Those fancy cakes that won, were they actually made by the team or just one person with skills. What were the judges looking for, taste or looks. If a team had a fail, did others help them or just watch them get embarrassed. Feels like the rules decide if it's fun or just another way to rank people.

Back when I was doing my certs, my instructor had crusty old gloves he refused to replace. Said the real respect was in the bead itself, not the state of your gear. A perfect fillet with a bit of grime on your jacket teaches more than a pretty, clean setup with slag inclusions.