For Plymouth Meeting siblings Abby and Cameron Bellezza, baking is not just a hobby — it’s their ticket to television. The siblings, ages 14 and 12, respectively, recently participated in Food Network’s “Baking Championship: Next Gen,” a reality television baking competition. The show features 12 sibling teams, ages 8 to 14, competing in baking challenges to win $25,000.

“It was the best experience of my life,” Cameron told the Local.

The Bellezzas have been baking together for eight years. What began with simple recipes quickly became something more when COVID-19 hit the region.

“During the pandemic, we would watch all the seasons of ‘Kids Baking Championship,’” Cameron said. “I thought I might be a good fit.”

Eventually, Cameron decided to submit an application video. When they learned there would be a sibling show this season, he and his sister applied as a sibling team.

Luckily for the Bellezzas, Food Network liked what it saw. This past summer, they flew from Philadelphia to California to begin filming “Baking Championship: Next Gen.” Filming lasted from the end of June 2025 through July, and the first episode aired this month, on Jan. 5.

“It was a lot of baking,” said Abby, “but there was also a lot of time we spent answering [judges’] questions about what we made and why we chose to bake it.”

The hosts, pastry chef Duff Goldman and chef and author Kardea Brown, judge the baking each week. Two teams were eliminated in the first episode, and one more is eliminated each episode until the winning team is revealed on March 2, in the ninth and final episode.

While the siblings agree that the baking was fun, they said the elimination process was stressful.

“You had no idea what was going to happen,” Abby said. And after making friends with other contestants, seeing them leave the show was emotional. “It was really sad, because at that point, we had gotten to know everyone really well.”

In the end, the best part of filming was not the baking, they said. It was the people.

“My favorite part was getting to meet everyone who was there,” Cameron said.

Abby agreed: “We’re all really good friends, and we still talk today.”

Though friends, the teams were still rivals on set. And Abby and Cameron brought their Philly fighting spirit.

“We bring in Philly with everything we do,” Cameron said. “The ‘Rocky’ song was playing in our heads the moment we stepped in.”

Themed challenges offered plenty of creativity. One, a vacation-themed competition, allowed the siblings to make dessert empanadas as a memory of their trips to Sedona, Arizona. “They were the most fun to make because they were different. We got to decorate them more,” Abby said. Another highlight was the siblings’ chai latte cupcakes, which they made in the skills challenge in Episode 1.

Other challenges included puzzle-piece cakes decorated to represent a sibling, desserts that looked like breakfast foods, and friendship bracelet desserts. Some episodes not only challenged baking skills, but also communication skills and time management.

“It was really stressful, because we knew that if we were to mess something up while we were baking, there was no going back,” Abby said.

After being on television, life for the Bellezzas is different.

“The main thing I’ve taken away was, I feel able to step out of my comfort zone when I bake,” Cameron said.

Abby said she “learned how to become more comfortable decorating and piping [icing].”

Even in school, they’ve noticed a difference.

“People are calling me famous!” Cameron exclaimed.

Their next stop may be Hollywood, but for now, Abby and Cameron are firmly entrenched in Philadelphia. Their final message? “Two words: Go Birds!”