The third season of Next Great Baker aired from November 26, 2012, to February 11, 2013. Like the previous season, this season was set at the Carlo's Bake Shop facility at Lackawanna Center in Jersey City, New Jersey. Unlike the previous two seasons, the finale for this season took place outside of the greater New York City area – in this case, in Las Vegas, Nevada at The Venetian Las Vegas.
The winner of this season was Ashley Holt, who won $100,000 and a spread in Redbook magazine, and will work beside Buddy Valastro in the bakery.
Contestants Thirteen contestants competed during this season: Last name are given in linked videos, not in website text.
Contestant Age Occupation Hometown 41 Owner/Operator of LA Sweets Miami, Florida 41 Owner of Brown's Bakery Lexington, Kentucky 30 Bakery Management Consultant/Owner Cake Face Cakery Staten Island, New York 29 Possessor of knowledge. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 36 Owner of Cupp's Café & Bakery Colchester, Vermont 21 Owner of Pete's Sweets East Longmeadow, Massachusetts 25 Country Club Pastry Chef/Owner of Sugar Monster Sweets Louisville, Kentucky 32 Owner of Jen's Cakes San Jose, California 29 Sales Executive Roseville, California 33 Owner of Couture Cake Creations/Co-owner of Sweets Couture Chesterfield, Virginia 30 Stay-at-Home Mom Peoria, Illinois 30 Owner of Skinny Batches Los Angeles, California 36 Cake Artist at Fabulous Baker Boy Waverly, Tennessee
Contestant progress As episode 5 ("New Year's Eve, Hoboken Style!") and episode 11 ("Road to the Finale") were not competition episodes, there are no columns for those episodes in the following table. Place Contestant Episode 1 Episode 2 Episode 3 Episode 4 Episode 6 Episode 7 Episode 8 Episode 9 Episode 10 Episode 12 Baker'schallengewinner(s) Chad Gretel-AnnJenLettyMelissa AshleyGarrett AshleyIn "Cake Roast", Buddy declared that Ashley was the MVP of the winning baker's challenge team.ChadGretel-AnnPaulPeter JenLetty Gretel-Ann Ashley Ashley Ashley Ashley None 1 Ashley WINIn the episode 1 elimination challenge, Buddy declared that Ashley was the MVP of the winning team. IN IN WIN LOW LOW WIN WIN IN WIN WINNER 2 Gretel-Ann LOW LOW HIGH LOW WINIn the episode 6 elimination challenge, Buddy declared that Gretel-Ann was the MVP of the winning team.WIN WIN LOW LOW LOWSECOND 3 Jen LOW LOW WIN LOW WIN WINIn the episode 7 elimination challenge, Buddy declared that Jen was the MVP of the winning team. WIN WINIn the episode 9 elimination challenge, Buddy declared that Jen was the MVP of the winning team. INTHIRD 4 Paul WIN WIN LOW WIN IN LOW LOW WIN OUT 5 Chad LOW IN LOW WIN WIN LOW LOW OUT 6 Chris HIGH WIN HIGH LOW IN WIN OUT 7 Letty LOW LOW WIN WIN LOW OUT 8 Peter HIGH IN WIN WIN OUT 9 Garrett LOW WIN IN WDGarret's departure was not shown until episode 6. 10 Jessica WIN WIN HIGH OUT 11 Melissa HIGH LOW OUT 12 James LOW WD 13 Emme OUT
(WIN) The baker(s) won the challenge. (WIN) The baker won individual immunity and the elimination challenge. (HIGH) The baker(s) had one of the best cakes for that challenge, but did not win. (IN) The baker(s) did not win nor lose and advanced to the next week. (LOW) The baker(s) was/were a part of the team who lost, but was not the last to move on. (LOW) This baker was singled out as one of the worst teammates, and was/were the last to move on. (OUT) The baker(s) was/were eliminated. (IN) The baker(s) had immunity. (WD) The baker(s) voluntarily withdrew from the competition.
Notes
Episode guide
Production notes Contestant James Brown withdrew from the competition prior to the December 3, 2012 broadcast, after having been diagnosed with a benign brain tumor and being affected by the stress of his upcoming medical treatment. In a statement, Brown said, in part, "I have been focused on my health and am working with my doctors to prepare for surgery to remove the tumor, which will happen early next year."
Following the competition, Buddy hired contestant Paul Conti to work at Carlo's Bakery alongside Ashley, after Paul lost his job and home due to Hurricane Sandy."Cake Smash" and "Sugary Slopes", Cake Boss, TLC, June 3, 2013.
Chad Durkin was also later hired by Buddy for his pastry skills, and can be seen in the 2015 season of Cake Boss.
References
General references