Food Network serves up frightfully delicious fall in new seasons of 'Halloween Baking Championship' & 'Halloween Wars'

Food Network press release & photos

This year, Food Network is taking its fan-favorite Halloween competitions to a terrifying new level that will deliver eye-popping bakes, dramatic twists and disturbingly delicious creations.

First up, on Sunday, Sept. 13, at 9 p.m. ET/PT, “Halloween Wars” will return with host Jonathan Bennett and a “Back from the Dead” theme featuring all-star expert pumpkin-carving artists, sugar masters, and cake mavens who will face more difficult challenges than ever before.

Then, on Monday, Sept. 14, at 9 p.m., “Halloween Baking Championship,” helmed by host John Henson, will be set in the Museum of Unnatural History where eerie exhibits will inspire artistic yet blood-curdling challenges worthy of display.

Episodes of both series will stream the next day on HBO Max.

“Halloween Wars” kicks off its “Back from the Dead” season with a supersized two-hour premiere featuring returning all-star pumpkin carvers, cake artists and sugar masters hoping to defend their titles while others will be on the hunt for redemption. The premiere launches with two rounds of nail-biting competition, beginning with terrifying head-to-head battles that could put even the strongest teams of former champions in jeopardy. As the pressure rises, emotions boil over and the losing teams will face a brutal "Do or Die" round two showdown where one team will be eliminated.

This year, host Bennett will be joined by judges Shinmin Li and Andrew Fuller who will evaluate each team’s spectacular compositions throughout the season and ultimately award $30,000 to the winning team.

Over on Food Network's social platforms, Bennett will attempt mini-Halloween challenges and judges Li and Fuller will share tips and tricks for easier home baking. Join the conversation using #HalloweenWars.

“Halloween Baking Championship” returns with 10 bakers vying for the title of champion and a $25,000 prize. The two-hour premiere unveils the setting for this year’s competition, the grand foyer of the Museum of Unnatural History, where frightening collections like “Possessed Pests,” “Demon Masks” and a “Vault of Bones” beckon down every hall. Curator and host Henson will lead the unsuspecting bakers through an arresting series of challenges inspired by the creepy exhibits. If the competitors’ desserts impress judges Stephanie Boswell, Aarti Sequeira and Zac Young, they may survive to see another midnight, otherwise they'll have to bake for their lives. Through it all, they'll face a gauntlet of otherworldly wonders until the last baker standing wins.

For the first “Haunted Heat” of the season, the bakers must put their best spooky memories to work to create desserts honoring their “Best Halloween Ever.” The winner receives $1,000, and the top three bakers are safe. The remaining competitors face a “Bake for Your Life” challenge to create “Hideous Mask Desserts” inspired by the disfigured mask collection in the Hall of Humanity. The least successful baker will be eliminated.

Fans can see how the judges' most-impressive costumes come to life and join them behind the scenes to see how they spend a day on set by following #HalloweenBakingChampionship across Food Network’s social platforms. They can also visit www.FoodNetwork.com to learn more about the competitors and stay up to date on “Halloween Baking Championship” news.