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This cronut reveals 3 reasons TV cooking shows are dying

It sits on the plate, not just a pastry, but a symbol. It’s a cronut, but not just any cronut. This one has a shimmering, galaxy-like glaze, is filled with a lavender-yuzu cream, and is topped with freeze-dried astronaut ice cream. It’s ridiculous, over-the-top, and it went viral on TikTok in 48 hours. And as a content strategist, I can tell you that this cronut is more than just a sugar rush; it’s a perfect case study explaining the slow, painful decline of the traditional TV cooking show.

For decades, networks like Food Network and competitions like MasterChef dominated culinary media. They were the gatekeepers of taste, the arbiters of technique. But the media landscape has fractured, and the audience has migrated. The reasons for this shift are complex, but they can be perfectly illustrated by this very pastry. Let’s break down how this viral sensation holds the secrets to the modern food media revolution.

Table of Contents

• Reason 1: This Cronut Highlights the Authenticity Gap
• Reason 2: The Supersonic Speed of Social Media Trends
• Reason 3: The Great Interactivity Divide

Reason 1: This Cronut Highlights the Authenticity Gap

The first and most glaring issue with traditional TV cooking shows is the authenticity gap. Everything is perfect. The kitchens are spotless, the ingredients are pre-measured in tiny glass bowls, and the host never fumbles a word or spills a drop. It’s a sterile, high-production environment that bears little resemblance to anyone’s actual home kitchen.

Now, consider this cronut. It didn’t get famous from a pristine studio. It blew up because a 22-year-old baker in a cramped apartment kitchen filmed the entire messy process. We saw the flour puff into a cloud, the glaze drip unevenly down the sides, and we heard her genuine gasp of excitement when she cut it open to reveal the perfect layered interior. That’s the content people crave.

Viewers today are tired of unattainable perfection. They want relatability. They want to see the struggle, the mistakes, and the eventual triumph. Social media creators provide this in spades. They aren’t just showing you a recipe; they are sharing an experience. A TV chef might demonstrate how to make a flawless croissant dough over a 22-minute episode. A TikTok creator will show you their three failed attempts before they finally nail it in a 60-second video, and that journey is infinitely more compelling and encouraging for an aspiring home cook.

This desire for authenticity is a major driver of consumer behavior, extending far beyond media consumption. As noted by studies on brand trust, modern audiences connect with genuine and transparent content. The perfectly polished TV show feels like an advertisement, while the chaotic social media video feels like a conversation with a friend. For more ideas on genuine cooking, check out our post on simple and realistic one-pan dinners.

Reason 2: The Supersonic Speed of Social Media Trends

The second lesson this cronut teaches us is about speed. Traditional television production is a lumbering beast. A season of a cooking show can take a year or more to go from concept to airtime. By the time a TV show decides to do an episode on a “hot new trend,” that trend is already ancient history in the digital world.

Imagine a Food Network executive pitching a show about our galaxy cronut. By the time they get budget approval, cast a host, film the series, and get it through post-production, the internet will have moved on. The galaxy cronut will be replaced by “gravity-defying souffle pancakes” or “transparent potato chips.” The show would feel painfully dated upon arrival.

Social media, however, moves at the speed of light. This cronut went from a single video to a global phenomenon in a weekend. Here’s how it happens:

• Day 1: The original creator posts her video. It gets a few thousand views.
• Day 2: The algorithm picks it up. A few major food influencers share it. Views explode into the millions.
• Day 3: Thousands of other users are now attempting to recreate it, using a dedicated hashtag. The trend is born.

This rapid cycle of innovation, dissemination, and iteration is something television simply cannot compete with. While a TV show might reference the original Dominique Ansel Cronut™ from 2013 as a cultural touchstone, social media is creating new touchstones every single day. The power to dictate food trends has shifted from a handful of TV producers to millions of interconnected creators and consumers on platforms like TikTok.

Reason 3: The Great Interactivity Divide

The final nail in the coffin is the lack of interactivity. Watching a TV cooking show is a passive, one-way experience. You can watch Gordon Ramsay scream about undercooked scallops, but you can’t ask him for a substitution for shallots. You are a spectator, and nothing more.

The creator of this cronut, however, built a community around her creation. In the comments of her viral video, she was:

• Answering questions about the recipe in real-time.
• Asking her followers what flavor she should try next.
• Going live to troubleshoot issues people were having with their own versions.
• Featuring the best fan recreations on her story.

This is a two-way conversation. The audience is no longer just an audience; they are participants. They feel a sense of ownership and connection to the content because they are helping to shape it. This community-building aspect is the lifeblood of modern digital media and something that linear TV struggles to replicate. While some shows have tried to integrate social media voting or hashtags, it often feels like a tacked-on gimmick rather than the core of the experience.

This engagement loop—where a creator posts, the audience responds, and the creator adapts—is incredibly powerful. It builds loyalty and a dedicated following that a traditional TV personality, insulated by layers of production, can only dream of. For more on this, see our guide on building an engaged online community for your brand.

The Future Isn’t Televised, It’s Streamed

So, is the TV cooking show completely dead? Not yet, but its role as the primary source of culinary inspiration is over. The power has decentralized, moving from the studio to the smartphone. The success of phenomena like this cronut proves that the future of food media belongs to those who are authentic, fast, and interactive.

For television to survive, it must learn from its digital competitors. Shows need to feel more real, react quicker to the cultural zeitgeist, and find meaningful ways to engage with their audience. Until then, the most exciting, innovative, and influential food content won’t be on your TV screen. It’ll be on your phone, one messy, delicious, and viral creation at a time.

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