Troy’s Jeanna ‘Gia’ Barnes competes on Holiday Baking Championship, being the first Alabama competitor

Holiday Baking Championship returns with its new season, premiering on Monday, November 3, 2025, featuring 12 bakers competing in a new format this time called the Naughty vs. Nice format.

One of the most interesting contestants is Jeanna ‘Gia’ Barnes, the owner of bSweet Bakery & Dessert Boutique in Troy, who is apparently the first contestant from Alabama to participate in the Holiday Baking Championship.

Although Barnes is the first Alabama contestant to compete on the show, other people from the state have appeared on Food Network baking shows, including an Auburn-based chef, Caleb Fischer, who made it to the top three on Spring Baking Championship in 2018.

Apart from him,  Kids Baking Championship featured three youngsters who competed from Alabama, namely Ellvie Smith of Attalla in season 13, Brooke Waters of Selma in season 7, and Brooklyn Kyzar of Silverhill in season 6.

More details about the first Alabama contestant in the Holiday Baking Championship season 12

Holiday Baking Championship season 12 contestant Jeanna ‘Gia’ Barnes' official bio for the show states that:

"After a long career in emergency management — including work in public health emergency preparedness during the COVID-19 pandemic — Jeanna ‘Gia’ Barnes decided it was time for a new chapter and opened her dream bakery, bSweet Dessert Boutique, in Troy, AL, on March 17, 2022."

It further reveals that a tragedy struck her life just after eleven weeks of opening her dream bakery, as her husband, whom she had been married to for almost 25 years, passed away suffering a massive stroke. However, Gia continued running the bakery along with her two sons in honor of her husband's memory with passion and determination.

Her bio further describes her as:

"A completely self-taught baker who began experimenting in the kitchen at just five years old, Gia learned the art of baking from her mother and grandmother. Her bakery’s signature treat — a five-generation pound cake recipe — celebrates her family’s legacy and is now baked by her sons as the fifth generation. Today, Gia specializes in custom sculpted cakes, wedding cakes, and traditional Lambeth-style designs, in the bakery, and available for delivery and shipping."

The premiere episode, titled Welcome to the Holiday Village featured the amateur bakers divided into two teams, rather than competing individually, with Team Naughty wearing red aprons and Team Nice wearing green aprons.

Host Jesse Palmer welcomes contestants to an immersive holiday village, including a working coffee shop, general store, and town hall, with Palmer explaining that the setup creates the perfect backdrop for seasonal competition.

In each bake, the teams will make a top dessert, and the best among them overall will win for their team. The winning team remains safe, and the losing team will get one of them eliminated from the show. Food Republic describes the episode as:

"The Nice Team makes warm and toasty desserts, while the Naughty Team makes chill and frosty treats. Then, Jesse asks each team to create an edible holiday village that includes a dessert from every baker. Judges Duff Goldman, Nancy Fuller, and Kardea Brown decide which baker from the losing team will be eliminated."

The baker who reaches the end while surviving all the eliminations and impressing the judges would be crowned the winner of the show, along with $25,000 prize and a feature in Food Network magazine.

Holiday Baking Championship season 12 airs every week on Monday nights at 8:00 pm ET/PT on Food Network. The series would feature a total of 8 episodes airing weekly, with the final episode scheduled to stream on Monday, December 22, 2025.

Stay tuned for more updates.