Next Level Baker S01E03

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Transcript

00:00:00T'was the week before Christmas, and all through the tower,

00:00:07the kitchens were covered in sugar and flour.

00:00:10These desserts need to be perfect.

00:00:13Only six bakers left.

00:00:15The finale's in sight.

00:00:17You have to create a three-tiered cake.

00:00:20Each tier baked on a different level.

00:00:24Ah!

00:00:25Who will crumble?

00:00:26This is straight insanity.

00:00:28And who will shine bright?

00:00:30It's delicious.

00:00:32My only advice before we begin, bake it next level.

00:00:36If you want to win, the winner of Next Level Baker.

00:00:40That's the title you will have forever.

00:00:43It is everything.

00:00:44Is...

00:00:58Oh, my goodness.

00:01:00Oh, my God.

00:01:02Oh, my God.

00:01:04Oh, my God.

00:01:06Good morning, little cake.

00:01:10Nikki, you look petrified.

00:01:11You've seen a reindeer before, haven't you?

00:01:13Yes.

00:01:14And my dad's name is Rudolph.

00:01:15Oh!

00:01:16I love that.

00:01:18I feel like I just got a thick bear hug from my daddy.

00:01:22And he said, go tear that ass off.

00:01:26Dasher and Dancer are all set to whisk you off to the grand finale.

00:01:32Sadly, the sleigh over here only has room for five of you talented bakers.

00:01:37All of you know what that means.

00:01:39Six of you remain, but only five can move forward for a chance at the title of the first ever Next Level Baker.

00:01:48If you want it, you have to earn it first with one last bake.

00:01:52Are you ready?

00:01:53Yes.

00:01:54We're ready.

00:01:55Now, baking around the holidays is not just about the sweet treats, right?

00:01:59It's also about those incredible savory comfort foods that really do bring the family around the table.

00:02:05So, for this challenge, we want to see incredible festive savory showstoppers.

00:02:12Is it that incredible pot pie?

00:02:14Or a spicy sausage wreath.

00:02:16A delicious beef wedding turn. Think about it.

00:02:18That's what we're looking for.

00:02:20Oh, gosh.

00:02:22I don't do savory. Savory is not my wheelhouse.

00:02:25This is gonna be challenging.

00:02:27Make sure you're in that sleigh at the end of the round.

00:02:30Don't play it safe.

00:02:31Right, okay, based on your last performance in the previous round,

00:02:34Stephanie and Jeff, you're off to the top-level kitchen, and I will meet you there.

00:02:39Okay.

00:02:40Zoha and Chloe, you are back with me in the middle level.

00:02:44Yay!

00:02:45Yay!

00:02:46Which means Deirdre and Nikki, you're in the basement with me.

00:02:51You'll have 60 minutes to create a next-level savory holiday showstopper.

00:02:58Remember, a spot in the finale is on the line.

00:03:03All right, head to the elevators. We'll see you shortly.

00:03:06You got this, y'all.

00:03:08Good luck.

00:03:09Oh, I was hoping for 75.

00:03:11I was hoping for 75.

00:03:12You got this.

00:03:13Woo!

00:03:14Let's go, baby!

00:03:15Oh!

00:03:16Back in the basement.

00:03:17Oh, my gosh.

00:03:18That doll scared me so bad.

00:03:19Yeah, I told you she'd stare at you.

00:03:21I had become very familiar with the basement. The doll's sitting there. We have a relationship.

00:03:28Real evil-like, too.

00:03:29With the red eyes.

00:03:30Yeah.

00:03:31Let's go.

00:03:32You got this. Can't wait to see it.

00:03:33Okay.

00:03:34Let's go.

00:03:35Let's go.

00:03:36You got this. Can't wait to see it.

00:03:37Okay.

00:03:38Let's go.

00:03:39Let's go.

00:03:40Let's go.

00:03:41Let's go.

00:03:42Let's go.

00:03:43Let's go.

00:03:44Let's go.

00:03:45Let's go.

00:03:46Let's go.

00:03:47Let's go.

00:03:48Let's go.

00:03:49You got this. Can't wait to see it.

00:03:51Okay.

00:03:52Having been on every single level so far, I'm feeling really good about going into middle

00:03:57kitchen today.

00:03:58I'm comfortable there.

00:03:59It's the one level that actually I feel like I'm home.

00:04:01It is not the basement.

00:04:03That's for sure.

00:04:05The basement.

00:04:11Okay.

00:04:12All right.

00:04:13Let's go, Jeff.

00:04:14Wow.

00:04:15We've been dreaming of the top kitchen.

00:04:16Finally made it.

00:04:17Oh, we got lots of stuff.

00:04:19Have a good one.

00:04:20Yeah.

00:04:22Have a good one.

00:04:23All right.

00:04:25Hello.

00:04:26Welcome back to the basement.

00:04:28I don't want to be back, but I am.

00:04:30All right.

00:04:31Let's do a quick huddle.

00:04:32Remember, bakers, by the time the platform arrives to the basement, it's going to be picked

00:04:36over.

00:04:37But we can still make magic.

00:04:38We're going to make magic.

00:04:39When we're up against a wall, this is when we are our most creative.

00:04:42I'm so nervous about this grab.

00:04:44I always freeze.

00:04:45Well, one thing we're excited about today?

00:04:47I'm not freezing.

00:04:48You're not going to be giving us a Bundt cake.

00:04:51What up?

00:04:52What up?

00:04:53What up?

00:04:54We are back together.

00:04:56Oh, my gosh.

00:04:57Yes.

00:04:58Think about a backup.

00:04:59Got it.

00:05:00Get a backup.

00:05:01So that if something goes awry, you're not like a deer in headlights.

00:05:03Yeah.

00:05:04Yeah.

00:05:05Or shall I say a reindeer in headlights?

00:05:06Yeah.

00:05:07Yeah.

00:05:08Okay.

00:05:09Not the story.

00:05:10Not the story.

00:05:11God.

00:05:12Come on.

00:05:13We're so good.

00:05:14We're so good.

00:05:15Yes!

00:05:16Yes!

00:05:17Let's go.

00:05:18How are you feeling?

00:05:19I'm excited.

00:05:20Good?

00:05:21Yeah, I'm excited.

00:05:22Likewise.

00:05:23Likewise.

00:05:24How are you feeling?

00:05:25Feeling good.

00:05:26Good.

00:05:27Bakers, line up, please, against the elevator.

00:05:28Here we go.

00:05:29Grab, grab, grab.

00:05:30Happy holidays.

00:05:31Be generous to us in the basement.

00:05:33Don't be greedy.

00:05:34What do you mean, don't be greedy?

00:05:36Don't be greedy up there, either.

00:05:38We got the pig in the litter.

00:05:39Right.

00:05:40Platform is moving.

00:05:42Five, four, three, two, one.

00:05:46Let's go.

00:05:47Let's go.

00:05:48Lobster's there.

00:05:49First thing I see is lobster.

00:05:51Every Christmas, my family celebrates with some kind of lobster.

00:05:55My dad is always the one to make it, and I choose it.

00:05:58Even though I've only made it once in my life.

00:06:00Oh, my goodness me.

00:06:01Lobster.

00:06:02Wow.

00:06:03I'm thinking I can make a lobster pot pie.

00:06:08I grab the chicken breast.

00:06:09Good.

00:06:10Chicken breast.

00:06:11Love that.

00:06:12I'm grabbing mozzarella cheese.

00:06:13Gonna go into my hougeres.

00:06:14That's sage.

00:06:15Be careful.

00:06:16Yes.

00:06:17That's very strong.

00:06:1812 seconds.

00:06:19When you get most of the ingredients of a recipe you have in mind,

00:06:22I'll take the blessing.

00:06:23Oh, my goodness me.

00:06:24Let's go.

00:06:25Platform is moving.

00:06:28Well done.

00:06:29Whoo!

00:06:30Yes!

00:06:31Go!

00:06:32We have rosemary, oregano.

00:06:34I see ground beef, and I'm thinking quiche.

00:06:37Get in there.

00:06:38Boop.

00:06:39I immediately go for beef.

00:06:40Parsnips.

00:06:41We have bacon bits.

00:06:42We have vinegars.

00:06:43Fine goat cheese.

00:06:44If you're doing anything with cream, mustard is a great flavor carrier.

00:06:47This is actually really good.

00:06:48I see chicken thighs.

00:06:50Not my favorite, but...

00:06:52Immediate grab.

00:06:53You have your chicken.

00:06:54I am really hoping to be able to bring some Pakistani flavors.

00:06:58I want to make some sort of tindouri chicken.

00:07:00Cheese, cheese, cheese, cheese.

00:07:01Chicken, yogurt, cheese, garlic greens.

00:07:03Chicken, yogurt, cheese, garlic greens.

00:07:05Guys, come on.

00:07:07Now I see everything on there.

00:07:09Oh, that was hard.

00:07:10I don't know what I grabbed, to be honest.

00:07:11I don't think I got everything I wanted.

00:07:13Okay.

00:07:14All right.

00:07:15Here it comes.

00:07:16Your legs so long, you always outrun me.

00:07:19I'm like, what did I sign up for?

00:07:21Go, go, go, go, go!

00:07:24Oh, we have salmon.

00:07:26Who leaves salmon to get in the basement?

00:07:28I snatched that up real quick.

00:07:29Deirdre, got your salmon.

00:07:31Do some wine.

00:07:33I'm gonna make a good ass dish with this.

00:07:35Okay, we got top sirloin.

00:07:37I see red meat for top sirloin.

00:07:39And I grabbed it.

00:07:41Go, go, go.

00:07:4215 seconds, ladies.

00:07:43I was looking for fresh greens.

00:07:45There's collard greens over here.

00:07:47Collard greens.

00:07:48Oh, my God.

00:07:50I'm so happy that I get to prove that I'm more than the cake lady.

00:07:55Grab it, grab it.

00:07:56Got red bell pepper here.

00:07:58I'm going to make a southern soul food pot pie,

00:08:02straight out the south.

00:08:03Oh, yes.

00:08:04I got this.

00:08:06Your 60 minutes start now.

00:08:09Off you go.

00:08:10An amazing showstopper bake.

00:08:14Jeff, what are you thinking?

00:08:15I'm thinking Parisian gnocchi.

00:08:17And I'm gonna match that with, like, chicken breast

00:08:19I can medallion and cut on bias.

00:08:21Right.

00:08:22That's not a bake.

00:08:23Well, with the Parisian gnocchi,

00:08:25it's gonna be a pile of savory choux,

00:08:27kind of like a gougere on the side.

00:08:29A gougere.

00:08:30Ambitious.

00:08:31And what are you gonna stuff them with?

00:08:32What are you gonna put inside?

00:08:33I want them to be airy and light,

00:08:34so they can mop up some sauce.

00:08:36It's tough on this one.

00:08:37Yeah.

00:08:38Showstopper.

00:08:39Tonight will be a true test for these bakers,

00:08:40because 95% of what they do is all sweet.

00:08:43This one is a savory challenge,

00:08:44using some incredible proteins.

00:08:46So lobster pot pie, right?

00:08:48Lobster pot pie.

00:08:49Smart idea with the fresh peas and beef and corn.

00:08:52Are you gonna cook the lobster in the sauce?

00:08:54Or are you gonna cook it beforehand?

00:08:56Well, I might saute it in a little bit of butter.

00:09:00Yeah.

00:09:01I'm just worried about that overcooking,

00:09:02just literally 30 seconds.

00:09:03Okay.

00:09:04I don't know how to work with clubs, but figure it out.

00:09:07The biggest mistake that a baker could make

00:09:09across a challenge like this?

00:09:11Over-complication.

00:09:13It's gotta be cohesive,

00:09:14and it needs to have that wow factor.

00:09:16You good?

00:09:17Yeah.

00:09:18I'm gonna get the sugar on right away.

00:09:19Get that in straight away.

00:09:22Chloe, what did you grab?

00:09:24Ground beef.

00:09:25Okay.

00:09:26Three different cheeses, including goat cheese.

00:09:27Oh, nice.

00:09:28I got prosciutto, red pepper.

00:09:30I got some rosemary.

00:09:31Okay.

00:09:32What is your ultimate dish?

00:09:33My ultimate dish is going to be a quiche.

00:09:34Tell me about your sister.

00:09:35So I know that she means a lot to you,

00:09:37because you raised her.

00:09:38Yes.

00:09:39So talk to me about what she would want in her quiche.

00:09:41My sister would want so much cheese.

00:09:43She has cheese.

00:09:44The three cheeses.

00:09:46Weird cheese girls.

00:09:47My relationship with my little sister

00:09:49is really special for me.

00:09:51We lost our mom to brain cancer a few years ago,

00:09:54and my husband and I started raising her.

00:09:56My mother asked me to raise her,

00:09:58and just, she said, don't disappoint me.

00:10:01Don't disappoint me, Pippi.

00:10:03Make her exactly what I did for you.

00:10:06And I have.

00:10:08Today we have a guest baker, my little sister.

00:10:11She's 20 years younger than me,

00:10:12and she's a middle schooler,

00:10:13and I don't know how many people know this,

00:10:15but they're terrifying at this age.

00:10:17She is ready to have some fun.

00:10:19Definitely very confident.

00:10:21I would do anything in the world to give her the world.

00:10:24So talk to me about savory.

00:10:26You seem pretty comfortable.

00:10:27Do you do a lot of savory food?

00:10:28I...

00:10:29My husband...

00:10:30No.

00:10:31So my husband, you know, he's the cook in our house.

00:10:34Working with me is not something I do.

00:10:37Me make cookie, not beef.

00:10:39So you have to channel Tyler.

00:10:41I do.

00:10:42And he's talking in my head saying,

00:10:44more seasoning.

00:10:45That doesn't taste like anything.

00:10:46Exactly.

00:10:47All right.

00:10:48So y'all, think about flavor.

00:10:49Think about building flavor.

00:10:50Yes, Carla.

00:10:51I got this.

00:10:52I got this.

00:10:53All right.

00:10:54Zoha, what did you pick?

00:10:56Okay, I got chicken, chicken thighs.

00:10:58I'm so sorry.

00:10:59I don't know what I'm doing

00:11:00when it comes to butchering chicken.

00:11:01There's more flavor in the thighs because of the fat.

00:11:04If I'm ever working with chicken,

00:11:05it's chicken breast with no fat on it.

00:11:07I know that's like the opposite of everything

00:11:09that's supposed to be good.

00:11:10My husband makes fun of me.

00:11:11But I just get a little queasy around the fats.

00:11:14So what are you making?

00:11:16I'm gonna make a kandoori chicken naan pizza.

00:11:20Okay.

00:11:21Basically make it like a pizza with a tandoori chicken filling.

00:11:24And then hopefully serve it with some sort of yogurt

00:11:26rice on the side.

00:11:27Okay.

00:11:28All right.

00:11:29Carla's reaction to my open pizza.

00:11:31That was not very fun.

00:11:33Think about, like, how you would make your dish festive.

00:11:37We asked for a savory showstopper,

00:11:40and she is making a pizza.

00:11:42So I'm worried about that.

00:11:44This is the last challenge before the finale.

00:11:48You want to get to the other side.

00:11:50Think like a savory chef.

00:11:52It's maybe the stress of the finale

00:11:54or the stress of having to butcher this however I can.

00:11:56I don't know what I'm gonna do.

00:11:57I'm just stressing the side right now.

00:11:59Dara Jo, talk to me about your savory bakes.

00:12:13Yeah, so I grabbed salmon, which I'm actually surprised came down here.

00:12:17How did it get all the way down here?

00:12:18I know.

00:12:19Actually, I wasn't thinking about it as an option,

00:12:21but it would work pretty well as, like, a seafood cobbler.

00:12:24I got a little spice.

00:12:25I'm thinking I could spice up the dish.

00:12:26I've never made a salmon cobbler,

00:12:28but I make salmon at home all the time,

00:12:30and I think I cook it perfectly almost every time.

00:12:33I'm wondering if we have pastry cutters.

00:12:35It's high hopes, but I'm gonna take a look around.

00:12:37I feel like my mind is pretty creative

00:12:39having to make, like, five to ten recipes a week in my job.

00:12:43Oh, my gosh, I forget.

00:12:44There's, like, no cookie cutters in here, right?

00:12:46Yikes.

00:12:47Being a food photographer,

00:12:49I do make it a point to make the things that I bake

00:12:52both beautiful and tasty,

00:12:55so I need to make sure the buttermilk biscuits on top

00:12:57are delicious and amazing.

00:12:59Deirdre, you are already thinking of presentation here.

00:13:02We've got colors going on.

00:13:04I'm gonna make a biscuit red and green for the holidays.

00:13:06Top them with a little thyme.

00:13:08Is that an old tuna can you're using as a cutter?

00:13:11It is.

00:13:12You know what?

00:13:13I didn't even realize at first.

00:13:14Basically, it does with it, you know, the same thing.

00:13:16That's right.

00:13:17Trash becomes treasure in the basement.

00:13:19It definitely does.

00:13:21I would love to have a measuring cup.

00:13:25When you're in the basement, you have to be scrappy.

00:13:27Sometimes a solo cup has to become a measuring cup,

00:13:31and it can be because this first line is half a cup,

00:13:34second line is one cup,

00:13:36and the top is one and a half cups.

00:13:38Didn't know that.

00:13:39Who knew?

00:13:40He needed it, literally.

00:13:41So in a pinch, in a college dorm room,

00:13:43you can do some serious baking.

00:13:49I ain't mad at the basement today.

00:13:51It's got everything I need.

00:13:56Think like a savory chef.

00:13:58Build flavors.

00:13:59And also, I want you to think about how you would serve it as a showstopper.

00:14:03So that means building things, right?

00:14:05Okay, Karla.

00:14:06You've got this.

00:14:07Thank God for Karla, because Karla comes and helps me realize I'm just doing a plain round pizza.

00:14:13What if I do like two rounds, put them on top of each other with the filling inside,

00:14:18do like a twisty star snowflake shape?

00:14:20That is beautiful.

00:14:21Thank you, Karla.

00:14:22It is gorgeous.

00:14:23Thank you, Karla.

00:14:24That is not a pizza.

00:14:25I changed my mind.

00:14:27I thought I could make a snowflake with it.

00:14:29It's really ambitious to try to do an enriched naan bread dough in just 60 minutes.

00:14:35I'm just really keeping my fingers crossed that the bread is baked properly.

00:14:38Did you know you were going to roll it like that?

00:14:40No.

00:14:41You just came up with it?

00:14:42Yeah.

00:14:43I am so excited.

00:14:44Yes.

00:14:45All right, Nikki.

00:14:47You did indeed find your collard greens.

00:14:50I did.

00:14:51So happy for you.

00:14:53And some red meat.

00:14:54Yeah.

00:14:55So you must be feeling pretty happy.

00:14:57I'm very happy.

00:14:58Thank goodness.

00:15:00Tell me a little bit more about your dad Rudolph, Nikki.

00:15:03Oh, my gosh.

00:15:05The most amazing person I've met in my life other than my husband.

00:15:09Oh.

00:15:10I did manage to get a husband much like my father.

00:15:15My husband stepped in and picked up where my dad finished spoiling me.

00:15:20Well, I don't know.

00:15:21It seems like you spoil your family with all this good cooking.

00:15:23Yeah, I spoil them and they spoil me.

00:15:26My tribe at home, my grandkids, my husband, especially my daddy, he's always said,

00:15:34you can do whatever you want to do.

00:15:36You want to be next level baker?

00:15:39Go be next level baker.

00:15:41I need to channel them and make them proud.

00:15:44I'm going to fight to the nitty gritty.

00:15:47Love it.

00:15:48I can tell you're here to win.

00:15:49Okay.

00:15:51Oven, oven, oven.

00:15:55Guys, look.

00:15:56Another mid-round surprise.

00:15:58Looks like the reindeers, they've chosen this one.

00:16:01Carrots, right?

00:16:03Some beautiful carrots here, by the way.

00:16:05Oh, my lord.

00:16:06Oh, guys!

00:16:07Come on.

00:16:08Oh, no.

00:16:09Look at the carrots.

00:16:10You've got carrot juice.

00:16:11You've got carrot baby food.

00:16:12You've got baby carrots.

00:16:14Oh, my God.

00:16:15What did I grab?

00:16:16Carrot baby food?

00:16:17Hope this works.

00:16:18Looks like the reindeer have left us a surprise.

00:16:22Grab whatever you can to add to your stews.

00:16:25Go, go, go.

00:16:26That thing be going too fast.

00:16:28Oh, my God.

00:16:29I'm loving carrot juice, carrot baby food, because it's already cooked.

00:16:31Right?

00:16:32We're talking vinaigrette.

00:16:33Yeah.

00:16:34We're talking carrots.

00:16:35Yeah.

00:16:36So let's taste it.

00:16:37See if you're needing to...

00:16:38Oh!

00:16:39Kyla!

00:16:40You should do this for, like, professionally.

00:16:41Wait, time check.

00:16:42Time check.

00:16:43Carla, time, please.

00:16:4435 minutes to go.

00:16:45Thank you, Kyla.

00:16:46Both Zoha and Chloe are very intense in very different ways.

00:16:50Let's go cheese.

00:16:51Yes!

00:16:52Zoha, I'm going to see if you're needing to...

00:16:53Oh!

00:16:54Yes, it's so good.

00:16:55You're going to see if you're needing to...

00:16:56Oh!

00:16:57Carla!

00:16:58You should do this professionally.

00:17:01Wait, time check.

00:17:02Time check.

00:17:03Carla, time, please.

00:17:0535 minutes to go.

00:17:06Thank you, Carla.

00:17:08Both Zoha and Chloe are very intense in very different ways.

00:17:12Let's go cheese!

00:17:13let's go cheese yes zoha is like give me the time time check chloe's like stay out of my face

00:17:21doing less what's happening oh my god what do you need you need a towel it's like ah

00:17:25oh really nice to have some oven mitts in here

00:17:31time check 23 minutes left how you doing up there oh my god how's it going down there oh it's awesome

00:17:38we have festive biscuits rising in the oven that's what i smell ho ho ho it's the holidays down here

00:17:45in the basement okay you're doing amazing she's using a pvc pipe for a rolling pin she's making

00:17:53things work next thing you know she'll be buying one for home i already have one 20 minutes remaining

00:18:01a spot in the grand finale is on the line i want you both in there yes yes chef steph

00:18:08yeah that lox isn't overcooked now okay off the heat do you mind tasting that to see what you

00:18:13yep taste with me a touch more salt i keep adding it i guess i know it's just a touch don't forget

00:18:20the lox is very sweet being in the top level with chef ramsey is definitely more stressful

00:18:26than baking at home with my four kids although my kids also rate my food they'll be like i would

00:18:31give this meal an eight out of ten i'm not kidding you uh christmas day is it chaotic is it mad oh i

00:18:38love christmas morning we wake up early and usually i'll make like cinnamon rolls or just

00:18:43something like that and then the chaos starts we have a big family there's eight of us you have twins

00:18:48i think i read somewhere that they were premature is that they were very premature yeah due on the

00:18:5214th of february and valentine's day and they were born on millennial eve 1999 are you serious

00:18:57that's incredible he has twins and i have twins and his twins were premature and my twins were incredibly

00:19:02premature and so it feels like we really do have a bond i tried to suggest to tana why don't we have one

00:19:07each side one on 1991 and she told me play myself a terrible idea i think we're best friends

00:19:17we're just over 18 minutes to go

00:19:22it would mean so much to me to get to the final i learned how to bake in the evenings on weekends

00:19:27i spent a year sacrificing any free time to going to culinary school dedicated to people like me who had

00:19:34full-time jobs are you having those yeah you're not stuffing them no i'm not stuffing them i didn't

00:19:41put too much cheese in it i didn't want it to be overpowering so getting to the finale recognizes

00:19:46all the work i put into being a quality baker let's run through i'm gonna plate the gnocchi kind of in a

00:19:53line yeah in between those i'm gonna lay chicken breast gotcha and the buns are gonna kind of go off to the

00:19:58side here now bring it together now yeah okay a lot of elements going on there young man don't let me

00:20:03down yes chef please stay focused bakers a spot in the finale is on the line i do think my savory

00:20:14bake is good enough to get me in the finals it's got perfectly cooked salmon in my opinion and a delicious

00:20:20fluffy biscuit on top i feel really good about the sauce all the flavors work really well together

00:20:25oh wow

00:20:4015 minutes remaining oh what happened um the top just came off as i was shaking it into we've had a seafood

00:20:50seasoning explosion how did it taste deirdre a bit salty i'm literally thinking of all the ways i

00:20:59could pivot right now i'm like what am i gonna do to make this not as salty as it is i'm freaking out

00:21:05deirdre would you have time to start again with just uh butter flour roux a little bit of fish stock

00:21:10and then adding in some of your existing see what we can do

00:21:14we're down to 10 minutes to go can't wait to see what you make jeff likewise chef uh where are the

00:21:25thermometers do you know never mind i have one i just want to tell you no no no no look at me just

00:21:30touch them i promise you they're raw sorry i'm here to help you but thank you no way too dangerous

00:21:34yeah it's still raw nine minutes means nine minutes nine minutes okay purge up let's go earn

00:21:42your spot in the finals ladies

00:21:46it's not giving me the color i want if this pie doesn't brown get the medic and please make sure

00:21:52she got stretching okay come on nikki j rudolph is counting on you and my grandkids and todd and the

00:22:02whole gang are cheering real loud for you right now i can hear them this is a competition and it's

00:22:09for the finale come on brown gods

00:22:15i'm gonna tell you it smells so good my mouth is watering and you all are i mean hold on hold the

00:22:22phone you are getting this beautiful puff in your eggs i'm sorry i love eggs so much i'm not getting

00:22:27any jiggle what do you think yeah i think you're good i think you're good i think you're good i'm gonna

00:22:31pull take them out one again be careful gentle gentle these look so incredible oh my gosh oh that's

00:22:40heavy sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry that is gorgeous to get into the finale you have got to bring your a

00:22:50game and make it feel like holidays and perfect i really hope that it baked beautifully on the bottom

00:22:57that's so unpredictable it might be in the vanilla i did not think i was getting this fun but i'm feeling

00:23:04pretty confident that i'm not going home to the holidays right now christmas tree christmas tree

00:23:12oh my god is that ugly this looks like a showstopper let's do it i'm nervous i don't want it to break okay

00:23:19oh how is it is it cooked looks pretty brown all around i think so okay garlic butter oh my gosh

00:23:28stop it stop it it's a non-bread carla 90 seconds you good yep that's why i'm trying to tower it up as

00:23:37much as possible there not necessarily trying to crowd it but i want that to be a centerpiece the

00:23:41platform is descending downstairs that means it's coming up soon

00:23:49platform is on its way here it comes ladies don't let it pass you by

00:23:55oh shoot go go go let's get those bakes on the platform

00:24:02insanity we did it

00:24:04okay the platform come on the platform the decisions are over so hot don't miss it carefully

00:24:13oh my god oh it looks good it looks good it looks good

00:24:20platform's here let's go we got this do not miss that platform come on turn and burn let's go guys

00:24:27it waits for no one let's go it waits for no one well done yes yes yes good job thank you yeah i'm good

00:24:34i'm good

00:24:41very good look at this wow wow look at that wow um man it smells festive holidays delicious

00:24:54unfortunately there are six of you and there are only five spots in the finale right where should we

00:25:00start ladies top floor okay yes let's go these are stephanie's lobster pop pie wow

00:25:07shall we dig in yes let's do it this looks amazing

00:25:13it feels decadent yet cozy and homey just that perfect balance of celebration and christmas

00:25:21lobster's cooked beautifully i love the spice the heat well done

00:25:25this is jeff's gougere with pan roasted chicken gnocchi with a carrot puree underneath

00:25:32i will be honest it's not a showstopping holiday bake it's components of a bake i think if you're

00:25:38going to call something a gougere you do need cheese i wish you'd stuff these but

00:25:42they cook beautifully and they cook on the chicken yeah beautiful i mean really beautiful they like my

00:25:48bougeres i'm feeling a little relieved i just hope that it's enough all right shall we move up to the

00:25:54middle level the best level what all right to start we have chloe's ground beef holiday quiche

00:26:03there's a carrot puree in the quiche and then the carrot salad with a carrot vinaigrette

00:26:10okay let's see what you're talking about look at that that is beautiful i think what i'm excited

00:26:15about already it's just the crispiness of that pastry that is a savory flavor bomb pastry exceptional

00:26:23and i love the little acidity with the pickled carrots right smart all right next up this is

00:26:30zoha's tandoori chicken holiday naan star we have a carrot writer and then we have a little chutney

00:26:40look at that it's fun to have the theater of pulling there and share yeah and sharing

00:26:45it's delicious

00:26:57we said showstopper and it is just that it's stunning i just love the technical ability of

00:27:02this beautiful twist in a very traditional shape for the holidays did you use the thigh yeah yeah so

00:27:08the flavor from the thigh is incredible move over chicken breast the thighs are in town all right the

00:27:14basement please okay this is nikki's southern soul food pot pie made with top sirloin with candied

00:27:22carrots really really flaky pie crust

00:27:28i love the flavor of the sauce it's warm it's inviting it's definitely a savory bake congratulations

00:27:35all right next up deirdre's spicy salmon cobbler topped with holiday biscuits i love the way it looks

00:27:52the seasoning is really overpowering that spice is starting to build in my mouth

00:27:57i could probably only have like three bites or so the seasonings were still there more than i had hoped

00:28:03they'd be and i feel like i'm probably gonna go home

00:28:19wow deirdre the seasoning is really overpowering

00:28:23she had a bit of a mishap deirdre was putting her seasoning into her stew

00:28:28oh and the entire bottle of seasoning went into her stew and it was salty as all get out she had

00:28:34to start again wow listen um it is on maximum seasoning i'll be honest um but the biscuits exceptional

00:28:43and the salmon it's delicious really good

00:28:48sadly only five of you will continue to the grand finale man it's gonna come down to the wire

00:28:54excuse us please wow this is hard uh very hard my goodness me you guys did amazing

00:29:01that tandoori no oh my goodness me that was the first time i saw you take a second bite oh my gosh

00:29:08nobody want to put it down i think you're safe

00:29:12for the basement i have to say i've never seen nikki so comfortable i think that's been one of her best

00:29:17cooks i agree deirdre's cobbler i could tell that spice had been dumped in because it was hot i'd struggle to

00:29:22finish that but deirdre's biscuits incredible i thought the texture of the biscuits were perfect

00:29:28and it was a showstopper it was gorgeous top floor the lobster pot pie i think stephanie knows how to

00:29:33put together flavor yeah kudos for her being a phenomenal baker yeah grabbing a lobster and cooking

00:29:39it beautifully oh yeah absolutely moving on to the dish i've been dying to talk about yeah because i'm

00:29:44still scratching my head jeff's buffet platter well put carla i thought the gouges were incredible

00:29:49oh they were they were some of the best we've had and that's the bake side right and then all these

00:29:53other elements went in right if only he brought them together listen this is for the final spot

00:29:58in the finale and it's a toss-up between the salty cobbler or is it the three dishes in one with the

00:30:04gouges right tough tough tough tough yeah all right good luck everyone good luck hey

00:30:14oh let's get one thing straight you guys have elevated in each and every round truly i am so proud of you

00:30:22you but there are only five spots in the finale the first two bakers who have earned their spots

00:30:35in the grand finale are

00:30:41zoha oh thank you and stephanie congratulations

00:30:46let's go i am in the final i feel so happy the next two bakers moving on to the grand finale are

00:30:59chloe

00:31:01and nikki

00:31:08oh my god that's rudolph my daddy is bringing in the luck today

00:31:15unfortunately that leaves deirdre and jeff only one of you will be moving on into the grand finale

00:31:24this was a tough one it was the final baker claiming their spot in the grand finale is

00:31:35deirdre well done

00:31:37jeff what you cooked here as a dish was exceptional the big discrepancy for all three of us

00:31:47that it wasn't a holiday bake it's been a joy and uh i hope you guys have a happy holidays likewise

00:31:53you too thank you very much i would have loved to have been able to bake in the final but the other

00:32:00bakers i'm baking with are just they're so talented and so i can walk out with my head held high

00:32:05take care bud

00:32:10i look calm when collected but screaming on the inside

00:32:14congratulations on entering into the first ever next level baker finale

00:32:19what let's go honestly my kids are gonna lose their minds like what do you do like mom dance

00:32:31look at all these women that's what i'm saying right what amazing you're the last man standing

00:32:39nikki what would you do with 25 000 across the holidays i'm going on a cruise

00:32:43love that okay and when i get back from the cruise i'm gonna go on another cruise okay that's what's

00:32:48up all of you head back to laos get your heads in the game because when you get back

00:32:56you're gonna be faced with the most difficult the most daunting bake of your lives well done

00:33:02congratulations let's go all girls final who's surprised not me not surprised

00:33:10i am honored to be here with these four women and i think each one of them has their own strengths

00:33:15and it's going to be a tough competition

00:33:20that's from a 60-year-old

00:33:25coming up on the next level baker finale

00:33:29you have to create a three-tiered cake each here baked on a different level

00:33:35that elevator is going to be busy hey top floor oh my god this is really pissing me off right now

00:33:48your cakes are burning i don't even know what floor is on fire hold your nerve come on

00:33:53the winner of next level baker is

00:33:57welcome back come on in there she is

00:34:15right really well done a one in five chance of becoming our first ever next level baker amazing

00:34:21deirdre what does that mean and say to you that would mean everything like this is a childhood

00:34:27dream but to win would be even more amazing 25 000 would be insane to win i think i would love to

00:34:35take some culinary classes hone my expertise even more love that oh nikki how are you feeling little

00:34:42chocolate drop i'm feeling still nervous but amazing i am the oldest person in the competition

00:34:51with all the youngsters but i'm like listen girl you have been baking all your life

00:34:56you got this piece of cake piece of blunt cake at that stephanie the fact that you're not even

00:35:02classically trained and you've been serving up the bakes that you have i mean we are all

00:35:08so impressed with you thank you so much all of my formal training was watching baking shows

00:35:14and being here and doing this is absolutely validation that i'm i'm doing what i should be doing

00:35:20it's just the biggest privilege to bake amongst these incredible women and to be mentored by

00:35:27you guys i can't even believe it chloe you bake with such prowess where does that come from i think

00:35:33my entire life has really built me up for this moment i don't back down from pressure and i'm not

00:35:37going to start now we love that about you thank you zoha hey how are you feeling normally i have a lot

00:35:44of words but i feel like i can't english right now it's just a jumble i honestly don't know what to

00:35:51say speechless honestly speechless well just believe in your baking and trust in it and i'm gonna say

00:35:58this to you and you say zoha time zoha what time is it zoha time what time is it zoha time that's what's

00:36:05up okay okay thank you carla um so if you do become our first ever next level baker tonight can

00:36:12you buy yourself a bloody watch candace carl and myself are absolutely done with telling you how much

00:36:18time is left we're like the talking clock that never stops honestly gosh why are they giving me such a

00:36:25hard time i just need the time ladies let's get one thing straight what stands between you

00:36:31and that title of our first ever next level baker is the most intense finale in baking show history

00:36:39let me tell you your skills and your creativity are about to be tested to the absolute limit tonight

00:36:45for this final challenge you all have to create a delicious three-tiered cake

00:36:53easy breezy i can make a three-tiered cake i'm pretty comfortable with it sounds easy right no

00:37:00think again because each tier must be baked on a different level

00:37:08and it's up to you to decide where you'll make each tier

00:37:15on top of that each tier of your cake must feature a different flavor profile that still needs to feel

00:37:25cohesive the platform will drop ingredients three times once on each level i think i just want to go

00:37:33for some fresh air you'll all have four hours and for the first time ever you'll have total freedom to

00:37:40move from kitchen to kitchen as you please the three of us will be moving floor to floor to keep an eye

00:37:47on you i'm dizzy i'm just thinking survive survive survive are you ready yes all right get to that

00:37:55elevator good luck ladies let's go thank you let's go we've got this that's crazy no yeah three

00:38:04different levels three different cakes all assembled in the last 30 minutes on that top floor for me

00:38:10because the basement is a little willy-nilly and the ovens are small i would do my top tier in the

00:38:16basement a hundred percent i'd start my biggest tier in the basement and get that done i actually think

00:38:22i would go middle level interesting they need to make sure that that bottom layer is solid that is

00:38:28the structure of your cake i mean this is gonna be crazy honestly wait let's do it first time in the

00:38:36basement i'm going into the final at a disadvantage because i've never been to the basement before

00:38:43oh my gosh these are the cake pans you guys have oh here we go little friend here we go

00:38:51i've been freaked out by that old evil doll but we just had to become friends because i need my good

00:38:59luck charm i even brought her my glasses today we twinning me and tabitha

00:39:08hey oh my gosh all right all right who's ready listen all of you come and line up across there

00:39:14this grab is crucial it is really important you get everything be smart right line up that platform

00:39:21is descending one stunning cake three incredible layers this is the most crucial platform grab

00:39:30ever you have to figure out what ingredients might you need on the other levels big question is who

00:39:35will be our first ever next level baker and we all want to win obviously i'm already losing my

00:39:42molasses go let's go grab all right grab grab grab i grab molasses because i'm thinking gingerbread cake and

00:39:51i'm gonna need a lot of molasses cranberries okay got it got it i might as well be shopping on black friday

00:39:55it is intense grab everything guys raspberry for my bottom tier i would like to make a hummingbird cake

00:40:04what do you need pineapple pineapple pineapple pineapple pineapple is one of the key ingredients

00:40:08anybody see pineapple i did not see it anywhere i'm grabbing all these ingredients and i'm thinking

00:40:15i got everything i need and then i'm like carrots where are the carrots five seconds

00:40:19i'm gonna need some carrots to come down next time pineapples then switch it up yeah i needed pineapple

00:40:37but i'm gonna take what i have and i'm going to make the other cakes first and pray for the best

00:40:45on the next platform here we go your four hours start now let's go let's go let's go let's go

00:40:55i'm going to the top i'm going to middle yeah i'm going there as well i'm going to start down here

00:40:59tonight will be a true test for these bakers because you're operating three kitchens so this

00:41:04is a tall order it may sound like a long time four hours but got their work cut out and that elevator

00:41:10is going to be busy i'm going to head straight from my station

00:41:13okay all right miss nikki it's you and me this mixer is older than me i've spent a lot of time

00:41:21in the basement and so i feel pretty confident i know that i'm going to do my smallest cakes in

00:41:26the basement i love to see some smiles already ladies it's kind of peaceful in the basement it is

00:41:31peaceful in the basement two at one five minutes gone yes put a little espresso powder in there wow and

00:41:37the inspiration behind it i just i love christmas these are some of my favorite holiday flavors

00:41:42for my three-tiered cake the bottom tier is a gingerbread cake it's filled with an orange diplomat

00:41:49cream the middle tier is a cranberry orange cake filled with the cranberry compote and then my top

00:41:54layer i'm hoping to make a chocolate peppermint cake as long as i can find some peppermint extract

00:42:00but peppermint extract that's the only thing you missed right yes at five minutes until the uh

00:42:05platform for the second drop oh my god the middle kitchen i wish i could fry my cake you okay

00:42:14that would go faster all right nikki you're starting with your top tier for my three-tier cake

00:42:22i want the bottom tier to be hummingbird cake the next layer in the middle tier is amaretta liqueur

00:42:30and the top layer is a raspberry liqueur cake so i bet you're hoping to get some pineapple on the next

00:42:37oh ingredient grab otherwise it's gonna be time to pivot i need pineapple and pecans a little southern

00:42:43flavor yes i love it now to get these cakes in the oven we have our timer set for our cakes that are

00:42:51baking down here we don't want to forget them we won't be able to smell them they are on nikki

00:42:55what's the second flavor i got amaretta should we do one together i'd love to do shots with you

00:43:00yeah definitely if you win i'll come on that cruise with you we'll do shots together girl

00:43:05me and gordon ramsay we're going on a cruise head it up

00:43:14hey watch my girl don't knock her down okay i'll keep an eye

00:43:18it's like three cake ladies in an elevator together oh yeah the cake rock heads yes

00:43:37press and turn like freaking medicine god yeah child proofed a three-tiered cake this is something

00:43:50i've never made before i've never done anything like this in my life you know it's been a dream of

00:43:54mine since i was eight years old to be on a baking competition like this and it feels great to be a

00:44:00home chef and made it this far oh is this your licorice cake chocolate licorice bottom tiering first

00:44:05tier my cake i'm making a black licorice cake with a blackberry filling for my second tier i'm

00:44:11making an orange carrot cake i'm hoping so bad that i can get my hands on some carrots fingers

00:44:17crossed for that next platform for my top tier i'm making peppermint vanilla cake with cranberry

00:44:23orange filling and cream cheese frosting have you had that combo before yeah i've made it i really like

00:44:29not many people love black licorice i know it's a little bit risky but in the baking world one of

00:44:35my favorite things to do is flex the creative side of it i'm trying to get enough of the licorice root

00:44:39flavor in here okay you like it wow so good oh my goodness deirdre i love deirdre she understands flavor

00:44:51but i am hoping all the flavors work together so this is a real challenge for her everybody's getting

00:44:57ready for this drop ready as we're gonna be stand by guys here we go grab everything you need let's go

00:45:08platform's there

00:45:08i'm just grabbing stuff grab something pot apple how many what else you need

00:45:18a little bit over here carrots today yes yes yes that's exactly what i needed

00:45:25does anybody see peppermint i wanted to add peppermint extract into my buttercream for my peppermint cake

00:45:30does anybody see peppermint peppermint i searched and searched and searched i could not find it

00:45:35anywhere anything that's like legit peppermint so i've got to pivot yeah did you get candy canes

00:45:42i did 10 seconds and i found some candy canes i'm just so hopeful that i can make something out of

00:45:49this i'll do my best i don't know if i'll be able to fondant do you need fondant five seconds quick

00:45:55quick quick last grab last grab well done great grab i gotta go downstairs where you going where do you

00:46:02want to go basement okay baseball first come on i won't let you down let's go okay oh geez who's

00:46:12are these in here because they are burning who's are they do you know well they might be nikki's

00:46:19because she's been baking down here i know nikki yeah your cakes are burning

00:46:25oh my god my cakes are on fire oh my god who signed me up for this cake god

00:46:53shine on that cake tabitha please please come on good sir you got it girl go get them please put

00:47:00some down let's go well done look that's fine take them out we'll get them cooled yes let's get them

00:47:07out you've got to be on it thank god that gordon ramsey did tell me they were on fire because

00:47:13that could have been bad you okay yes just get them out there quickly okay and get them cooled down yes

00:47:20okay okay and then you decide whether or not you do them again did you just forget about them no the

00:47:26timer just went off right they didn't look burned i think because they were raspberry so they were

00:47:32already a darker color at least they're fine right yes he saved the day because i could not have started

00:47:41over oh my lord jeez what's she doing that's tabitha tabitha yeah that's my girl she magical

00:47:55tabitha was letting me know i got you girl

00:47:57she's got eyes on the cake how long for the other sponges on the uh middle floor and the top floor

00:48:06i haven't got them in the oven yeah let's go here we go straight up to the top floor get that sponge

00:48:13in please yes just over three hours left zoha what tier are you making right now i'm making my base tier

00:48:21the largest tier okay i am making a three-tiered cake representing the colors and beautiful flavors

00:48:27of pakistani food my bottom tier is a pistachio kulfi cake with a raspberry compote through it

00:48:33the middle tier is a maple pecan cake and my top tier is a gulab jam and flavored cake with cardamom and

00:48:38rose water sounds amazing i feel like i'm already far behind the brain is not braining right now yeah it

00:48:45kind of feels like some screws are not in place oh i didn't put my freaking parchment paper in there this is

00:48:50multitasking on a whole other level cool calm collected that's the mantra for today just be cool

00:48:58calm and collected i can't lose it oh i'm running to the middle i had to split my brain into 30 pieces

00:49:10holy there's different butter creams there's different flavors and then i'm gonna need time

00:49:15to make sure that my cake looks good hey do you have baking powder and salt up here i haven't even

00:49:20started no is anyone actually calm right now stephanie what's going on here so here i'm doing

00:49:26a cranberry orange cake and then i'll have a cranberry compote in between the layers you're loving

00:49:31the cranberries today so my daughter l is 10 and she loves sugared cranberries she eats them by the

00:49:37handful one's a little ode to her oh that's so sweet yeah kind of a sophisticated palette those can be

00:49:43tart cranberries and sushi that's my girl i've got kids that like sushi too that's an expensive habit yes it

00:49:49is so i'm a mom of four we had twins first landon and hudson and a couple of years later we decided

00:49:56to adopt our daughter l from china and then fast forward many many many years later we felt drawn

00:50:03towards foster care and we were placed with this precious baby boy and so we were able to adopt him

00:50:09right before christmas last year wow that's amazing you have your hands full one of my sons he goes mom

00:50:16you gotta bake your butt off today he also was like have you cursed that's what he wanted to know have you

00:50:21cursed i tried really hard not to we'll leave the cursing to gordon now come on let's go girl

00:50:27damn it i need more fatter beginning face is real chloe what's your flavor so i'm working with a

00:50:36gingerbread cake for my bottom tier i'm going to be baking my gingerbread cake my middle tier i'm going

00:50:43to be making my con spice cake for my top tier i'm going to be baking my orange zest cake with cranberry

00:50:50compote and we're gonna do some snickerdoodle buttercream you better shut your face oh my god

00:50:59i have made this gingerbread cake a thousand times but you take however much time you want

00:51:04you know and maybe even wild thought one kitchen so let's just get this in the oven

00:51:12we're good

00:51:12do you know where teaspoons are in here do you know where teaspoons are in here moving between

00:51:21all of these levels is really really affecting my timing in getting this cake put together if you

00:51:26guys know where teaspoons are i can't find teaspoons anywhere if you see them okay okay i heard you top

00:51:32kitchen please

00:51:35i'm coming every single bit of my energy is going into getting in and out of the elevator down down

00:51:41down come on basement basement basement top floor please basement i don't think i've screamed at a

00:51:48piece of equipment more in my life basement oh my god this is absolutely wild i'll be surprised if i

00:51:59have a game to present at the end of this oh oh this is insane from floor to floor man

00:52:08teaspoons oh hey top floor please shoes please on three this is a marathon a really sticky sugary marathon

00:52:20hold the elevator i think i've probably run at least 20 000 steps by now top floor here i hit the

00:52:27challenge finally found some shut up shut up shut up shut up shut up shut up shut up

00:52:38up up up up up up up up up go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go okay

00:52:49if you leave your oven doors open any baker knows you will effectively ruin your bake

00:52:55come on that's probably the worst thing that could happen

00:52:59chloe how's it going we're doing great

00:53:01You know, honestly, I don't know what everyone's panicking about.

00:53:04Yeah. Literally not.

00:53:06Cool as a cucumber.

00:53:07Yeah.

00:53:08I did so many things right up to this point.

00:53:11This cannot be the thing that brings me down.

00:53:14Ow, ow, ow.

00:53:16Please be good, please be good, please be good.

00:53:19Come on.

00:53:24Under.

00:53:25It is not fully baked.

00:53:31I would love for this cake to be salvageable, but it is not.

00:53:40Might be redoing this cake.

00:53:49Please be good, please be good, please be good.

00:53:51Come on.

00:53:55It's pretty easy to see that this is dark on the outside

00:53:58and completely not baked in the middle.

00:54:01Oh, yes.

00:54:02Getting baked?

00:54:03I'm gonna have to start from scratch.

00:54:05Damn, damn, damn, damn.

00:54:07I know.

00:54:08It was fate, you guys.

00:54:11You're remaking your ginger cake.

00:54:12Yes, and this time we're gonna do sheet pan.

00:54:14And it'll be super fast.

00:54:15I think the sheet pan strategy is gonna be brilliant.

00:54:18And I think the second time around I'm gonna be prouder of the taste anyways

00:54:21because who gets to taste test their cake already?

00:54:24So let's just get this in the oven.

00:54:26Let's get this going.

00:54:27This should be fine.

00:54:29All right.

00:54:30This should be fine.

00:54:31Maybe it's not the best thing to go to the basement for the first time in your last challenge,

00:54:40but I have to make my top cake.

00:54:42I hate this.

00:54:43Try to have fun.

00:54:44My top tier is a Gulab Chaman flavored cake with cardamom and rose water.

00:54:49The Gulab Chaman is a South Asian sweet.

00:54:52It's okay.

00:54:53You're right.

00:54:54We're having fun.

00:54:55This is fun.

00:54:56Yes, yes, yes.

00:54:57Come on, Zohar.

00:54:58LOL.

00:54:59I should have rose right here.

00:55:01I mean, for us, the biggest holiday in Pakistan is Eid.

00:55:04And my mom or my grandmom does not sleep at all because they're making the Pakistani sweets.

00:55:09So this is for them.

00:55:14Oh, my God.

00:55:18Did it spill?

00:55:19Yeah.

00:55:20The top came off, didn't it?

00:55:22Did that happen to you before?

00:55:23Down here, too.

00:55:24Damn the basement.

00:55:27Everything's okay.

00:55:28Don't worry about it.

00:55:29It's okay.

00:55:31Let's go.

00:55:33Ladies, halfway.

00:55:35Half-way.

00:55:37Whose are these cakes here?

00:55:39Whose are these?

00:55:40Deirdre.

00:55:43Oh, shoot.

00:55:44Top floor to basement.

00:55:45Deirdre.

00:55:46Oh, yeah.

00:55:47That's me.

00:55:48Top floor.

00:55:49Cakes are ready.

00:55:50Deirdre's coming.

00:55:51Oh, my gosh.

00:55:52I need to make sure these carrot cakes are delicious and amazing.

00:55:55I cannot have anything burn right now.

00:56:01All right.

00:56:02Thank you, thank you.

00:56:03One at the back is ready.

00:56:05That one looks a little bit runny.

00:56:06It's so awesome to work with Chef Ramsay because he's so effortless.

00:56:09He knows everything.

00:56:11See what I'm saying?

00:56:12Touch.

00:56:13They're ready.

00:56:14That top one isn't.

00:56:15He just saved my carrot cake.

00:56:16This is the best cake I make.

00:56:18Oh, I'm so relieved.

00:56:21Chloe, what are you working on?

00:56:22I'm working on my spiced fecan cake.

00:56:25I have to get back on track.

00:56:27You can't stand around going, maybe I'll, maybe I'll move.

00:56:30Let's taste that.

00:56:31All right.

00:56:32Chloe, that is your yummy face.

00:56:35It's so good.

00:56:36Oh, my gosh.

00:56:37I needed it kind of nutty because there's going to be a caramel filling.

00:56:43This is delicious.

00:56:44And you had toasted the nuts, didn't you?

00:56:46It makes all the difference in the world.

00:56:48It does.

00:56:49The nuts will not caramelize inside the batter.

00:56:51No, they just kind of get more waxy.

00:56:53Yes, they get waxy.

00:56:54It tastes like fingernails.

00:56:55Gross.

00:56:56Okay.

00:56:57Can I get you in the oven, baby?

00:56:58Which chair is this, the top or the middle?

00:56:59Ah, this is the middle.

00:57:00All right.

00:57:01Middle.

00:57:02An hour and 50 minutes left.

00:57:05Now we're going for the middle tier now, right?

00:57:07Yes.

00:57:08The left-hand side.

00:57:09I'm like, God, stop the clock.

00:57:11Just stop the clock.

00:57:12Uh, I can't think.

00:57:15I can't think.

00:57:16I can't think.

00:57:17Mixer.

00:57:18I need a mixer.

00:57:19I'm just trying to think of all three different flavored cakes that we have to do.

00:57:24I need a mixer.

00:57:25And now my head is so gone.

00:57:30And Nicky's way behind.

00:57:31Nicky's way behind.

00:57:32Way, way behind.

00:57:33Okay.

00:57:34Nicky.

00:57:35Yes.

00:57:36Next step, straighten the oven with that sponge.

00:57:37Then we can breathe.

00:57:38No, there ain't no breathing.

00:57:40This is the craziest thing I have experienced.

00:57:45Okay.

00:57:46This oven, with your oven on.

00:57:47Good girl.

00:57:48Why did I do this?

00:57:49We've got two in.

00:57:50I want you to think about your top tier now.

00:57:53Okay, yeah.

00:57:54I'm gonna be fine.

00:57:55Oh, I know.

00:57:56I remember.

00:57:57So I'm Nicky J, and I'm Next Level Baker.

00:58:00Chloe, what's going on with your cake that is in the oven right now that appears to be...

00:58:05It's looking good.

00:58:06Oh, my God.

00:58:11This is amazing.

00:58:12This is going so swimmingly.

00:58:13I'm pretty fed up.

00:58:14I'm pretty frustrated with myself.

00:58:16Wish this was martini.

00:58:17You good?

00:58:18Is that out?

00:58:19No, the cake is doing something.

00:58:21I don't know what this is doing.

00:58:22It's not good.

00:58:23What happened?

00:58:24That oven.

00:58:25Did you put bicarb in there?

00:58:26Baking soda?

00:58:27I mean, yeah.

00:58:28The amount I should.

00:58:29How much?

00:58:30I think the amount I should.

00:58:31I mean...

00:58:32I likely moved too fast and used baking soda instead of baking powder.

00:58:36It's going to burn on the edges and stay soup in the middle.

00:58:40I don't know that this is gonna bake.

00:58:41I don't know what's happening to it.

00:58:43Am I seriously gonna have to make this cake a third time?

00:58:51It's not good.

00:58:52Just, just...

00:58:53Damn.

00:58:54Damn.

00:58:55Where are my recipes?

00:58:56You get this, you know that.

00:58:57I'm gonna make this bread cake is somehow worse than the first time that I made it.

00:59:01I have to start from scratch.

00:59:03So, I make it again.

00:59:04I am going to use brown sugar because I don't have molasses.

00:59:07There you go.

00:59:08Don't stick to a problem.

00:59:09Pivot and we'll just change up.

00:59:10Just move on.

00:59:11I don't have time for this.

00:59:12I don't have any time for this.

00:59:13That is annoying.

00:59:15What happened to that?

00:59:16I...

00:59:17I honestly can't tell you.

00:59:18And like, believe me, this kind of thing can break you.

00:59:22I'm not giving up.

00:59:24But I promised my mom and I promised my little sister that like, I was gonna make her life

00:59:30extraordinary at all costs.

00:59:33We're gonna get there.

00:59:34If I win, Next Level Baker is like everything I ever lost and everything I overcame.

00:59:39Finally, it was for something.

00:59:41Well, let's use a different oven.

00:59:43New cake, new oven.

00:59:44New cake, new oven.

00:59:45What the hell?

00:59:48It is bad in this basement.

00:59:50But I see some stockings.

00:59:52Those stockings had to be about 50 years old, too.

00:59:56I know nobody else would be excited about a stocking.

01:00:02Oh, Nikki, it's just me and you, babe.

01:00:05And Tabitha, don't disrespect me.

01:00:07Sorry, Tabitha, I see you.

01:00:09Okay, I gotta roll my fondant out here.

01:00:11I found something down here.

01:00:13Tabitha, show me where something was.

01:00:15Yeah.

01:00:16But you're putting on some stockings?

01:00:17No.

01:00:18What's happening?

01:00:19Long story.

01:00:20Okay.

01:00:21Is this a tip?

01:00:22Okay.

01:00:23I need cornstarch.

01:00:24Please don't leave those pantyhose on the kitchen table.

01:00:26Carla?

01:00:27I put the cornstarch in the stocking to control how much I apply to the fondant.

01:00:37So your decor, is it all fondant?

01:00:39Yeah.

01:00:40All right, make it nice and thin because...

01:00:41I know.

01:00:42Yeah.

01:00:43Can't be too heavy.

01:00:45You're looking at me like, yeah, I know, Carla.

01:00:47I do this all the time.

01:00:48I've been making cakes out of fondant for at least 13 years.

01:00:54I'm used to that sheeter, but we gonna get it.

01:00:56You are the sheeter.

01:00:57Yeah, I see.

01:00:58But not in these conditions.

01:01:03How am I doing, Tabitha?

01:01:05Yeah, I know.

01:01:06This is super challenging.

01:01:08You can use this as a guide so that this is...

01:01:11It's all even.

01:01:12Yes.

01:01:13I love teaching.

01:01:14I love watching someone grow.

01:01:16I used to do a lot of cooking classes, and I feel like this experience sort of feels like

01:01:22that, but there's more at stake.

01:01:26Yes, yes.

01:01:27That's so much nicer.

01:01:28Oh, my God.

01:01:29Yes.

01:01:30All right, Stephanie.

01:01:31I'm hoping to do kind of like a peppermint filling.

01:01:33I didn't find any peppermint extract, but I've got candy canes.

01:01:35Okay.

01:01:36So I'm gonna work with what I've got.

01:01:37Yeah, yeah.

01:01:38Just to give it a little holiday flavor.

01:01:39You can make a simple syrup out of a candy cane.

01:01:41Yes, I love that.

01:01:42So I'm making a simple syrup out of these candy canes.

01:01:45They're not melting great, and honestly, there's not that much peppermint to it.

01:01:49Get this and just get a mallet and just, like, freaking smash it.

01:01:52Yeah, I want to save that one so that I get it in my buttercream.

01:01:55I think one more minute and this will be...

01:01:57Yeah, good.

01:01:58This will be ready.

01:01:59Simple syrup goes a long way.

01:02:01Perhaps.

01:02:02I don't know.

01:02:03I'm a little bit worried about the peppermint not punching through enough.

01:02:05I have so much pressure.

01:02:06You're both trailblazers, and you both want to be that first ever Next Level Baker.

01:02:11Two and a half hours down, 90 minutes left.

01:02:16Five minute warning for the final drop on the top floor.

01:02:20This is to help you decorate your cakes and make them beautiful.

01:02:25We're all headed to the top floor.

01:02:26Top floor.

01:02:27Let's go.

01:02:28Up, up, up, up, up, up, up.

01:02:30Oh, my God.

01:02:31Oh, my God.

01:02:33That was a little dance party.

01:02:35Yeah, yeah.

01:02:36Anybody?

01:02:37All right, get back there.

01:02:39Let's go.

01:02:40Get your stations clear.

01:02:41Don't forget, the platform's gonna be here any moment.

01:02:43Guys, the platform's on the move.

01:02:44Final grab.

01:02:45Here we go.

01:02:46Grab your decorations.

01:02:48What is that?

01:02:49What is that?

01:02:50What do you need?

01:02:51Shredded coconut.

01:02:52I'm looking for coconut shavings to actually give a snowy effect.

01:02:56These need to look gorgeous.

01:02:58Because the top is supposed to be, like, white, like you've made it up to the North Pole and it's Christmasy and snowy, but the only thing I see on the platform are little tiny marshmallows.

01:03:14Oh, this is great.

01:03:15Dazzling cakes that wow us.

01:03:18Ten seconds, guys.

01:03:19Jelly beans.

01:03:20Where are jelly beans?

01:03:21Somebody got them?

01:03:22All I want is Santa at the top of the cake.

01:03:26Okay.

01:03:27Santa made the wish come true.

01:03:29Oh.

01:03:30Where them jelly beans?

01:03:31Where them jelly beans?

01:03:32There it goes.

01:03:33There it goes.

01:03:34This is the biggest wrap Nicky has ever had in life.

01:03:37Oh, wow.

01:03:39Good luck.

01:03:40Let's go.

01:03:41Thank you, chef.

01:03:42One more.

01:03:43Basement.

01:03:44Yeah.

01:03:45I'm just ready to go.

01:03:46Come here, you.

01:03:47Come here.

01:03:48Come on, come on.

01:03:49You okay?

01:03:50You've done the hardest part.

01:03:51Now it's just bring it harder.

01:03:52I still gotta ice the other cakes.

01:03:53But that's half an hour for a cake.

01:03:54Think about that.

01:03:55Okay.

01:03:56Yes.

01:03:57Yes.

01:03:58Oh, God.

01:03:59Thank God.

01:04:00This is, for a fact, a Christmas miracle.

01:04:01This cake has finally baked after the third try.

01:04:02So I'm incredibly grateful for that.

01:04:03Yes!

01:04:04Yes!

01:04:05I don't want to stress you out, but we have one hour left.

01:04:07One hour to assemble your three tiers, decorate, impress us, and you know that all finishes up on the top level.

01:04:14You said you didn't want to stress us?

01:04:15Ugh.

01:04:16Dime is not my friend today.

01:04:17Dime is not my friend today.

01:04:18Okay.

01:04:19Well, my cakes are kind of broken.

01:04:20So this is gonna be a challenge.

01:04:21These cake pans down in the basement are really, really bad.

01:04:22My cakes are broken.

01:04:23So I hope I can somehow redeem this.

01:04:24When your cake starts to break.

01:04:25I don't want to break.

01:04:26I don't want to stress you out, but we have one hour left.

01:04:28One hour to assemble your three tiers, decorate, impress us, and you know that all finishes up on the top level.

01:04:37You said you didn't want to stress us.

01:04:38Dime is not my friend today.

01:04:39Okay.

01:04:40Well, my cakes are kind of broken.

01:04:43So this is gonna be a challenge.

01:04:46These cake pans down in the basement are really, really bad.

01:04:49My cakes are broken.

01:04:51So I hope I can somehow redeem this.

01:04:53When your cake starts to break, if you're kind of frosted, that's where your tiered cake can start falling over.

01:04:58They're all breaking.

01:04:59What do I do?

01:05:00You can't do it over.

01:05:01I see that it's crumbling and there's really nothing else to do.

01:05:04She doesn't have time.

01:05:05Father Tom has left the building.

01:05:13They're so broken.

01:05:15I mean, do you want to chill them?

01:05:16That way you can cut it easier?

01:05:18I don't know if I have any time, Carla.

01:05:20You have 55 minutes.

01:05:22I mean, that's really not a lot of time.

01:05:24Yeah.

01:05:25There's still a lot to get done on each level of the kitchen.

01:05:28Some buttercreams need to be chilled, some frostings need to be made, some fillings need to be made.

01:05:32Oh, gosh.

01:05:33What a mess.

01:05:34I can't redo this.

01:05:35I'm going to have to use my frosting as a glue and just try to stick it together as best as I can.

01:05:40Let me get like a crumb coat on here and then like put it in the blast chiller.

01:05:44And I think it might redeem itself.

01:05:46This is going to come down to the last minute and it's time to lock in.

01:05:51Okay.

01:05:52I'm going back to the middle.

01:05:53All right.

01:05:54Thank you, Carla.

01:05:55Back to the middle.

01:05:56Zoha's going to the middle.

01:05:58All right, Chloe.

01:05:59Remind me what you're working on now.

01:06:01I'm working on my top tier.

01:06:02I just need to assemble it and get it upstairs with me.

01:06:04Okay.

01:06:05You've had to have some redos.

01:06:06Yes.

01:06:07How are you feeling?

01:06:08I'm feeling like if I get a cake up at this point, we're winning.

01:06:11This is your comeback.

01:06:12This is...

01:06:13When it comes to my top tier, my orange cake, it's looking good.

01:06:17Chloe, show that cake who's boss.

01:06:19Show that cake who's boss, all right?

01:06:20Okay.

01:06:21Okay.

01:06:22It's fluffy.

01:06:23It's zesty.

01:06:24It's like really, really bouncy, but the crumb is good.

01:06:26I'm thrilled.

01:06:27Your sister's going to be so proud of you.

01:06:29Charlotte's going to be like, you rock!

01:06:32I am so incredibly impressed with these bakers.

01:06:3550 minutes left.

01:06:37There is the time crunch.

01:06:39There is the pressure.

01:06:40When we see what they've made...

01:06:43All right, your cake is leaving the basement.

01:06:46It's really impressive.

01:06:48Oh, that's so nice.

01:06:49What is this design?

01:06:51I'm trying to do a henna design.

01:06:53Yes!

01:06:54It's so hard, Carla.

01:06:55I would love to represent Eid, which is a Muslim holiday.

01:06:59The night before Eid, all the girls get henna on their hands, and it looks so beautiful.

01:07:03It means a lot.

01:07:04I don't normally do a lot of Pakistani baking, but I figured now is the time to do it.

01:07:08Yes.

01:07:09I'm always scared to get my hopes up high, but it would mean the absolute world to win.

01:07:14I'm going to try it.

01:07:15I'm going to try my best.

01:07:1645 minutes to go.

01:07:17Oh, my goodness.

01:07:18This is really pissing me off right now.

01:07:20You're fine.

01:07:21Ugh.

01:07:22The marshmallow top is so bad.

01:07:23You know, I wanted to have coconut shavings instead.

01:07:25This snowy masterpiece that I imagined is turning into a snowstorm.

01:07:29Hi, Theirdra.

01:07:30Hi.

01:07:31How are you?

01:07:32Not great, but...

01:07:33Okay.

01:07:34Okay.

01:07:35Well, same.

01:07:36Same.

01:07:37Nobody's feeling great right now, by the way.

01:07:40You good, Nikki?

01:07:44No.

01:07:45I'm not.

01:07:46It's too much to cover three cakes and fondant.

01:07:49Anybody seen a fondant smoother?

01:07:51Y'all doing buttercream.

01:07:5230 minutes.

01:07:53We need to finish these.

01:07:55The clock is ticking.

01:07:56The clock is ticking.

01:07:57Damn.

01:07:58All I'm trying to do is make sure I've got the fondant on this cake.

01:08:03I should have done something buttercream.

01:08:06How are you looking, Nikki?

01:08:07Terrible.

01:08:08But I got faith.

01:08:09Yeah.

01:08:10It's okay.

01:08:11I got this.

01:08:12I hope this cake is okay.

01:08:16Hi, Zoa.

01:08:17Hi.

01:08:18What a day, man.

01:08:19Yeah.

01:08:20Yeah.

01:08:21Pretty awesome.

01:08:22Pretty awesome.

01:08:23I cannot believe we've done this.

01:08:24I'm so proud.

01:08:25All these girls.

01:08:26Nearly there.

01:08:27We're fine.

01:08:28It's gonna be tight.

01:08:29And the rest of the finishing, you can do it upstairs, yes?

01:08:30Okay.

01:08:31Yeah.

01:08:32Here we go.

01:08:33Elevator, please.

01:08:34Top floor.

01:08:35I can't believe that it's all over.

01:08:38This all started from my little kitchen at home.

01:08:41And when I opened a bakery, like, people thought I was crazy.

01:08:44Hold your nerve.

01:08:45Come on.

01:08:46And so to be here now in the finale of Next Level Baker,

01:08:49it's incredible.

01:08:50Let's go.

01:08:51Good.

01:08:52Look at that.

01:08:53Guys, we've got 25 minutes to go, okay?

01:08:55The baker who pulls it off will be walking away with $25,000.

01:09:00That looks beautiful.

01:09:03Nikki, that looks great.

01:09:05There's so much color.

01:09:06Oh, my goodness.

01:09:07There's so much.

01:09:08And there's a lot of texture.

01:09:09I want this to be pretty.

01:09:1015 minutes to go, yes?

01:09:12Come on, ladies.

01:09:13Finish strong.

01:09:14Oh, come on, come on, come on.

01:09:15Visually, I'm gonna get flamed on the internet for this.

01:09:18This is what's gonna happen.

01:09:20Fix it, fix it, fix it.

01:09:21But at this point, this is about getting a cake on platform at all.

01:09:25And hopefully the flavors shine.

01:09:28Chloe, you have a cake.

01:09:31Let's go.

01:09:32I have a cake.

01:09:33Well done, Chloe.

01:09:3410 minutes to go.

01:09:36I want this to look better.

01:09:38There's a lot of texture on Deirdre's.

01:09:40My family would look at that cake and be like, she didn't make that.

01:09:43Because they've never seen me put together a tiered cake like that.

01:09:47I'm so scared to put it together.

01:09:49There you go.

01:09:50Well done.

01:09:51Yes.

01:09:52Well done.

01:09:53You got this, Nikki.

01:09:55You're amazing.

01:09:56We all got this, girl.

01:09:57Yeah.

01:09:58Yes.

01:09:59So, come on, bring it home.

01:10:00Let's go.

01:10:01I'm gonna try to make some form of stripes to make it look like bangles.

01:10:03So, I'm just piping around.

01:10:05Piping, piping, piping.

01:10:06Switching back, piping.

01:10:07Switching back, piping.

01:10:08Switching back, piping.

01:10:09Oh, my gosh.

01:10:11But again, time is not my friend.

01:10:13Three minutes to go.

01:10:15Final three.

01:10:16Come on.

01:10:18Oh, my goodness me.

01:10:19These last 30 minutes have been insane.

01:10:22I mean.

01:10:23This is a nail biter.

01:10:25Honestly.

01:10:26Incredible.

01:10:27They are just so focused and concentrated.

01:10:29Every second counts.

01:10:30Unbelievable.

01:10:31And somebody's going home.

01:10:32The winner tonight.

01:10:33Make it dazzle.

01:10:34Make it sparkle.

01:10:35You guys want to be the next level baker.

01:10:38It is your time to shine.

01:10:40Platform's moving.

01:10:41Here comes the platform.

01:10:4330 seconds to go.

01:10:44Come on.

01:10:45Get that chocolate on.

01:10:46Everyone has a completed cake.

01:10:48I am so proud of you all.

01:10:50I can understand it.

01:10:5115 seconds to go.

01:10:53Come on.

01:10:54Please be careful when you put your cakes on the platform.

01:10:59Platform is arriving.

01:11:00Can't watch.

01:11:03I've never picked up a three-tier cake before.

01:11:05I was so scared even to get it to this platform without falling over.

01:11:08And it's wobbling.

01:11:09That's probably one of my worst fears is dropping a cake.

01:11:13Ten seconds to go.

01:11:15Go up.

01:11:16Stephanie, you're going to have to go up top.

01:11:17How am I going to put my cake on the second level?

01:11:20Oh, I don't know this.

01:11:21Go up.

01:11:22Go up.

01:11:23Go up.

01:11:24Let's go.

01:11:25Eight.

01:11:26Seven.

01:11:27Six.

01:11:28Five.

01:11:29Four.

01:11:30Three.

01:11:31Two.

01:11:32One.

01:11:33Oh.

01:11:34Oh.

01:11:43Go, go, go.

01:11:44Go up.

01:11:45Stephanie, you're going to have to go up top.

01:11:46Four.

01:11:47Be careful.

01:11:48Three.

01:11:49Be careful.

01:11:50Two.

01:11:51Come on.

01:11:52One.

01:11:53Oh.

01:11:54Oh.

01:11:55Oh.

01:11:56Wow.

01:11:57Oh, my God.

01:11:59I did it.

01:12:00I got it on the platform, and I'm really, really, really proud of myself for that.

01:12:05Y'all, dude, what's that face doing, girl?

01:12:09I'm extremely proud of myself, but I feel like I had just been run over by a truck, and

01:12:15the truck backed up to make sure I was dead and ran over me again.

01:12:20Oh, my gosh.

01:12:22Yeah.

01:12:37Wow.

01:12:38What a bake.

01:12:40You five have created holiday magic.

01:12:42It's been a frantic four hours, but my goodness me, this looks stunning.

01:12:48This was, indeed, the toughest test in bacon history.

01:12:51And you've all accomplished an incredible feat.

01:12:54Well done.

01:12:55Right.

01:12:56Ladies, ready to taste?

01:12:57Ready to taste.

01:12:58Oh, yeah.

01:12:59All right.

01:13:00Our first cake is Zoha's cardamom, maple, and pistachio.

01:13:04I just love what you've done tempering that chocolate.

01:13:06It looks stunning.

01:13:07It's so festive.

01:13:09It's so distinctive.

01:13:10This is a cultural celebration.

01:13:12I love it.

01:13:13All we have to do now is taste it.

01:13:16All right.

01:13:17We're going to get into it.

01:13:21Well, I think the flavors are really complex and well-balanced.

01:13:30There's so much depth here, and I was delighted by the texture in the bottom layer.

01:13:35Pistachios were nutty, toasty, and delicious.

01:13:39I think all of the flavors go together.

01:13:41One doesn't blow out the other.

01:13:43I want to go in for another bite because I'm like, oh my gosh, discover another flavor.

01:13:47Overall, you've taken us on a cultural flavor journey.

01:13:51It's beautiful.

01:13:52I mean, it's a celebration, and what a perfect moment for it.

01:13:54Well done.

01:13:55Thank you, Chef.

01:13:56I'm so proud of myself.

01:13:57To be able to win, it would be the absolute highlight of my life, aside from my baby.

01:14:02I would literally scream from the rooftops.

01:14:05Right.

01:14:06Next up, this is Chloe's orange, gingerbread, and pecan cake.

01:14:10First of all, I just want to say, well done.

01:14:12Honestly, pulling that back the way you did, brilliant job.

01:14:16The scale of the tiers obviously is a little off, and some of the frosting is heavy-handed,

01:14:21but I'm really proud of you.

01:14:22I think you put together a very simple and elegant cake.

01:14:26Shall we taste?

01:14:27Yes.

01:14:35Well, this is packed with the spice flavors of the holidays.

01:14:38The middle tier, ginger, I know you had some issues with that.

01:14:41It's just the sponge is a little bit too dense for me.

01:14:44But then the top tier is beautiful.

01:14:47It's elegant.

01:14:48It's sort of, it's almost perfect.

01:14:49If I had three tiers like that, it would be number one.

01:14:53I'm happy to hear how they feel about my flavors, and I imagine that my little sister

01:15:00will be immensely proud.

01:15:03Next up, Stephanie's.

01:15:05This is a peppermint, cranberry, and a gingerbread.

01:15:09I think this is going to be an inspiration for a lot of home cooks.

01:15:13It is effective, it is simple in terms of piping and putting all the decor.

01:15:18It looks elegant.

01:15:20I can imagine kids running up and pressing their nose to the window at this cake in a confectionery.

01:15:25That would be you.

01:15:26Or a patisserie, yeah.

01:15:27But like all of these cakes, it's about the flavor, profile, balance, right?

01:15:31Should we get in there?

01:15:32Yeah.

01:15:33Sure.

01:15:34Right.

01:15:35On the base, we've got the ginger.

01:15:40Nice.

01:15:41Good job.

01:15:42It's beautiful.

01:15:43Ginger at the bottom.

01:15:45Delicious.

01:15:46Great start.

01:15:47Cranberries, refreshing, tart, everything you want.

01:15:49It's a nice little intro to the holidays.

01:15:51I forgot about the peppermint and the chocolate.

01:15:53And it's just enough.

01:15:54It is not overpowering.

01:15:55It reminded me of having chocolate milk with the little candy cane and like, you know,

01:16:00like, I loved it.

01:16:01Well, it feels like a party.

01:16:02I just want to deck the halls and you really brought out the spirit of the holidays.

01:16:06I really felt like I was discovering something through each tier of your cake.

01:16:11It really was honestly like opening a present.

01:16:13To hear comments like that about a bake that I've literally just poured so much into,

01:16:20it's just like this soothing balm to my soul.

01:16:23This is Nikki's raspberry hummingbird and amaretto cake.

01:16:27You do nothing by halves.

01:16:28You didn't go down the easy route.

01:16:30Let me tell you, you really went all out there.

01:16:32And it looks beautiful.

01:16:33It's kid friendly and it's definitely a celebration for the holidays.

01:16:37You were the only baker who covered your cake in fondant.

01:16:39I think that was a really bold choice because it brought the color.

01:16:43This cake reads to the back of the room.

01:16:45I mean, you could be way over there and see what this cake says.

01:16:47And I do think it's going to bring the kids to the yard.

01:16:50Is that a thing?

01:16:52All right, let's dig in.

01:16:55Did you mean to leave the foil on Santa?

01:16:57You didn't want to dress him for Christmas?

01:16:59I didn't want to undress him.

01:17:00Gotcha.

01:17:01We had to keep it nice.

01:17:02You know, naughty or nice.

01:17:03I kept it nice.

01:17:04I mean, he's on a pole.

01:17:06It's very indulgent, the amaretto.

01:17:11I love that.

01:17:12I love that you made a Christmas cake with hummingbird.

01:17:15It took me down south.

01:17:16It was really sort of comforting.

01:17:18Well done.

01:17:19The big issue I've got is the density of the fondant.

01:17:22It needs to be thin.

01:17:24And sadly, some parts, it's like half an inch thick.

01:17:27But the flavor's there.

01:17:29And I love the fun inside this cake.

01:17:31Well done.

01:17:32Great job.

01:17:34This is Deirdre's peppermint, carrot, and chocolate black licorice cake.

01:17:39I like the ombre of the blue.

01:17:41I'm processing the marshmallows.

01:17:43And the elephant in the room is that it's tilted.

01:17:47Please catch it if it falls.

01:17:49Again, it's going to be all down to the flavor.

01:17:59The carrot cake is divine.

01:18:01It is so fluffy and delicious.

01:18:03The chocolate cake I love.

01:18:04Be careful of that licorice.

01:18:06It is so strong.

01:18:07The reason this cake is sort of sinking,

01:18:09this carrot cake is so soft, it needs to be on top.

01:18:12It may look busted, but the flavors are on point.

01:18:16Good job.

01:18:19Wow.

01:18:20What an experience.

01:18:22Right now, we need to decide which one of these five

01:18:24becomes our first ever next-level baker.

01:18:28All of you, head back to the lounge.

01:18:30Put your feet up, because we need a strong moment.

01:18:33Well done.

01:18:34Well done.

01:18:35Head out.

01:18:36We'll see you shortly.

01:18:39We rocked.

01:18:40Ladies, shall we?

01:18:49We got a very hard decision here.

01:18:50Mm-hmm. Yeah.

01:18:51How do we choose between them?

01:18:52Chloe had a hard time in the kitchen today.

01:18:53She struggled.

01:18:54She's really talented when it comes to flavor.

01:18:56Absolutely.

01:18:57And I give her so much credit for not just breaking down.

01:18:59Yeah.

01:19:00I mean, there was like an hour left

01:19:01and you were putting cakes in the oven.

01:19:02I'm not making my kid's birthday cake after this, honestly.

01:19:04Zara's finishing with that tempered chocolate and the piping,

01:19:07I mean, beautiful.

01:19:09The tempered chocolate was representative of the henna

01:19:11that she's had on her hands, and it was very effective.

01:19:14Yeah.

01:19:15Even if you didn't know the flavors, you got to know her

01:19:17through the cake.

01:19:18Sure.

01:19:19Yeah.

01:19:20It was personal to her.

01:19:21It was celebrating her heritage.

01:19:22And it was something unexpected.

01:19:23Yeah.

01:19:24Your cake was beautiful.

01:19:25That chocolate worked?

01:19:26Yeah, it was perfect.

01:19:28Oh, my gosh.

01:19:29And I want to try those flavors.

01:19:31I want to try all your food.

01:19:32Stephanie's cake.

01:19:33I mean, beautiful.

01:19:34Yeah.

01:19:35Really beautiful.

01:19:36The peppermint for me was one of the most elegant.

01:19:38The sponge was delicious.

01:19:39It felt very nostalgic.

01:19:40It was so symmetrical and so beautiful.

01:19:42As a home cook, I think sometimes less is more.

01:19:45That's right.

01:19:46It was stunning.

01:19:47You just said it there.

01:19:48Nicky's.

01:19:49I was excited about the fact that she was working with fondant.

01:19:51She was the only one who did that.

01:19:52Yeah.

01:19:53But it was so thick, and it ended up being sort of gummy.

01:19:56I love the decorative part.

01:19:57Yes.

01:19:58You know, she did the frosting with the snow,

01:19:59the Father Christmas.

01:20:00Yes.

01:20:01For the kids, it's just, they'd go to that one.

01:20:03Oh, 100%.

01:20:04I was going to make the damn Santa.

01:20:06You got Santa on a pole.

01:20:08He did.

01:20:09He did.

01:20:10Deirdre's carrot cake for me was the showstopper.

01:20:12The carrot cake was the bomb.

01:20:14Honestly.

01:20:15The carrot cake was insane.

01:20:16And it tasted incredible.

01:20:17But it looked a hot mess.

01:20:19We've got to pick a winner.

01:20:20It's our first ever Next Level Baker.

01:20:22And this is a tough one.

01:20:23Ask yourselves this.

01:20:24Which cake would you love to see at your table for the holidays?

01:20:28It's a clear top two for me.

01:20:29Yeah.

01:20:30But I'm really torn as to which one is my top choice.

01:20:33I know who my top two are.

01:20:34Interesting.

01:20:35How do we choose between them?

01:20:37No pressure.

01:20:38Seriously?

01:20:39No pressure.

01:20:40Seriously?

01:20:41The

01:20:57It is the season to be jolly, fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la.

01:21:03Don't we now our gay apparel, fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la.

01:21:10Through the ancient schools I'd carol, fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la.

01:21:18Oh!

01:21:19Brilliant!

01:21:20Awesome.

01:21:21Thank you so much.

01:21:22Ladies, what a night, Olysee, for the three of us.

01:21:27This has been incredible.

01:21:29You've done yourselves proud, your families proud, and...

01:21:32Our taste buds proud.

01:21:33Our taste buds proud.

01:21:35Olysee, congratulations to all five of you.

01:21:38We've had a tough discussion, but we do have our winner.

01:21:45One of you is about to become the first person ever

01:21:49to be crowned our next-level baker.

01:21:52I mean, as a baker, that's like getting your doctorate.

01:21:55That is the title you will have forever.

01:21:59It is everything.

01:22:00Scooping up that check for $25,000 and an incredible Hexlad prize package.

01:22:09I need a Hex-clad crown.

01:22:11You think they're gonna have a trophy or a crown or something for the queen?

01:22:14For one of you, this is gonna be the best holiday ever.

01:22:17To think that I could possibly be the next-level baker, that is wild.

01:22:25The winner of next-level baker is...

01:22:30Being here already has proven to me that I am really good at baking.

01:22:35And if I win, that would mean so much more.

01:22:38Congratulations goes to...

01:22:44Stephanie!

01:22:46Well done!

01:22:49Well done!

01:22:52Amazing!

01:22:54Well done!

01:22:56Congratulations!

01:22:57You deserve it.

01:22:58Honestly, this is so good.

01:22:59Stephanie, well done.

01:23:00How does that feel?

01:23:01Feels amazing.

01:23:03I'm so grateful to be here.

01:23:05And I have such a wonderful family that's supported me through all of this.

01:23:10And this has just been the best privilege of my life.

01:23:13Thank you so much.

01:23:14And I...

01:23:15I mean, these women are so incredible.

01:23:20It's been such a gift.

01:23:22I've worked really, really, really hard for so many years.

01:23:26And coming here and winning this, all that hard work and the sleepless nights and the tears, like, it's all been worth it.

01:23:36I'm sorry.

01:23:37A home baker did this.

01:23:38And I think it shows that even if you're not trained in something, you can do anything.

01:23:46Oh, my goodness.

01:23:47I can't wait to celebrate with my family.

01:23:49It's gonna be a Christmas for the books.

01:23:52From our family to yours.

01:23:54Happy Holidays!

01:23:55Happy Holidays, everybody!

01:23:57Well done, guys!

01:23:58We wish you a Merry Christmas.

01:24:01We wish you a Merry Christmas.

01:24:04We wish you a Merry Christmas.

01:24:06We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

01:24:10Good tidings we bring to you and your kids.

01:24:16We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

01:24:21We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

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