Children's Baking Championship Season 13 will see a change in hosts and judges for the first time, with Kardea Brown taking Valerie Bertinelli's place alongside Duff Goldman after 12 seasons, and Kardea was the perfect choice for her replacement. In January 2024, a devastated Valerie announced that she was fired Children's Baking Championship due to budget cuts. Fans were also very sad to learn that Valerie would not be returning to the beloved cooking competition series because they loved seeing her on the show.
In October 2024, Kardea announced that she will be the new presenter and judge of Children's Baking Championship with Duff. Kardea is best known for starring in her own cooking show, Delicious Miss Brownand serving as a judge in Spring Baking Championship and Holiday Wars. Although Valerie was adored by fans and bakers alike, Kardea was the ideal choice to replace her. See why Kardea will make a fantastic Children's Baking Championship host and judge.
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Kardea Brown has real-world experience working with children
Kardea began her career in children's social services
When Kardea revealed that she would follow in Valerie's footsteps as the Children's Baking Championship hostess and judge, she also said that she began her career in children's social services. In an Instagram post, Kardea she wrote that her new role meant a lot to her, and the circle came full circle. She explained that, for those who don't know, she began her career in children's social services almost 16 years ago.
Kardea added that she was a social worker, teacher and counselor. She said she loves working with children and that it will always be close to her heart. Kardea will not only be a great replacement for Valerie because she has a genuine love for children, but she is also qualified to work with them. Kardea has real-world experience working with children in different capacitiesthen she will know exactly how to help them deal with the stress of competing in Children's Baking Championship.
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Kardea Brown Hosted Special Kids Baking Championship Holiday Reunion Events
Kardea replaced Valerie in the past
Even before Valerie was fired Children's Baking Championshipshe was sometimes replaced during holiday reunion specials by others, including Kardea. Kardea was the host and judge of “Sweets-Giving”, “Reindeer Games”, “Scary Good” and “Frosting the Snowman”.“Those Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas specials were like tryouts for Kardea as she gained experience with the children's bakers at Children's Baking Championship kitchen.
Although Valerie was missed during those Children's Baking Championship specials, Kardea did a phenomenal job. She proved she was capable of holding her own alongside Duff, who has been a host and judge on the show for 12 seasons. It is no wonder that the Children's Baking Championship producers decided to give her this new role after her performance during the holiday specials. Kardea has already proven to be spectacular in the role.
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Kardea Brown is wonderful with children
Children are attracted to Kardea
During the Children's Baking Championship reunion episodes, Kardea showed that she has a special relationship with the children's bakers. The kids on these shows had already been in the Food Network kitchen during their own seasons, so they already had experience working with Valerie. However, they liked Kardea immediately and were attracted to her. It's exciting to think how much she will bond with the new bakers when she works with them for an entire season.
Kardea has a warm personality, but is also very charismatic and cheerful. Having started her career working with children, it is obvious that she knows how to relate to them. Although Duff and the kids already knew each other, Kardea didn't seem like a strange addition to the show. Instead, she seemed to have known them all for years, which made it easy to watch. Kardea made the children feel comfortable and safe to express themselves in the kitchen. Valerie did the same, so you can be sure that Kardea will follow in her footsteps.
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Kardea Brown is an excellent baker
Kardea made many delicious desserts on her show
Kardea is an excellent bakerwhich is important for anyone who is going to judge someone else's desserts. On Delicious Miss BrownKardea made many delicious desserts including a Limoncello Trifle, Panna Cotta with Fresh Fruit, Strawberry Snowball Cookies, Mango Rice Pudding, Sweet Bread with Pineapple Jam, Carolina Mud Pie, Charleston Cheesecake with Jam Topping orange and mini maple – glazed donuts with coconut bacon.
Additionally, Kardea made homemade banana pudding, apple pie, chocolate chip cookies, pineapple carrot cake with cream cheese frosting, PB&J filled cupcakes, molten chocolate cake, mini sweet potato pies, strawberry cheesecake bars and lemon, blackberry pies, coconut cake toast and many others. All these recipes are available at Food Network. Like Duff and Valerie, Kardea loves cooking and is an expert in the field, so she knows exactly what to look for when judging. Children's Baking Championship.
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Kardea Brown has great chemistry with Duff Goldman
The duo works very well together
Duff is not only an amazing chef, but also the master of the dad joke, as he has proven in every season of Children's Baking Championship. Kardea and Duff already work together on Spring Baking Championshipwhere they have a great relationship. This was transferred to Children's Baking Championshipwhere the camaraderie was evident in the holiday specials. Valerie and Duff had a great relationship, but it also seems to work well with Kardea.
In her Instagram post, Kardea referred to Duff as her friend and wrote that not only has she had the experience of seeing kids doing what they love, but also she has another opportunity to work with Duff, who she genuinely admires. She added that it could never replace what was built over the last decade.
Kardea concluded by saying that Children's Baking Championship has been a fan favorite for many years for a reason, and she is so grateful to be a part of it. As the hosts and judges of Children's Baking Championship holiday specials, Kardea and Duff have been so much fun together. They even dressed up for the special Halloween episode “Scary Good,” which really made the kids smile.
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Kardea Brown is an honest but kind judge
Like Valeria, Kardea is an honest but kind person, Children's Baking Championship judge. She gives children genuine feedback without hurting their feelings. In a show about children, there's a delicate balance between being critical and cruel. Although Kardea judges adults based on Spring Baking Championship and Holiday Warsshe knows how to adjust her criticism to children.
Throughout its 12 seasons on Children's Baking ChampionshipValerie was known for being very motherly towards the child bakers. She was always there to offer a hug and kind words of encouragement if they got nervous while cooking, which calmed them and helped them continue with their tasks. Valerie was the kids' biggest cheerleader, but she also offered gentle criticism when necessary. It's easy to imagine that Kardea will be the same way because she is a very sweet person..
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Kardea Brown's personality lights up the room
Kardea is a fun and funny host and judge
After watching Kardea on Delicious Miss Brownfans know her personality lights up the room. She's charming, fun, and funny, and has proven time and time again that she's made for television. Kardea makes everyone feel like family, including viewers, by welcoming them into her kitchen. This will also be true for children's bakers. Plus, Kardea stands out in her own series, so she'll easily fit into the ensemble in Children's Baking Championship.
When working with children, it's important to be down-to-earth and adaptable, especially since they are known for speaking their mind. Kardea's personality will help her deal with anything that comes her way during Children's Baking Championship. Furthermore, Kardea is warm, welcoming and relatable, as shown in the Delicious Miss Brown, Spring Baking Championshipand Holiday Wars. She is a pleasure to watch and will be an excellent addition to Children's Baking Championship.
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Kardea Brown brings representation to the children's baking championship
It is important for children to see a role model who looks like them
As a black woman, Kardea brings representation to Children's Baking Championship. She is of Gullah descent. Why Children's Baking Championship It's a show about kids, it's important for them to see an adult who looks like them on the show. Kardea is a lovely role model for all children, but it will be especially inspiring for little girls of color to see that they can grow up and follow in her footsteps. That's a beautiful thing to Children's Baking Championship.
By adding a person of color to Children's Baking Championshipthe show brought a new perspective. Additionally, Kardea is a contemporary Southern cook, born in Charleston, South Carolina, so she will have experience that varies from that of Duff, who is from Baltimore, Maryland. With her formation, Kardea brings something completely new and different to Children's Baking Championship.
Although Valerie will be greatly missed Children's Baking ChampionshipKardea is the ideal replacement for her. She has the experience and personality to stand out alongside Duff. She is also a kind person who will work very well with the child bakers. How fans anticipate Children's Baking Championship In season 13, which is themed “Amazing Animals,” they can also expect Kardea to bring a new perspective to the show after a decade on the air. Kardea is the perfect person to host and judge Children's Baking Championship.
Source: Kardea Brown/Instagram, Kardea Brown/Instagram, Food Network