List of Holiday Baking Championship episodes

This is a list of episodes for the Food Network cooking competition series Holiday Baking Championship. The series has been presented by Bobby Deen (seasons 1–3) and Jesse Palmer (seasons 4–7) and judged by Nancy Fuller, Duff Goldman, Lorraine Pascale (seasons 1-6), and Carla Hall (season 7).

Series overview
Season Episodes Season premiere Season finale
1 6 November 9, 2014 (2014-11-09) December 14, 2014 (2014-12-14)
2 8 November 1, 2015 (2015-11-01) December 20, 2015 (2015-12-20)
3 8 November 6, 2016 (2016-11-06) December 25, 2016 (2016-12-25)
4 7 November 6, 2017 (2017-11-06) December 18, 2017 (2017-12-18)
5 7 November 5, 2018 (2018-11-05) December 17, 2018 (2018-12-17)[1]
6 8 November 4, 2019 (2019-11-04) December 23, 2019 (2019-12-23)
7 8 November 2, 2020 (2020-11-02) December 21, 2020 (2020-12-21)

Season 1

There were 8 professional and home bakers competing in a 6-episode baking tournament. One person was eliminated every week until the final episode where the final three compete in a single, all-day round for the grand prize of $50,000.

Contestants

Episodes
Ep. # Title Original Air Date
1 "Cookie Madness" November 9, 2014
Preliminary Heat: Make holiday cookies in 1 hour. Each contestant picked a gift-wrapped box and had to make a certain type of cookie depending on the tool found inside. (Cookie press = spritz cookie, rolling pin = rolled cookie, ice cream scoop = drop cookie, & spatula = layered cookie).

Winner: Erin Campbell (Her advantage was being able to substitute a flavor profile in the second round.)

Main Heat: The contestants must bake a dozen cookies incorporating bittersweet chocolate, a dozen cookies incorporating fresh oranges, and a dozen cookies incorporating toffee bits, all in 90 minutes. Erin used her pre-heat advantage to replace fresh oranges with peppermint. Mid-round twist is for everyone to add raspberry jam into one batch of their cookies.

Winner: Naylet Larochelle

Eliminated: Stephanie Hart
2 "Classic Holiday Flavors" November 16, 2014
Preliminary Heat: Make an eggnog swirled treat in 1 hour.

Winner: Terra Nelson (Her advantage was exclusive use of a spice grinder in the second round.)

Main Heat: The contestants have 1 hour to make a dessert featuring at least 3 classic holiday spices and 2 different kinds of sugar. All except for Terra had to grind their spices by hand.

Winner: Bill Lipscomb

Eliminated: Punky Egan
3 "It's Not the Holidays Without Pie" November 23, 2014
Preliminary Heat: Create any dessert, except for pie, with a ready-made pie crust in 30 minutes.

Winner: Erin Campbell (Her advantage is a 10-minute head start in the second round.)

Main Heat: The contestants have 2 hours to make 3 different pies that are inspired by home memories and traditions. End-of-the-round twist is having the contestants choose only their 2 best pies to present to the judges.

Winner: David Bondarchuck

Eliminated: Dante Marasco
4 "The Great Holiday Cake-Over" November 30, 2014
Preliminary Heat: Each contestant got a wrapped package with a fruitcake inside. They had 45 minutes to reinvent their holiday fruitcake into a different dessert.

Winner: Erin Campbell (Her advantage is 10 minutes of help from Duff Goldman at any point in the second round.)

Main Heat: The contestants are shown a Yule Log ("Bûche de Noël") cake and told they have 2 hours to create a dessert inspired by it.

Winner: Terra Nelson

Eliminated: David Bondarchuck
5 "Great Holiday Traditions" December 7, 2014
Preliminary Heat: Make a peppermint and hot chocolate dessert in 45 minutes.

Winner: Erin Campbell (Her advantage is exclusive use of a waffle iron and pancake griddle for the second round.)

Main Heat: The contestants have 2 hours to make a breakfast feast featuring 3 sweet, baked dishes.

Winner: Naylet Larochelle

Eliminated: Terra Nelson
6 "Gingerbread Worlds" December 14, 2014
Main Heat: The final three contestants have 10 hours to create a gingerbread display based on a favorite holiday memory, and incorporate three ginger infused baked items. Mid-round challenge is to add marzipan decorations.

Winner of $50,000: Erin Campbell

Runners-up: Bill Lipscomb and Naylet Larochelle

 (Note: There's no pre-heat here. It's just one long, main round where the winner takes it all.)

Elimination Table
Place Contestant Episode
1 2 3 4 5 6
1 Erin HIGH‡ LOW IN‡ IN‡ LOW‡ WINNER
2 Bill HIGH WIN IN HIGH IN RUNNER-UP
Naylet WIN IN HIGH LOW WIN RUNNER-UP
4 Terra LOW IN‡ LOW WIN ELIM
5 David IN HIGH WIN ELIM
6 Dante IN HIGH ELIM
7 Punky IN ELIM
8 Stephanie ELIM
  (WINNER) This baker won the competition.
  (RUNNER-UP) This baker was a finalist.
  (ELIM) This baker was eliminated.
  (IN) This baker never had the best dish or the worst.
  (HIGH) This baker had one of the best dish.
  (WIN) This baker had the best dish in the main challenge.
‡ This baker had the best dish in the pre-heat challenge.
  (LOW) This baker was last to be called safe.

Season 2

There were 10 contestants competing in an 8-episode baking tournament. In this season there's mid-round twists in several of the second rounds (in the form of an extra ingredient the contestants had to add to their confection). One person was eliminated every week until the final episode where the final three compete for the grand prize of $50,000.

Contestants

^Note : John Marasco's brother, Dante, competed in season 1 but was eliminated in the third episode.

Episodes
Ep. # Title Original Air Date
1 "We're Nuts for the Holidays" November 1, 2015
Preliminary Heat: Each baker chose a nutcracker from a table with a tag that had a type of nut written on it. They had 90 minutes to make a nut & chocolate confection with their chosen nut. (Steve & Briana got pecans, Melody & John got almonds, Adalberto & Susan got Brazil nuts, Joe & Maeve got hazelnuts, Padua & Haley got walnuts.)

Winner: Padua Player (His advantage was getting special tools, cookie cutters, and stencils for the next round.)

Main Heat: The contestants had to bake a decorated pie in 2 hours.

Winner: Susan Steffan

Eliminated: Joe Settepani
2 "Holiday Craftiness" November 8, 2015
Preliminary Heat: Make a baked dessert featuring candy canes in 1 hour.

Winner: Susan Steffan (Her advantage was getting special decorations for her wreath in the next round.)

Main Heat: The contestants had 90 minutes to create an edible wreath dessert. Mid-round twist is to incorporate oranges into the dessert.

Winner: Steve Konopelski

Eliminated: John Marasco
3 "Stuffing Is the Best Part" November 15, 2015
Preliminary Heat: Make a holiday whoopie pie in 1 hour. Each contestant had to choose a turkey baster filled with a "decorating theme" (Melody & Padua got "turkey", Susan & Maeve got "pumpkin", Steve & Briana got "pilgrim", Haley & Adalberto got "fall foliage").

Winner: Steve Konopelski (His advantage was first choice of candy for the second round.)

Main Heat: The contestants had 2 hours to make a cake stuffed with candy; they had a table of various candy choices from M&Ms to strawberry hard candies.

Winner: Melody Larsen

Eliminated: Susan Steffan
4 "Thanksgiving's Just Around the Corner" November 22, 2015
Preliminary Heat: Make a dessert with canned cranberry sauce in 1 hour.

Winner: Padua Player (His advantage is the ability to assign a fall ingredient to each contestant in the next round.)

Main Heat: The contestants had 90 minutes to make a dessert with assigned fall fruits and vegetables. For winning the pre-heat, Padua chose apples for himself and gave butternut squash to Adalberto, pomegranates to Steve, carrots to Briana, sweet potato to Melody, corn to Maeve, and figs to Haley. Mid-round twist is to incorporate flavored marshmallows into the desserts (marshmallow flavors were coconut, chocolate, coffee, and salted caramel).

Winner: Adalberto Diaz

Eliminated: Briana Johnson
5 "Ginger and Spice and Everything Nice" November 29, 2015
Preliminary Heat: Make a dozen mini desserts, in 1 hour, with ginger as the main ingredient.

Winner: Steve Konopelski (His advantage was a 10-minute head start in the second round.)

Main Heat: The contestants had 90 minutes to bake three different types of cookies, 1 dozen each, based on family traditions. Mid-round twist has each contestant using a specific tool on one of their cookies (meat crusher, muffin tin, and candy thermometer.)

Winner: Melody Larsen

Eliminated: Padua Player
6 "World Class Classics" December 6, 2015
Preliminary Heat: Make an updated version of 2 traditional Hanukkah treats: rugelach and coconut macaroons. They had 75 minutes to bake.

Winner: Haley Miller (Her advantage is 10 minutes of help from season 1 winner, Erin Campbell.)

Main Heat: The contestants had 2 hours to make a holiday croquembouche.

Winner: Maeve Schulz

Eliminated: Melody Larsen
7 "Re-Gifting" December 13, 2015
Preliminary Heat: Make a dessert from a candy apple in 75 minutes. Each contestant had to use a type of candy apple inside a gift wrapped box (Steve got a milk chocolate & coconut apple, Maeve got a white chocolate & cinnamon chip apple, Adalberto got a white chocolate & dried cherry apple, and Haley got a dark chocolate & almond apple).

Winner: Adalberto Diaz (His advantage is revealed in the middle of the next round as a liquor assignment.)

Main Heat: The contestants had 90 minutes to make a confection using three items from a gift basket (pears, pretzels, and chocolate caramels). Mid-round twist is to incorporate a specific liquor into the desserts. Since Adalberto won the pre-heat, he got to choose brandy for himself, then assigned coffee liquor to Maeve, orange liquor to Steve, and raspberry liquor to Haley.

Winner: Adalberto Diaz

Eliminated: Haley Miller
8 "Holiday Hoopla" December 20, 2015
Preliminary Heat: Make two dozen holiday cookies in 3 hours and decorate a cookie tree.

Winner: Maeve Schulz (Her advantage was the ability to assign the cake themes in the final round.)

Main Heat: The contestants had 5 hours to make a festive cake based on a holiday activity. (Maeve chose "sleigh ride", then assigned "singing carols" to Steve, and assigned "tree trimming" to Adalberto).

Winner of $50,000: Maeve Schulz

Runners-up: Adalberto Diaz and Steve Konopelski

Elimination Table
Place Contestant Episode
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
1 Maeve IN LOW IN IN HIGH WIN LOW WINNER‡
2 Adalberto HIGH HIGH HIGH WIN LOW IN WIN‡ RUNNER-UP
Steve LOW WIN IN‡ IN IN‡ HIGH LOW RUNNER-UP
4 Haley IN IN HIGH LOW IN LOW‡ ELIM
5 Melody IN IN WIN IN WIN ELIM
6 Padua IN‡ IN IN IN‡ ELIM
7 Briana IN IN LOW ELIM
8 Susan WIN HIGH‡ ELIM
9 John LOW ELIM
10 Joe ELIM
  (WINNER) This baker won the competition.
  (RUNNER-UP) This baker was a finalist.
  (WIN) This baker had the best dish in the main challenge.
‡ This baker had the best dish in the pre-heat challenge.
  (HIGH) This baker had one of the best dishes.
  (LOW) This baker was last to be called safe.
  (ELIM) This baker was eliminated.

Season 3

There were 9 contestants competing in a 7-episode baking tournament. One person was eliminated every week until the final episode where the final three compete for the grand prize of $50,000. At the end of this season, there was a Holiday Baking Championship special episode where the three past season winners competed against three child bakers from the Kids Baking Championship.

Contestants

Episodes
Ep. # Title Original Air Date
1 "Signs of the Season" November 6, 2016
Preliminary Heat: Make a dessert inspired by a hot holiday drink in 1 hour. The contestants chose their beverage theme from unlabelled coffee cups. (Maddie = Irish cream latte, Jason = pumpkin spice latte, Cheryl = hot cocoa, Matt = peppermint mocha, Amber = mulled cider, Vincenzo = hazelnut latte, Keli = chai latte, Shawne = eggnog cappuccino, Patti = cinnamon mocha.)

Winner: Matt Marotto (His advantage is first choice of the bundt pans for the next round.)

Main Heat: The contestants have 2 hours to bake a filled bundt cake decorated like a wreath. Mid-round twist is to add "cookie leaves" on the cake wreath.

Winner: Cheryl Storms

Eliminated: Keli Fayard
2 "Grandma's Thanksgiving Favorites" November 13, 2016
Preliminary Heat: : Make two types of holiday cookies in 45 minutes. One of them must be a sandwich cookie.

Winner: Vincenzo Vaccaro (His advantage is 10 minutes of help from Grandma Norma, 3rd place contestant from 'Clash of the Grandmas'.)

Main Heat: The contestants had 90 minutes to make a Thanksgiving pie by hand (no electric appliances allowed). Mid-round twist is to make an extra mini-pie in a different flavor.

Winner: Vincenzo Vaccaro

Eliminated: Maddie Carlos
3 "Thanksgiving Joy" November 20, 2016
Preliminary Heat: Make a Thanksgiving trifle in 45 minutes.

Winner: Jason Smith (His advantage is a 10-minute head start in the next round.)

Main Heat: The contestants had 90 minutes to bake three cupcakes that resemble three different foods found in a Thanksgiving meal. Mid-round twist is to incorporate cranberries into one of the cupcakes.

Winner: Cheryl Storms

Eliminated: Patti Curfman
4 "Hearth and Home" November 27, 2016
Preliminary Heat: Make a dessert in 45 minutes that highlights toasted marshmallows.

Winner: Amber Croom (Her advantage is exclusive use of sparkly decorations including edible gold & silver leaf.)

Main Heat: The contestants had 2 hours to update and "bling out" the classic Yule Log cake. Mid-round twist is to add a crunch element to their Yule Log dessert.

Winner: Jason Smith

Eliminated: Vincenzo Vaccaro
5 "Sweet Surprises" December 4, 2016
Preliminary Heat: Make an ugly Christmas sweater dessert in 1 hour.

Winner: Matt Marotto (His advantage is a selection of special molds and cutters for the next round.)

Main Heat: The contestants had to create an edible gift box filled with baked goods in 2 hours. Mid-round twist is to incorporate popcorn into their treats.

Winner: Matt Marotto

Eliminated: Amber Croom
6 "Christmas Morning" December 11, 2016
Preliminary Heat: Make a dessert shaped like a holiday stocking.

Winner: Jason Smith (His advantage is pre-tempered chocolate revealed partway into the next round.)

Main Heat: The contestants had to create a Christmas tree made of cream puffs. Mid-round twist is to make and add a chocolate tree topper. For winning the first round, Jason was the only one who got to use pre-tempered chocolate to make the topper and other decorations.

Winner: Jason Smith

Eliminated: Matt Marotto
7 "Live From the North Pole" December 18, 2016
Preliminary Heat: Make one sweet and one savory snack for Santa's "overlooked North Pole friends" in 90 minutes. Each friend was a different animal plushy in a jack-in-the-box chosen by the contestants. (Jason got "reindeer", Shawne got "polar bear", and Cheryl got "penguin").

Winner: Shawne Bryan (His advantage is assigning the cake theme for his competitors in the final round)

Main Heat: The final three must create a North Pole inspired cake using an wintery theme in 5 hours. As the winner of the pre-heat, Shawne chose the theme of "Snowman Family Christmas" then gave "Elves in the Workshop" to Jason, and "Santa's Sleigh Ride" to Cheryl. .

Winner of $50,000: Jason Smith

Runners-up: Cheryl Storms and Shawne Bryan
8 Special: "Adults vs. Kids"1 December 25, 2016
Preliminary Heat: Make a rich, decadent holiday dessert in 1 hour.

Winner: Jane Haviland (Her advantage is to pick each team for the second round.)

Main Heat: Teams of two (one adult, one child) must create three different desserts to fill a little football dome model in 2 hours. Pairing up are: Jane Haviland & Maeve Schulz, Matthew Merrill & Erin Campbell, Jackson Fujimori & Jason Smith. Mid-round twist is to incorporate sprinkles into one of the treats.

Winners of $10,000: Jackson Fujimori & Jason Smith

Eliminated: Jane Haviland & Maeve Schulz-Rochford and Matthew Merrill & Erin Campbell

^Note 1 : Episode 8 was a special episode. Kids Baking Championship "fan favorite" contestants (Jackson Fujimori from season 1 and Matthew Merrill and Jane Haviland from season 2) vs. the three Holiday Baking Championship winners (season 1 winner Erin Campbell, season 2 winner Maeve Schulz-Rochford, and this season's winner Jason Smith). They competed for a chance at $10,000.

Elimination Table
Place Contestant Episode
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
1 Jason IN IN HIGH‡ WIN LOW WIN‡ WINNER2
2 Cheryl WIN HIGH WIN IN IN HIGH RUNNER-UP
Shawne IN LOW IN IN IN LOW RUNNER-UP‡
4 Matt IN‡ IN LOW LOW WIN‡ ELIM
5 Amber IN HIGH IN HIGH‡ ELIM
6 Vincenzo IN WIN‡ IN ELIM
7 Patti LOW IN ELIM
8 Maddie HIGH ELIM
9 Keli ELIM
  (WINNER) This baker won the competition.
  (RUNNER-UP) This baker was a finalist.
  (WIN) This baker had the best dish in the main challenge.
‡ This baker had the best dish in the pre-heat challenge.
  (HIGH) This baker had one of the best dishes.
  (LOW) This baker was last to be called safe.
  (ELIM) This baker was eliminated.

^Note 2 : Jason Smith was the first home cook to win Holiday Baking Championship. He later went on to win season 13 of Food Network Star.

Season 4

As with the previous season, 9 contestants competed in a 7-episode baking tournament. One person was eliminated every week until the final episode where the final three compete for the $50,000 grand prize. There was an additional special episode that aired on Christmas Day bringing up runner-up contestants from previous seasons for a one-episode showdown.

Contestants

^Note 1 : Amy Strickland also appeared in season 2 of Halloween Baking Championship; she was forced to withdraw from that competition due to stress concerns since she was 6 months pregnant.

Episodes
Ep. # Title Original Air Date
1 "Holiday Party Delights” November 6, 2017
Preliminary Heat: Make a candy cane dessert in 90 minutes. Each baker chose a candy cane from a table. (Amy got green apple flavor, Ian got salted caramel flavor, Stephany got raspberry flavor, Pablo got caramel macchiato flavor, Jennifer got cherry flavor, Aveed got orange flavor, Aristo got blueberry flavor, Andra got hot cocoa flavor, Joshua got pineapple flavor.)

Winner: Aveed Dai (Her advantage was getting shelled peanuts in the second round, while the others had to remove shells from their peanuts.)

Main Heat: The contestants had 2 hours to make a dessert inspired by a holiday cocktail they blindly picked from a table. (Ian got apple martini, Joshua got champagne cocktail, Aveed got hot buttered rum, Stephany got mulled wine, Amy got amaretto sour, Aristo got cider punch, Jennifer got cranberry julep, Pablo pomegranate cosmopolitan, and Andra got a hot toddy). Mid-round twist is to incorporate salted peanuts (still in their shell) into their dish.

Winner: Joshua Livsey

Eliminated: Aveed Dai
2 "Season of Sharing" November 13, 2017
Preliminary Heat: : Working in teams of 2, they'll have to make a dozen seasonally-shaped hand pies in 90 minutes. The autumn cookie cutters they pick out of a bag determines who gets paired up with who: Stephany & Jennifer, Arista & Andra, Joshua & Ian, Pablo & Amy.

Winner: Joshua Livsey & Ian Barthley (Their advantage in the Main Heat was to choose the teams)

Main Heat: The contestants had to pair up again to create a holiday dessert duo inspired by classic holiday flavor combinations. They had 90 minutes to bake. Ian picked Stephany (pecan & caramel), Joshua picked Jennifer (chocolate & orange), Pablo got paired with Arista (cranberry & ginger), and Andra got paired with Amy (peppermint & chocolate). Mid-round twist is to incorporate eggnog into their desserts.

Winner: Jennifer Barney

Eliminated: Pablo Sanchez
3 "Thanksgiving Genius" November 20, 2017
Preliminary Heat: Make a Thanksgiving dessert in 1 hour using a mystery canned item. (Joshua got canned plum, Stephany got pumpkin, Aristo got apricot, Ian got cranberry, Andra got peaches, Jennifer got mandarin oranges, and Amy got pineapple).

Winner: Amy Strickland (Her advantage was the ability to switch dessert combinations with another baker)

Main Heat: The bakers have 90 minutes to create a new Turkey Day sensation by combining two traditional desserts (written and stuffed into decorative gourds). For winning the pre-heat, Amy traded 'blueberry cobbler & chocolate mousse' for Andra's 'pumpkin pie & brownies'. Jennifer got 'lemon bar & pecan pie'. Aristo got 'apple crumble & crème brûlée', Joshua got 's'mores & apple pie', Ian got 'grasshopper pie & blondie', and Stephany got 'tiramisu & bread pudding'. Mid-round twist is to incorporate sweet potatoes into their sweet treats.

Winner: Stephany Buswell

Eliminated: Aristo Camburako
4 "A New Holiday Spin" November 27, 2017
Preliminary Heat: The contestants have 1 hour to use yellow cake mix to make anything but a cake.

Winner: Ian Barthley (His advantage is a ten-minute head start in the second round.)

Main Heat: The bakers have 90 minutes to put a festive spin on a non-holiday dessert (thanks to his advantage, Ian has the full 90 minutes while the rest only have 80 minutes). The contestants picked sealed holiday cards to see what dessert they'd have to transform: Ian got 'coconut cream pie', Stephany got 'strawberry shortcake', Jennifer got 'fruit tart', Joshua got 'birthday cake', Andra got 'banana pudding', and Amy got a 'red white & blueberry trifle'. Mid-round twist is to add fresh cherries into their desserts.

Winner: Stephany Buswell

Eliminated: Andra Chisholm
5 "Comfort and Joy" December 4, 2017
Preliminary Heat: Create a holiday flambé dessert in 1 hour.

Winner: Joshua Livsey (His advantage was assigning cheeses in the second round.)

Main Heat: The contestants had 2 hours to take a holiday cheese board and turn it into an unusual cheesecake. Joshua picked goat cheese and he assigned feta to Stephany, blue cheese to Ian, cheddar to Amy, and Brie cheese to Jennifer. Mid-round twist is to pick a cheese board accompaniment and incorporate it into their cheesecake (Amy grabbed almonds, Stephany grabbed pistachios, Joshua grabbed balsamic vinegar, Ian grabbed dates, and Jennifer grabbed fig jam).

Winner: Joshua Livsey

Eliminated: Amy Strickland
6 "Tradition! Tradition!" December 11, 2017
Preliminary Heat: Bake a dozen Hanukkah jelly doughnuts, in 90 minutes, featuring two flavor combination picked blind from Hannukah gelt. (Joshua got 'blueberry & chili', Stephany got 'pear & basil', Ian got 'strawberry & ginger', Jennifer got 'apricot & citrus'.)

Winner: Jennifer Barney (Her advantage is exclusive use of special ingredients and molded pans to use in the second round)

Main Heat: The contestants had 2 hours to reinvent the fruitcake. Mid-round twist requires all the bakers to make butterscotch from scratch and add it to their desserts.

Winner: Joshua Livsey

Eliminated: Ian Barthley
7 "Twelve Days of Christmas" December 18, 2017
Preliminary Heat: In 90 minutes, combine two last-minute holiday gifts into one dessert. (Stephany got 'butter cookies & popcorn', Joshua got 'Irish cream & peppermint bark', Jennifer got 'Pinot Noir & chocolate caramel pecan clusters'.)

Winner: Stephany Buswell (Her advantage is three chances at picking a theme in the second round, with the ability to discard her first two choices and give them to her competitors.)

Main Heat: The final three bakers have five hours to create a dessert inspired by a line from the song "Twelve Days of Christmas". Stephany had twelve numbered panels to choose from (the song lines did not correspond with the numbers). Door 7 had "12 drummers drumming" and was given to Joshua. Door 1 had "6 geese a'laying" and was given to Jennifer. On her last pick, Door 4, Stephany ended up with "8 maids a'milking". Mid-round twist is to make a dozen petit fours presents to go with the main dessert.

Winner of $50,000: Jennifer Barney

Runners-up: Stephany Buswell and Joshua Livsey
8 Special: "Runners Up Redemption"2 December 25, 2017
Preliminary Heat: Baking teams must use real children's letters to Santa to inspire a holiday dessert. It must be made in 90 minutes. (Steve Konopelski & Adalberto Diaz got a letter asking for a 'deep fryer', Cheryl Storms & Shawne Bryan got a letter asking for 'roller skates', Bill Lipscomb & Naylet Larochelle got a letter asking for a 'science kit'.)

Winner: Bill & Naylet (Their advantage was picking the flavor of their cupcakes in the second round, which no other team could use.)

Main Heat: Teams had 2 1/2 hours to bake cupcakes and assemble them into one giant edible holiday tree. Bill & Naylet chose eggnog flavor for their cupcakes. Mid-round twist is to bake a dozen cookie ornaments to go on their cupcake tree.

Winners of $10,000: Cheryl Storms & Shawne Bryan

Eliminated: Bill Lipscomb & Naylet Larochelle and Steve Konopelski & Adalberto Diaz

^Note 2 : Episode 8 was a special episode. Six runner-up competitors from previous season finales returned to battle it out for a chance to win $10,000 (They were paired up into teams of two representing their respective seasons: Bill Lipscomb and Naylet Larochelle from season 1, Steve Konopelski and Adalberto Diaz from season 2, and Cheryl Storms and Shawne Bryan from season 3).

Elimination Table
Place Contestant Episode
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
1 Jennifer IN WIN IN HIGH LOW HIGH‡ WINNER
2 Joshua WIN IN‡ IN HIGH WIN‡ WIN RUNNER UP
Stephany HIGH IN WIN WIN HIGH LOW RUNNER UP‡
4 Ian IN IN‡ HIGH LOW‡ IN ELIM
5 Amy IN IN IN‡ LOW ELIM
6 Andra LOW LOW LOW ELIM
7 Aristo HIGH IN ELIM
8 Pablo IN ELIM
9 Aveed ELIM‡
  (WINNER) This baker won the competition.
  (RUNNER-UP) This baker was a finalist.
  (WIN) This baker had the best dish in the main challenge.
‡ This baker had the best dish in the pre-heat challenge.
  (HIGH) This baker had one of the best dishes.
  (LOW) This baker was last to be called safe.
  (ELIM) This baker was eliminated.

Season 5

As with the previous season, 9 contestants competed in a 7-episode baking tournament where one contestant was sent home every week until the final three remain. However unlike previous seasons, the prize money has been halved this year; the winner gets $25,000 as well as a spot in Food Network Magazine and their own video on foodnetwork.com.

Contestants

^Note 1 : Julia Perugini was previously featured as a competitor on Christmas Cookie Challenge.

Episodes
Ep. # Title Original Air Date
1 "Holiday Essentials" November 5, 2018
Preliminary Heat: The contestants were challenged to make a pumpkin spice dessert in 90 minutes.

Winner: Lerome Campbell (His advantage was to switch his dessert with another contestant in the next round)

Main Heat: The bakers had 2 hours to make yule log mashups. For his advantage, Lerome traded his "peppermint swirl cheesecake" for Julia's "Linzer cookie". Douglas got "ginger molasses cookie". Dan got "chocolate cheesecake". Sherry got "pecan pie". Chantal got "sweet potato pie". Sarah got "pinwheel cookie". Jamie got "pumpkin cheesecake". Nolan got "apple pie". Mid-round twist is to add brandy to their dessert mashup.

Winner: Douglas Phillips

Eliminated: Jamie Decena
2 "Plenty of Gratitude" November 12, 2018
Preliminary Heat:In a team challenge, the contestants had to make four different pies in the same sheet pan, all in 2 hours. The teams were chosen by matching up pie servers: Sarah & Dan, Chantal & Lerome, Julia & Nolan, and Douglas & Sherry

Winner: Chantal Thomas & Lerome Campbell (Their advantage was first choice of cake flavor in the next round)

Main Heat: The bakers had 2 hours to make stuffed cakes. Chantal & Lerome chose to stuff their cakes with "pear". Douglas chose "cherry". Dan chose "apple". Sherry chose "apple". Julia chose "blood orange". Nolan chose "cherry". Sarah chose "blood orange". Mid-round twist was to add mint into their cakes.

Winner: Douglas Phillips

Eliminated: Nolan Schooley
3 "Turkey Day Delights" November 19, 2018
Preliminary Heat: The contestants had 90 minutes to pair a fall ingredient with cranberry. Sarah got rosemary. Julia got chocolate. Dan got pistachio. Sherry got ginger. Chantal got pumpkin. Douglas got lime. Lerome got fig.

Winner: Sarah Lucia Tafur (Her advantage was 10 minutes of help from Duff Goldman)

Main Heat: The bakers had 90 minutes to create a sweet treat that paired coffee with an unusual flavored coffee syrup. Chantal grabbed pomegranate syrup. Sarah grabbed peanut butter syrup. Douglas grabbed root beer syrup. Sherry grabbed green apple syrup. Lerome grabbed shortbread syrup. Julia grabbed blueberry syrup. Dan grabbed blackberry syrup. Mid-round twist is to add biscotti into the recipe.

Winner: Lerome Campbell

Eliminated: Sherry Clarke
4 "Holiday Artistry" November 26, 2018
Preliminary Heat: The contestants had 90 minutes to make a cream puff family. Douglas had to make a Santa family. Sarah had to make a gingerbread man family. Lerome had to make a snowman family. Don had to make a penguin family. Julia had to make an elf family. Chantal had to make a reindeer family.

Winner: Douglas Phillips (His advantage was a ten-minute head start in addition to the original 2 hours)

Main Heat: The bakers had 2 hours to make a hand-painted holiday eggnog cake. Mid-round twist is to add a separate edible holly decoration without using fondant or gum-paste.

Winner: Dan Raymond

Eliminated: Julia Perugini
5 "Light and Inspiring" December 3, 2018
Preliminary Heat: They had 90 minutes to make two dozen specially flavored rugelach. The bakers grabbed Hannukah gift boxes with their mandatory flavor inside; Doug got chai, Lerome got grapefruit, Chantal got guava paste, Sarah got cardamom, and Dan got peanut butter.

Winner: Sarah Lucia Tafur (Her advantage being able to switch one of her second round ingredients for another contestant's ingredients)

Main Heat: Each contestant had 90 minutes to create a tiramisu using two favorite ingredients of their judge of choice. Picking blindly from a wall of numbered panels, Sarah chose Duff's favorites: dates & speculoos. Doug chose Lorraine's favorites: vanilla & matcha. Chantal chose Nancy's favorites: bourbon & apple butter. Dan chose Nancy's favorites: coconut & hazelnut. Lerome chose Lorraine's favorites: coffee & ginger. Sarah opted not to use her advantage and didn't switch any ingredients. Mid-round twist was to add host Jesse Palmer's favorite ingredient: maple syrup.

Winner: Lerome Campbell

Eliminated: Dan Raymond
6 "New Family Classics" December 10, 2018
Preliminary Heat: The bakers had 90 minutes to update a holiday chocolate dish with regular pantry ingredients. Chantal added 'strawberry jelly' and 'dried apricots' to chocolate cake. Sarah added 'olive oil' and 'balsamic vinegar' to chocolate chip cookies. Doug added 'oats' and 'coconut' to chocolate cream pie. Lerome added 'potato chips' and 'red wine' to chocolate trifle.

Winner: Chantal Thomas (Her advantage was to assign ingredients to everyone in the second round)

Main Heat: Everyone had 90 minutes to transform two fruitcake ingredients (one nut, and one fruit) into a new dessert. Chantal's advantage allowed her to choose first so she picked hazelnuts and candied orange. She gave Sarah almonds and candied cherries. She gave Doug walnuts and dried pineapple. She gave Lerome pecans and candied lemon. Mid-round twist was to incorporate actual fruitcake into their desert.

Winner: Douglas Phillips

Eliminated: Chantal Thomas
7 "Gifts of Greatness" December 17, 2018
Preliminary Heat: The contestants had to make two dozen edible ornaments in 2 hours.

Winner: Lerome Campbell (His advantage was exclusive use of a cake flavor in the final round)

Main Heat: The final three had 5 hours to create a holiday gift cake with a surprise inside. Lerome chose chocolate cake as his cake flavor advantage.

Winner of $25,000: Douglas Phillips

Runners-up: Lerome Campbell and Sarah Lucia Tafur
8 Special: "Homecoming Special"2 December 24, 2018
Preliminary Heat: Returning champions were paired up and they had to make holiday éclair light strings in 90 minutes. Maeve and Jason were paired up (Holiday). Jen (Holiday) and Jordan (Spring) were paired up. Michelle (Halloween) and Nacho (Spring) were paired up.

Winners: Jennifer & Jordan (Their advantage was assigning cake colors and ingredients in the next round.)

Main Heat: Working in the same teams, the contestants had five hours to make silver or gold cakes, and include a special ingredient specific to them. Jen & Jordan chose "silver" and "25-year-old balsamic", they assigned "gold" and "saffron" to Jason & Maeve, and gave "silver" and "Manuka honey" to Michelle & Nacho. Mid-round twist is to make a dozen cupcakes in the opposite color and it had to be a different flavor from their cakes.

Winners of $10,000: Jennifer Barney & Jordan Pilarski

Eliminated: Jason Smith & Maeve Rochford and Michelle Antonishek & Nacho Aguirre

^Note 2 : In Episode 8, six past baking champions (from the various baking spin-offs) return in a "best of the best" competition. The judges (Nancy, Duff, and Lorraine) also served as hosts. The contestants were: Maeve Rochford from season 2, Jason Smith from season 3, and Jen Barney from season 4 of Holiday Baking Championship, Jordan Pilarski from season 3 and Nacho Aguirre from season 4 of Spring Baking Championship, and Michelle Antonishek from season 2 of Halloween Baking Championship.

Elimination Table
Place Contestant Episode
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
1 Douglas WIN WIN HIGH IN‡ LOW WIN WINNER
2 Lerome IN‡ IN‡ WIN LOW WIN LOW RUNNER-UP‡
Sarah IN IN IN‡ HIGH HIGH‡ LOW RUNNER-UP
4 Chantal HIGH HIGH‡ LOW IN IN ELIM‡
5 Dan IN LOW IN WIN ELIM
6 Julia IN IN IN ELIM
7 Sherry LOW IN ELIM
8 Nolan IN ELIM
9 Jamie ELIM
  (WINNER) This baker won the competition.
  (RUNNER-UP) This baker was a finalist.
  (WIN) This baker had the best dish in the main challenge.
‡ This baker had the best dish in the pre-heat challenge.
  (HIGH) This baker had one of the best dishes.
  (LOW) This baker was last to be called safe.
  (ELIM) This baker was eliminated.

^Note 3 : In episode 2, there was a teams event causing two people to win the advantage.

Season 6

Contestants

Elimination Table
Place Contestant Episode
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
1 Melissa LOW WIN‡ IN HIGH IN IN WIN WINNER
2 Jennifer HIGH IN WIN WIN HIGH WIN LOW RUNNER-UP
Sarah IN‡ IN LOW IN‡ WIN HIGH HIGH‡ RUNNER-UP‡
4 Geoffrey IN IN HIGH IN IN‡ LOW ELIM
5 Dwight IN HIGH IN‡ IN LOW ELIM‡
6 Janet IN IN IN LOW ELIM
7 Cedrick IN IN IN ELIM
8 Kobe WIN LOW ELIM
9 Maria IN ELIM
10 Devon ELIM
  (WINNER) This baker won the competition.
  (RUNNER-UP) This baker was a finalist.
  (WIN) This baker had the best dish in the main challenge.
‡ This baker had the best dish in the pre-heat challenge.
  (HIGH) This baker had one of the best dishes.
  (LOW) This baker was last to be called safe.
  (ELIM) This baker was eliminated.

Season 7

12 bakers enter the kitchen to compete for the $25,000 prize, a chance to be featured on the Food Network Kitchen app, and the title of Holiday Baking Champion. New this year, the bakers will be ranked on the "Naughty or Nice" list after each challenge. The lowest ranked baker after each main heat will be eliminated from the competition. However, in the first episode of the season, the lowest ranked baker after the first pre-heat was eliminated.

Contestants

Episodes
Ep. # Title Original Air Date
1 "Holiday Style" November 2, 2020
Preliminary Heat: The bakers had 2 hours to make quick bread wreaths with a flavor combination they pulled off a mini-wreath hanging around the kitchen (maple pecan, spiced pear, orange cranberry, ginger citrus, apple cinnamon, or chocolate orange).

Winner: Kess Eshun (Her advantage was first pick of the hats in the main heat.)

Eliminated: Jonathan Peregrino

Main Heat: The bakers had 2 hours to make winter hat cakes that looked like the hats they chose. Mid-round twist is they had to add their name onto their cake legibly and to give it an embroidered look.

Winner: Megan Rountree

Eliminated: Kristina Stephenson
2 "Holiday Goodie Games" November 9, 2020
Preliminary Heat: The bakers had 2 hours to add a nut or seed into their dessert, but they were forbidden from making a pie. Megan grabbed walnut, Lashonda grabbed macadamia nut, Lorenzo grabbed pine nut, Aubrey grabbed poppy seed, Eva grabbed sunflower seed, Jeffrey grabbed sesame seed, Jamaal grabbed pumpkin seed, Kess grabbed almond, Julianna grabbed pistachio, and Jon grabbed hazelnut.

Winner: Jamaal Nettles (His advantage was to pick the mid-round twist ingredient all the bakers had to also incorporate in their main heat dish.)

Main Heat: The bakers had 2 hours to holiday up a non-holiday dessert (key lime pie, icebox cake, fruit tart, lemon meringue pie, or ice cream cake) and add a holiday spin to it they spun randomly on a wheel (dried fruits, holiday spices, or holiday spirits). Mid-round twist is to add one more non-holiday ingredient into their dish (strawberry, pineapple, or mango). Jamaal chose mango for his advantage.

Winner: Lorenzo Delgado

Eliminated: Aubrey Shaffner
3 "Take Holiday Pies by Surprise" November 16, 2020
Preliminary Heat: The bakers were challenged to bake mini pies with holiday cookie toppings in 2 hours in an assigned flavor. Lorenzo grabbed cherry, Jamaal grabbed blackberry, Megan grabbed cookie butter, Eva grabbed butterscotch, Lashonda grabbed pecan, Jeffrey grabbed chess, Kess grabbed peppermint, Jon grabbed peanut butter, and Julianna grabbed coconut custard.

Winner: Lorenzo Delgado (His advantage was exemption from the twist of including eggnog in his main heat dish.)

Main Heat: The bakers were given 2 hours to make different fall-flavored holiday pies with different types of pies. Lorenzo grabbed pumpkin & cider and cream pie, Jon grabbed cranberry & almond and cream pie, Eva grabbed apple & fennel and lattice pie, Lashonda grabbed chestnut & chocolate and slab pie, Jeffrey grabbed bourbon & pear and slab pie, Kess grabbed sweet potato & pecan and double crust pie, Julianna grabbed sweet potato & chai and double crust pie, Jamaal grabbed butternut squash & maple and custard pie, and Megan grabbed apple & raisin and lattice pie.

Winner: Julianna Jung

Eliminated: Jeffrey Gray
4 "Hosting the Holidays" November 23, 2020
Preliminary Heat: The bakers had 90 minutes to turn common breakfasts into Thanksgiving desserts. They chose in the order of their placement on the "naughty or nice" list from the previous week's main heat. Julianna/Lorenzo chose french toast, Lashonda/Eva chose toaster pastry, Jon/Jamaal chose scone, and Kess/Megan chose breakfast crepe.

Winner: Jamaal Nettles (His advantage was he got to pick his teammate and assign the remaining teams.)

Main Heat: The bakers had 2 hours to turn common Friendsgiving potluck dishes using an ingredient featured in them in their own dessert. The bakers worked in teams, but they competed against each other with the top team member being in the top four and the bottom team member being up for elimination. Jon/Lashonda got glazed carrots, Lorenzo/Megan got balsamic brussels sprouts, Jamaal/Eva got creamed corn, and Kess/Julianna got sage & sausage stuffing. Mid-round twist is to add champagne into their desserts.

Winner: Eva Roberts

Eliminated: Kess Eshun
5 "It's What's on the Inside That Counts" November 30, 2020
Preliminary Heat: The bakers had 90 minutes to make an Advent calendar dessert featuring a chocolate and with a surprise inside. Jon got blonde chocolate, Megan/Lashonda got white chocolate, Jamaal/Julianna got milk chocolate, and Lorenzo/Eva got dark chocolate.

Winner: Lorenzo Delgado (His advantage was he had exclusive use of a flavor for his cheesecakes that nobody else could use for any of theirs. He chose chocolate.)

Main Heat: The bakers had 2 hours to make a cheesecake with 3 different flavors. Mid-round twist is to create 3 different decorations to display what flavor each section of cheesecake is and at least 2 of them had to be baked.

Winner: Lashonda Sanford

Eliminated: Jamaal Nettles
6 "Topsy-Turvy Holidays" December 7, 2020
Preliminary Heat: In a team challenge, the bakers had 90 minutes to make a dessert inspired by Hanukkah jelly-filled doughnuts with required fried dough and jelly components. The teams were paired up by dreidels with matching colors on one side: Megan & Lashonda, Jon & Eva, and Lorenzo & Julianna. In a twist because of his love for jelly-filled doughnuts, Duff Goldman judged the preheat by himself instead of all 3 judges as normal.

Winner: Lashonda Sanford and Megan Rountree (Their advantage was an exclusive basket of decorating materials to decorate their upside-down cakes including things like cookie cutters, candies, and fondant. All other decorating materials were removed from the kitchen, so no one else could use them.)

Main Heat: The bakers had 2 hours to transform upside-down cakes into a holiday dessert. They picked ornaments off a tree that indicated what their fruit flavor and decorating assignment would be for the cake. Lashonda grabbed fig and holiday lights. Megan grabbed plum and tree ornaments. Julianna grabbed pear and Christmas star. Jon grabbed blood orange and poinsettia. Eva grabbed cranberry and holiday presents. Lorenzo grabbed apple and fall leaves. Mid-round twist is to include fresh rosemary into their upside-down cakes.

Winner: Megan Rountree

Eliminated: Jon Buatti
7 "A Classic Christmas" December 14, 2020
Preliminary Heat: The bakers had 90 minutes to make a holiday trifle. They had to include three distinct layers: a cream or custard, a jam or jelly, and a cookie or cake in an assigned flavor. Megan picked pistachio, Julianna picked peppermint, Lorenzo picked cinnamon, Lashonda picked coffee, and Eva picked gingerbread.

Winner: Lorenzo Delgado (His advantage was a 10-minute head start in the main heat ahead of the other bakers, so he had 2 hours and 10 minutes.)

Main Heat: The bakers had 2 hours to make the ultimate Charlotte Royale fit for Santa Claus in an assigned flavor. Lorenzo picked raspberry, Eva picked ginger, Lashonda picked praline, Megan picked chocolate, and Julianna picked pumpkin. Mid-round twist is to add a baked item that looks like a holly leaf onto their Charlotte Royale.

Winner: Megan Rountree

Eliminated: Lashonda Sanford
81 "Christmas Windows in Time" December 21, 2020
Preliminary Heat: The bakers had 3 hours to make holiday macaron trees, not in the shape of a Christmas tree, but in graduating large to small tiers. However, instead of competing for an advantage, the bakers were competing for a spot in the Main Heat with the least two successful bakers facing off against each other and the winner of that battle moving on to the Main Heat.

Winner: Julianna Jung

Bottom two: Eva Roberts and Lorenzo Delgado

Face-off Challenge: Eva and Lorenzo had 1 hour to take peanut butter cookies or chocolate chip cookies and turn them into a new dessert. Lorenzo got to pick due to his most recent win in any challenge and he picked peanut butter, so Eva got chocolate chip.

Winner: Lorenzo Delgado

Eliminated: Eva Roberts

Main Heat: The bakers had 5 hours to make Christmas past, present, or future cakes with a style of icing signature to that time period: marzipan icing for past, buttercream icing for present, and mirror glaze icing for future. For winning the pre-heat, Julianna got to pick her time period and assign the others. She chose present, she gave past to Lorenzo, and she gave future to Megan.

Winner of $25,000: Julianna Jung

Eliminated: Lorenzo Delgado and Megan Rountree

^Note 1 : On December 20, prior to episode 8, there was a special hour-long episode titled Sweet Secrets. This was hosted by judges Duff Goldman, Nancy Fuller, and Carla Hall. They offered a behind-the-scenes look at the set where Holiday Baking Championship is filmed and discussed topics relating to this season such as: their favorite and least favorite desserts up to this point, the road to the finale with the finalists and their strengths/weaknesses, their relationships with each other on and off set, how they went about the whole elimination process of picking the least successful baker, and also showed a small sneak peek of the finale at the end.

Specials

Christmas in July (2019)

Four bakers and self-professed holiday fanatics, competed in a special summer episode of Holiday Baking Championship[2] where the winner got $10,000. The host was Jesse Palmer and the judges were the same as always: Nancy Fuller, Duff Goldman, and Lorraine Pascale.

Contestants
Ep. # Title Original Air Date
1 "Christmas In July" July 8, 2019
Preliminary Heat: Contestants had 2 hours to make a dozen melted snowman desserts. They rushed to grab hats off prop snowmen with desserts written on the back. Jennifer had to make cupcakes. TyNesha had to make cookies. Jonathan had to make bars. Alessandro had to make brownies.

Winner: TyNesha Hills (Her advantage was first pick of the flavor profile in the second round)

Main Heat: The bakers had five hours to make a Christmas ice cream cake. They grabbed holiday mugs with different holiday flavors on it that they had to highlight in their cake. For her advantage, TyNesha got to pick cinnamon. Jonathan got eggnog, Jennifer got peppermint, and Alessandro got pumpkin. Mid-round twist was to add an ice cream mix-in to put into their ice cream cake. Jonathan got shredded coconut, Alessandro got granola, TyNesha got pistachios, and Jennifer got toffee.

Winner of $10,000: Alessandro Caria

Eliminated: TyNesha Hills, Jonathan Ramirez, and Jennifer Jacobs

References
  1. List of Episodes for Season 5
  2. https://corporate.discovery.com/discovery-newsroom/food-network-sizzles-with-new-series-new-specials-new-episodes-all-summer-long/
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