Who won Holiday Baking Championship season 12? Details explored

Holiday Baking Championship wrapped up its season 12 grand finale, which aired on Monday, December 22, 2025, at 8:00 pm ET on Food Network.

Hosted by Jesse Palmer, the "Naughty & Nice Christmas" episode 8 brought the top five bakers into a free-for-all fight after weeks of team fuss between the Naughty and Nice teams.

The official description of the finale stated:

"It’s the finale, and three challenges await the five remaining bakers! For the preheat, host Jesse Palmer asks the bakers to create “naughty” elf desserts in flavors like black licorice, sauerkraut, or red curry. Then, in an elimination challenge, the competitors make “nice” hot cocoa desserts. For the final bake, the bakers must make a large-scale, over-the-top naughty vs. nice cake with both themes clearly represented in the decorating."

The top 5 of Holiday Baking Championship were:

• Charles Zimmerman
• Nico Alkalay
• Tarek Husseini
• Ashleigh Wright
• Chase Maus

At the end, Charles Zimmerman won Season 12 of Holiday Baking Championship as he walked away with a $25,000 cash prize, a sought-after spot in Food Network Magazine, and the title.

Here's what happened in the finale of Holiday Baking Championship season 12

The Holiday Baking Championship season 12 finale kicked off with a preheat round challenging the bakers to whip up "naughty" elf desserts packed with bold, divisive flavors like black licorice, sauerkraut, or red curry, testing their ability to balance risk and redemption.

Stress grew in the elimination round, where they made "nice" hot chocolate treats, with one baker sent home quickly.

Nico Alkalay got eliminated here, leaving Ashleigh, Charles, Chase, and Tarek for the final challenge, which was a massive, multi-tiered naughty vs. nice cake that had to clearly split mischievous and wholesome themes in both flavor and design.

Judges Nancy Fuller, Kardea Brown, and guest Zac Young deliberated intensely amid the season's signature high-stakes flair.

Charles' "Santa and Scrooge" cake took the spotlight, a tall work of art blending happy, soft Santa layers with grouchy, spiced Scrooge parts. It combined his classic vanilla treat style from Episode 5's snowy day victory with holiday excitement.

It showed his ability to change all season, from fun village sets in Episode 1 of Holiday Baking Championship to old-style jelly molds in the semi-finals.

As the name got announced and the confetti rained down, Charles let it all sink in as he put it with his voice breaking down in emotional final moments:

"I put everything I had into this cake, and I did it. I feel on top of the world, and I'm just thrilled that I got that win at the end. All of it was worth it." 

Season 12 of Holiday Baking Championship ran across eight episodes, delivering twists, team steals, blind tastings, pie strategy votes, and Chrismukkah platters as the 12 bakers competed through the series.

Here are the 12 bakers who competed in the Holiday Baking Championship, divided into two teams:

Team Naughty

Nico Alkalay – Denver, Colorado (Finalist)
Jeanna ‘Gia’ Barnes – Troy, Alabama (Eliminated in week 1)
Daniel Gray – High Point, North Carolina (Eliminated in week 2)
Tarek Husseini – St. Louis, Missouri (Finalist)
Ashleigh Wright – Frisco, Texas (Finalist)
Charles Zimmerman – Charlottesville, Virginia (Finalist)
Alyx Abreu – New Orleans, Louisiana (Eliminated in week 6)

Team Nice

Jean Carlos – Orlando, Florida (Eliminated in week 7)
Erin Michelle Luttrell – Kansas City, Missouri (Eliminated in week 4)
Chase Maus – Santa Fe, New Mexico (Finalist)
Camrey Smith – Detroit, Michigan(Eliminated in week 5)
Violet Zoner – Ithaca, New York (Eliminated in week 3)

Stay tuned for more updates.