''Next Great Baker'' (also known as ''Cake Boss: Next Great Baker'') is an American television series that airs on
TLC
TLC may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Television
* ''TLC'' (TV series), a 2002 British situational comedy television series that aired on BBC2
* TLC (TV network), formerly the Learning Channel, an American cable TV network
** TLC (Asia), an A ...
, hosted by
Buddy Valastro
Bartolo "Buddy" Valastro Jr. (born March 3, 1977) is an American baker and reality television personality of Italian heritage. He is the owner of Carlo's Bakery, as well as the face of Buddy V's Ristorante. Valastro is best known as the star of ...
, the star of his own reality series, ''
Cake Boss
''Cake Boss'' is an American reality television series, which originally aired on the cable television network TLC. The series premiered on April 19, 2009, and has spawned four spin-offs: '' Next Great Baker'', ''Kitchen Boss'', ''Bake You Ric ...
''. The show features contestants participating in challenges that test their
edible art
Edible art refers to food created to be art. It is distinguished from Edible Arrangements (which predominantly consist of fruit) because it is usually more elaborate dessert food. A common form of edible art is wedding cakes, but options for art ...
baking and decorating skills. Each week, a contestant will be eliminated; the last contestant standing will win a grand prize package that varies by season. Other prizes for winning a challenge or the week's competition are also offered during the series.
Gameplay
Each round has three stages:
# Baker's challenge: Each contestant has to meet a challenge set by Buddy the Cake Boss, such as making a pastry, baking a cake or, as in the first-season finale, filling buckets of grease. The winner of this challenge receives a special bonus, revealed after the challenge.
# Elimination challenge: Each contestant has a set amount of time over two days — usually three hours on the first day and the remaining time on the second — to make a cake to specifications set by Buddy.
# Final elimination: Buddy and the judges (the judge from the Baker's challenge and a client) decide which three cakes are the best and which two cakes that are the worst. After the decisions are made, the contestants (who were waiting in the bakers' lounge) enter the judging room. Contestants determined "safe" are then dismissed. Then, the three contestants with the best cakes are announced, with the one with the best cake in the challenge singled out. The remaining contestants have the worst cakes in the challenge; one of these will be told to leave the competition, transported away by Danny (an employee of Carlo's Bakery and Buddy's close friend) inside a
box truck
A box truck—also known as a box van, cube van, bob truck or cube truck—is a chassis cab truck with an enclosed cuboid-shaped cargo area. On most box trucks, the cabin is separate to the cargo area; however some box trucks have a door betwee ...
marked "Not the Next Great Baker".
Episodes
Season 1
The first season of ''Next Great Baker'' was taped inside a special kitchen studio set up at the
Hudson County Community College
Hudson County Community College (HCCC) is a public community college in Hudson County, New Jersey.
Locations
The school's main campus is located in Jersey City, with several institutions tapered throughout Journal Square and nearby Bergen Squa ...
Culinary Arts Institute in
Jersey City, New Jersey
Jersey City is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, after Newark.[Chevrolet Cruze
The Chevrolet Cruze is a compact car that is produced by General Motors since 2008. It was designated as a globally developed, designed, and manufactured four-door compact sedan, complemented by a five-door hatchback body variant from 2011, and ...]
and an apprenticeship at
Carlo's Bake Shop in
Hoboken, New Jersey
Hoboken ( ; Unami: ') is a city in Hudson County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 60,417. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the city's population was 58,690 i ...
. Following his win, Dana was featured in some episodes of ''Cake Boss'', but he had had his own bakery before his appearance on the show.
Season 2
The second season of ''Next Great Baker'' was set at the new Carlo's Bakery facility at Lackawanna Center in Jersey City, and was televised from November 28, 2011 to January 30, 2012 on TLC. Marissa Lopez, the last contestant standing out of a field of 13 contestants, won $100,000 cash and a four-page spread in ''
Brides
A bride is a woman who is about to be married or who is newlywed.
When marrying, the bride's future spouse, (if male) is usually referred to as the ''bridegroom'' or just ''groom''. In Western culture, a bride may be attended by a maid, brides ...
'' magazine, along with an opportunity to work beside Buddy in the bakery. As of 2020, she is the manager of Carlo's Bakery Ridgewood, New Jersey.
Season 3
Season 3 premiered on Monday, November 26, 2012. 13 contestant battle it out for $100,000 dollars and a spread in redbook magazine and to work with Buddy. The winner was Ashley Holt. She now owns her own bakery called ''Sugar Monster''. She previously worked at Buddy's bakery and appears on Buddy's other show, ''Cake Boss'' from Season 5. She announced her withdrawal from the bakery on Season 6. (Ep. 28: Up, Up and Away)
Season 4
Season 4 premiered on Tuesday, June 24, 2014. This season, contestants competed in pairs. Ten pairs total vied for a $100,000 grand prize and an opportunity to work for Buddy Valastro at the new Carlo's Bakery at
Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
's
The Venetian. Chocolatier
Jacques Torres
Jacques Torres (born 14 June 1959) is a French pastry chef and chocolatier based in New York. Torres is a member of the International Culinary Center community as Dean of Pastry Arts, as well as holding pastry demonstrations. He appears on the sh ...
and
Magnolia Bakery
Magnolia Bakery is a chain of bakeries founded in New York City. The first location opened in 1996 at 401 Bleecker Street, on the corner of West 11th Street in the West Village neighborhood of Manhattan. The bakery is known for its desserts, e ...
chief Bobbie Lloyd were permanent judges for season four alongside Buddy. Co-workers Al Watson and Lia Weber were the winners.
Versions
References
{{TLC Programming
2010 American television series debuts
2014 American television series endings
2010s American cooking television series
American television spin-offs
English-language television shows
Media about cakes
Reality television spin-offs
Television shows set in New Jersey
Television shows filmed in New Jersey
Television shows filmed in New York City
Television shows shot in the Las Vegas Valley
TLC (TV network) original programming