Next Great Baker (season 2) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Next Great Baker |
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|---|---|
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of episodes | 11 (includes one special) |
| Release | |
| Original network | TLC |
| Original release | November 28, 2011 – January 30, 2012 |
The second season of Next Great Baker was a fun baking competition show that aired on TLC. It ran from November 28, 2011, to January 30, 2012. This season took place at the new Carlo's Bake Shop in Jersey City, New Jersey. Bakers competed to win a big prize!
The winner of this season's Next Great Baker received $100,000 cash and a special four-page feature in Brides magazine. The winner also got to work alongside Buddy Valastro, the "Cake Boss," in his famous bakery. The winner's first day at work was even shown in an episode of Cake Boss right after the season finale on January 30, 2012.
Meet the Talented Bakers
Thirteen talented bakers competed in this season of Next Great Baker. They came from all over the United States, bringing their unique skills and baking dreams to the competition.
| Contestant | Age | Job | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ryan Cimorelli | 30 | Construction worker, part-time baker | North Providence, Rhode Island |
| Wesley Durden (†) | 29 | Soldier, United States Army | Fayetteville, North Carolina |
| Chad Fitzgerald | 44 | High school math teacher | Duncanville, Texas |
| Jasmine Frank | 20 | Pastry Chef | Los Angeles, California |
| Tony Frys | 23 | Baker, small-business owner | Fort Worth, Texas |
| Heather Grubb | 31 | Stay-at-home mother | Knoxville, Tennessee |
| Megan Hart | 38 | Paramedic | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| Marissa Lopez | 24 | Cake decorator | Pompton Lakes, New Jersey |
| Heather Macia | 32 | Pastry Chef | Las Vegas, Nevada |
| Carmelo Oquendo | 43 | Retired police officer | Worcester, Massachusetts |
| Nadine Reibeling | 28 | Baker, business owner | New York, New York |
| Minerva Vazquez | 46 | Personal chef | Cutler Bay, Florida |
| Sara Williams | 39 | Baker, small-business owner | Cedartown, Georgia |
How Bakers Progressed Each Week
This table shows how each baker did in the competition. Each color tells you if they won a challenge, were safe, or were in danger of going home.
| Place | Contestant | Episode 1 | Episode 2 | Episode 3 | Episode 4 | Episode 5 | Episode 6 | Episode 7 | Episode 8 | Episode 9 | Finale | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baker's challenge winner(s) |
Jasmine | Megan Nadine Ryan |
Marissa | Chad Heather G. Wesley |
Nadine | Chad Marissa |
Nadine | Marissa | Ryan | Marissa | Nadine | |
| 1 | Marissa | IN | WIN | WIN | LOW | LOW | WIN | WIN | IN | HIGH | LOW | WINNER |
| 2 | Nadine | IN | IN | IN | WIN | WIN | LOW | LOW | LOW | HIGH | WIN | RUNNER-UP |
| 3 | Ryan | IN | WIN | WIN | IN | IN | LOW | WIN | IN | LOW | THIRD | |
| 4 | Chad | WIN | IN | WIN | IN | WIN | LOW | LOW | LOW | OUT | ||
| 5 | Megan | HIGH | LOW | LOW | IN | IN | WIN | WIN | OUT | |||
| 6 | Carmelo | WIN | IN | LOW | IN | WIN | WIN | LOW | OUT | |||
| 7 | Heather G. | HIGH | LOW | WIN | WIN | IN | WIN | OUT | ||||
| 8 | Heather M. | LOW | WIN | IN | WIN | LOW | OUT | |||||
| 9 | Minerva | WIN | LOW | LOW | IN | OUT | ||||||
| 10 | Wesley | HIGH | IN | IN | OUT | |||||||
| 11 | Jasmine | WIN | WIN | OUT | ||||||||
| 12 | Tony | LOW | OUT | |||||||||
| 13 | Sara | OUT | ||||||||||
- WINNER: This baker won the entire competition!
- RUNNER-UP: This baker came in second place.
- THIRD: This baker placed third overall.
- WIN: The baker won immunity and the main challenge.
- WIN: The baker(s) won the challenge.
- HIGH: The baker(s) made one of the best cakes but didn't win.
- IN: The baker(s) moved on to the next week safely.
- LOW: The baker(s) were on the losing team but weren't the last to move on.
- LOW: The baker(s) had the worst cake among those who moved on, and were the last to be safe.
- OUT: The baker(s) were eliminated from the competition.
- IN: The baker(s) had immunity and were safe.
Episode Challenges and Eliminations
Each week, the bakers faced new and exciting challenges. They had to prove their skills in different areas of baking and cake decorating.
| Episode Number |
Episode Title | Air Date | Baker Eliminated | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "It's Go Time!" | November 28, 2011 | Sara | |
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Thirteen bakers arrived to start the competition. The first challenge was to create a themed cake in groups and deliver it to Carlo's Bakery. The fashionista cake fell apart during delivery, leading to Sara's elimination.
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| 2 | "Life-Sized Cakes" | December 5, 2011 | Tony | |
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Bakers had to make life-sized cakes of Buddy's sisters. All three cakes were not very good, so Buddy had them destroyed. Tony was eliminated after a close call with Minerva.
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| 3 | "Wedding Wonderland" | December 12, 2011 | Jasmine | |
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The bakers worked in teams to create wedding cakes based on different themes. Jasmine was eliminated because Buddy felt she was too confident and not a strong leader.
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| 4 | "Bakers On Ice" | December 19, 2011 | Wesley | |
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For a holiday episode, bakers made Christmas cakes for the Valastro family party. Buddy thought all cakes were good, but he decided Wesley didn't have enough experience to continue.
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| 5 | "Let the Sparks Fly" | December 26, 2011 | Minerva | |
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Bakers were challenged to make cakes with moving parts. Minerva's team lost because of simple mistakes and a carousel that spun too fast. Minerva was eliminated.
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| 6 | "Gators, Chimps and Bears...Oh My!" | January 2, 2012 | Heather M. | |
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Teams created cakes for a zoo celebration. Heather M. was eliminated, even though Buddy recognized her talent.
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| 7 | "Here Comes The Bride-zilla!" | January 9, 2012 | Heather G. | |
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Bakers had to make a wedding cake for a very demanding "bridezilla" (who turned out to be an actress). Heather G. was eliminated, but Buddy told her America loved her.
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| 8 | "Headbanging Bakers" | January 16, 2012 | Carmelo & Megan | |
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The bakers made a heavy-metal themed birthday cake for Mauro. Buddy was so upset with the cakes that he eliminated two bakers: Carmelo and Megan.
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| 9 | "Crown-Winning Cakes" | January 23, 2012 | Chad | |
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Bakers made a cake for Miss USA, Alyssa Campanella. They got help from former teammates. Marissa and Nadine moved to the finals. Chad was eliminated, even though his cake looked "flawless."
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| 9A | "Finale Pre-Show" | January 30, 2012 | N/A | |
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This special episode looked back at the season and gave a sneak peek of the finale. It also answered questions from viewers. Clinton Kelly joined Buddy as a co-host.
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| 10 | "…And the Winner Is?" | January 30, 2012 | (1) Ryan, (2) Nadine | |
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The final three bakers took over Carlo's Bakery, selling their own baked goods. Nadine won this challenge, and Ryan was eliminated. For the final challenge, the last two bakers created a cake representing their "American dream." Marissa was announced as the winner of The Next Great Baker, Season 2!
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