CBS Unveils Competitors for Drew Barrymore-Hosted ‘Pillsbury Bake-Off Classic’ Special (Exclusive)

Twenty-four home bakers are joining CBS‘ Pillsbury Bake-Off Classic special, hosted by Drew Barrymore.

In addition, famed baker and author Amirah Kassem has come on board as a roaming sideline reporter, bringing viewers real-time reactions from the bakers, their families and the audience. The show also features celebrity chef judges Christina Tosi and Dook Chase.

The 24 contestants will be divided into four groups of six, with each group competing in its own head-to-head round themed around an iconic holiday staple: cookies, cakes, pies or biscuits. The top baker from each round will advance to the “Best in Bake” finale, where they will create “Edible Festive Wreaths for the Holidays.”

The winner will be crowned the 2026 Pillsbury Bake-Off Classic champion, which comes with a $25,000 cash prize, a complete KitchenAid equipment package and the Pillsbury Golden Rolling Pin trophy. In total, there have been 53 previous Pillsbury Bake-Off competitions, dating back to 1949.

The special will air Nov. 23 from 8-10 p.m. ET/PT on CBS and stream on Paramount+ (Premium).

The roster of home bakers by round are:

Biscuit Round:

• Alakananda Krishnan (Woonsocket, Rhode Island)
• Daniel Will (Chicago)
• Dillon Evans (Gainesville, Georgia)
• Emma Watkins (Arlington, Virginia)
• Lauriel Pera (Phoenix)
• Rod Herrenbruck (St. Louis)

Cake Round:

• Aida Ahmed (Las Vegas)
• Amy Webb (Huntsville, Alabama)
• Biobele Braid (Boston)
• Collin Helms (Warwick, Rhode Island)
• Kathy Cargill (Cary, North Carolina)
• Legenia Bearden (Little Rock, Arkansas)

Cookie Round:

• Brittney Williams (New Haven, Connecticut)
• Kareem Youngblood (Brooklyn, New York)
• Katie Siu (Brooklyn, New York)
• Layla Rostami (Houston)
• Sam McCabe (New Orleans)
• Scott Luft (Coeur d’Alene, Idaho)

Pie Round:

• Amy David (Bradenton, Florida)
• Dayvid Field (Delran, New Jersey)
• Dionna Humphrey (Orlando)
• “Mamaw” Gail Morris (Dorton, Kentucky)
• Nivek Anderson (Lawrenceville, Virginia)
• Travis Gilmore (Austin, Texas)

Pillsbury Bake-Off Classic is produced by Studio Large Eyes, Pantheon Media Group and Juma Entertainment. Executive producers include Scott Weintrob for Studio Large Eyes, Jennifer O’Connell, Ariel Brozell, Eden Sutley and Martha Chaput for Pantheon, Robert Horowitz for Juma Entertainment and Brielle Cohen is showrunner. Lisa Balzo, Kenzie Caron and Eleanor Harkness serve as executive producers for Pillsbury.