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[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.





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





[10/27/25 - 01:06 PM]
ESPN and Sony's Beyond Sports Forge Expanded Agreement, Deepening ESPN's Commitment to Innovation and Audience Expansion with More Animated Telecasts
With this new agreement, ESPN will produce animated telecasts for a NFL, NHL, NBA, and WNBA game across The Walt Disney Company and ESPN platforms during the 2025-26 season.

[10/27/25 - 12:03 PM]
Second-Most Viewed NBA Opening Week on ESPN Since 2014; "Inside the NBA" Averaged 1M Viewers in Its Opening Week Debut on ESPN
Last week's NBA coverage averaged 2.2 million viewers.

[10/27/25 - 11:53 AM]
Video: Trailer and Key Art Debut - "Joy to the World"
The film, starring Chad Michael Murray, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Ayesha Curry and more, premieres November 1 on Disney+ and Hulu.

[10/27/25 - 11:18 AM]
ESPN Updates NHL Exclusive Games for 2025-26 Season
Five national exclusive games have been updated across ESPN, ESPN+, Disney+ and Hulu, beginning December 4 with the Detroit Red Wings and Columbus Blue Jackets (ESPN+, Disney+, Hulu) at 7:30 p.m. ET.

[10/27/25 - 11:03 AM]
Wildlife Series, "Vantara: Sanctuary Stories," Hosted by Biologist and Adventurer Forrest Galante Premieres Friday, November 7 at 9PM ET/PT on Animal Planet
Hosted by Forrest Galante, the six-episode series will take audiences on a visually stunning journey into Vantara, the world's largest wildlife rescue and rehabilitation facility that offers lifelong care for some of the most magnificent animals on Earth.

[10/27/25 - 10:01 AM]
Video: "Paul McCartney: Man on the Run" - Official Teaser Trailer - Prime Video
The documentary film from Morgan Neville will premiere on Prime Video in February 2026.

[10/27/25 - 09:38 AM]
Video: Tubi's "Sidelined 2: Intercepted" Reveals Trailer
The sequel will focus on freshman star quarterback Drayton (Noah Beck) as he struggles with the weight of expectations after a devastating setback, while dancer Dallas (Siena Agudong) begins to question the future she thought she wanted.

[10/27/25 - 09:34 AM]
Date Announcement: Hulu Original Docuseries "Caroline Flack: Search for the Truth"
The two-part docuseries will premiere in full on Monday, November 10 on Hulu, Hulu on Disney+ for bundle subscribers, and Disney+ internationally.

[10/27/25 - 09:00 AM]
Video: Watch the All-New Promo for "Fear Factor: House of Fear"
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[10/27/25 - 08:30 AM]
High-Octane Thriller "The Assassin" to Premiere Exclusively on AMC+ Thursday, November 20
The exhilarating six-episode series sees retired assassin Julie (Keeley Hawes) and her estranged son Edward (Freddie Highmore) forced to work together in a fight for survival, testing their dysfunctional relationship to its limits.

[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.