In a shocking move, Spring Baking Championship's 2025 contestant Lauren Klein withdrew from the competition during the debut episode.
Season 11 of the reality competition series is now underway, and a new batch of aspiring bakers is battling for the show's $50,000 cash prize.
Just like 2024's iteration of the series (and every season before that), the show sees its competitors taking part in spring-themed baking challenges and being eliminated one by one until a winner is crowned.
Why Did Lauren Leave Spring Baking Championship 2025?
The Spring Baking Championship Season 11 premiere ended with contestant Lauren Klein leaving the series on her own accord rather than being voted off.
The 2025 season of the beloved TV baking competition kicked off with a bang as it introduced audiences to this latest round of 13 bakers. A part of this new cast was Chocolatier and Pastry Chef Lauren Klein.
Lauren is an award-winning baking business owner, working as the founder and chief operator of Handcrafted Chocolates on the Jersey Shore.
In the series premiere, Lauren and her fellow competitors were challenged with thawing away the icy cold of winter with some sugar-coated blooms.
To do this, they were tasked with creating baking masterpieces that incorporated a flower design that answered the question, "If I was a spring flower, what would I be?" They also were forced to conceive of a twist on a honey pie, crafting some bee-themed pastries with the use of fresh honey.
While Lauren did not win either challenge, she proved to be a force to be reckoned with in the kitchen, receiving positive reviews from the judges and coming in as one of the early favorites to make it to the show's hyper-competitive finale.
However, that dream was ultimately cut short. Even though her Spring Baking Championship castmates Jamie and Kareem earned the dishonor of being Week 1's bottom two, neither bakers were sent home (as is the show's usual format).
Instead, Lauren announced during the elimination ceremony that she was withdrawing from the competition and would be leaving after a single week. Because of this, no one was officially eliminated from the series premiere, and both Jamie and Kareem got off scot-free.
This move was, of course, met with confusion by both the show's cast as well as audiences watching at home. What could have possibly transpired that would have caused Lauren to completely pull out of the series? Was everything okay?
In the episode itself, details were scant, but Lauren offered fans a little more information in the time since the premiere.
After being asked about her departure from the Food Network competition series on Instagram, Lauren admitted she "got sick and was unable to continue:"
Q: "Why did you leave the competition? :cry: Your honey pie looked so good!"
Klein: "Thank you! I got sick and was unable to continue. I got a glowing review from duff though and made my grandma proud."
She did not elaborate beyond that, but fans can be assured that the New Jersey pastry chef had her reasons for withdrawing from the competition and did not make the decision lightly.
Spring Baking Championship continues with new episodes debuting every Monday at 8 p.m. ET on the Food Network, and past seasons can be streamed now on Max.
