Who went home on Holiday Baking Championship season 12 episode 1? Details explored

The twelfth season of Holiday Baking Championship, hosted by Jesse Palmer and judged by Nancy Fuller, Duff Goldman, and Kardea Brown, opened with a festive twist as 12 new bakers entered the kitchen for a chance to win $25,000 and a feature in Food Network Magazine.

The episode, which aired on November 3, 2025, set the tone for a competitive season with the bakers divided into two teams: Naughty and Nice, each taking on themed dessert challenges.

Midway through the episode, it was revealed that Gia became the first baker eliminated after the Main Heat challenge, ending her journey in the season’s debut.

First elimination on Holiday Baking Championship season 12

Teams and the season’s first twist

At the start of the episode, Jesse Palmer introduced the bakers to a new format for the competition. For the first time in the show’s history, contestants were divided into two groups: Team Naughty and Team Nice.

Each team would compete in challenges that could grant collective advantages or disadvantages depending on their performance.

The opening Preheat challenge tasked both teams with creating desserts inspired by opposite holiday themes.

Team Nice was instructed to prepare warm and toasty desserts, while Team Naughty was asked to craft chill and frosty treats.

The winning team would gain an advantage heading into the Main Heat, where the first elimination of the season would take place.

Preheat challenge results

Team Nice presented an assortment of baked goods. Jean Carlos’ spiced apple caramel cake received strong feedback from the judges, while Alyx’s bananas foster bread pudding was noted for lacking custard.

Chase’s spiced pear tarts featured well-prepared pears but an underwhelming frangipane.

Erin’s chai Paris-Brest had an excess of spice, Violet’s smoky spiced s’more was overbaked, and Camrey’s honey sweet potato pie drew comments for flavor balance but simple presentation.

Team Naughty began with Nico’s chestnut sablé, which the judges found overly sweet. Ashleigh followed with a triple citrus tart that stood out for its precise execution.

Charles’s blueberry jalapeño mousse cake was praised for flavor pairing but critiqued for a gummy texture.

Tarek’s mimosa mini pavlova also faced textural issues, Daniel’s berry mint and tequila cream pie lacked detectable tequila flavor, and Gia’s coconut chocolate mint cake was described as dense and dry.

Ashleigh’s citrus tart was named the top dessert of the round, securing Team Naughty the victory and an advantage in the next challenge.

The Main Heat: Holiday village displays

For the Main Heat, teams were asked to create a holiday village display composed of individual desserts. As the Preheat winners, Team Naughty selected one of three flavors: citrus, nuts, or chocolate, to remove from Team Nice’s available ingredients. They chose to eliminate chocolate.

Team Naughty encountered coordination issues during preparation. Ashleigh impressed again with an oatmeal cream pie that received strong remarks from the judges.

Charles’ black cocoa peppermint cake had a good texture but an overly firm marshmallow. Tarek’s key lime and rum pie suffered from a broken meringue, and Gia’s cinnamon orange sugar cookie tree received low scores.

Daniel’s coffee liqueur brownie produced mixed reactions, and Nico’s lemon Paris-Brest needed more citrus flavor.

Team Nice delivered a more cohesive display. Jean Carlos’ pate a choux bears were undersweetened, Erin’s gingerbread sandwich cookies were overly sweet, and Violet’s macarons were slightly overbaked.

Alyx’s spiced chiffon cake received divided feedback, and Camrey’s ginger citrus cake was described as mild.

Chase’s brown butter coconut chess pie earned unanimous praise, ultimately winning the round and saving Team Nice from elimination.

Gia’s elimination

As the losing team, Team Naughty faced the judges’ final review. Gia and Tarek were placed in the bottom two after receiving the lowest evaluations.

Based on overall performance across both challenges, Gia was eliminated and became the first contestant sent home from Holiday Baking Championship season 12.

Stay tuned for more updates.