ABC Brings Back ‘The Great Christmas Light Fight,’ And ‘The Great American Baking Show’

It’s the most wonderful time of year when ABC preempts their usual programming of murder and mayhem for mistletoe and merry-making, dropping such TV shows as How to Get Away with Murder for The Great American Baking Show, and Secrets and Lies for The Great Christmas Light Fight.

First up is The Great American Baking Show which premieres on Thursday, December 1. Based on the U.K.’s most-watched television TV show, The Great American Baking Show apparently did well last year in the U.S. since ABC has doubled the amount of episodes from four to eight and the contestants from six to 10. Each week will feature two back-to-back episodes starting off with “Cake Week” and “Cookie Week.”

Once again, the Baking Show is being hosted by Nia Vardalos (My Big Fat Greek Wedding) and her husband Ian Gomez (Cougar Town) and the 10 home cooks will have their homemade items judged by James Beard Award-winning chef Johnny Luzzini and the legendary Mary Berry, who is known in the U.K. as “Britain’s Royal Queen of Baking.” If you watched the show last year, you know that she’s a sweet lady, but she is also “one tough cookie” for the contestants to impress.

Each episode of the show is divided into three parts. During the first part, the home bakers will create their own signature version of that episode’s theme item. For the second part, they will be tasked with a technical challenge, where all of the bakers will try to recreate a recipe from either Mary Berry or Johnny Luzzini. Oftentimes the instructions for the recipes are incomplete forcing the bakers to decide what would be the best plan to complete the treat. Finally, the last challenge is called the Showstopper Bake, where each contestant will go over and beyond their comfort zones to create a truly outstanding piece.

The fourth season of ABC’s The Great Christmas Light Fight begins on Monday, December 5, also with two back-to-back episodes of the show from 8-10 p.m. This year, the show will be hosted by Carter Oosterhouse (HGTV’s Million Dollar Rooms) and Taniya Nayak (Food Network’s Restaurant Impossible).

Everyone enjoys Christmas lights, but not everyone enjoys taking the time to decorate their home with them. However, there are some folks in America who will go all-out every year to bring joy and excitement to their neighbors (whether they were asking for it or not) and make the best contestants for the TV show The Great Christmas Light Fight. (Of course, the $50,000 prize money is also quite the incentive as well.)

The first show of the season features The Johanessen family’s “Santa’s Retreat” in Winter Park, Florida, that has 250,000 lights; the Preston family’s nativity scene in Kingman, Arizona, which is said to be America’s tallest and brightest; the Piper’s family’s express-train that travels all over their multi-acre property in Wake Forest, North Carolina; and the Pugh family’s Americana display and salute to servicemen in Chesapeake, Virginia.

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The follow up episode of the The Great Light Fight features the Taylor family and their “Emoji” celebration and 20-foot tall “Frozen” castle in Phoenix, Arizona, of all places; the Van Gent family’s giant synchronized float in Redding, California; the DiMartino family tribute to their mother who died during the September 11 attack (who are also raising money for a Pediatric Cancer Unit in Staten Island in New York); and the Kloos family’s display, created by the show’s youngest competitors ever in East Brunswick, New Jersey.

[Featured Image by ABC]