BAKERS BATTLE TO RISE TO THE TOP ON FOOD NETWORK'S "CAKE WARS"

Series Premiere Monday, June 29th at 8pm ET/PT on Food Network

New York - May 28, 2015 - Cake is the centerpiece of every perfect celebration. On Food Network's Cake Wars, premiering on Monday, June 29th at 8:00pm ET/PT, four expert bakers compete for the opportunity to have their jaw-dropping cake creations star at a major party or special event. Jonathan Bennett (Mean Girls) hosts this grueling competition, as the decorated bakers aim to impress master pastry chefs Ron Ben-Israel (Sweet Genius) and Waylynn Lucas (co-owner of Fonuts), as well as episodic guest judges. Each week, only one contestant will take the cake to headline the main event, and take home the sweet grand prize of $10,000!

"Viewers had a sweet spot for Cupcake Wars, and now everything gets bigger and better on Cake Wars. It takes confectionary competition to the next level, filled with over-the-top creations and edge-of-your-seat competition," said Bob Tuschman, General Manager and Senior Vice President of Food Network.

This sugar-packed competition is anything but sweet as the bakers battle against one another to create an extraordinary cake to sweeten up a big soiree. The competitors' skills and imaginations will be tested in two rounds of challenges, where they rush against the clock to design mind-blowing cake confections. In the first round, they must incorporate a surprise ingredient into the recipe. Then, in round two, the cakes must contain three special features that match the event theme. Based on taste and presentation, only one will have their cake and eat it too as the winner!

Over the course of the eight exhilarating episodes, the bakers vie for the chance to showcase their eye-popping cakes at big events, with special themed episodes for The Simpsons, DC Comics, Nintendo's Mario Maker, Hello Kitty, LEGO(R), Girl Scouts, The Knot Dream Wedding, and the 50th anniversary of The Sound of Music. Who will collapse under the pressure and get sent home, and who will win the chance of a lifetime? Don't miss as all of the delicious action unfolds. Let the Cake Wars begin!

Fan can visit FoodNetwork.com/CakeWars for photo galleries and show highlights, as well as join the conversation on Twitter using #CakeWars.

Before his breakout role as Aaron Samuels in the hit movie, Mean Girls, Jonathan Bennett launched his career on the small screen. After getting his start starring in the Emmy award-winning series All My Children, Bennett appeared on Law & Order: SVU, Smallville, and Veronica Mars. In addition to his work on television, he has starred in many leading motion pictures including Lovewrecked, The Dukes of Hazzard: The Beginning, Cheaper by the Dozen, and National Lampoon's Van Wilder: Freshman Year. He added executive producer to his resume with the films Authors Anonymous, Pawn, and Submerged, in which he also starred. Recently, he garnered national attention as a competitor on ABC's Dancing with the Stars, where he won "Fan Favorite." Bennett resides in Los Angeles, and is currently working on a new feature film, Modern Love, where he will star alongside Kate Walsh and Anthony Rapp.

Cake Wars is produced by Super Delicious Productions.

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FOOD NETWORK (www.foodnetwork.com) is a unique lifestyle network, website and magazine that connects viewers to the power and joy of food. The network strives to be viewers' best friend in food and is committed to leading by teaching, inspiring, empowering and entertaining through its talent and expertise. Food Network is distributed to more than 100 million U.S. households and up to 35 million unique web users monthly. Since launching in 2009, Food Network Magazine's rate base has grown tenfold and is now the second largest monthly magazine on the newsstand, with over 11.6 million readers. Headquartered in New York, Food Network has a growing international presence with programming in more than 150 countries, including 24-hour networks in the United Kingdom, Asia, and the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region. Scripps Networks Interactive (NYSE: SNI), which also owns and operates Cooking Channel (www.cookingchanneltv.com), HGTV (www.hgtv.com), DIY Network (www.diynetwork.com), Travel Channel (www.travelchannel.com) and Great American Country (www.gactv.com), is the manager and general partner.