What's Best in Dough About?

Pizza-obsessed competitors from all walks of life showcase their cooking skills and battle for a $10,000 prize in what Hulu is calling TV's "first-ever pizza competition."

Who's involved?

• Wells Adams, Bachelor in Paradise's resident bartender, hosts the competition series and serves as one of its three judges in each episode.
• Chef Daniele Uditi, a Los Angeles-based chef from Naples, Italy, is the head judge. He appears in every episode alongside Adams.
• Chef Millie Peartree, comedian and food influencer Eunji Kim, and baker Bryan Ford rotate as the third judge on the panel.
• Cat Sulivan, the showrunner and executive producer, is no stranger to Food TV. Her credits include Nailed It, Top Chef, and Is It Cake?

Why (and to whom) do we recommend it?

The humble pizza pie is having a renaissance on television. Less than two weeks after Netflix's hit series Chef's Table debuted a pizza-focused season, Hulu joins the party with Best in Dough, a competition series that's just as cheesy as its title (pun intended).

As cooking face-offs go, Best in Dough is fairly straightforward. Each episode begins with an "Out of the Box" challenge, which focuses on unusual dishes, followed by a "Final Dough Down," which determines the winner. The format stays interesting because challenges are designed to unsettle each episode's particular group of contestants. The Italian nonnas, for instance, are forced to recereate social media cooking trends that they've never heard of, while the visually driven Instagram influencers are told to make monochromatic pies.

Emphasizing different kinds of contestants also ensures that every episode feels distinct, and credit to the casting department, which has found players who seem like regular people. Their lack of media savvy can be incredibly entertaining, like when one nonna initially refuses to participate in a challenge, then insists on feeding every cameraperson once her dish is complete.

Though it's a clear case of Disney synergy, recruiting Wells Adams is an inspired move on Hulu's part, as his puppy dog enthusiasm easily matches the show's tone. No one on Best in Dough takes themselves too seriously, least of all Adams, but he pulls his weight by explaining the rules of the competition, liaising with the jury (a six-person panel receives a weighted vote in the final challenge), and offering color commentary from the judges' table. Adams proved his worth on Bachelor in Paradise long ago, but it's nice to see him step out from behind the bar and take command of a new venture.

Pairs well with

• Chef's Table: Pizza, Netflix's six-episode celebration of the best pizza from around the world.
• Is It Cake? (Netflix), which matches Best in Dough's cheeseball energy. (Read our review.)
• The Bear (FX on Hulu), TV's only other show that features the phrase, "Heard, chef!" (Read our review.)