Halloween Wars

Halloween Wars is really enjoyable if you're there for the art. The drama in the show..the "tension" amongst the team members and the dramatics from the sugar sculptures that break, etc. is a little bit ridiculous. It's fun to watch, it's just a little annoying at times.

In one competition the judges or at least, Shinmin Lee the judge who is a cake artist, will criticize the creation saying she "can't even tell what is pumpkin" and then in a later episode she will say it's a good creation because "everything is merged so well you can't tell what is pumpkin and cake and sugar it's all looks like one piece" to the same team. She has does this many times, in the beginning of the season she wants the pumpkin to be clearly pumpkin and towards the end of the season she doesn't want the pumpkin to be clearly pumpkin but to blend with everything else. There are seasons where a judge will say they don't like a creation because it has a cartoon quality and it is unrealistic and not scary because it has a cartoon quality. In that same season the same judge will say they like a creation because it is unreal and has a cartoon quality to it. There are different types of cartoon and some can get creepy but some that they say is good look like it's from a comic strip next to Garfield in the newspaper. There are some creations which have very round heads, nondescript facial features looking like a character from South Park or Family Guy and they make no comment about it have a cartoon quality and pick it as the best of the episode. I wish the returning judges had consistency in what they are looking for and what they want because now it just looks like favoritism: this team lost because of a cartoon aspect and then this other group won because of a cartoon aspect.

Wrong team won championship. Nothing scary about Thumbelina, was in total shock.

After a while, the pumpkin/cake/sugar work all looks the same, all of which would be barely edible - so maybe one or two episodes at a time just in the spirit of Halloween. Like most Food Network shows, they try to amp up drama before commercials. I.e., a piece falls off - "We're done we're screwed we're going HOME!" - then after the commercial, someone puts the piece back on. Whew!! Another hugely annoying Food Network "thing" is recycling contestants. Each additional outing, they get more into being a STAR and more obnoxious in their interviews. Then of course, everyone is a sore loser at the end, vowing revenge. American reality TV in action.

So glad that they returned to the original format and having Jonathon back as host for Halloween Wars this year!! Sorry, but having Zac Bagans as a guest host who was never in the studio was a bust. Bringing back the Small Scare and the live host is a huge improvement, as is cutting back the amount of babble from the judges throughout the episodes. The emphasis is back on the teams, which is where it all happens. The set definitely has improved since the original series, so this year is probably the best season ever. Thank you, Food Network, for finally getting the recipe right! Please don't mess with perfection!