FOOD NETWORK CELEBRATES THE SEASON WITH OVER 46 HOURS OF HOLIDAY PROGRAMMING INCLUDING FIRST-EVER HARRY POTTER THEMED BAKING COMPETITION "HARRY POTTER: WIZARDS OF BAKING"

Festive Lineup Features Brand-New Seasons of Beat Bobby Flay: Holiday Throwdown, Christmas Cookie Challenge, Holiday Baking Championship, Holiday Wars and New Special Kids Baking Championship: Frosting the Snowman

NEW YORK - September 30, 2024 - Food Network kicks off the most wonderful time of the year with a festive holiday programming slate beginning in November, including the first-ever Harry Potter themed baking competition Harry Potter: Wizards of Baking, returning primetime series Beat Bobby Flay: Holiday Throwdown, Christmas Cookie Challenge, Holiday Baking Championship, Holiday Wars, new special Kids Baking Championship: Frosting the Snowman and seasonal episodes of the network's current series. Last year, Food Network had more than 51M+ total viewers during the holiday period and ranked as a Top 5 cable network with W25-54.

"Food Network is the ultimate destination for all things holiday, and we are thrilled our programming has become tradition in homes across the country," said Betsy Ayala, Head of Content, Food, Warner Bros. Discovery. "The addition of Harry Potter: Wizards of Baking takes the magic of our offerings to the next level - viewers can expect a holiday season filled with astonishing creativity, joyous challenges and delicious inspiration for the whole family."

In a fantastical celebration of Harry Potter, Harry Potter: Wizards of Baking premieres Thursday, November 14th 8pm ET/PT. Hosted by James and Oliver Phelps (who played Fred and George Weasley), the series brings pairs of professional pastry chefs and cake artists to compete at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden in England, on the original sets where Harry Potter's magical journey was brought to life on screen. Each week, the culinary artists create massive, spellbinding and delicious showpieces inspired by moments and themes from the Harry Potter saga and present their creations to judges Carla Hall and Jozef Youssef in many of the films' locations, such as The Great Hall, the Forbidden Forest and more. Throughout the competition, special guests from the films, including Warwick Davis (Professor Flitwick), Evanna Lynch (Luna Lovegood) and Bonnie Wright (Ginny Weasley), join the expert judges and share behind-the-scenes experiences. The winning team will be awarded the first-ever Wizards of Baking Cup and the opportunity to appear in a new Harry Potter Cookbook. Harry Potter fans can follow #WizardsOfBaking on social to chat with fellow fans and watch tons of videos from behind the scenes in the wizarding world. Plus, hear from the Phelps brothers as they return to Hogwarts, meet all the special guests stopping by and get to know the teams competing in this magical baking extravaganza. Fans can also get Harry Potter-inspired recipes, like Sorting Hat Cupcakes and an Invisibility Cloak Pumpkin Pie.

The Holiday Wars festivities begin Sunday, November 3rd at 9pm ET/PT, where nine teams of elite cake, sugar and cookie artists compete in over-the-top confectionary challenges inspired by the season. Host Jeff Mauro leads the merry eight-episode competition along with judges Kardea Brown and Shinmin Li. In the end, only one team is named Holiday Wars champion and awarded the $25,000 grand prize. Each week viewers can head to Food Network's social pages using #HolidayWars as Jeff, Kardea and Shinmin share how-to's, their takes on challenges and relive the unforgettable moments from the competition.

On Monday, November 4th at 8pm ET/PT, Holiday Baking Championship returns with a spirited season all about holiday get-togethers from a gingerbread house party to a holiday pajama party to an office Christmas party complete with an ice luge. Host Jesse Palmer and judges Carla Hall, Duff Goldman and Nancy Fuller bring the spirit as they evaluate which extraordinary baker will earn the title of Holiday Baking Champion and a $25,000 grand prize. For the first time ever, $1,000 in holiday bonus cash is awarded to the bakers who win the preheat. All season long, these amazingly talented bakers prepare mouthwatering seasonal desserts that create joy and inspiration. Fans can meet the Holiday Baking competitors, get decorating tips from the judges, and follow along with the competition on social media using #HolidayBakingChampionship.

On Thursday, November 7th at 9pm ET/PT, Christmas Cookie Challenge is back with a season-long celebration of the magic of the North Pole. Hosts Eddie Jackson and Ree Drummond welcome the nation's top cookie artisans to showcase their baking and decorating talents in a festive showdown. Each episode features two exciting challenges that explore different aspects of the North Pole, including one inspired by the beloved classic movie The Polar Express. This season raises the stakes even higher, as every first-round winner will receive an incredible prize. When the glitter settles each week, only the most successful cookie creator walks away with a $10,000 prize. Fans can go behind the scenes with Eddie and Ree and share favorite cookie creations using #ChristmasCookieChallenge on social media.

The most competitive time of the year kicks off Tuesday, November 12th at 9pm ET/PT as Bobby Flay and the Food Network family reunite for the return of Beat Bobby Flay: Holiday Throwdown. Over six intense weeks, Bobby's nearest and dearest are pitted against him in their mission to take him down with holiday-inspired dishes. This season's guest list includes Eric Adjepong, Sunny Anderson, Gabriele Bertaccini, Maneet Chauhan, Adrienne Cheatham, Scott Conant, Tiffany Derry, Tiffani Faison, Amanda Freitag, Ina Garten, Duff Goldman, Eddie Jackson, Antonia Lofaso, Carson Kressley, Jeff Mauro, Christian Petroni, Damaris Phillips, Marcus Samuelsson, Aarti Sequeira, Michael Symon, Jet Tila, Michael Voltaggio, Brooke Williamson and Geoffrey Zakarian. From a Thanksgiving tussle to a New Year's Eve takedown, 'tis the season to Beat Bobby Flay. Viewers can check out Food Network's social pages to find out how Bobby celebrates the holidays, plus get sneak peeks of the competition each week by using #BeatBobbyFlay.

Kids take over the kitchen on Monday, December 2nd at 9pm ET/PT, in the all-new one-hour holiday special, Kids Baking Championship: Frosting the Snowman. Kardea Brown and Duff Goldman challenge four unforgettable kid bakers to bake up handmade gifts for the underappreciated residents of the North Pole, and the kid who bakes the best gift will go home with a $10,000 prize package of seasonal baking tools.

For more entertainment and inspiration, viewers can also look forward to special themed episodes of The Kitchen, Mary Makes it Easy and The Pioneer Woman in Food Network's weekend daytime lineup.

Harry Potter: Wizards of Baking is produced by Warner Horizon and theoldschool. Beat Bobby Flay: Holiday Throwdown is produced by Rock Shrimp Productions. Christmas Cookie Challenge, Holiday Baking Championship and Kids Baking Championship: Frosting the Snowman are produced by Sonic Dog. Holiday Wars is produced by Super Delicious.

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