NEW FOOD NETWORK CULINARY COMPETITION PITS PROS AGAINST PASSIONATE AMATEURS IN "BAKERS VS. FAKERS"

Series Premieres Wednesday, January 25th at 10pm ET/PT

NEW YORK - December 22, 2016 - Four competitors battle it out each episode for ultimate bragging rights and a cash prize, as Buddy Valastro hosts new culinary competition series Bakers vs. Fakers, premiering Wednesday, January 25th at 10pm ET/PT on Food Network. Over two rounds of culinary challenges, a mix of home bakers and professional chefs must come up with delectable desserts that need to impress a rotating panel of guest judges, including Damiano Carrara, Nancy Fuller, Paulette Goto, Alex Guarnaschelli, Daphne Oz, Damaris Phillips, Lorraine Pascale, Natalie Sideserf, and Zac Young. With no higher standards for the professionals and no sympathy for the amateurs, a blind taste test will determine the best dessert. Only after the winner is selected will the true identities be revealed. If a professional is victorious, they take home $10,000, but if an amateur can beat the odds and take down the pros, they walk away with $15,000!

"As we have seen with the success of Cooks vs. Cons, not knowing who is the professional and who is the amateur makes the suspense that much greater for viewers at home, as they try to figure out, along with the host and judges, which competitors are bakers and which are fakers," said Didi O'Hearn, Senior Vice President Programming, Food Network & Cooking Channel.

In each one-hour episode the four competitors are put to the test, showcasing they have what it takes to beat their fellow opponents, while proving to the judges why they should be victorious. During one episode things ignite as the four bakers are confronted with using hot peppers to create spicy cupcakes. Judges Lorraine Pascale and Damaris Phillips join Buddy Valastro, in sifting out the bakers from the fakers. After one baker is eliminated, the remaining three move on to round two, where they must use school snacks in their winning dish, with the winner walking away with a cash prize. In another episode, judges Alex Guarnaschelli and Paulette Goto challenge the professional and amateur bakers to cobble together a gooey treat by using cheese in fruit cobblers. The bakers who move on to round two find the challenge twice as nice when rice must be used to find the sweet spot in the winning dish. And see what happens when the bakers square off in an attempt to win over host Buddy Valastro and judges Lorraine Pascale and Zac Young, as classic brownies must be combined with aromatic ginger to determine which competitors move one to round two. Catch all the fun and surprises to see if the pros or amateurs reign supreme!

Can you tell a professional baker from an amateur? Visit Food Network.com to relive the baking fails, see epic reveals and get tips to up your baking game. Join the conversation using #BakersvsFakers.

Bakers vs. Fakers is produced by Cakehouse Media.

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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 13 times and is now the third largest monthly magazine on the newsstand, with over 12.4 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 (NASDAQ: 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.