The landscape of television shows dedicated to cooking has gotten decidedly crowded, and what once was a medium devoted to actually teaching you how to be a better cook has since transformed into nothing but a series of various culinary competitions. Sure, they’re wildly exciting to watch, and you might still be able to take away a few skills here and there, but I fear we’re no longer in Kansas anymore.
Cooking shows these days follow a relatively similar format, pitting groups of cooks at varying levels against each other and giving them an alphabet soup of ingredients or a seemingly impossible task to complete within an outrageously limited amount of time. It appears that the goal is less about teaching you how to properly make beef wellington and more about keeping you entertained while someone tries to make it from scratch in less than 20 minutes. That might be an achievable feat for someone like Gordon Ramsay, but for the average home cook without access to TV magic, it’s pretty much next to impossible.
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That being said, we still can’t help but watch. The mouthwatering dishes, heart-pumping suspense, the drama of it all. It’s like watching your favorite team win the Super Bowl. And even if that means doing research on our own time to figure out what in the world a gastrique even is, at the very least, this new cooking show formula has inspired us all to level up our culinary skills. Of course, when it comes to taking things to the next level, there really is no one better than Gordon Ramsay to take you from cooking in the bowels of the basement to the soaring heights of haute cuisine—as evidenced by his smash hit Fox cooking show, Next Level Chef.
‘Next Level Baker: Holidays’ Set to Premiere December 4 on Fox
Related: Gordon Ramsay is Opening a New British-Themed Gastropub in the Most Magical Place on Earth
Baking, on the other hand—especially for the holidays—is a whole different ball game, but with the help of a few friends, Gordon is helping us level up our skills there, too. To the delight of fans everywhere, Fox announced that Next Level Baking: Holidays is coming to a television near you, and this amateur baker couldn’t be more excited. Although we’re light on details about the holiday-themed spinoff, we presume that the format will follow that of its predecessor.
Carla Hall and Candace Nelson Join Gordon Ramsay to Host Next Level Baker Holidays
Bakers are split into teams, each with their own respective mentor, and as the competition progresses, they’ll get the chance to bake in the varying levels of each kitchen. After the challenges are set, bakers must fight to grab ingredients from a moving platform and transform them into a 5-star culinary masterpiece worthy of a spot in the top kitchen. Joining Gordon as mentors for the festive holiday special are fan-favorite Top Chef alum Carla Hall and Sprinkles Cupcakes founder Candace Nelson.
Word of the exciting new special received heaps of praise from fans, with several saying, “This is going to be EPIC.” Recurring Next Level Chef mentor Nyesha Arrington even expressed her excitement with a series of clapping emojis. The new three-week special event series is set to premiere Thursday, Dec. 4 at 9/8c on Fox, Fox One, and next day on Hulu. Here’s hoping Next Level Baker becomes a permanent fixture in the Next Level Chef universe, and hopefully no one makes an idiot sandwich.
Related: Fans Say They ‘Cannot Wait’ After Carla Hall Announces Return of This Iconic Show
This story was originally reported by Parade on Oct 13, 2025, where it first appeared in the Food & Drink section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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