Meet the Teams Competing on Holiday Baking Championship: Gingerbread Showdown, Season 2

See who's hosting and judging this season's gingerbread competition, and get the first look at the teams competing to win a prize of $10,000 each week.

Photo By: Rob Pryce

Meet the Host and Judges

Host Carla Hall is joined by judges Stephanie Boswell and Kalen Allen.

Sean Patrick Henry and Tie Whittaker

Sean (right) is a product director from Washington, DC. In his day-to-day life, he is an engineer but has been building gingerbread ever since he was a kid. He believes that he has stepped up his gingerbread game by using technology and applying different techniques to his creations. However, he is very ambitious and always thinks of new ways to take his gingerbread builds to the next level. He is joined by baking assistant Tie Whittaker from Clayton, NC.

Amy McBride and Ashley Goodloe

Amy (left) is a cake and gingerbread artist from St. Simons Island, GA. She fell in love with gingerbread through building gigantic gingerbread displays for hotels and resorts with the help of a huge team. Winning this competition would mean a lot to Amy, and she’s really excited to show that she has what it takes to create incredible gingerbread builds. She is joined by baking assistant Ashley Goodloe from Napa, CA.

Peter Williams and Alexa Ortiz

Peter (right) is an interior designer from San Francisco, and his gingerbread style tends to be very architectural, which stems from his career. He has always done gingerbread for himself and has never competed in a professional gingerbread competition. Now, Peter is excited to take it to the next level, and winning this competition would be a huge validation to the years of him making gingerbread at home. He is joined by baking assistant Alexa Ortiz from El Paso, TX.

Episode 5: Barb Amabile and Nokee Bucayu

Barb (left) is a business analyst from Florham Park, NJ. She has been doing gingerbread competitions since 1996 and likes to build gingerbread structures that are unique. She rarely makes houses but has built rocking horses, baskets, towers, etc. Barb hopes that her unique structures set her apart from the rest of the competition, and she hopes to show the world that she can do bigger things on a bigger scale. She is joined by baking assistant Nokee Bucayu from Louisville, KY.

Episode 5: Heather Brookshire and Dena Reed

Heather (left) is a bakery owner from Spring, TX. Her strength as a gingerbread artist is making large and impressive pieces. Her gingerbread skill has been in her blood her whole life, and she feels like she was born to do this. Heather is in this competition, because she wants to prove that she has what it takes to make a gingerbread creation extraordinary. She is joined by baking assistant Dena Reed from Beaumont, TX.

Episode 5: Joe Daigle and Sean McGovern

Joe (left) is a finance CEO from Wilmington, DE. He began making gingerbread in 2019, which makes him new to the gingerbread world. However, he won his first gingerbread competition that he entered, follwed by a few other local gingerbread contests. So, Joe has been on a winning streak and hopes that it continues! He is joined by baking assistant Sean McGovern from Philadelphia.

Episode 4: Fronshea Hillman and Brandi Neal

Fronshea (right) is a pastry professor from Evansville, IN and has been doing gingerbread for ten years now. To her, gingerbread is like edible pottery, in which she carves gingerbread into 3D art. She does everything freehand, and when she makes mistakes, she has no problem going back and doing it all over again, because she is also a perfectionist. When making her displays, she is all about technique, and she tries to make them as realistic as possible. Fronshea believes that no one in this competition can sculpt gingerbread like she does. She is joined by baking assistant Brandi Neal, also from Evansville, IN.

Episode 4: Elizabeth Rhodes and Jennifer Mackin

Elizabeth (left) is a glass artist from Bowling Green, KY. When she was little, she loved Christmas miniatures, and now, she loves taking Christmas items and shrinking them into little gingerbread creations. She is in this competition, because she wants to grow as an artist and inspire other people to be creative. Although Elizabeth has never competed in a gingerbread competition, she is ready to knock the judges’ socks off! She is joined by baking assistant Jennifer Mackin from Bowling Green, KY.

Episode 4: Beth Veneto and Shane Pratt

Beth (left) is a bakery owner from Quincy, MA. Because she owns a gingerbread bakery, she lives and breathes gingerbread and feels right at home in this competition. Her gingerbread style is whimsical, magical and is every little kid’s dream. Beth wants to win this competitions to show kids that their dreams can become a delicious reality. She is joined by baking assistant Shane Pratt from Plano, TX.

Episode 3: Rita Adams and Linda Monroe

Rita (right) is a gingerbread artist from Ringgold, GA. She and her husband began doing gingerbread together and competed as a team for about nine years. During her first time at the National Gingerbread Competition, she and her husband took 4th place as a team. But after he retired, she wanted to find her own style and started creating sculpture pieces other than just houses. For several years now, Rita has been competing on her own and has a great track record, and she is ready to take on this next gingerbread competition. She is joined by baking assistant Linda Monroe from Sautee Nacoochee, GA.

Episode 3: Cheryl Brookhouzen and Missy Comerford

Cheryl (left) is a pastry chef with a catering business in Asheville, NC. Years ago, she was the executive pastry chef at a very large hotel in Downtown Chicago, which was where she started doing gingerbread. While working there, she had to make massive gingerbread displays from wall to wall in the hotel lobby. Cheryl's decorating style is about accentuating the gingerbread and having the designs tell the story. She is joined by baking assistant Missy Comerford from Lagrange Park, IL.

Episode 3: Mary Hulsman and Larry Queen

Mary (right) is an accountant from Concord, NC. Crunching numbers all day can get a little boring to her, so she turns to gingerbread to use her creativity. The style of her gingerbread is whimsical and cartoony, and she likes to incorporate inside jokes in them for people to laugh at. Mary also never steps down from a challenge. Last year, she found out about the National Gingerbread Competition and placed in the top 10. She is joined by baking assistant Larry Queen from Washington, DC.

Episode 2: Annissa Cheyne and Justine Martin

Annissa (right) is a bakery owner from Saskatoon, Canada. She specializes in custom cookies and makes about 3,000 cookies a month, and she also teaches decorating workshops. Annissa believes that she was “born to bake,” because her mother’s last name is Sweets, and both her grandmothers were amazing bakers. She started working with gingerbread around seven years ago and fell in love with making these giant gingerbread structures. She has won three awards at local charity gingerbread competitions and hopes to take another win. She is joined by baking assistant Justine Martin from Ontario, Canada.

Episode 2: Meghan Morris and Esther Morris

Meghan (left) is a scientist from Durham, NC, and in her spare time, she creates sculpted gingerbread works. Ever since she was 15 years old, she’s been competing in gingerbread competitions. Now, she’s 25, and this will be her 10th year in the National Gingerbread Competition. She has placed top 10 as a teen and as an adult. Although she is young, she knows she has the skills. She is joined by her mother and baking assistant Esther Morris.

Episode 2: Donna Rorabaugh and Joffre Noguera

Donna (left) is an industrial engineer from Rochester Hills, MI. A lot of her gingerbread structures and wonderful architecture stems from working in manufacturing. She has been baking gingerbread since she was 13 years old and has taken fourth place two times in the National Gingerbread Competition. However, Donna has never taken the top prize, so for this gingerbread showdown, she is going big! She is joined by baking assistant Joffre Noguera from North Bergen, NJ.

Episode 1: Lerome Campbell and Desiree Gorby

Lerome (left) is an executive pastry chef from Naples, FL. Every year, he and his team create life-size gingerbread houses that you can walk inside of. He has a lot to prove, because he has judged at Cupcake Championship, and now going back to compete, he knows what he has to live up to. He is joined with baking assistant Desiree Gorby from Lowell, MI.

Episode 1: Regina Heimbach and Helen Singleton

Regina (right) is a full-time grandma from Memphis and is also a gingerbread artist. Every Christmas, she enjoys making over 80 gingerbread houses for her friends and family. Regina has been making gingerbread since 1981 and has won many blue ribbons doing gingerbread, but this is the biggest competition that she’s ever been on, and she is ready for another win. She is joined with baking assistant Helen Singleton from Germantown, TN.

Episode 1: Mollie Smith and Melissa Walker

Mollie (right) is a home baker and gingerbread artist from Memphis. After being diagnosed with cancer, gingerbread has been a great source of therapy for her while going through her health struggles. She lives for creating replicas of luxury houses, buildings — anything that is thrown to her! Her family are her biggest supporters, and she hopes for her kids to see her win. She is joined with baking assistant Melissa Walker also from Memphis.