''Ultimate Cake Off'' is an American television series that aired on

TLC TLC may refer to: Arts and entertainment Television * ''TLC'' (TV series), a 2002 British situational comedy television series that aired on BBC2 * TLC (TV network), formerly the Learning Channel, an American cable TV network ** TLC (Asia), an A ...

. The show is based on professional cake artists that go "head-to-head" in constructing cakes over five feet tall with the assistance of a team of chefs, designers etc. for a money prize. Season one of the series, hosted by Michael Schulson, premiered on August 3, 2009. Season two, hosted by George Duran, premiered on February 1, 2010. Professional bakers Margaret Braun and Leigh Grode join the hosts as judges.

Gameplay

Each competition involves three teams of bakers, in which they have 9 hours to make cakes for a particular client—all of them must meet minimums on height and food content. Each cake is judged for three criteria: client satisfaction, technical difficulty and aesthetic appeal. Each competition also has a taste test, in which four judges (Braun, Grode, the host and the client) taste a sample of the bakers' cakes; the winner of this round has the right to select the team that should sit out for thirty minutes. (Some episodes also feature a skills test, in which each baker decorates a small cake, also for the right to take a team out for thirty minutes). After time runs out, each team moves their cakes to the judging room, where the four judges deliberate on the qualities and faults of each cake. The cake with the most votes wins $10,000, plus display at the client's event.

Notable contestants

Dana Herbert, a baker from

Bear, Delaware Bear is a census-designated place (CDP) in New Castle County, Delaware, New Castle County, Delaware, United States. The population was 19,371 at the United States Census, 2010, 2010 census. Originally a small crossroads in a rural area, approxim ...

, participated in a Season 1 competition for Legoland California; he did not win. In 2011, he would become the first champion of TLC's ''

Next Great Baker ''Next Great Baker'' (also known as ''Cake Boss: Next Great Baker'') is an American television series that airs on TLC (TV channel), TLC, hosted by Buddy Valastro, the star of his own reality series, ''Cake Boss''. The show features contestants pa ...

'', in which he would become an intern for

Buddy Valastro Bartolo "Buddy" Valastro Jr. (born March 3, 1977) is an American baker, reality television personality, and businessman. He has taken his small, family-owned bake shop, Carlo's Bake Shop, Carlo's Bakery, and turned it into a baking and restauran ...

Carlo's Bake Shop Carlo's Bake Shop, commonly known as Carlo's Bakery and also known as Carlo's City Hall Bake Shop, is a bakery in Hoboken, New Jersey, owned by Buddy Valastro. The bakery has gained public attention as the setting of the TLC television series, '' ...

Series overview

Episodes

Season 1

Season 2

Special

References

{{Former TLC Programming 2009 American television series debuts 2000s American cooking television series 2010s American cooking television series Reality cooking competition television series Works about cakes American English-language television shows TLC (TV network) original programming Television series about chefs