Joanna Gaines Quietly Joined a New Holiday Series That’s Way More Extra Than Anything She's Done

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas for Chip and Joanna Gaines! Audiences know the former HGTV couple for their renovation skills as they’ve left their mark on Waco, Texas, on Fixer Upper. After departing HGTV to launch their own network, the Gaines have left their mark on new formats and genres that have expanded their empire of wholesome content. With some frost in the air and Christmas trees already being put up, Joanna is swapping out her typical cozy, farmhouse-chic projects for a fantastical, grand holiday competition series with Christmas joy at the forefront: Gingerbread Land: The Biggest Little Holiday Competition.

While houses will be featured in this series, they won’t be made of wood; they’ll be built out of gingerbread. Serving as one of the producers of the show, Joanna’s new project is all about storytelling, spectacle, and six-figure stakes in a way that most of her previous shows have seen. By stepping into this new frontier with this Magnolia Network and Food Network joint venture, fans can expect her empire to continue to expand in ways beyond their wildest dreams.

Joanna Gaines Enters the Edible Construction World

Gingerbread Land is the newest addition to the holiday slate of competition programming this year. Hosted by Oliver Hudson, top bakers face off in the biggest little gingerbread competition ever imagined. Over a series of four challenges, teams build incredible, edible worlds from scratch with lights, motion, and storybook-level detail in every miniature. Each week, new challenges bring twists and surprises. Contestants transform flour, sugar, and candy into intricate works of art, competing in playful rounds that test design, structure, and creativity.

In this new venture, it’s a high-stakes game unlike the grounded shows of the past. This isn’t real families with real houses with real design problems. Gingerbread Land swaps out that typical neutral palette for a candy-colored world where everything is bright and delicious. Literally. Joanna will be stepping into a world where flour and candy become miniature lands made from gingerbread. Within the Fixer Upper universe, the “prize” for the real-life individuals was their new homes. Here, the real winners walk away with a whopping $100,000 prize. That could easily go toward a farmhouse-chic Joanna renovation of your dreams!

As Joanna shared when the series was announced, “We wanted to create a show that makes you smile and puts you in the holiday spirit the moment you turn it on. Gingerbread Land is all about joy, fun, and a sense of wonder. It’s a chance for families to gather, cheer on their favorite creations, and be inspired by the beauty and playfulness of the season.” The Gaines are no strangers to pushing the boundaries as producers. This summer, they debuted a fascinating series, Back to the Frontier, that followed three modern families as they were transported to live on an 1880s homestead. By straying away from the classic renovation shows, Joanna is proving she has a unique pulse on modern media trends.

Joanna Gaines Will Focus on Whimsy and Imagination

Instead of blueprints, budgets, and structural fixes, Joanna is bringing viewers a show with a different storytelling style. All in sugar form. Using her knowledge of storytelling through building her own projects, Gingerbread Land will be able to build on the experience that made Fixer Upper a massive success on HGTV. Furthermore, when Joanna steps into the workshop, her eye for design and creation will exert a powerful influence on the contestants, who will look to her for inspiration. She’s an expert in her field, just like acclaimed pastry chef Gale Gand and architect and professor Michael Ford will be on hand each week to guide the contestants. The biggest difference for Joanna, though, is that practicality will be pushed to the back burner in favor of whimsy and imagination.

Food Network is notorious for its holiday baking shows. The lineup is stacked to the point where you might mix up some titles and concepts. With Joanna at the forefront as the marquee name, Gingerbread Land has a newfound appeal, directly attracting her HGTV and Magnolia audience. This also serves as a chance to welcome Food Network fanatics into her world if they haven’t been privy to it before. Though she’s sprinkled in as a guest judge, alongside celebrity stylist Brad Goreski, chef Christina Tosi, and actress D’arcy Carden, this is Joanna’s new venture. Though she is primarily on hand as a producer, there’s no doubt that her influence will be all over the series. She is an expert at wholesome family-friendly content. All signs are pointing to a new seasonal tradition that will be good enough to eat.

Gingerbread Land premieres on Monday, November 17 at 9:00pm on Magnolia Network and Food Network. All episodes will be available to stream on HBO Max.