Was Duff Goldman’s Absence Addressed on The ‘Holiday Baking Championship’ Finale?
What To Know
- Duff Goldman was absent from the Holiday Baking Championship Season 12 finale, with Zac Young filling in as a guest judge.
- The episode marked the third time Goldman has skipped or left early from an episode this season
- Goldman has not publicly addressed his absence but has shared glimpses into his holiday celebrations with fans on social media.
Another season of Holiday Baking Championship has come to an end, this time without longtime judge Duff Goldman.
After noticeably missing the past two episodes of the Food Network competition series, Goldman was once again absent during the show’s Season 12 finale on Monday, December 22. Host Jesse Palmer offered a reason for Goldman’s continued absence during the episode’s first round of judging
“Duff’s still feeling a little bit under the weather, so please welcome Zac Young, talented pastry chef,” Palmer explained. Poking fun at the first challenge’s “naughty elf” theme, Young joked, “If you say ‘naughty elf’ three times, I appear, apparently.”
The season’s final five contestants were narrowed down to a group of four following the second challenge. The last bake of the finale saw the top four create “naughty vs. nice multi-tier cake[s].”
Ahead of the final judging, Palmer gave Young his thanks for filling in for Goldman. “Hey, Zac. Thank you for coming in on short notice and being such an outstanding and phenomenal judge on the biggest, most important day,” he gushed.
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Young thanked Palmer for the kind words and offered his own to the show’s other judges, Nancy Fuller and Kardea Brown. “Thank you. I mean, anything for my ladies,” Young stated.
After a season full of sweet competition, Charles Zimmerman was named the latest winner of Holiday Baking Championship. “I can’t believe it,” he said in reaction to the win in a confessional. “I put everything I had into this cake, and I did it. I feel on top of the world, and I’m just thrilled that I got that win at the end. All of it was worth it.”
Monday’s Season 12 finale marked the third episode Goldman missed as a result of illness. On the show’s December 8 episode, Palmer explained that Goldman was “in such Chrismukkah spirit that he left early to go to a Chrismukkah party.” In the following episode, Palmer revealed that Goldman was “a bit under the weather today.”
Goldman, for his part, has not publicly addressed the reason for his show absence. Instead, he’s been busy getting into the holiday spirit off the small screen.
“Happy Hanukkah yall! I think this year Hanukkah has had a special significance. It’s been a rough year for all of us, and the miracle of light gives us all a little more hope. We’ve been celebrating the light for thousands of years and we will go on celebrating for thousands more,” he wrote via Instagram on Tuesday, December 23. “The light is the cure for the darkness and when the darkness gathers it is then most important that we remain in light. We’re a global family and we gotta stick together. When we’re scared, we get angry. And when we’re angry we’re easy to control. Don’t let the darkness win.”
He continued, “Remain in the light and remain together. Celebrate each other, celebrate our differences that make the tapestry of life colorful, dynamic and interesting. Am Yisrael Chai and Chag Urim Sameach!”
Holiday Baking Championship, Now Streaming, HBO Max
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