First impressions are everything in the business world, so Valerie Bertinelli and Duff Goldman kick off the competition by giving the kid bakers free rein to show off their bestselling dessert using the psychology of color. Smart owners choose brand colors that highlight the most important aspects of their business, and one young baker is left feeling blue at elimination time.
Part of running a successful business is being a good leader, so Valerie Bertinelli and Duff Goldman hold interviews to hire two team leaders who will assign flavors in the cream puff cake challenge to give their team the best chance at winning. Bakers with the same flavors are put head-to-head during judgement, and the side with the most wins earns immunity for their whole team. One baker from the losing side heads for the exit.
Say "cheese" -- it's picture day! Hosts and judges Valerie Bertinelli and Duff Goldman meet the 12 kid bakers through picture-day portrait cakes. Each cake must have an edible photo on top and custom emojis that show off each baker's hobbies and interests. And don't blink, because in the end, the least successful baker goes home.
Cute little pets serve as the inspiration for incredible sweets when the last five kid bakers standing must create a dessert inspired by the animal they are paired with: guinea pig, turtle, rabbit, mini pig or silkie chicken.
For the finale, the last three kid bakers are given five hours to create an original superhero cake and describe their superhero's powers during tasting. Who will win this last challenge and fly off with $25,000?
Thirteen-year-old singing ventriloquist Darci Lynne and her puppet Petunia hang out at the ballpark with Valerie Bertinelli and Duff Goldman while they enjoy their favorite stadium snack of all -- popcorn! This buttery treat inspires the Big Bake challenge where the kid bakers are tasked with making over-the-top popcorn desserts.
Dog Man is half police officer and half dog, and the animated movie "Dog Man" is all about him. So, for this challenge, hosts and judges Duff Goldman and Kardea Brown pair up the 10 bakers to create two-tiered Dog Man cakes! One team member creates a dog head for the top tier, and their teammate makes the human bottom tier of the cake. For a twist, the bakers must incorporate an ingredient that all dogs (and humans) love -- bacon!
Duff Goldman and Valerie Bertinelli challenge the kid bakers to make magic by creating cakes with a gravity-defying illusions on them. Whose extraordinary cake will rise to the top?
Valerie Bertinelli and Duff Goldman love birthday parties at the park so they're taking this inspiration to the Big Bake Challenge. The kid bakers are tasked with creating bite-sized birthday party desserts for an outdoor birthday party and serving them on mini picnic tables!
The key to growing a small business is getting good reviews, and food festivals are the perfect place for new customers to sample food and create "buzz." Duff Goldman and Valerie Bertinelli ask the bakers to create festival-friendly desserts in a jar, like cheesecake, banana pudding, brownies, lemon meringue pie or strawberry shortcake. Then, the bakers taste each other's treats, and the business with the most "thumbs up" earns immunity from elimination, while the least successful dessert maker goes home.