Food Network suffers barrage of complaints over Christmas content just weeks after axing long-standing show
Food Network fans have issued a desperate plea to bosses after they claimed this year’s edition of Holiday Baking Championships was ‘ruined’ by a change in format.
The current season, which is due to end with the grand finale on December 22, began by splitting all the contestants into two teams: the Nice Team and the Naughty Team.
This differed from previous series, which had always seen the competitors take on the challenges individually.
During the Holiday Baking Championships semi-final episode on Monday, host Jesse Palmer revealed that the teams were being disbanded and that the contestants would be competing on their own.
But in the minds of viewers at home, the damage had already been done.
Agitated fans took their complaints online where they confessed they had given up with the show because of its unnecessary format change while others begged for next year’s edition to be reverted.
One requested: ‘Please go back to the old format. This season was terrible.’
‘Go back to the original format,’ pleaded another. ‘It wasn’t broke and didn’t need fixing! This season was a bust!’
Fans of Food Network’s Holiday Baking Championships have been disappointed by this season
It comes after the contestants were split into two groups for the first time in show history
Agreeing, a third continued: ‘I watched two episodes then quit. I loved the old format, but Food Network doesn’t give a f*** what their viewers like and don’t like.’
‘Looks to me like they are looking for a new audience because these last two baking shows have been poorly received,’ added a fourth. ‘Sad to say goodbye to Food Network!’
A fifth continued: ‘Y’all absolutely ruined this season by changing the format! Go back to the old format!’
Also pleading for change, a sixth said: ‘Please listen to literally everyone in the comments, actual viewers of your show, who hate the team format and the coffee shop viewing party.
‘Go back to the old format. No need to change what was already working well. You’re losing viewers because of this.’
Holiday Baking Championship is judged by Carla Hall, Duff Goldman and Nancy Fuller.
Goldman did not appear on Monday’s show and instead was replaced by Stephanie Boswell. He is not due to appear in the finale.
‘Unfortunately, Duff is a bit under the weather today,’ presenter Palmer explained to the contestants and viewers at home during the episode.
The two teams were disbanded in the semifinals, which aired on December 15
Holiday Baking Championships is set to conclude on December 22
Season 12 is set to conclude next week and will see one lucky winner walk away with $25,000 and a feature in Food Network Magazine.
Complaints over Holiday Baking Championships comes weeks after the Food Network faced backlash after axing The Kitchen after 11 years.
The popular series was co-hosted by Sunny Anderson, Katie Lee Biegel, Jeff Mauro and Geoffrey Zakarian.
Fans expressed their disappointment over the show being pulled after the initial announcement was made.
‘I am in shock,’ one said at the time. ‘I love this show and look forward to it every Saturday morning. It is such a fun show and you are all amazing. I’m really sad. Thank you to all who had anything to do with the show. I will miss you all!’
Another added: ‘No way! This is my favorite Food network show. It’s how I learned to cook. Love this show! Going to miss my Saturday morning routine.’
‘NOOOOOO!!! For me, it’s the only show worth watching on Food Network anymore!’ a third continued.
The Kitchen aired its final episode over the weekend.
