Friends, family members and fans gathered at Jake’s in Willow Glen on Monday night for a season finale viewing party of Next Great Baker TV show on TLC to cheer for local baker Jen Kwapinski, owner of Jen’s Cakes. Unfortunately, it wasn’t her night to shine in the TV spotlight.

Kwapinski lost to competitor Gretel Ann-Fischer by 24 tickets in the first part show and was immediately eliminated. Unceremoniously, Kwapinski was taken off the show—in tears—in a gondola ride with the famous stinging sign, “Not The Next Great Baker.” It was reality TV drama at its worst as Ann-Fischer hid competitors’ sheet pans and turned up oven temperatures to help secure the win.

“[Fischer messing with the oven] eliminated my cupcakes that weren’t sold,” explains Kwapinski. “I was friends with Gretel-Ann throughout the whole thing so it was disappointing”

Many at Jake’s questioned why TLC did not take into consideration that Kwapinski was unfairly set back by Ann-Fischer.

“It was sad to see Jen leave but at least she was honest,” said Ayme Dickson, a baker at Jen’s Cakes. “She didn’t cheat her way through.”

Kwapinski’s fans, at the very least, got the better alternative as Holt won the competition over Ann-Fischer in end. Though Kwapinski lost, her fans applaud her for her well-mannered composure throughout the entire season. “She was the class act over all the other competitors,” said Curt Walton, a friend of Kwapinski at the viewing party.

Future plans for Jen’s Cakes remain uncertain. Kwapinski is still deciding how she can take her business to the next level now that the show is over.

“I had a really good time and loved working with a production crew,” Kwapinski said. “It made me think about all these different possibilities that could happen from this point on.”