** TUNE- IN **

"SUGAR SHOWDOWN" RETURNS WITH A NEW BATCH OF SWEET EPISODES STUFFED WITH NEW CHALLENGES AND DELICIOUS DESSERTS

Premieres Wednesday, September 14th at 10pm ET/7pm PT on Cooking Channel

NEW YORK - August 18, 2016 - Josh Elkin returns to host a new, supersized, sweet season of Sugar Showdown, premiering Wednesday, September 14th at 10pm ET/7pm PT on Cooking Channel. In this decadent competition that celebrates all types of delicious desserts from cakes, to pies, to cupcakes and doughnuts, three expert bakers battle it out in two rounds of challenges that test their baking skills and creativity. First, the competitors must make their best dessert incorporating one mystery ingredient. After a panel of three distinguished judges eliminate one competitor, the finalists must make creations based on a theme. One baker will rise to the top to be crowned the champion, winning bragging rights and $10,000.

Episodes include:

Premiering Wednesday, September 14th at 10pmET/7pmPT - SEASON PREMIERE! "Viva Italian Donuts" Three bakers compete in a speedy elimination round using basil and their mystery ingredient. The last two standing compete for the chance to win $10,000. Host Josh Elkin is joined by judges Zane Caplansky, Harry Eastwood and Yolanda Gampp in this Viva Italia-themed donut showdown.

Premiering Wednesday, September 21st at 10pmET/7pmPT "Breakfast in Bed Cakes" Baking couples compete in a speedy elimination round using grapefruit as the mystery ingredient. The last two teams left compete for host Josh Elkin and judges Yolanda Gampp, Duff Goldman and Jemma Wilson and the chance to win $10,000 in a breakfast in bed-themed cake showdown.

Premiering Wednesday, September 28th at 10pmET/7pmPT "Chinese New Year Pies" Three bakers compete in a speedy elimination round with Chinese five spice as the mystery ingredient. The last two standing compete for host Josh Elkin and judges Harry Eastwood, Sharone Hakman and Jamika Pessoa and the chance to win $10,000 in a Chinese New Year-themed pie showdown.

Premiering Tuesday, October 4th at 10pmET/7pmPT "Kids Hide-and-Seek Cupcakes" Josh Elkin hosts as three talented kid bakers compete in a speedy elimination round with pink peppercorns as the mystery ingredient. Elizabeth Chambers, Duff Goldman and Elise Strachan decide which remaining finalists will take home $10,000 in a special hide-and-seek-themed cupcake showdown.

Premiering Tuesday, October 11th at 10pmET/7pmPT "Harvest Donuts" Zane Caplansky, Harry Eastwood and Yolanda Gampp join host Josh Elkin as they judge the three bakers in an elimination challenge using cranberries. Then, the remaining two finalist must create harvest-themed donuts in the final showdown for the opportunity to be $10,000 richer.

Premiering Tuesday, October 18th at 10pmET/7pmPT "Into the Woods Cakes" Three bakers compete in a speedy elimination round using maple syrup as their mystery ingredient. The last two standing compete for host Josh Elkin and judges Eddie Jackson, Maggie McKeown and Laura Vitale as they decide who will win $10,000 in an Into The Woods-themed cake showdown.

Premiering Tuesday, October 25th at 10pmET/7pmPT "It's a Small World Pies" Josh Elkin hosts as the bakers compete in a speedy elimination round with mini marshmallows as the mystery ingredient. Harry Eastwood, Sharone Hakman and Jamika Pessoa will judge the last two finalists as they compete for $10,000 in an "It's a Small World" pie showdown.

Plus, additional new episodes this fall, including special episodes with kid bakers and a holiday-themed tournament.

Fans can visit CookingChannelTV.com/SugarShowdown to check out the coolest cakes, doughnuts, pies and cupcakes ever seen before. 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. In addition to hosting Cooking Channel's Sugar Showdown, Josh has also appeared on Food's Greatest Hits. He was also a competitor on Cutthroat Kitchen: Superstar Sabotage, and serves as a judge on Cooks vs. Cons on Food Network.

Sugar Showdown is produced by Architect Films.

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