COOKING CHANNEL SATISFIES VIEWERS' SWEET TOOTH WITH NEW COMPETITION SERIES "SUGAR SHOWDOWN"

Series Premieres Thursday, October 1st at 9pm ET/6pm PT on Cooking Channel

NEW YORK - September 9, 2015 - Three expert bakers enter the Sugar Showdown to battle it out in two rounds of fun and intense challenges for a chance to win a sweet grand prize of $10,000. Josh Elkin hosts this competition that celebrates all types of decadent and delicious desserts, from cakes, to pies, to cupcakes, to doughnuts, premiering Thursday, October 1st at 9pm ET/6pm PT on Cooking Channel.

"Following the popularity of Donut Showdown viewers wanted more sweet competition with even more variety. Sugar Showdown is sure to give them the sugar rush they have been craving with the thrilling competition and indulgent confections," said Michael Smith, General Manager and Senior Vice President, Cooking Channel.

On each of the 13 episodes, the three bakers' talents are tested in a speedy elimination round, where they must whip up a mouth-watering dessert that incorporates a mystery ingredient such as mayonnaise, balsamic vinegar, cheese curds and beets. A rotating panel of distinguished judges will decide which two bakers advance to the next round, where they must create a confection that embodies a special theme ranging from baseball, to beach parties, to aliens, and to amusement parks. Only one baker will be crowned the champion, winning bragging rights and $10,000.

Fans can visit CookingChannelTV.com/SugarShowdown to watch web-exclusive videos of the judges discussing what makes a great cake, pie, cupcake and doughnut, as well as tips for novice bakers from each judge. For more on their favorite confections and indulgent treats, they can join the sweet conversation on Twitter using #SugarShowdown.

Josh Elkin is widely known for his unique take on food, and his unusual talent for turning edible dishes into incredible works of art. Many of his masterpieces such as, The Poutine Tornado, Chicken Wing of Thrones and Breakfast Jenga have gone viral, spreading across the internet. In 2010, Elkin joined EpicMealTime at its infancy stage, showcasing indulgent recipes on the web series, which today has over 7 million subscribers. Following its success, the EpicMealTime gang launched a follow-up culinary web series competition, Epic Chef, and later added to their repertoire an instructional cooking web series, Handle It.

Sugar Showdown is produced by Architect Films.

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COOKING CHANNEL (www.cookingchanneltv.com) is an entertainment brand dedicated to today's passionate food lover. For food people, by food people, Cooking Channel is the answer to a growing hunger for more content devoted to food and cooking in every dimension from global cuisines to international travel, history and unconventional how-to's. Cooking Channel is part of the media portfolio of Scripps Networks Interactive (NYSE: SNI), which also includes Food Network (www.foodnetwork.com), HGTV (www.hgtv.com), DIY Network (www.diynetwork.com), Travel Channel (www.travelchannel.com), and Great American Country (www.gactv.com).