Next Level Baker is an American baking competition series that premiered on Fox on December 4, 2025. It is a spin-off of Next Level Chef — Fox’s culinary competition series anchored by Gordon Ramsay — and aired as a four-episode holiday special event over three weeks. The series marks the first spin-off of the Next Level Chef franchise.
The competition features 12 bakers divided into three categories — professional, social media, and home bakers — reflecting the same tiered philosophy at the heart of Next Level Chef. The bakers compete on the franchise’s signature three-level kitchen set, transformed into a festive winter wonderland for the holiday edition, with each level offering a different quality of equipment and workspace.
Bakers on the top level enjoy state-of-the-art kitchen tools; those on the middle level have standard equipment, while those on the bottom level must work with far more limited resources. The inaugural season featured contestants tackling themed holiday baking challenges — from nostalgic chocolate treats to elaborate tiered cakes — with eliminations whittling the field down until one baker claims the $25,000 prize and the title of first-ever Next Level Baker.
What sets the format apart from straightforward baking competition shows is the mentorship dynamic. Rather than a traditional judge panel that evaluates from a distance, all three mentors — Ramsay, Hall, and Nelson — are actively present on the floor, coaching and guiding their respective groups of bakers throughout each challenge before deliberating on eliminations.
Gordon Ramsay serves as host and lead mentor. Carla Hall — a Top Chef alumna, former co-host of The Chew, and a veteran of multiple Food Network baking shows — mentors the home bakers. Candace Nelson — founder of Sprinkles Cupcakes, the world’s first cupcake bakery and ATM, and a longtime judge on Cupcake Wars — mentors the social media bakers.
