''Next Great Baker'' (also known as ''Cake Boss: Next Great Baker'') is an American television series that airs on TLC, hosted by Buddy Valastro, 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

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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

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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, and was televised from December 6, 2010 to January 24, 2011 on TLC. Dana Herbert, the last contestant standing out of a field of ten contestants, won $50,000 cash, a

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'' 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 and Magnolia Bakery 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