Holiday Baking Championship host Jesse Palmer reveals a major change in the format this season

Holiday Baking Championship host Jesse Palmer revealed that the six remaining contestants will no longer be competing in teams. As the host puts it, the new format will not follow any teams and will be heading into the next round. Holiday Baking Championship season on 12 December 22 at 8 p.m. ET exclusively on Food Network. 

The newest announcement marks a significant shift from the initially released episodes, where the bakers were divided into the “Nice Team” and the “Naughty Team,” the format which introduced for Season 12. 

The brand new season kicked off with 12 talented bakers as the panellists included culinary chefs Duff Goldman and Nancy Fuller, and newcomer Kardea Brown joined them for season 12. 

Holiday Baking Championship: Judges organise a “blind tasting challenge”

In the newest episode of Holiday Baking Championship, judges Duff Goldman, Nancy Fuller and Kardea Brown organised a “blind tasting to determine who would move forward to the semi-finals.”

As the finale is around the corner, five bakers will remain and will be in for one of the season’s most difficult challenges ahead.  For the first round, the show has challenged the remaining contestants to create “naughty elf desserts using bold flavors like black licorice, sauerkraut, or red curry." For the elimination round, these bakers have to pivot to “nice” hot cocoa desserts.

The final baking round will be the biggest challenge of all, which will be an "over-the-top, large-scale cake that combines both naughty and nice themes in a single showstopping creation." When asked what makes these shows so popular, Duff Goldman explains that it is more than the fantastical desserts, but is more about the "stories and the emotional connections to what the bakers make are essential.  The show judge further said,

 “It is fascinating to see how people manipulate stuff and turn it into something else. With his expert commentary sprinkled into the mix, it becomes engaging television. I remember all those times, cooking with my mom, cooking with my grandma, cooking even with my great-grandma. All those things really have stuck with me my entire life.”

Duff Goldman suddenly exited Holiday Baking Championship

Duff Goldman was surprisingly absent from the final scene of the episode that aired on December 8. Show host Jesse Palmer addressed his absence as he jokingly said that Goldman “left early for a 'Chrismukkah party.”

He was present earlier during the episode for the blind tasting of the contestants’ bakes. As per the US Sun, Duff will not be returning for the semi-finals and the finale on December 22. Stephanie Boswell is reportedly expected to fill in for the semi-finals, and Zac Young will reportedly be the guest judge for the finale episode. 

Duff Goldman recently shared a huge life update as the Food Network star and his wife, Johnna, are expecting their second child together. The chef took to social media as he wrote, 

“Oh boy! @johnnapgoldman has another bun in the oven! I think Josephine is going to be the best big sister ever,” Goldman captioned a family photo as he was seen putting a hand to Johnna’s growing baby bump.

Stay tuned for more updates.