IT'S ALL ABOUT CHOCOLATE, CUSTARD AND MERINGUE THIS WEEK ON ABC'S 'THE GREAT AMERICAN BAKING SHOW'

"Chocolate Week" & "Custard and Meringue Week" - Only five bakers remain in the tent this week on "The Great American Baking Show" when served with new challenges of working with some of America's favorite sweet treats - chocolate, custard and meringue! With more challenges and eliminations ahead, these remaining bakers will try and wow the judges with their sweet creations, on "The Great American Baking Show, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22 (9:00-11:00 p.m. EST), on the ABC Television Network.

Hour one kicks-off with a celebration of chocolate! As one of Johnny Iuzzini's passions and specialties, the pressure is on to impress both Mary and Johnny. For their very first Signature Bake, the bakers are tasked with creating a dozen molten lava cakes where mere minutes in the oven can result in a cake whose center flows like hot magna or has no ooey-gooeyness at all. Next is the Technical Challenge, where Johnny gives the bakers one of the most difficult challenges to date, tasking them to create a perfect assortment of delicious and decadent truffles. Finally, for their Showstopper Challenge, it's a naked, layered mousse cake full of soft, silky layers of flavorful mousse, built upon a baked foundation and topped with elaborate chocolate decorations. In the end, not everyone's desserts will rise to the occasion, and another baker will be eliminated from the competition.

Hour two is all about custard and meringue. In the bakers' Signature Challenge, they will tackle Cr�me Br�lée - a dozen perfectly silky custards hidden beneath a hard caramel topping with unique flavors like chestnut, apple, peanut, maple and fennel. In the Technical, Mary Berry shares one of her favorite dishes to ring in the New Year, the French dish, oeufs en neige - otherwise known as "eggs in snow." For the Showstopper Challenge, the bakers will make 24 petite pavlovas, a baked meringue creation from Australia and New Zealand. Everyone is on pins and needles, as the bakers won't know if they've achieved the classic marshmallow center until their pavlovas are sliced open during judging.

With only three bakers continuing on to the semifinals, the slightest difference will be the factor in who stays and who goes home.

Based on the hit UK series "The Great British Bake Off," "The Great American Baking Show" features ten all new bakers from across the country battling through eight themed episodes, 24 challenges, and weekly eliminations, all in the hopes to be crowned "America's Best Amateur Baker." Nia Vardalos ("My Big Fat Greek Wedding") and husband Ian Gomez ("Cougar Town") return as hosts. James Beard Award-winning pastry chef Johnny Iuzzini is once again joined by Britain's "Royal Queen of Baking," Mary Berry, as judges.

"The Great American Baking Show" is from Love Productions and is executive produced by Richard McKerrow, Kevin Bartel, Simon Evans and Joey Allen.

"The Great Holiday Baking Show" is broadcast in 720 Progressive (720P), ABC's selected HDTV format, with 5.1-channel surround sound.