Since its debut, Nailed it! has become a streaming fan favorite due to how it embraces the beauty of imperfection. Instead of showcasing elite pastry skills, the show invites its viewers to watch enthusiastic yet untrained bakers recreate extremely intricate desserts. While they often fail spectacularly and win a modest cash prize, the show has gained a loyal fan base and become quite iconic.
Its witty commentary from host Nicole Byer and expert critique from Jacques Torres creates a balance between comfort food entertainment and light mockery. Its overall appeal lies in watching every day people try, fail and laugh together over one of the most beloved things on earth: food. It has built a cult following, inspired memes, spinoffs and now has devoted fans. So when the show’s releases paused in recent years and controversy came up, many viewers asked the same question: is Nailed It! cancelled? Here’s what to know.
Is Nicole Byer still doing ‘Nailed It!’?
Although she’s still deeply associated with the series, she is not still doing the show given the lack of new seasons. However, her few public comments seem to suggest she’s open to continuing to bring her unfiltered humor and wit back to the show. As she shared in her Las Culturistas podcast interview, the series “is a fun job. Like, it is genuinely a fun job and I do like doing it.” So there still may be hope that the series will be brought back.
Since her reign as the beloved Nailed It! host, Byer has been recognized for her efforts. According to TV Insider, she was nominated three times for Outstanding Host for a Reality or Competition Program. In addition to her accolades, she’s also had many film roles. Some of them include her popular character Dede in The American Society of Magical Negroes (2024). She’s also continued doing hosting roles. Fans can keep up with her goofy shenanigans by watching the TBS Network’s Wipeout, which she still co-hosts with John Cena.
Do contestants on ‘Nailed It!’ get paid?
Technically, the contestants from each episode do not get paid. The competition is generally pretty relaxed. The show is not as cut throat as some other cooking shows, which reflects in its prize. While they don’t get an appearance fee, there is a single payment to the grand prize winner. The payment, which is $10,000, is awarded to the best amateur baker.
Is ‘Nailed It!’ cancelled?
As of now, there has not been any official cancellation of the series. However, the show is seemingly in a limbo stage. This holding pattern has been interpreted as a quiet cancellation by some fans even though the status of the show is undecided. Since the big question became such a big deal, the strongest public signal of uncertainty has come from host Nicole Byer.
In a 2024 conversation on the Las Culturistas podcast, which is hosted by Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers, she was asked about whether Nailed It! is still on. After a long pause and clear hesitation to speak on the matter, she shared she is actually just as in the dark about the show coming back as the fans.
“You can log into Netflix and watch it,” she said. “I don’t know if it’s coming back.”
From her response, it seems she has not heard any news about the beloved series coming back to the small screen. Her few public statements coupled with the lack of production activity or news concerning the show leaves fans on the edge of their seats.
Why did the ‘Nailed It!’ crew walk out?
Nailed It! first premiered on Netflix in March 2018. Each seasons had between six and eight episodes, and the series went on to produce seven seasons through 2022.
The final new episodes of Nailed It! aired in October 2022. This was season seven of the show branded as Nailed It! Halloween. It was the show’s most recent full season release. However, the 2022 season was itself truncated, unfortunately for fans. During production, crew members initiated a strike to demand a union (IATSE) contract. This led to filming being suspended midseason. Therefore, only four of the intended eight episodes were completed and aired.
Is there a ‘Nailed It!’ spin-off?
Technically, Nailed It! does have a spin off since Netflix expanded the concept for a 2023 release. The new iteration was called The Big Nailed It! Baking Challenge, which premiered on Aug. 4, 2023. It retained Nicole Byers and Jacques Torres as presenters but added new elements. This spin off added a mentoring element where professional chefs teach and guide contestants through “baking 101” portions of each challenge. This gave the spinoff series a more structured feel compared to the chaos of the original show.
Of course, due to the widespread success of the series, there was also a regional spin off. For example, fans can also watch the Spanish language spin off of the hit series, titled ¡Nailed It! Mexico. This iteration of the show debuted in 2019. Despite the huge following from the original series, this spin off only lasted one season. Similarly, The Big Nailed It! Baking Challenge only lasted for one season before being pulled from the air.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Nailed It! scripted or unscripted?
As reported by The Cinemaholic, the hilarious commentary and boisterous reactions to bad cake are truly authentic. The series is not scripted or directed, aside from the episode openings and outline of each installment. This has given it a distinct and genuine feel which has become a trademark for the show. Super fans are right if they had an inkling that the funny cooking show is filled with some very real moments of surprise and even disgust.
Who is Wes from Nailed It!?
Wes (Weston Bahr) is an associate director for the show who often appears briefly to help deliver props. However, due to Nicole Byer’s lighthearted banter with him, which typically results in comedic on-camera interactions, Bahr has become a breakout and shy star of the hit series.