Host Jesse Palmer hits the streets of Austin, Texas, with two teams of food truck wannabes who duke it out for their very own food truck. On day one, one team wrestles with flavors and fryers while the other proves their concept promises more than it delivers. On day two the teams are tested hard, up against rain and parked alongside well loved, established food trucks at a popular venue.
Grab your favorite ugly Christmas sweater and join host Jesse Palmer for presents, games and tasty holiday challenges. In the preheat, the bakers team up to make ooey-gooey holiday caramel and chocolate desserts. Then, the real party begins as the ice luge arrives, and the bakers make boozy trifles for judges Carla Hall, Duff Goldman and Nancy Fuller that feature an assigned liqueur and a twist with a lot of personality.
Nothing beats waking up to the smell of a holiday brunch, so Jesse Palmer challenges the three remaining bakers to make a Christmas morning brunch using the classic holiday flavors of gingerbread, cinnamon and eggnog. In the final round, the bakers must create cakes that are plaid both on the inside and the outside. Judges Nancy Fuller, Duff Goldman and Lorraine Pascale crown one baker the Holiday Baking Champion and award the $25,000 prize.
In a nod to the day after Thanksgiving, host Jesse Palmer asks the bakers to use Black Friday kitchen gadgets like a spiralizer or an espresso machine to make desserts. For the main heat, the competitors work in teams to create cornucopia bread baskets filled with flavored holiday breads and add tasty dips and spreads on the side to impress judges Nancy Fuller, Duff Goldman and Carla Hall. In the end, one baker is eliminated.
After a grocery delivery gone wrong, host Jesse Palmer tasks the bakers with creating tasty desserts featuring ingredients used to make Thanksgiving dinner, including carrots, cornbread stuffing mix and sausage. Then, the jolly gingerbread man knows that he could be more than just a cookie -- and it's up to the bakers to make it happen! In the end, judges Nancy Fuller, Duff Goldman and Carla Hall send one baker heading for the exit.
These days, holiday turkeys can be smoked, fried, brined, roasted and bacon-wrapped, so host Jesse Palmer uses the five-way turkey as inspiration for the bakers' Preheat challenge. Then, the competitors divide into teams to create a flight of pies that takes judges Nancy Fuller, Duff Goldman and Carla Hall on a flavor progression journey, just like a flight of bourbon. Bottom crusts up, everyone! In the end, one baker goes home.
Kwanzaa is right around the corner, so host Jesse Palmer tasks the bakers with crafting desserts that feature fresh corn for a traditional Kwanzaa display. For the Main Heat, the competitors get their passports ready and put their personal stamp on international holiday desserts, like Filipino leche flan, Japanese Christmas cake and Puerto Rican guava rolls. In the end, judges Nancy Fuller, Duff Goldman and Carla Hall will send one baker flying home.
The best part of shopping at the holidays is seeing all the window decorations. Host Jesse Palmer tasks the baking teams with turning their favorite holiday window scene into a gingerbread display with an animated element. Many fine stores offer champagne to their shoppers during the holidays, so teams must also create a champagne dessert to go with their display. Judges Nacho Aguirre, Kardea Brown and Breegan Jane decide which team earns the win.
Host Jesse Palmer welcomes 12 bakers to the kitchen, and he gets the celebration started with desserts inspired by a tropical spring break. After grabbing an ingredient and flower that's familiar to spring breakers, the competitors have two hours to incorporate them into a baked dessert. Then, the bakers take judges Duff Goldman, Kardea Brown and Nancy Fuller on a spring break adventure with cakes that showcase one of their favorite spring experiences.
Summer movies are the best, and host Jesse Palmer uses Disney and Pixar's Inside Out 2 as inspiration for the bakers to design core summer travel memory desserts inspired by the core memories that help make people who they are. After bringing their emotions to life, the bakers create emotion cakes so that judges Carla Hall, Duff Goldman and Damaris Phillips can experience ALL the feelings before deciding whose cake doesn't bring joy.