FOOD NETWORK KICKS OFF THE HOLIDAY BAKING SEASON

New Seasons of Christmas Cookie Challenge, Holiday Baking Championship, and Holiday Wars, Along with New Series Buddy vs. Duff: Holiday, Holiday Baking Championship: Gingerbread Showdown and More

Catch Up on Current and Classic Food Network Holiday Content on the First-Ever Holiday Central Hub on discovery+

NEW YORK - October 26, 2021 - The holiday baking season is upon us as Food Network readies seasonal favorites, all-new series and festive specials that are sure to inspire as well as entertain, all part of the nearly 100 hours of holiday programming lined up for viewers. Host Jesse Palmer gets the fun started with the return of Holiday Baking Championship on Monday, November 1st at 8pm ET/PT, as the best bakers in America compete for a spot in Food Network Magazine. Holiday Wars is back with the biggest and tastiest season yet, with host Maneet Chauhan and judges Shinmin Li and Aarti Sequeira on Sunday, November 7th at 9pm ET/PT. Food Network stars Ree Drummond and Eddie Jackson get audiences ready for more joyful cookie creations on the new season of Christmas Cookie Challenge, premiering Thursday, November 11th at 9pm ET/PT. For viewers who can't get enough holiday baking, talented gingerbread artists battle it out on Holiday Baking Championship: Gingerbread Showdown, starting Monday, November 15th at 9pm ET/PT. Then, Duff Goldman hosts a special Kids Baking Championship: Light Up the Holidays on Sunday, November 21st at 8pm ET/PT, as former competitors return to the kitchen to make holiday cakes. Longtime rivals and titans of baking, Duff Goldman and Buddy Valastro, bring their epic competition to Christmastime with bigger and bolder cake builds that embody iconic holiday moments on Buddy vs. Duff: Holiday, premiering Sunday, November 28th at 8pm ET/PT. And host Maneet Chauhan rings in the New Year with Holiday Wars: Champion Cake Off on Sunday, December 26th at 9pm ET/PT, as the reigning champions of Halloween Wars and Holiday Wars go head-to-head. Fans of Food Network's holiday-themed programming can also access the first-ever Holiday Central hub starting November 1st on discovery+. With competition series, specials, holiday movies, and more, the Holiday Central hub is the ultimate holiday destination for viewers.

"Whether it is our popular holiday competitions showcasing fantastical desserts, expert baking tips to get inspired by, or the comfort of our beloved talent, audiences think of Food Network as synonymous with the holidays," said Courtney White, President, Food Network and Streaming Food Content, Discovery Inc. "And with the new Holiday Central hub, there is nothing better than bundling up in front of the television this season for the return of our festive programming with everything viewers need at their fingertips."

A new season of Holiday Baking Championship returns on Monday, November 1st at 8pm ET/PT with a special two-hour premiere. Jesse Palmer hosts, with 12 of the best holiday bakers in America showcasing their family traditions and superb baking skills over eight episodes. Judges Nancy Fuller, Duff Goldman, and Carla Hall determine which baker stands above the rest through weekly dessert challenges, earning a feature in Food Network Magazine and the title of Holiday Baking Champion. On Monday, November 15th at 9pm ET/PT, three teams of talented gingerbread artists face off in the new five-episode spin-off, Holiday Baking Championship: Gingerbread Showdown. Host Jesse Palmer brings audiences inside this festive world of gingerbread delights, as judges Nacho Aguirre, Kardea Brown, and Breegan Jane (HGTV's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition) challenge the gingerbread teams in each standalone one-hour episode to embrace their holiday spirit. All episodes of Holiday Baking Championship and Holiday Baking Championship: Gingerbread Showdown are available on Food Network and to stream on discovery+.

Holiday Wars is back with new holiday challenges on Sunday, November 7th at 9pm ET/PT, premiering with a special double-episode. Nine teams of masterful cake and sugar artists battle it out over eight one-hour episodes to create eye-popping and edible seasonal displays. Whether it is dreaming up the wildest Thanksgiving imaginable, creating the perfect snowball fight, or bringing the story of an iconic caroling song to life in the most delicious way imaginable, these confectionary stars must lay it all on the line to impress host Maneet Chauhan and judges Shinmin Li and Aarti Sequeira. Don't miss all the holiday fun on Food Network and discovery+.

Holiday cookies are more than mere sweets, they are also gifts and mementos of childhood and family celebrations. This holiday season, co-hosts Ree Drummond and Eddie Jackson get audiences ready for the holidays with the return of Christmas Cookie Challenge. In each one-hour episode, five daring and confident cookie makers compete in two rounds to prove their holiday cookie-baking skills. Don't miss all eight episodes of this joyful competition starting with a special double-episode premiere on Thursday, November 11th at 9pm ET/PT on Food Network. Viewers can also catch up on all the crafty creations throughout the season on discovery+.

It's the ultimate face-off, as Duff Goldman and Buddy Valastro come together for a special four-episode competition celebrating the winter holiday season in Buddy vs. Duff: Holiday. Premiering Sunday, November 28th at 8pm ET/PT on Food Network and discovery+, each episode features Buddy and Duff creating out-of-this-world cakes that perfectly celebrate the holiday season. With just 20 hours to work with their talented teams and bring their masterpieces to life, four esteemed pastry chefs join the teams at their bakeries each week to judge the cakes, including Gesine Prado and Elizabeth Falkner from Jersey City, and Stephanie Boswell and Valerie Gordon judging from Los Angeles. In a special 90-minute finale on Sunday, December 19th at 8pm ET/PT, one baking sultan will walk away with holiday bragging rights.

Plus, don't miss specials, Kids Baking Championship: Light Up the Holidays on Sunday, November 21st at 8pm ET/PT, featuring fan favorites returning to the kitchen to make Holiday Candle Tsunami Cakes with a poured sugar flame. Host and judge Duff Goldman is joined by a special guest judge who will offer their unique perspective as a former contestant. In the end, the baker with the best cake will win. And on Sunday, December 26th at 9pm ET/PT, host Maneet Chauhan challenges the reigning champions of Halloween Wars and Holiday Wars on Holiday Wars: Champion Cake Off. The two teams of cake and sugar artists must create their own team mascot and show how they will celebrate the New Year with a champagne-inspired cake flavor. Judges Shinmin Li and Aarti Sequeira determine which team of champions come out on top.

Check out FoodNetwork.com throughout the holidays for behind-the-scenes footage, exclusive tours of the sets, to browse photo galleries, and get tips from the judges themselves. Follow the action all season long at #HolidayWars, #HolidayBakingChampionship, #GingerbreadShowdown, #ChristmasCookieChallenge, #BuddyVsDuff and #KidsBakingChampionship. Plus, don't miss FoodNetwork.com's annual cookie swap, Twelve Days of Cookies, and much more.

###

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 nearly 100 million U.S. households and draws over 46 million unique web users monthly. Since launching in 2009, Food Network Magazine's rate base has grown 13 times and is the No. 2 best-selling monthly magazine on the newsstand, with 13.5 million readers. Food Network is owned by Discovery, Inc., a global leader in real life entertainment serving a passionate audience of superfans around the world and spanning 220 countries and territories; the portfolio also includes direct-to-consumer streaming services such as discovery+ and Food Network Kitchen, along with premium brands Discovery Channel, HGTV, TLC, Investigation Discovery, Travel Channel, MotorTrend, Animal Planet, Science Channel, and the multi-platform JV with Chip and Joanna Gaines, Magnolia Network as well as OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network, Discovery Kids in Latin America, and Eurosport.

discovery+ is the definitive non-fiction, real life subscription streaming service. discovery+ features a landmark partnership with Verizon that gives their customers with select plans up to 12 months of discovery+ on Verizon. discovery+ has the largest-ever content offering of any new streaming service at launch, featuring a wide range of exclusive, original series across popular, passion verticals in which Discovery brands have a strong leadership position, including lifestyle and relationships; home and food; true crime; paranormal; adventure and natural history; as well as science, tech and the environment, and a slate of high-quality documentaries. For more, visit discoveryplus.com or find it on a variety of platforms and devices, including ones from Amazon, Apple, Google, Microsoft, Roku, and Samsung.