HGTV’s ‘Table Wars’ puts competitive tablescaping front and center

When considering the overall dining experience, obviously the food is the thing but the decor on and around the table also plays a role. And that’s where “Table Wars” comes in.

Premiering Friday, Nov. 12, on HGTV and discovery+, the seven-episode competition series pits eight top event designers in a series of challenges to see who can create the ultimate themed dining environment incorporating tablescapes, centerpieces, lighting and displays. The contestant who most impresses the judging panel of lead judge Martha Stewart, actress Tamera Mowry-Housley (“Sister, Sister”) and event designer Chris Hessney wins the “Table Wars” title and a $50,000 grand prize.

“Having a beautiful tablescape just elevates and heightens those senses,” explains Mowry-Housley, who is also the show’s host. “So you’re seeing things, you’re feeling things and you’re tasting things ... so it embodies all the human senses and it just makes it that much of a better experience instead of just kind of forcing food in your mouth. And if you feel good, you’re relaxed, you see conversational pieces, it’ll actually invite the guests that you’ve invited to actually start having conversations, to open up and to meet people. That’s what tablescaping does, I think.”

The backgrounds of the contestants here are varied. While many are event designers, there are also people with backgrounds in wedding planning, theme park design, set design and even parade float fabrication. And the creations are certainly outside the box.

In Friday’s opener, a team challenge tasks one pair of contestants with creating a tablescape with the theme of “Day/Night.” The final product, in which one half of the table looked like it was bathed in moonlight while the other appeared to be sunlit, was breathtaking.