Stream It Or Skip It?

The Hallmark Channel is looking to sweeten up your seasonal streaming with Baked With Love: Holiday. Hosted by Tamera Mowry-Housley and guest-judged by Anna Haugh and Vaughn Vreeland, this baking reality series invites 10 pairs of talented home bakers to share their family recipes and Christmas spirit in this ultimate holiday-themed baking competition. Based on the first episode alone, this series seems to be as airy and delectable as a Christmas confection. Keep reading to hear more, and then check it out to decide for yourself if this series is sweet or sour.

Opening Shot: Tamera Mowry-Housley talks directly to the camera, asking, “What ingredients do you need to make a fabulous festive baking competition?” We then see quick shots that correspond with her list of must-have ingredients: “a beautiful cooking space,” “10 pairs of passionate homebakers,” and “a little Christmas magic.”

The Gist: Tamera Mowry-Housley hosts this friendly competition series that welcomes 10 teams of amateur bakers into a festive wonderland of a kitchen stocked with everything they need to create top-notch holiday treats. From spouses to siblings to parents and children, each team of two has a deep connection to one another and plenty of family recipes and seasonal traditions to pour into each bake over the course of the eight-week competition. And though this is as warm-hearted and sweet as a competition series can be, there can still only be one team that ends up winning the title of Baked With Love champions, as well as a $50,000 grand prize and the chance to have one of their bakes appear in a Countdown to Christmas Hallmark movie.

The teams feature home cooks of all ages and backgrounds from all across America. We’ve got spouse duos like Gabrielle & Ben, Steven & Marko, and Saman & Susan, parent-child pairings like Inda & Armon, Rosa & Rosanna, Kristen & Debby, Amy & Sally, and Fabio & Fabio Jr., and sibling squads like James & Karen and Renee & Sade. Each week, guest judges Chef Anna Haugh and New York Times cooking producer Vaughn Vreeland will present the teams with various holiday baking challenges that end with one overall winning duo and one that will, unfortunately, be sent back home.

With a first episode that asks the bakers to make a hometown Christmas pie and the ultimate Yule Log, we’re off to the races with tricky, timed bakes and a likable crop of contestants who hope to show the judges (and the nation) that they have the touching personal stories and culinary skills to take them straight to the top. Who will rise and who will end up on the (soggy) bottom? Well, you’ll just have to tune in to all of Baked With Love: Holiday to find out.

What Shows Will It Remind You Of?: You will, of course, be most reminded of The Great British Baking Show and its seasonal spin-off, The Great British Baking Show: Holidays, plus other Christmastime cooking competitions like Holiday Baking Championship, Nailed It! Holiday!, and Is It Cake? Holiday.

Our Take: Baked With Love: Holiday is an extremely wholesome baking competition series that will have you feeling the love (and hungry!) this Christmas season. Tamera Mowry-Housley, Anna Haugh, and Vaughn Vreeland all do a nice job of shepherding this show to keep the tone consistently light, festive, and positive while still sharing honest bits of feedback and their own family histories and holiday traditions. These personal touches help contribute to the general sense of collaboration and camaraderie that this show manages to always radiate, even with this being a competition show.

The show’s familiar format makes the series immediately easy to follow, and while the entire thing is quite reminiscent of The Great British Baking Show, that only serves as a strong framework upon which to build a show that still feels Hallmarky, earnest, and American at its core. This sense of nationality is perhaps most present in the contestants themselves, who come from all over the country, presenting a mosaic of accents and traditions that culminate in a blend of personalities, flavors, and cultures that is so uniquely American and genuine, you just can’t help but be charmed. Hallmark definitely did well with this show, and we’re excited to see what the rest of the season has in store beyond its successful debut episode.

Sex and Skin: None whatsoever.

Parting Shot: The first team to get the boot (don’t worry, I won’t spoil it for you) walks out the doors with their heads held high, waving goodbye as their fellow competitors clap and send them off.

Sleeper Star: Everyone’s so likable in this already, but the pairs who especially stood out to me this episode were longtime (40 years strong!) couple Steven and Marko, twin sisters Renee and Sade, and Italian-American mother-daughter duo Rosa and Rosanna. Also, how can you possibly not enjoy the presence of a duo named Fabio and Fabio Jr.?!

Most Pilot-y Line: It’s probably this statement from married Ohioan couple Ben and Gabrielle: “We might seem sweet and sugary, but we’re here to play. We’re planning to win this thing.”

Our Call: Much like a delicious dessert, Baked With Love: Holiday is an easy-to-consume and sweet delight that will make a strong addition to your Christmastime queue. Take a bite and STREAM IT!

How To Watch Baked With Love: Holiday

The only way to watch shows airing live without cable is by using a live TV streaming service. We recommend DIRECTV, which comes with a five-day free trial before payment begins.

DIRECTV offers a number of flexible subscription options, including Genre Packs, so you can best choose which streaming plans fit your needs and budget. Plans start at $49.99/month.