Who is the winner of Next Level Baker? Details explored

The winner of Next Level Baker has been decided. After a two-hour finale that narrowed six finalists to one champion, Stefanie was named the winner of Next Level Baker, closing out the FOX holiday baking competition with an all-female final and a multi-level cake challenge that determined the season’s outcome.

Stefanie earned the title after the mentors—Gordon Ramsay, Carla Hall, and Candace Nelson—evaluated the final bakes and selected a winner based on execution, flavor, and control across the show’s signature tiered kitchens.

The finale aired on December 18 and concluded a three-week run for Next Level Baker, which brought together professional and home bakers in a vertically structured competition.

The final episode confirmed that Stefanie outlasted the remaining competitors and secured the top prize: $25,000 and a HexClad cookware prize package.

Next Level Baker finale results and how the winner was decided

The final episode of Next Level Baker opened with six bakers still in contention. Before the decisive bake, the contestants faced a last elimination challenge designed to reduce the field to five.

That initial test required the bakers to prepare a savory holiday showstopper within 60 minutes, an assignment meant to assess technical range beyond sweets and desserts.

Following tasting and deliberation, the mentors advanced Zoha, Stefanie, Chloe, Nikki, and Deirdra to the final round. Jeff was eliminated at that stage, leaving an all-women lineup for the concluding challenge.

With that decision, Next Level Baker entered its final act with five competitors and one remaining bake to determine the winner.

The final task on Next Level Baker asked every contender to bake a three-layer cake in just four hours. Each layer needed cooking on a separate floor of the kitchen tower - a key rule from the show pushing contestants to adjust as tools, heat levels, or supplies shift unexpectedly.

While the bakers could move between levels, the structure demanded planning and precision, as each tier also had to feature a distinct flavor profile while still forming a cohesive final cake.

As the finale progressed, time management and coordination across the levels became the defining factors.

Once the four-hour window closed, the mentors sampled each completed cake and evaluated the results before making their final decision.

After the discussion, the judges selected Stefanie as the winner of Next Level Baker.

Stefanie’s victory marked the conclusion of the season and confirmed her as the top baker of the competition. With the decision announced, Next Level Baker officially crowned its champion and brought the holiday edition of the series to a close.

Throughout its run, Next Level Baker emphasized adaptability as much as baking skill. The format required contestants to work under pressure while navigating the show’s vertical kitchens, a design that repeatedly reshaped the competitive field.

By the finale, those demands narrowed the group to a single winner.

Stefanie’s win also stood out because the final round featured only women, a development that emerged organically through eliminations rather than a preset structure.

By the end of the finale, the mentors confirmed Stefanie as the baker who best met the cumulative demands of the competition.

The season featured Ramsay, Hall, and Nelson as mentors, each overseeing different levels of the kitchen throughout the competition.

Their roles combined instruction, critique, and final judgment, with all three weighing in on the outcome during the finale.

Next Level Baker debuted as a holiday-focused baking series with a condensed schedule, airing across three weeks.

The December 18 finale served as the final opportunity for contestants to demonstrate growth across the season’s challenges.

Stefanie’s final bake ultimately separated her from the remaining finalists and secured her the title.

With the winner announced, Next Level Baker concluded its inaugural run by confirming Stefanie as the season’s champion.

The finale wrapped with the distribution of prizes and the end of the competition, closing the book on the latest FOX baking series.

Stay tuned for more updates.