Plot Synopsis

Hosted by Buddy Valastro, BAKERS VS. FAKERS is a one-hour series that puts a combination of four home bakers and trained professionals in the kitchen. Their true identities are concealed, and they must tackle two rounds of challenges, each with a different surprise ingredient. The contestant whose dessert does not make the grade is eliminated after the first round. Then, the three remaining bakers go head-to-head in another round with a new secret ingredient. With a level playing field, the judges determine the winner based on taste and presentation, and only after the decision has been made do the contestants reveal their true identities. If a professional's dish is best they take home a prize of $10,000, but if an amateur can beat the odds and the competition, they are rewarded with an even bigger prize of $15,000. On Sunday, October 2, 2016 at 11pm ET/PT, Food Network premiered the pilot of this series, hosted by British baking kingpin Paul Hollywood instead of Valastro, but the cable channel had no other episodes on its schedule at that time. The pilot, "Bakin' with Bacon," also featured judges Damaris Phillips and Valastro. In the first round, contestants must create their most delectable pie featuring the ultimate savory ingredient: bacon. In the second round, bakers and fakers alike must feature corn in their sweet treat. On Wednesday, January 25, 2017, BAKERS VS. FAKERS returned for its official series debut, "Cupcake Caliente," with judges Lorraine Pascale and Damaris Phillips sifting out the bakers from the fakers. First, pro and amateur bakers battle using hot peppers to create spicy cupcakes, and then round two is an education in competition, as school snacks must be used in the winning dish.
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On Wednesday, May 24, 2017 at 9pm ET/PT, Food Network premiered the second season of BAKERS VS. FAKERS, with a new host, Lorraine Pascale, and a rotating panel of guest judges including Sunny Anderson, Damiano Carrara, Amanda Freitag, Paulette Goto, Alex Guarnaschelli, Daphne Oz, Damaris Phillips, Aarti Sequeira, Sherry Yard, and Zac Young. In the season opener, "Fruit Tart Upstart," pro and amateur bakers face off during a fruit tart battle, but some find the challenge a tough nut to crack when pistachios are introduced as the surprise ingredient. In round two, host Lorraine Pascale and judges Sunny Anderson and Zac Young see which bakers best combine a variety of mustards with their sweet treats.