Holiday Baking Championship: Gingerbread Showdown: Release Date, Judges, And More - What We Know So Far
If you're a fan of seasonal holiday baking, you have a ton of programs to look forward to in the near future. Currently, you can binge series like "The Great American Baking Show: Holiday Edition," "Nailed It! Holiday!," or "Sugar Rush Christmas" to your heart's content. And if you have the energy for more festive baking after that, then you can't miss the upcoming "Holiday Baking Championship: Gingerbread Showdown." The spinoff appears to combine elements of the popular "Holiday Baking Championship" with "Holiday Gingerbread Showdown," which last aired in 2019, per IMDb.
Fans of the show have held out for years waiting for its return, and now it's coming back just in time for the holiday season: In a press release sent to Mashed, Food Network announced that "Holiday Baking Championship: Gingerbread Showdown" will bring the drama as teams have one hour to build gingerbread masterpieces that get judges and viewers into the festive spirit.
What's the release date of Holiday Baking Championship: Gingerbread Showdown?
According to the Food Network announcement sent to Mashed, the series will air on Monday, November 15, at 9 p.m. Eastern/Pacific. The series' run coincides with Season 8 of "Holiday Baking Championship," giving fans a double dose of holiday cheer and motivation to bake up some gingerbread cookies for their next party, per The Futon Critic. Anyone with a cable subscription can catch the program on Food Network, while everyone else has the chance to watch the show on the discovery+ streaming service. The word's still out on whether you'll have to wait for weekly installments of the show or can watch every episode at once. Either way, plan to enjoy five one-hour episodes in total.
Anyone who enjoyed the original run of "Holiday Baking Championship" can find something to love in this spinoff, which follows the same formula. While the original program focused on a plethora of winter desserts, you can instead expect to see a gingerbread-themed extravaganza on "Holiday Baking Championship: Gingerbread Showdown," along with some familiar faces hosting the competition.
Who will host Holiday Baking Championship: Gingerbread Showdown?
If you can't wait to find out which food personalities will be featured in this festive series, you don't have to: Jesse Palmer has signed on as host, Food Network shared with Mashed. If you're a fan of "The Bachelor," you'll recognize the Canadian star as the host of the 26th season — and as the actual Bachelor of the dating show in 2004, according to Us Weekly. As for the judges, a famous assortment of familiar faces joins the fray to help guide each gingerbread maker to victory. Chefs Nacho Aguirre and Kardea Brown, along with HGTV "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" star Breegan Jane, will decide which team ends up winning big.
You can expect each of these knowledgeable judges to bring the entertainment. According to Food Network, Aguirre previously judged Season 4 of "Spring Baking Championship" and will also offer his critiques on the upcoming "Candy Land" show. Brown joins in with her expertise of Southern cuisine, as well as her experience hosting "Delicious Miss Brown," per her website. Finally, Jane rounds out the crew by bringing in her understanding of design and styling, which will surely come in handy if anyone presents a gingerbread house. With a judge pool this varied, you can rest assured that this five-episode series will get you excited to whip up some gingerbread creations.