Best Baker in America - Episode Guide

Eight of America's top bakers gather to begin the first in a series of Skills and Master Challenges designed to put their baking brilliance to the test. In the Skills Challenge, the bakers are tasked with baking flawless mini-upside down cakes. In the Master Challenge, the bakers must create a double barrel or a three-tiered wedding cake for 50 people, using lemon as the featured flavor. Judges Marcela Valladolid and Jason Smith determine which baker is eliminated.

Seven bakers remain, and in the Skills Challenge they are charged with making their choice of two different flavors of macaron. In the Master Challenge the bakers must conjure up their own highly creative take on the dessert classic - Baked Alaska - using torched meringue, cake and ice cream, with strawberry as the required featured flavor. One baker is not up to the challenge and is sent packing.

Perfect mini fruit tarts using pâte sucrée (sweet pastry) is the challenge that six bakers face in the Skills Challenge. For the Master Challenge, the bakers are given their hardest task yet: their original version of a St. Honoré cake that must contain the elements of puff pastry, pate a choux (cream puff dough), crème chiboust (a type of pastry cream), and a required featured flavor of coffee. One more baker is sent home after the challenge.

Five bakers are left in the competition and in their Skills Challenge they must tackle the temperamental and delicate café classic, Crème brûlée. For the Master Challenge, the task is to bake up their take on the complex and beautiful Opera Cake, a six-layer masterpiece said to evoke the tiers of the Paris Opera House. The required featured flavor is "noisette" or hazelnut. One baker is given their marching orders, as the remaining four are one step closer to the grand prize.

In their last chance to get into the finale, the four remaining bakers must make Mini Mirror Glaze Cakes - perfectly mirrored on the outside and with an entremet (layered mousse) cake on the inside - in the Skills Challenge. In the Master Challenge, the bakers must bake, plate and present a two-course dessert tasting menu, featuring chilies and fennel. One more baker's dream ends today as they head home before the finale.

The pressure is on as the final three bakers take on the most revered and beloved of all baking ingredients - chocolate. In the Skills Challenge the bakers must bake a perfect version of the ever-temperamental chocolate soufflé. The final Master Challenge is to create the Ultimate Chocolate Cake -- a truly spectacular, elaborately decorated cake that should be the best chocolate cake the bakers have made in their lives, using some type of liquor as the required featured flavor. A winner is declared, becoming the first Best Baker in America and walking away with $25,000.

Nine of America's elite professional bakers gather to begin the first in a series of fourteen Skills and Master Challenges designed to test the limits of their baking mastery. Host Scott Conant announces that in the first Skills Challenge the bakers are tasked with baking perfect Petit Fours. In the Master Challenge the bakers must create a mind-bending cake for fifty people using vanilla as the featured flavor. After judging and deliberation with judges Jason Smith, Marcela Valladolid and guest judge Gemma Stafford, one baker is eliminated.

In this week's Skills Challenge the remaining eight bakers are charged with making perfect wedding-themed mini Mousse Cakes. In the Master Challenge the bakers must create a croquembouche-inspired Wedding Tower, including two types of pastry and using champagne as the featured flavor. Guest judge, pastry and dessert wizard, Zac Young, joins Marcela Valladolid and Jason Smith to determine which one baker is sent packing.

Perfect Strawberry Shortcake is the challenge that the seven remaining bakers face in this week's Skills Challenge. In the Master Challenge the bakers must create a "Fire and Ice" Dessert including a frozen and a brûléed element, including mint as the featured flavor. Guest judge and acclaimed pastry chef Sherry Yardjoins Jason Smith and Marcela Valladolid to judge the Master Challenge. One baker is given their marching orders.

Six bakers are left in the competition as they attempt to create flawless mini Boston Cream Pies for the Skills Challenge. For the Master Challenge, the task is to bake up their version of the "ultimate" New York Cheesecake, with the featured flavor of apple. Guest judge, cake genius and social media star Joshua John Russell joins Marcela Valladolid and Jason Smith to determine which baker is sent home.

Host Scott Conant challenges the five remaining bakers to make mini Meringue Pies for the Skills Challenge. In the Master Challenge, the bakers have to make a classical French layered meringue cake - the Marjolaine - featuring the flavor of raspberry. Guest judge and baking expert Shinmin Li joins Marcela Valladolid andJason Smith to see which baker is eliminated from the competition.

With one last chance to make it to the finale, the four remaining bakers must make historic Mont Blanc cakes - tarts topped with a tower of chestnut paste - in the Skills Challenge. In the Master Challenge, host Scott Conant instructs the bakers to make a Charlotte Royale - a visually stunning cake also known as "brain cake" - with peanut butter as the featured flavor. Guest judge and acclaimed pastry chef Florian Bellanger, joinsJason Smith and Marcela Valladolid, with one more baker's dreams being dashed.

The pressure mounts as host Scott Conant informs the remaining bakers they will be working with the world's most beloved ingredient - chocolate. In the Skills Challenge the bakers must create a perfect version of the glazed Austrian chocolate cake, the Sachertorte. The final Master Challenge is to create the Ultimate Chocolate Cake - an elaborately decorated cake for 100 people featuring chocolate decorations, three types of chocolate, and three flavors of chocolate bonbon, while using caramel as the required featured flavor.Guest judge and social media baking sensation Yolanda Gampp joins Marcela Valladolid and Jason Smithto determine which baker becomes earns the title of Best Baker in America, while walking away with $25,000!

The competition begins with nine of America's top professional bakers. Host Scott Conant announces a royal baking theme and challenges the competitors to create perfect mini princess cakes. In the Master Challenge, the bakers have to create spectacular royal baby celebration cakes for 100 people using elderflower and lemon as the featured flavors. Judges Marcela Valladolid, Jason Smith and Zac Young deliberate, and one baker is eliminated.

The theme is surprises, and the eight competitors are tasked with showing their mastery of molten lava cakes. In the Master Challenge, the bakers must create smashable desserts using meringue, sugar or chocolate and coconut as the featured flavor. Acclaimed pastry chef Sherry Yard joins judges Marcela Valladolid and Jason Smith to decide which baker goes home.

The seven remaining bakers start out by making perfect floating island desserts. In the Master Challenge, host Scott Conant asks them to create a flaming bombe Alaska with mango as the featured flavor. Chocolatier Valerie Gordon joins judges Jason Smith and Marcela Valladolid to deliberate and give one baker their marching orders.

Host Scott Conant challenges the six bakers left in the competition to recreate a beloved French classic, the eclair. For the Master Challenge, the competitors have to reimagine a classic French entremet cake using almond as the featured flavor. French pastry chef Florian Bellanger joins judges Jason Smith and Marcela Valladolid to decide which baker is sent home.

The five remaining bakers start by making Toy Story-themed mini desserts perfect for a movie premiere party. For the Master Challenge, host Scott Conant challenges the competitors to each choose a character from Toy Story 4 to replicate in cake, and they have to include a flavor that speaks to the spirit of their character. Pastry chef Shinmin Li joins judges Jason Smith and Marcela Valladolid to eliminate one baker from the competition.

It's the last chance to get into the finale, and host Scott Conant challenges the four remaining bakers to make miniature versions of two pastry classics. In the Master Challenge, they each create a tall dessert of their choosing with at least 12 solid layers and sesame as the featured flavor. Pastry chef Nancy Silverton joins judges Jason Smith and Marcela Valladolid to decide which three bakers move on to the finale.

The pressure mounts in the chocolate-themed finale as host Scott Conant challenges the three remaining bakers to create grown-up versions of a brownie sundae. Then the Master Challenge is to make a Happy Birthday USA chocolate fireworks cake to celebrate July 4th! The elaborately decorated cake for 100 people must feature fireworks-themed chocolate and sugar decorations, three types of chocolate and two types of macarons with salty snacks as the featured ingredient. Bakery owner Elizabeth Chambers joins judges Jason Smith and Marcela Valladolid to choose the winner of the title Best Baker in America.

Ten of America's elite professional bakers gather to begin the first in a series of baking challenges designed to test their limits. Host Carla Hall announces the Southern dessert theme and the first master challenge from Kentucky: baking a May Day PieCaken using bourbon as the featured flavor, of course. The bakers in the elimination bake-off have to create a unique dessert using all the elements of Florida's Key lime pie. After judging and deliberation with judges Jason Smith and Gesine Prado, Carla announces which baker is heading home.

Host Carla Hall gives the nine bakers their Mid-Atlantic-themed master challenge: making their own upscale version of Maryland's Smith Island cake that incorporates a classic Maryland ingredient, boardwalk popcorn. In the bake-off round, the least successful bakers must make a dessert inspired by the Pennsylvania classic shoofly pie. Carla and judges Gesine Prado and Jason Smith eliminate one baker from the competition.

The competition heads west toward the Rockies as the eight bakers must feature Montana and Idaho's beloved huckleberries in their huckleberry pie-embouche pastry tower for the master challenge. In the bake-off challenge, it's time to get jiggly and honor Utah's state snack -- gelatin -- with a visually stunning creation containing both baked and gelatin components. Host Carla Hall and judges Gesine Prado and Jason Smith evaluate the desserts and give one baker their marching orders.

The seven bakers left in the competition are tasked with putting their own spin on kuchen, the official state dessert of South Dakota. The featured flavor is cookies, and they have to serve their kuchen with a side of ice cream. The competitors in the bake-off challenge must do a switcheroo with Minnesota's scotcheroo bar, making a new dessert using its classic ingredients of chocolate, peanut butter, rice cereal and butterscotch. Host Carla Hall and judges Gesine Prado and Jason Smith decide which baker to send home.

The competition's six remaining bakers must turn Michigan's bumpy cake into a bumpy entremets using the featured flavor of cherries in the master challenge. In the bake-off, the competitors have to make mini versions of Missouri's beloved gooey butter cake, and then host Carla Hall and judges Gesine Prado and Jason Smith eliminate one baker from the competition.

Host Carla Hall challenges the five remaining bakers to reinvent the Boston cream pie using that great Massachusetts ingredient, coffee syrup. In the bake-off, the competitors learn that Maine was the first state ever to make whoopie pies, and they're tasked with creating beautiful plated desserts based on this favorite treat. Carla and the judges, Gesine Prado and Jason Smith, decide which baker's time in the competition has come to an end.

With one last chance to claim a spot in the finale, the bakers get creative with Nevada's Basque cake using Southwest chile peppers as the featured flavor. Then they must combine New Mexico's state cookies, biscochitos, and flan into an original dessert.

The pressure peaks in the Best Baker in America finale as host Carla Hall challenges the bakers to turn California's famous chiffon cake into the hottest cake sensation -- a tsunami cake -- featuring lemons and avocados, ingredients commonly associated with the Golden State. In the final bake-off, the competitors are baking to win as they each build a 2-foot-tall Hawaiian-themed dessert showpiece featuring lilikoi (passionfruit), haupia (coconut custard), malasada (Hawaiian doughnuts) and intricate chocolate work. Finally, Carla and judges Gesine Prado and Jason Smith decide which baker has earned the title of Best Baker in America!