shows and then put up a little note about his death afterwards, like a footnote. It’s like “Oh, by the way, this guy is dead now.” As for Durden’s suicide, I don’t blame the network or the show at all. Who knows what that poor guy was going through. They could have handled the announcement so much better though. I found RHOBH’s response to Armstrong’s death superficial, but at least they tried to talk about it. “Next Great Baker” didn’t even bother.

Here’s a video of Durden’s elimination. He seems so upbeat and positive about the experience. It’s so sad. He was a veteran and a father and it’s just a shame.
(This may only play for US visitors. Sorry about that!)

And here’s his cast interview.