Summer Baking Championship (2023)

Pack your swimsuits! Host Jesse Palmer just got off an airplane and is seeing his beautiful beach rental for the first time -- and he's a little hungry. He asks ten amazing bakers to whip up faux ice cream bars in summer flavors. Then while Jesse is chilling at sunset, he gets inspired by a crisp, refreshing drink for some summer cocktail tarts. Judges Carla Hall, Duff Goldman and Damaris Phillips really get into the summer "spirits" before they decide which baker sails off into the sunset.

Host Jesse Palmer is aboard a summer cruise, and he's in awe of the elevated water ride on the ship. Inspired by the ride's inner tubes, he tasks the bakers with creating giant, colorful inner tube cakes. Then, Jesse docks for a day trip on an island where snorkeling is popular, so the bakers make snorkeling lagoon cheesecakes with underwater objects that judges Carla Hall, Duff Goldman and Damaris Phillips can see through a layer of gelatin.

Every summer, millions of families travel to a lake to relax, and host Jesse Palmer is right there with them fueling up at the breakfast buffet! To start the day off right, the bakers craft sweet and savory breakfast treats inspired by an assigned breakfast item. Then, Jesse has been picking berries by the lake, and the bakers must turn them into mile-high summer pies for judges Carla Hall, Duff Goldman and Damaris Phillips in hopes their sweet slices will save them from elimination.

Summer movies are the best, and host Jesse Palmer uses Disney and Pixar's Inside Out 2 as inspiration for the bakers to design core summer travel memory desserts inspired by the core memories that help make people who they are. After bringing their emotions to life, the bakers create emotion cakes so that judges Carla Hall, Duff Goldman and Damaris Phillips can experience ALL the feelings before deciding whose cake doesn't bring joy.

On a road trip to a special campground, host Jesse Palmer needs to make a pit stop for the perfect road snack -- a chocolate bar -- which inspires the bakers to craft road trip portable desserts. As Jesse settles into his over-the-top "glampsite," he challenges bakers to create glam summer cobbler desserts before glamorous judges Carla Hall, Duff Goldman and Damaris Phillips decide who takes a hike.

Host Jesse Palmer is cruising through the American Southwest in a convertible enjoying the desert vistas and local cuisine when he gets the idea for dessert tacos. He tasks the bakers with crafting sweet tacos that are perfect bites of handheld deliciousness. Then, he takes the bakers on a trip to Sedona, where they make tres leches cakes celebrating local attractions like energy vortexes, desert sunsets and hot air ballooning. Feeling the desert vibes, judges Carla Hall, Duff Goldman and Damaris Phillips bring the dry heat when they decide which baker must make journey home.

For the semi-finals, host Jesse Palmer celebrates Discovery's Shark Week by challenging the bakers to make shark bite cookie bars in the shape of beach-inspired items like surfboards, flip flops or sunglasses. Then, the bakers bravely protect their sweets from the majestic Great White by making shark cage desserts, but their bakes can't protect them from the probing critiques of judges Carla Hall, Duff Goldman and Damaris Phillips as they vie to make it into the finale.

After traveling all over, host Jesse Palmer lands in the Big Apple for some finale fireworks! Everything is decked out in red, white and blue for his 4th of July backyard barbecue, so the bakers must create red, white and "woo-hoo" desserts using summer favorites like strawberries, blueberries and white peaches. Then, judges Carla Hall, Duff Goldman and Damaris Phillips get blown away by 4th of July exploding fireworks cakes as they decide which baker will be crowned Summer Baking Champion and awarded $25,000!