Show guide

Halloween Wars

Food Network
United States
2011 to present
15 seasons
Returning series

About Halloween Wars

Every October since 2011, teams of cake, sugar, and pumpkin artists have built horror showpieces that have to look terrifying and eat well, judged by a panel that has included special-effects legends, a horror franchise creator, and one very steady cake artist who has seen it all. The rotating cast of hosts, from a magician to a ghost hunter, is a saga in itself. It is Food Network's longest-running Halloween institution for a reason.

The format

Teams combining cake, sugar, and pumpkin specialists build themed Halloween displays each week, scored on artistry and taste, with one team eliminated per episode until the finale. The prize has been $50,000 for most of the run.

The prize

$50,000 for most seasons ($25,000 in 2023 and 2024)

Hosts & judges

Hosts

Justin Willman2011 to 2014
Rossi Morreale2015
Jonathan Bennett2016 to 2020, then 2023 to present
Zak Bagans with Eddie Jackson2021 to 2022

Judges

Shinmin Li2011 to present
Aarti Sequeira2021 to present
Miles Teves2011
Tom Savini2012
Brian Kinney2013 to 2015
Don Mancini2016
Todd Tucker2017 to 2020

Where to stream

Food Network, HBO Max, and discovery+ in the US; check Food Network Canada and discovery+ UK abroad.

USFood NetworkHBO Maxdiscovery+Hulu

CAFood Network (Canada)

UKFood Network UK / discovery+

Verified July 2026. Streaming availability changes often, so check the platform before you subscribe.

Seasons

Fifteen Octobers of showpieces and counting, all archived below.

Season	Aired	Episodes
Season 1	Oct 2, 2011 to Oct 23, 2011	4
Season 2	Oct 7, 2012 to Oct 28, 2012	4
Season 3	Oct 6, 2013 to Oct 27, 2013	4
Season 4	Oct 5, 2014 to Oct 26, 2014	4
Season 5	Oct 4, 2015 to Oct 25, 2015	4
Season 6	Oct 2, 2016 to Oct 30, 2016	5
Season 7	Oct 1, 2017 to Oct 29, 2017	5
Season 8	Sep 30, 2018 to Oct 28, 2018	5
Season 9	Sep 29, 2019 to Oct 27, 2019	5
Season 10	Sep 13, 2020 to Oct 11, 2020	5
Season 11	Sep 19, 2021 to Oct 31, 2021	8
Season 12	Sep 18, 2022 to Oct 30, 2022	9
Season 13	Sep 17, 2023 to Oct 29, 2023	9
Season 14	Sep 22, 2024 to Oct 27, 2024	8
Season 15	Sep 21, 2025 to Oct 26, 2025	6

Each season guide will contain episodes, bakes, cast when available, and sources. Winners stay tucked away below so nothing gets spoiled by accident.

Season winners

Tap a season to reveal its winner. Nothing is spoiled until you ask.

Season 1Reveal

Julie Bashore