Best Baker in America

Nine of America's elite professional bakers gather to begin the first in a series of fourteen Skills and Master Challenges designed to test the limits of their baking mastery. Host Scott Conant announces that in the first Skills Challenge the bakers are tasked with baking perfect Petit Fours. In the Master Challenge the bakers must create a mind-bending cake for fifty people using vanilla as the featured flavor. After judging and deliberation with judges Jason Smith, Marcela Valladolid and guest judge Gemma Stafford, one baker is eliminated.

In this week's Skills Challenge the remaining eight bakers are charged with making perfect wedding-themed mini Mousse Cakes. In the Master Challenge the bakers must create a croquembouche-inspired Wedding Tower, including two types of pastry and using champagne as the featured flavor. Guest judge, pastry and dessert wizard, Zac Young, joins Marcela Valladolid and Jason Smith to determine which one baker is sent packing.

Perfect Strawberry Shortcake is the challenge that the seven remaining bakers face in this week's Skills Challenge. In the Master Challenge the bakers must create a "Fire and Ice" Dessert including a frozen and a brûléed element, including mint as the featured flavor. Guest judge and acclaimed pastry chef Sherry Yardjoins Jason Smith and Marcela Valladolid to judge the Master Challenge. One baker is given their marching orders.

Six bakers are left in the competition as they attempt to create flawless mini Boston Cream Pies for the Skills Challenge. For the Master Challenge, the task is to bake up their version of the "ultimate" New York Cheesecake, with the featured flavor of apple. Guest judge, cake genius and social media star Joshua John Russell joins Marcela Valladolid and Jason Smith to determine which baker is sent home.

Host Scott Conant challenges the five remaining bakers to make mini Meringue Pies for the Skills Challenge. In the Master Challenge, the bakers have to make a classical French layered meringue cake - the Marjolaine - featuring the flavor of raspberry. Guest judge and baking expert Shinmin Li joins Marcela Valladolid andJason Smith to see which baker is eliminated from the competition.

With one last chance to make it to the finale, the four remaining bakers must make historic Mont Blanc cakes - tarts topped with a tower of chestnut paste - in the Skills Challenge. In the Master Challenge, host Scott Conant instructs the bakers to make a Charlotte Royale - a visually stunning cake also known as "brain cake" - with peanut butter as the featured flavor. Guest judge and acclaimed pastry chef Florian Bellanger, joinsJason Smith and Marcela Valladolid, with one more baker's dreams being dashed.

The pressure mounts as host Scott Conant informs the remaining bakers they will be working with the world's most beloved ingredient - chocolate. In the Skills Challenge the bakers must create a perfect version of the glazed Austrian chocolate cake, the Sachertorte. The final Master Challenge is to create the Ultimate Chocolate Cake - an elaborately decorated cake for 100 people featuring chocolate decorations, three types of chocolate, and three flavors of chocolate bonbon, while using caramel as the required featured flavor.Guest judge and social media baking sensation Yolanda Gampp joins Marcela Valladolid and Jason Smithto determine which baker becomes earns the title of Best Baker in America, while walking away with $25,000!