Host Jesse Palmer kicks off the competition by challenging 12 bakers to make holiday decorated quick bread wreaths with assigned flavors. Judges Nancy Fuller, Duff Goldman and Carla Hall decide which baker will be at the top of the naughty or nice list and which baker will be eliminated.

Host Jesse Palmer asks the 11 remaining competitors to bake a cake inspired by a winter hat to impress judges Nancy Fuller, Duff Goldman and Carla Hall. The baker that falls to the bottom of the naughty or nice list will be going home.

Host Jesse Palmer asks the 10 bakers to highlight a nut or seed in a holiday dessert. Then, the competitors spin a wheel to determine which fundamental holiday ingredient -- holiday spice, dried fruit or holiday spirits -- they must add to unseasonable desserts, like icebox cakes or fruit tarts. Judges Nancy Fuller, Duff Goldman and Carla Hall make the call on which bakers pull it off.

Host Jesse Palmer challenges the eight remaining bakers to turn breakfast items, like French toast, into amazing Thanksgiving breakfast desserts. Then, the competitors take common Friendsgiving potluck dishes, such as glazed carrots, and use them in a dessert to impress judges Nancy Fuller, Duff Goldman and Carla Hall. Plus, since Friendsgiving is all about community, they're doing it in teams.

Host Jesse Palmer gives the seven bakers advent calendars filled with different types of chocolate to inspire them to make desserts with a surprise inside. Then, for the main heat, the competitors must bake one delicious cheesecake with three different flavors for judges Nancy Fuller, Duff Goldman and Carla Hall.

Host Jesse Palmer is turning things on their heads as he challenges the six competitors to work in teams to create jelly doughnut-inspired desserts, a twist on traditional Hanukkah jelly doughnuts. Then, the bakers get creative with the yummiest, gooiest holiday decorated upside-down cakes to satisfy judges Nancy Fuller, Duff Goldman and Carla Hall.

Host Jesse Palmer asks the five bakers to pull out all the stops and create the most-delicious, over-the-top version of a holiday trifle. Then, the classics continue in the main heat when the competitors make the ultimate Charlotte royale for judges Nancy Fuller, Duff Goldman and Carla Hall, as well as the king of Christmas -- Santa Claus!

Dressed as a Christmas tree, host Jesse Palmer kicks things off by asking the final four competitors to honor the holiday tree in the form of a beautifully decorated macaron tower. In the Christmas past, present and future main heat, the bakers must feature an assigned icing style in a stunning cake that evokes their assigned time period -- marzipan from the past, buttercream from the present or mirror glaze from the future. In the end, judges Nancy Fuller, Duff Goldman and Carla Hall will decide the one baker who will be crowned Holiday Baking Champion and walk away $25,000 richer!

Host Jesse Palmer loves both cookies and pies, so he asks the nine bakers to make holiday cookie-topped mini pies. Then, Nancy Fuller, Duff Goldman and Carla Hall judge the pie pandemonium as the competitors celebrate fall with flavor combos such as pumpkin-cider and chestnut-chocolate in double crust, cream pies, slab pies, lattice pies and custard pies.

The competition kicks off as host Jesse Palmer asks the twelve bakers to embrace the seasonal transition by making fall and winter doughnuts. For the main heat, the competitors combine holiday cheese board staples in creative apple and cheese desserts. A double elimination looms, and judges Nancy Fuller, Duff Goldman and Carla Hall must send two bakers home for the holidays.

It's bottoms up for judges Nancy Fuller, Duff Goldman and Carla Hall as the 10 bakers team up to take on boozy desserts. In the main heat, host Jesse Palmer challenges the competitors with five different styles of yule log cakes in 10 different flavor combinations. In the end, one baker leaves the competition.

In a holiday pantry raid, host Jesse Palmer throws open the cupboards and the Mason jars to ask the nine remaining bakers to create canned fruit desserts.

In a nod to the day after Thanksgiving, host Jesse Palmer asks the bakers to use Black Friday kitchen gadgets like a spiralizer or an espresso machine to make desserts.

In honor of the Hanukkah oil that kept burning, host Jesse Palmer asks the seven remaining bakers to create festive Hanukkah olive oil cakes. In the main heat, it's all about gift exchange desserts as the competitors randomly choose a dreaded holiday dessert and attempt to spin it into holiday happiness to please judges Nancy Fuller, Duff Goldman and Carla Hall.

For the exclusive holiday desserts preheat, the six remaining bakers try to impress judges Nancy Fuller, Duff Goldman and Carla Hall by making tasty treats for guests with a dietary restriction. In the main heat, host Jesse Palmer challenges the competitors to update an assigned vintage holiday dessert to create a new Christmas delight.

Host Jesse Palmer asks the bakers to create sweet potato and spice desserts in honor of Kwanzaa. In the main heat, the competitors make Christmas card cakes that depict a perfect family snapshot for a holiday card to capture the smiles of judges Nancy Fuller, Duff Goldman and Carla Hall. In the end, one baker heads for the exit.

Host Jesse Palmer kicks things off with a swanky Christmas open house for judges Nancy Fuller, Duff Goldman and Carla Hall and asks the bakers to create dessert charcuterie boards. Then, the bottom two bakers face off in a sudden elimination challenge of dueling holiday pinata desserts. In the final main heat, the competitors take on holiday party theme cakes and incorporate lights into their designs. The most successful cake maker becomes the Holiday Baking Champion and walks away with $25,000!

Season's greetings! Host Jesse Palmer gets some welcoming inspiration for the first Preheat as he challenges the 12 bakers to create meringue pavlova wreaths in yummy fall flavors. For the Main Heat, Jesse settles a long-standing debate over the best holiday dessert by dividing the kitchen into the pie team and the cake team. The better bake wins immunity for their whole team, and judges Nancy Fuller, Duff Goldman and Carla Hall send one baker from the losing team home.

After a grocery delivery gone wrong, host Jesse Palmer tasks the bakers with creating tasty desserts featuring ingredients used to make Thanksgiving dinner, including carrots, cornbread stuffing mix and sausage. Then, the jolly gingerbread man knows that he could be more than just a cookie -- and it's up to the bakers to make it happen! In the end, judges Nancy Fuller, Duff Goldman and Carla Hall send one baker heading for the exit.

These days, holiday turkeys can be smoked, fried, brined, roasted and bacon-wrapped, so host Jesse Palmer uses the five-way turkey as inspiration for the bakers' Preheat challenge. Then, the competitors divide into teams to create a flight of pies that takes judges Nancy Fuller, Duff Goldman and Carla Hall on a flavor progression journey, just like a flight of bourbon. Bottom crusts up, everyone! In the end, one baker goes home.

The holidays are a season for indulgence, so some families splurge on their festive celebrations at a steakhouse. In the Preheat, host Jesse Palmer asks the bakers to transform classic steakhouse desserts into holiday treats. For the Main Heat, the competitors turn one of the most-iconic steakhouse desserts into a baked Alaska Christmas tree. In the end, judges Nancy Fuller, Duff Goldman and Carla Hall will send one baker home.

With the popularity of English period dramas at an all-time high, host Jesse Palmer dons a Regency-era waistcoat and challenges the bakers to create a splendid holiday high tea. In the Main Heat, it's all about the rom-com as bakers use an ingredient inspired by a holiday movie trope to create a dessert that's dripping with festive decorations. After all the desserts are tasted by judges Nancy Fuller, Duff Goldman and Carla Hall, one baker will be sent out the door as the credits roll.

Kwanzaa is right around the corner, so host Jesse Palmer tasks the bakers with crafting desserts that feature fresh corn for a traditional Kwanzaa display. For the Main Heat, the competitors get their passports ready and put their personal stamp on international holiday desserts, like Filipino leche flan, Japanese Christmas cake and Puerto Rican guava rolls. In the end, judges Nancy Fuller, Duff Goldman and Carla Hall will send one baker flying home.

The bakers feel the holiday rush as Jesse Palmer sends them through three heated challenges: create ugly sweater cakes, turn store-bought cake into tasty centerpieces and build a snowman croquembouche.

Jesse Palmer escapes the cold weather by challenging the bakers to create desert-inspired succulent tarts, and two competitors are sent skiing into a cookie cake showdown.

Mmm … can you smell it? The sweet aroma of cinnamon rolls baking in the oven, or is it the pumpkin-spiced latte you're sipping? For the preheat, host Jesse Palmer asks the bakers to combine two of the fall season's best treats and make seasonal coffee drink cinnamon rolls. Then, the bakers roll right into the main heat with a fall-themed yule log that Jesse calls Thanksgiving Swiss Rolls. In the end, judges Carla Hall, Duff Goldman and Nancy Fuller decide which baker is rolling home.

Every Thanksgiving meal is centered around one vital component: the turkey! So for this preheat, host Jesse Palmer tasks the bakers with creating turkey dome desserts, complete with edible feathers and heads. Then, no Thanksgiving is complete without a beautifully set table, and the bakers show judges Carla Hall, Duff Goldman and Nancy Fuller their tablescaping skills by making mini Thanksgiving table cakes!

Touchdown! For many families, Thanksgiving day means food and football! When host Jesse Palmer watches football, his must-have dish is 7-layer dip, so he challenges the bakers to create holiday 7-layer desserts inspired by his favorite snack. Then in the main heat, the games continue with the first ever Thanksgiving pie-off, where bakers go head-to-head baking the same flavor pie to win over judges Carla Hall, Duff Goldman and Nancy Fuller. The losing baker in each match automatically lands in the bottom.

Host Jesse Palmer is climbing the Alps and heading towards the highest peak: the beautiful Mont Blanc! For the preheat, the bakers must make whimsical Mont Blanc desserts with colors, playful flavors and whatever else they can imagine! The whimsy doesn't stop there as unexpected upside-down cakes force the bakers to impress judges Carla Hall, Duff Goldman and Nancy Fuller with their inner Willy Wonka when they make a cake, flip it upside-down and suspend it in midair!

The Christmas Museum is filled with beautiful holiday designs, and host Jesse Palmer tasks the bakers with turning them into mini-tart mosaics. Since this week is all about holiday beauty, the bakers must make merry and bright double-barrel wrapping paper cakes that feel like the perfect gift for judges Carla Hall, Duff Goldman and Nancy Fuller.

Love you a latke! Hanukkah is almost here, and Nancy Fuller is teaching Jesse Palmer how to make a traditional latke. For the preheat, the bakers must use their imaginations as they take the latke basics and turn them into latke-inspired desserts. Then, the bakers really let their imaginations run wild in the main heat while creating letterboard holiday bars that feature cute sayings to put judges Carla Hall, Duff Goldman and Nancy Fuller in the holiday spirit.

For the semifinals, host Jesse Palmer explores the reasons behind some great holiday traditions. Kwanzaa is around the corner, and one of the most traditional ingredients to cook with is plantains, so the bakers craft Kwanzaa plantain desserts. Then in a team heat, Carla Hall celebrates a centuries-old tradition by crafting ornaments, inspiring baking teams to make large-scale edible ornaments in Holiday Baking's first ever T’Ornament of Tastiness! Another ageless holiday tradition is putting up a Christmas tree, so for the main heat, the bakers create blitz puff pastry Christmas tree pull-aparts for judges Carla Hall, Duff Goldman and Nancy Fuller to tear into!

It's the season finale, and the last five bakers face three challenges. Christmas Eve is filled with so much excitement and so many gifts, and the sweetest gift of all is a plate of cookies for Santa. For the final preheat, host Jesse Palmer wants the bakers to upgrade those cookies by making macaron wreaths for judges Carla Hall, Duff Goldman and Nancy Fuller! The bottom two bakers battle it out to see who makes it to the final main heat by taking on a stocking-stuffed eclairs challenge. Then, its “All aboard!” as the remaining four bakers make showstopping, championship-worthy holiday train cakes with actual trains running through them! In the end, a Holiday Baking Champion is crowned and takes home $25,000!