‘Outrageous Pumpkins’: Series carves out a spot in Food Network’s seasonal lineup
As we head into October, the Halloween season is officially in full swing. That’s certainly the case on the Food Network, which got into the spirit of things a little early this year with a full slate of spooky and sweet-themed programming.
We’re used to seeing shows like “Halloween Baking Championship” and “Halloween Wars” popping up on our screens around this time — last year, the two shows premiered on Sept. 23 and 29, respectively. But for 2020, Food Network is offering nearly 35 hours of Halloweenthemed programming, five more than in 2019; and it all started with the Sept. 13 premiere of “Road to Halloween Wars,” a one- hour special that led into the season premiere of “Halloween Wars.”
That’s also when Food Network debuted a new series, “Outrageous Pumpkins.” If the title sounds awfully familiar, then you’re probably thinking of the one- hour special that aired in 2019. That version of “Outrageous Pumpkins” was hosted by Casey Webb (“Man v. Food”) and featured three rounds of challenges that put the most serious pumpkin carvers to the test.
This year, Food Network decided to turn the concept into a limited series with a tried-and-true weekly elimination format. Hosted by Alyson Hannigan of “How I Met Your
Mother” fame, the series started off by introducing viewers to seven of the nation’s expert pumpkin carvers, who are now vying for the $ 25,000 prize. We’ve had to bid farewell to one of them each week, and five carvers remain. But even if you missed the previous two episodes, there’s still time to get in on the action — especially if you have an appreciation for extraordinary works of art carved out of a squash or gourd. ( Fun fact: Botanically speaking, pumpkins are fruits, not vegetables.)
The classic jack- o’- lantern and the Seven Deadly Sins were covered in the series premiere, and last week’s episode featured 3D dioramas of trick- or- treaters. The new episode airing on Sunday, Sept. 27, is all about spooky structures. In the first challenge, aka the Quick Carve round, competitors must create a cemetery- themed scene with zombie animals; but the structure must be at least two pumpkins tall, and the entire pumpkin must be used, from stem to seed. Round Two, the Big Carve round, is one for dino lovers: the carvers will have to create ginormous prehistoric animals, but weather will make the challenge difficult.
So far, we’ve seen plenty of impressive creations that make this series a must see for anyone looking to step up their pumpkin- carving game. Check out a new episode of “Outrageous Pumpkins” airing on Sunday. And if you catch yourself thinking, “Well, I could do that,” there’s already a casting call out for Season 2, which will likely film next month.