Holiday Baking Championship: Host, three judges, and other details for the 2025 season revealed

Holiday Baking Championship season 12 is back with a new format this year, premiering Monday, November 3, 2025, on Food Network, welcoming a fresh batch of 12 participants divided into two teams, namely Team Nice and Team Naughty.

The eight-episode series is hosted by famous television personality Jesse Palmer, who welcomes some of the best bakers from across the country to bring some festive cheer. 

The judges this season are Duff Goldman, Nancy Fuller, and Kardea Brown, who will bring tough love as they determine which amazing baker will earn the title of Holiday Baking Champion and receive a feature in Food Network magazine and the grand prize of $25,000, as stated by the teaser.

Each competitor has their eyes fixed on winning the title of  Holiday Baking Champion along with  $25,000 and a spot in Food Network Magazine, after surviving all the challenges and standing safe till the last.

Details explored about the host of Holiday Baking Champion season 12

Host Jesse Palmer welcomes the participants in the Holiday Baking Champion season 12:

"To an adorable, immersive holiday village with a working coffee shop, general store, and town hall. In this joyful world, the teams will take on tasks like ‘Snow Day Desserts,’ ‘Chrismukkah Platters,’ and of course, ‘Naughty Elf Desserts’ – complete with advantages that lean either mischievous or merry."

Palmer, who was the lead in the fifth season of The Bachelor, is a Canadian television personality, sports commentator, and former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for five seasons. 

Apart from hosting Holiday Baking Championship since 2017, he is also known for being a permanent host of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette. 

Talking about the baking show, which he is hosting for the ninth year, he spoke to SI, stating:

"I got to play and live in probably the two best food cities in America."

He further says about the show:

"I think the secret sauce of the show is not even the baking. It’s the people’s stories. And I think that’s what draws so many viewers in at home is that you start relating to some of the people. You start rooting for some of the people based on their backgrounds, the more you learn about them. I’m sort of acting as a conduit behind the scenes."

Talking about the judges, Duff Goldman is a pastry chef, television personality, and entrepreneur, best known for founding the famed bakery Charm City Cakes in Baltimore and starring in shows like Ace of Cakes, Ace of Taste, Cake Masters, Dessert Games, Buddy vs. Duff, and more. 

Nancy Fuller is a chef and businesswoman originally from New York’s Hudson Valley region.  She runs the family food business, Ginsberg’s Food, a multimillion-dollar business she runs with her husband, and hosts the Food Network show Farmhouse Rules.

Kardea Brown is a chef and television personality, mainly a southern cook born in Charleston, South Carolina. She is best known for hosting several shows on Food Network, including Delicious Miss Brown, and has appeared on Beat Bobby Flay, Chopped Junior, Cooks vs. Cons, Family Food Showdown, and Farmhouse Rules. 

While Nancy and Goldman have been permanent on the judging panel since the start, Brown joined the Holiday Baking Championship in season 12, joining the judging panel, replacing the former judge, and adding a fresh perspective to the show.

Holiday Baking Champion airs every week on Monday nights at 8:00 pm ET/PT on Food Network in an 8-episode series airing weekly until Monday, December 22, 2025. Season 12 contestants include:

1.) Violet Zoner, Ithaca, New York

2.) Daniel Gray, High Point, North Carolina

3.) Camrey Smith, Detroit, Michigan

4.) Erin Michelle Luttrell, Kansas City, Missouri

5.) Nico Alkalay – Denver, Colorado

6.) Charles Zimmerman, Charlottesville, Virginia

7.) Jean Carlos, Orlando, Florida

8.) Ashleigh Wright, Frisco, Texas

9.) Alyx Abreu, New Orleans, Louisiana

10.) Tarek Husseini, St. Louis, Missouri

11.) Chase Maus, Santa Fe, New Mexico

12.) Jeanna Gia Barnes, Troy, Alabama

Stay tuned for more updates.