'Cake Boss' crowns 'Next Great Baker' as season one of the spin-off wraps up

Courtesy of TLC"Cake Boss" Buddy Valastro named the "Next Great Baker" on tonight's season finale of the spin-off reality series on TLC. The final contestants stand with their cakes before a live audience at the DeBaun Center at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken.Tonight's the night, Hobokenites and "Cake Boss" fans! Buddy Valastro has crowned his next protege and added a new member to his famiglia.

(By the way, tonight's recap is being featured at TLC.com! You can also visit Facebook.com/CakeBoss for even more dish on the show.)

Who will win $50,000, a 2011 Chevy Cruise, a job at Carlo's City Hall Bake Shop in Hoboken and the title of Next Great Baker?

We'll get to that.

First things first: the last baker's challenge... and it's not so sweet.

On tonight's special 90 minute episode, the three remaining bakers - Corina Elgart, Dana Herbert and Megan Rountree - walked a mile in Buddy's shoes for a day.

And that included a trip down to the basement to clean out the bakery's grease trap which skims the sludge off of the waste water.

Holding back their disgust, the contestants grabbed a bucket, filled them up with the gray, unappetizing substance and hauled them back to Buddy - all in one minute. (Having seen the line outside this bakery even in 30 degree weather, this reporter wouldn't be surprised to find those buckets on Ebay!)

Pulling in 46 pounds of rancid grease, Dana got to the first pick of Buddy's team to help him win the final challenge.

It's go time!

"They have to use their time and my family if they want to win this challenge," said Buddy.

Starting at 6 o' clock the night before, the contestants were responsible for baking 400 cookies, 20 cakes, 20 pies and 200 pastries - all by 7 a.m.

But it didn't stop there. The bakers also kicked out a Hoboken-themed cake for a "very special client."

Mayor Dawn Zimmer, of course. Or, as Buddy called her, "the Boss of Hoboken." (Sources tell us she's watching tonight episode with her family.)

After several hours of planning and baking (and some typical squabbling amongst the "Cake Boss" sisters), Zimmer arrives to give a plug for the Mile Square City - the birthplace of Sinatra and baseball and home to a diverse community.

Seven a.m. arrived sooner than the bakers expected and after working all night long in the kitchen, the contestants were expected to sell, sell, sell as swarms of tourists - many of whom lined up starting at 5 a.m. - flooded the bakery.

Dana and Megan had both managed to crank out an impressive array of pastries, plus a few extras to kick the competition up a notch. Intimidated by the over-achievers, Corina decided to return to the bakery and whip up a few more pastries.

But, sadly, it was too late for the New Yorker.

Buddy shocked the bakers with a surprise elimination mid-way through the episode.

"I'm a baker, but I'm a businessman first," said Buddy as Corina was ushered into the box truck.

On With the Show

Dana and Megan had one last task to finish their Hoboken cakes and deliver them to the DeBaun Center at Stevens Institute of Technology where a live audience of hundreds of fans and their families awaited them.

Zimmer and buddy's mother Mary Valastro were there to judge the final leg of the competition.

Courtesy of TLCDana Herbert, 34, of Bear, Delaware won the title of "Next Great Baker" for his version of a Hoboken-themed cake. He will soon join the cast of season 4 of "Cake Boss" which airs next week at 9 p.m.Ultimately, it was Herbert's detailed depiction of City Hall, Carlo's Bake Shop and other iconic Hoboken images on a three-tiered vanilla cake won him the coveted title of Valastro's new protege - despite Zimmer's professed preference for Megan's chocolate cake.

"I want to officially welcome you to my church," said Valastro as he lead Herbert into the bakery in the episode's final shot and issued him a white Carlo's baker's coat. "You are now part of the family."

Tune in to catch Dana on "Cake Boss" season four next Monday at 9 p.m.!