Seasonal success
‘Halloween Wars’ still going strong
If you’ve missed out on the first two episodes of this year’s “Halloween Wars,” there’s still time to jump right in and watch the pro carvers work their magic. A Halloween staple since 2011, the Food Network’s autumnal classic has new episodes airing every Sunday in October, including this week, on Oct. 13.
The beauty of this show is watching the creative process because each artist within the team brings their own master skills and talent to the competition.
And the end results are incredible. Some of these elaborate, edible Halloween displays could easily be mistaken for stop-motion sets. It’s an impressive feat, considering the fact that they’re all carved and sculpted out of sugar, cake and giant pumpkins.
You won’t find simple jack-o’-lanterns here. The first episode was all about capturing the horror of being trapped in a nightmare. Last week’s episode mixed humor and horror with its “zombie dating show” theme. And this week, the teams have to represent a fear shared by many: the fear of being attacked by a swarm.
Last year’s edition of “Halloween Wars” brought in series-best ratings that placed it in the top 10 original cable telecasts on Sunday nights throughout its run. It was just a few spots ahead of another limited-run Food Network competition, “Haunted Gingerbread Showdown.” This seems to be proof that Food Network has clearly found its winning formula and is delivering just the kind of family-friendly competitions we’re looking for this time of year.
It helps that the challenges mix funny and frightening themes that keep it entertaining, kind of like a special edition of “Cupcake Wars.” That show’s host, Johnathan Bennett, is presiding over all of the baking, sculpting and carving in this show, too, and has been for every edition since 2016.
The judges might also look familiar. Acclaimed cake decorator Shinmin Li and horror film special effects master Todd Tucker are back to judge this season’s creations and teams. They’re joined by new celebrity guest judges, including actress Harley Quinn Smith (“Tusk,” 2014) on this week’s episode and Caleb McLaughlin (“Stranger Things”) next week.
It’s all in the name of fun, food and art. Except there’s a $50,000 grand prize that everyone wants to win.
If you need to catch up on Season 9, mark your calendars for Oct. 27. Repeat airings of “Halloween Wars” will help fill in the blanks or refresh your memory leading up to the big finale.