or


[11/01/12 - 09:57 AM]
Batter Up! 13 New Contestants Compete to Be TLC's "Next Great Baker"
The 10-episode season kicks off with a special 90-minute premiere on Monday, November 26 at 9:00/8:00c.
[via press release from TLC]

BATTER UP! 13 New Contestants Compete to Be TLC'S "NEXT GREAT BAKER"

Season 3 Premieres Monday, November 26 at 9pm ET/PT

The heat is on - Buddy "Cake Boss" Valastro has selected a brand-new "bakers dozen" of aspiring pastry chefs to mix it up in the third season of TLC's hit competition show NEXT GREAT BAKER. The 13 crafty cake artists are each after the sweet prize of $100,000, a feature in Redbook Magazine, and a chance to work side-by-side with Buddy and his team at Carlo's Bakery.

The 10-episode season kicks off with a special 90-minute premiere on Monday, November 26 at 9pm ET/PT. The series' second season, which crowned Marissa Lopez as the winner, was watched by an average of 1.7M viewers.

This season, Buddy and his family welcome special guests to judges the challenges, including Mario Lopez & Courtney Mazza, Lou Ferrigno, Peter Billingsley (A Christmas Story), Holly Madison, and Joey Fatone, among others.

"Each season brings out stronger contestants and I think this is the best batch yet. The challenges are tougher, the judges more critical, and the reward as sweet as ever," said Buddy Valastro.

This season's contestants include:

Letty Alvarez - Miami, FL 41 years old; Owner/Operator of LA Sweets

James S. Brown - Lexington, KY (previously from Chicago, IL) 41 years old; Owner of Brown's Bakery

Paul Christopher Conti - Long Beach Island, NJ (originally from Staten Island, NY) 30 years old; currently unemployed

Chad Durkin - Philadelphia, PA (previously from Hackensack, NJ and Toms River, NJ) 28 years old; Owner of CAD Culinary consulting and wedding cakes

Gretel-Ann Fischer - Colchester, VT 35 years old; Owner of Cupp's, a bakery/café in Winooski, Vermont

Peter Gray - East Longmeadow, MA 21 years old; Runs cake decorating business Pete's Sweets

Ashley Lauren Holt - Louisville, KY 24 years old; Pastry Chef at The Louisville Country Club, also runs cake business Sugar Monster Sweets

Jen Kwapinski - San Jose, CA (previously from Columbus, NE) 32 years old; Owner of Jen's Cakes

Chris Luna - Roseville, CA (originally from Pollock Pines, CA) *Chris was the America's Choice selection 29 years old; Currently a Sales Executive, and an amateur baker

Melissa Payne - Chesterfield, VA 33 years old; Owner of Couture Cake Creations, co-owner of Sweets Couture

Jess Reyling - Peoria, IL (originally from Chillicothe, IL) 30 years old; Stay at Home Mom

Emme Tyler - Los Angeles, CA 30 years old; Owner of Skinny Batches

William Garrett Wallace - Waverly,TN 36 years old; Cake artist at Fabulous Baker Boy

The series fan site can be found at http://tlc.com/nextgreatbaker.

NEXT GREAT BAKER is produced for TLC by High Noon Entertainment.





  [november 2012]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
    


· CAKE BOSS (DFC)
· NEXT GREAT BAKER, THE (TLC)




[10/27/25 - 07:24 AM]
ID Unpacks Stranger-Than-Fiction Colorado Case in "The Rocky Mountain Mortician Murder"
The three-part docuseries, due November 26, unpacks the shocking case that rocked a small, close-knit Colorado community to its core.

[10/27/25 - 07:00 AM]
Paramount+ Set to Premiere Psychological Thriller "Little Disasters" on December 11
The series focuses on a decade-long friendship among Jess (Diane Kruger), Liz (Jo Joyner), Charlotte (Shelley Conn) and Mel (Emily Taaffe), four expectant mothers who were thrown together with little in common apart from their due dates but have been there for one another throughout motherhood.

[10/27/25 - 06:02 AM]
Video: "Epic Ride: The Story of Universal Theme Parks" - Official Trailer - Peacock Original
This three-part docuseries celebrates the history and legacy of Universal Destinations & Experiences.
[10/27/25 - 04:01 AM]
"City of Shadows," The New Netflix Thriller Arrives on December 12
A macabre crime has taken place at La Pedrera - Casa Milà: a burned body has been discovered on the façade of Gaudí's iconic building.
[10/26/25 - 07:00 PM]
HBO Max Announces Early Debut of "IT: Welcome to Derry" Episode Two in Celebration of Halloween
The episode will also air on HBO on Sunday, November 2 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT.
[10/26/25 - 05:01 PM]
Video: "Three Idiots in Kenya" - Official Teaser - Netflix
Once a far-off promise, now a reality -- three buddies finally hit the road in Kenya. Get ready for adventure, banter, and maybe even a giraffe selfie.
[10/26/25 - 02:01 PM]
Video: "Last Samurai Standing" - Official Trailer - Netflix
One life, one point. Shujiro enters a deadly game where points are earned for each kill. Who will be the last samurai standing in this sinister scheme?
[10/25/25 - 09:01 AM]
"Love Is Blind: Italy" Coming to Netflix on December 1st
The series will be divided into three parts for a total of 10 episodes and for almost the entire month of December.
[10/24/25 - 02:54 PM]
ESPN's Third-Most Watched NBA Season-Opening Wednesday Ever
The two-game slate averaged 2.33 million viewers, up 44 percent from last year.
[10/24/25 - 02:30 PM]
Video: First Look at Upcoming New Drama "Memory of a Killer" Starring Patrick Dempsey and Michael Imperioli - Premiering This January on FOX
Dempsey stars as a hitman, Angelo Doyle, leading a dangerous double life while hiding an even deadlier personal secret - he has developed early onset Alzheimer's.

[10/24/25 - 02:02 PM]
"20/20" Is Friday's Most-Watched Newsmagazine Across the Board
In addition, "20/20" posted its best Adults 25-54 in more than four months.
[10/24/25 - 02:01 PM]
ABC News' "Nightline" Ranks No. 1 Across the Board, Leading NBC in All Key Demos for the 4th Straight Week
"Nightline" grew year to year across the board: Total Viewers, Adults 25-54, and Adults 18-49.
[10/24/25 - 01:05 PM]
"Dancing with the Stars" Makes Television History - Rising for Fifth Straight Week
The October 21 episode scored 6.63 million Total Viewers and a 1.38 rating among Adults 18-49, hitting new season highs in both demographics.
[10/24/25 - 08:01 AM]
Netflix Announces "Hollywood Arts," A Brand-New Spinoff of Hit Live-Action, "Victorious," with Daniella Monet Returning as Star and Executive Producer
The series is set to debut on Netflix in 2026, followed by releases on Nickelodeon and Paramount+.
[10/24/25 - 07:14 AM]
FOX Sports Readies for Major League Baseball's 121st World Series Presented by Capital One
Action leads off Friday, October 24, between the National League and current reigning World champion Los Angeles Dodgers and American League champion Toronto Blue Jays from Rogers Centre in Toronto, Canada, on FOX, FOX Deportes, the FOX Sports App and FOX One.