WJZ wins Maryland State Fair's Undeniably Dairy Shake Off for the first time since 2023

The 145th Maryland State Fair has kicked off and is underway for three fun-filled weekends before the beginning of the fall 2026 season.

On Friday, the annual Undeniably Dairy Shake Off took place, where local media members competed for the best milkshake flavor.

This year, WJZ's Kellye Lynn, First Alert Meteorologist Gregg Padgett, and creative producer Aniya Faulcon took home the trophy after they were given 15 minutes to put together a shake.

They say their inspiration was Maryland flavors, so they made a sweet chocolate shake that included Smith Island Cake, Berger cookies, and some salty pretzels, naming it 'The Black-Eyed Moo-lander', a play on the Black-Eyed Susan.

How the milkshake was crafted

"We did homemade whipping topping, we used a emulsifyer to really make the milkshake as creamy as possible, and then I made homemade chocolate last night, our chocolate sauce, and that's a mixture of dark chocolate, insanely sweet chocolate with some milk and sugar and vanilla, and then that was in the refrigerator all night, nice and cold to help add texture as well as that chocolate flavor instead of using the store brought brand. It just makes it a much more richer flavor. And then of course, you had the great idea to actually put some of our decor that was on top of the cake in the cake," Greg explained.

"Mhm, crumbles, cookie crumbles, cake crumbles, caramel dripping down the sides, delicious. And it was nice and thick and creamy, which I think the judges really enjoyed," Aniya said. 

The last time WJZ won the Undeniably Dairy Shake Off was in 2023.