Just in time for the holidays, a brand new season of the popular cooking competition series Sugar Rush: Christmas has arrived.
Each week, contestants attempt to impress the panel of judges, which in addition to the regular panel, includes a special guest star also lending their critical food feedback.
The guest stars range from a pastry chef to award-winning actors, platinum-selling singers, and world-class athletes- including an NBA champion and Olympic figure skater. Here’s who the featured guest judges are on Netflix’s Sugar Rush: Christmas 2.
What is Sugar Rush: Christmas?
The original series Sugar Rush debuted on Netflix in 2018 and featured competitive baking. On each episode, a panel of judges evaluates the contestants’ entries to choose winners, similar to the popular show MasterChef.
Hunter March hosts the show, which has run three regular seasons in 2018, 2019, and this past July. They’ve also unveiled two Christmas-themed editions with Sugar Rush: Christmas arriving in November 2019 and the second season arriving on November 27, 2020.
In the second season of Sugar Rush: Christmas, the teams are drawing inspiration from the Charlie Brown holiday special or creating edible ornaments and wreaths in various decor-themed challenges. Each episode brings a unique theme and plenty of fun. It gives viewers at home some holiday entertainment and maybe some inspiration to try some of their own ideas at home.
Professional chefs Candace Nelson and Adrian Zumbo are on the panel of judges to provide their expertise. However, they get some help on each episode from a special celebrity guest judge.
Who are the guest judges on the latest season?
The judges get an assist from various guest stars on each episode of Sugar Rush: Christmas. In the first season, actress Tiffani Thiessen of Saved by the Bell fame, YouTube star Liza Koshy, and Olympic ice dancer Meryl Davis were featured as judges.
Another Olympic star pops up for the first episode of Sugar Rush: Christmas Season 2. It’s figure skater Adam Rippon, who also won Dancing With the Stars Season 26 alongside partner Jenna Johnson. Rippon is now retired from his competitive ice skating days but still makes TV appearances here or there.
In the next episode, NBA champion Chris Bosh is helping the hosts out. Bosh played for 12 years in the NBA, racking up impressive stats along with 11 All-Star appearances and two NBA Championships as part of the Miami Heat “Big Three.” That fearsome trio also included Dwyane Wade and LeBron James.
Bosh is now retired from hoops but providing an assist with the food competition. In a deleted clip Bosh shared on Instagram, he’s getting in the holiday spirit with the judges and their matching PJs.
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Chocolatier and pastry chef Valerie Gordon is part of the panel in the show’s third episode. Gordon has her own brand, which includes the Valerie Confections Boutique and a modern Tea House and Bakery, both in Los Angeles. She’s also been nominated for the James Beard Award for Baking and Dessert.
Sasha Pieterse Sheaffer is a guest judge as well. The actor, musician, and cookbook author is part of the fourth episode, which features a “frosty North Pole theme” for the contestants. Pieterse was born in South Africa and played Alison DiLaurentis on Freeform’s Pretty Little Liars.
Sasha also revealed in an Instagram post about her appearance on Sugar Rush: Christmas that she was pregnant and hiding a baby bump during the filming. She and her husband welcomed their first child earlier this month.
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The final two episodes of the season close with two more stars from music and acting. Viewers see American Idol winner Jordin Sparks appears on Episode 5. The singer won the sixth season of the hit show at age 17, making history as the youngest winner. Since then, she’s released a certified platinum album, has been nominated for multiple awards, and transitioned into TV and Broadway acting.
In the sixth and final episode, actress and musician Abigail Breslin is the Sugar Rush: Christmas guest judge. Breslin rose to fame with her role as Olive Hoover in the 2006 critically-acclaimed film, Little Miss Sunshine, which earned her an Academy Award nomination.
Since then, she’s gone on to appear in several other projects, including the movies Zombieland and Ender’s Game as well as the Scream Queens TV series on FOX. In addition, she’s released an album in 2011 and released the holiday song, Christmas in New York in 2013.
So, Netflix certainly brought some star power for this latest season, although most viewers are probably focused more on those fancy and festive holiday creations!
Sugar Rush: Christmas is available for streaming on Netflix.