Omak siblings team up in premiere for new Food Network kids baking challenge

Siblings Maci and Emmett Sheets love to make their Mamaw Sandy’s raspberry pie, a favorite for the Omak family’s baking tradition.

Now, the Sheets children will show off that treat along with other baking skills as a sister-and-brother team on a new Food Network kids culinary spinoff, “Baking Championship: Next Gen.” Among 12 sibling teams are Maci, 13, and Emmett, 11, for the premiere scheduled at 8 p.m. Monday, Jan. 5.

Maci is a longtime fan of the network’s kids baking championship show, although she didn’t know about the “Next Gen” sibling spinoff. Last spring, she had quickly sent in an application, just in her name, to be on the show.

“I was watching the kids baking show, and I thought, ‘This looks like fun; maybe I should apply,’ ” said Maci, who is home-schooled along with her brother. “I thought it was a pretty low chance, because thousands of kids apply.”

When the family got a casting call soon after, it was a surprise, including to their mother Crystal and dad Chad.

“It was pretty quick from the time she applied,” Crystal said.

“We were getting ready for a camping trip to the Olympic National Forest over Memorial Day weekend. We got a call from a casting director, who asked if we knew Maci had applied for this show.

“That’s kind of how we found out about it.”

Maci added: “Yeah, I didn’t tell my mom or dad.”

But Crystal Sheets said they quickly jumped on board. The show’s casting team had seen a picture of Maci and Emmett baking together, beginning a round of interviews and baking demonstrations for “Next Gen.” By mid-June, the family went to the L.A. area for the show’s taping.

Food Network’s “Next Gen” has sibling teams ages 8 to 14 who compete for $25,000, with judges Duff Goldman and Kardea Brown. On the premiere, teams audition by making cupcakes and then scratch-baked pies to make the final cut of 10 teams.

Maci and Emmett can’t say yet if they make the first cut, but Maci could share what they did for the initial challenges.

The Sheets made maple cupcakes with bacon on top, “because (judge) Duff is a bacon fan,” Maci added.

Of course, she and Emmett also made their grandma’s raspberry pie, which carries a special meaning.

The children have been part of four generations of the family living nearby to each other, in separate residences on the same plot of Omak land, including the kids’ great-grandparents, both 95, and grandparents Doug and Sandy Sheets.

“I can see the front door to my in-laws’ house from our house,” Crystal said. “Both the kids’ great -grandparents are living here next door, (and) their grandparents on the other side. Now, it’s just Papa because their mamaw (Sandy) who started them on this baking journey passed away about a year ago, after a long battle with cancer.”

The kids had often walked next door to bake that pie with her, along with helping their grandmother make cookies and other baked goods.

“I think that is what really propelled me into deciding to apply,” Crystal said. Or, that is, carry through with Maci’s query.

Today, the siblings often use Mamaw’s baking recipes. Maci has baked and entered the raspberry pie in the Okanogan County Fair for four years. It has won ribbons for grand champion and reserve grand champion.

“I’ve been baking since I was really, really little – maybe 4 – then Emmett would help out here and there,” Maci added. “I started out making Christmas cookies like simple sugar cookies and raspberry pie, which is our favorite thing to bake, so I’d helped Mamaw make that.

“Then it just started growing from there. It was pretty easy to bake with my mamaw, because it’s right next door.”

Emmett said he and his sister make a good baking team, and he likes to say he’s the butler. The siblings describe that as he’s the go-to guy for fetching ingredients, opening jar lids and adding the eggs.

“Yep, I sure can crack a mean egg,” Emmett quipped.

“It’s fun, and I like doing the little details at the end,” he added. “It’s even more fun with my sister.”

Being on the show was different, Emmett said. “It was really crazy because Maci got us in, surprisingly. I didn’t know. I had to really study up on my memory of baking.”

His sister said the pair made on-set friends. “It was really awesome to be there and have this crazy experience that I’ll remember forever. The kitchen was ginormous, and I didn’t have to clean the dishes. That’s nice.”

Aside from baking, the Sheets enjoy skiing, swimming and traveling. Emmett shared his other favorite hobby.

“I love to hunt turkey,” he said. “And I also brought my lucky turkey beard with me on the show.”

After explaining that the long beard comes from a mature male turkey, he didn’t elaborate whether the lucky charm gets mentioned on the show. “You’ll have to watch it.”

The pair plan to keep on baking. Maci already had prepared some sugar cookies for the family a few days before Christmas.

Along with fresh fruit pies, Emmett has another favorite recipe he does. “I make really good brownies,” he said.

The family plans to watch the premiere alongside many Omak residents.

“We’re going to rent our local Omak movie theater, and we’ve invited a bunch of friends and family to come, so we’re going to watch the premiere there,” Maci said.

The show also is available to stream the following day on Discovery+/HBO Max.