Meals Community is as soon as once more serving up a festive deal with with Season 15 of Halloween Wars. Host Jonathan Bennett returns because the grasp of ceremonies. He’ll welcome seven groups made up of the most effective cake, sugar and pumpkin execs within the sport to create devilishly good bites. After all the challenges will deliver a component of spooktacular suspense. From creating scenes depicting childhood monsters to bringing their twisty tackle the boogeyman’s lair, these trios of artists might want to pull out all of the stops to face out.
Judges Shinmin Li and Aarti Sequeira have the arduous process of deciding who introduced their style buds to life extra. In the end, one surviving group walks away with the present championship and the grand prize of $25,000. That might purchase lots of sweet.
Bennett invitations viewers “come for the pumpkin carving and keep for the dangerous dad jokes.” Earlier than the competitors will get beneath means, we caught up with The Groomsmen star to get his tackle the frightfully good time forward.
Meals Community
It has been nearly a decade because you first hosted Halloween Wars. How do you replicate on that have?
Jonathan Bennett: I by no means in 1,000,000 years thought I’d be internet hosting Halloween Wars for this lengthy, however I’m so grateful to be doing this job and having this job as a result of it’s a lot enjoyable. I’m so grateful to the Meals Community and the followers that watch and make us one of many prime reveals of the yr. It simply reveals how a lot individuals love the present and the way devoted they’re to the present and the way a lot pleasure it brings everybody. It’s Halloween. It’s pumpkins and sweet and cake. What extra would you like once we get into that fall season?
How would you say the present has advanced?
I feel probably the most enjoyable a part of watching the present develop over the previous decade is season after season, simply after I suppose we will’t do it any larger and higher, we do it. It’s a testomony to our pumpkin carvers, cake artists and sugar artists on the present as a result of they wish to prime what they did within the season earlier than. I feel the rationale we get such superb and mind-blowing creations is as a result of the strain is on for them to outdo the season earlier than them. They consider probably the most wild concepts and produce these issues to life. That’s actually enjoyable to observe.
I feel additionally the popular culture ingredient of the present is absolutely on level. This season we have now a GSI, ghost scene investigator. With true crime being a well-liked factor on the planet proper now, I feel the producers noticed that. They do an ideal job understanding what’s sizzling proper now. They incorporate all that into our present so it’s all the time rising and altering and never caught in a time interval.
But the profitable components stays with a cake, sugar and pumpkin artists working in tandem. What do you consider the groups we’re going to fulfill this season?
Now we have lots of returning contestants from different seasons. Now we have lots of new contestants this season. I feel once you put contestants who’ve finished the present earlier than with new contestants, you get an ideal rivalry. Contestants who’ve finished it earlier than have this sense that they’ve been there and finished this earlier than, let me educate you the way that is finished. Then you could have the people who find themselves new saying, “yeah, I’m new and bringing one thing new to the desk that no one has ever seen earlier than. So, hearken to me.” You get this rivalry between the contestants in a great way that makes every of them rise to the event.
What are you able to tease concerning the challenges we’re going to see this season?
This season we’re tackling a few of the favourite popular culture issues from Halloween. The themes are all the time actually enjoyable, not simply to movie and watch the contestants. When you’re a Halloween particular person and like Halloween and by no means seen Halloween Wars, you have to for the inspo. Halloween Wars is the most effective inspo, inspiration board for any Halloween adorning. You’re going to provide you with concepts you by no means considered in 1,000,000 years which can be going to spark from a few of the totally different challenges and creations on the present. They reinvent Halloween yearly with a brand new twist. I’m loving this for the contestants, however all of the Halloween inspiration is from this present.
Something you’ve taken over time and applied in your individual home?
Right here’s the factor. I shoot Halloween Wars in August a yr forward of time. I’m smelling pumpkins and sugar being pulled and blown and burnt, so you could have that sugar scent within the air with a pumpkin scent. We get to stay it for weeks and weeks. By the point Halloween will get right here, I don’t wish to have a look at a pumpkin till subsequent yr as a result of I’ve been inside pumpkins, surrounded by pumpkins, engulfed in pumpkins everything of the present, which is a lot enjoyable. However with regards to placing them in the home, I don’t wish to see a pumpkin till subsequent yr. I celebrated Halloween once we filmed it, in order that’s my Halloween for the yr.
Host Jonathan Bennett and Judges Shinmin Li and Aarti Sequeira through the “Halloween Phrase Video games” problem, as seen on Halloween Wars, Season 15 (Meals Community)
How would you describe the judging eye of Shinmin and Aarti?
I feel the judging job will get more durable every year as a result of 10 seasons in the past the notes and suggestions they offer to the contestants is so totally different than it’s now. The contestants watch the season that airs, in order that they know Shinmini doesn’t like this and Aarti doesn’t like this. They nearly need to nitpick much more now and get to the specificities of the creations all the way down to the minute element that it actually ranges up the sport. It’s actually making the contestants work more durable. In flip, you could have a greater product.
Host Jonathan Bennett and Judges Shinmin Li and Aarti Sequeira and all forged portrait, as seen on Halloween Wars, Season 15. (Meals Community)
It’s additionally an thrilling time for you as a result of The Groomsmen trilogy is launched on Hallmark Channel. What does that imply to you?
It was enjoyable to have The Groomsmen on Hallmark+, but it surely’s such a pleasure to have them on Hallmark Channel as a result of so many individuals will get to observe this superb friendship and story about three mates coming collectively to navigate life and love with one another. What I really like about The Groomsmen is once you watch them, they really feel actual. They really feel like actual conversations you could have with your pals once you’re relationship somebody or love somebody or wish to get married.
It’s all these conversations you could have with your pals, we’re really now exhibiting that on Hallmark Channel. To have such a various group of mates represented in The Groomsmen is so highly effective and so necessary that these tales are being instructed. Folks that may not have such a various group of mates are watching and can be capable to join with the love tales within the films and see that every one these love tales are much like their love tales. It’s a strong factor going to Hallmark Channel, and I’m very excited for the world to observe them.
Jaymes Vaughan and Jonathan Bennett (Jonathan Bennett/Instagram)
On the subject of Halloween, what’s a favourite costume you and possibly your husband have finished collectively?
My favourite costume we’ve ever finished, and the final time I dressed for Halloween was three years in the past after I was Elphaba Act 1and James [Vaughan] was Prince Fiyero. That was my favourite costume I ever wore as a result of I’m a Depraved head. I’m the largest Depraved fan on the planet. To get to decorate up as these characters, I peaked in costumes. Now I haven’t dressed up as a result of I haven’t discovered one which I wish to do that’s larger and higher than that. I don’t know what I’m doing for Halloween, but when I’m going to decorate up, it needs to be higher than Elphaba. And I don’t know what’s higher than Elphaba.
You could have discovered this nice stability in your profession by way of internet hosting and performing. What are you in search of today when it comes to initiatives?
I received to be on Broadway final yr. I received to do Spamalot for 4 months, and it was the most effective time of my life. So, the factor I’m in search of is what stay theater I can do subsequent. What’s my subsequent Broadway present? What’s my subsequent stay theater expertise? It simply balancing the size type TV internet hosting Discovering Mr. Christmas and Halloween Wars, after which performing in films. There’s a strain and really intense world with so many cooks within the kitchen once you’re doing these items. What I beloved about Broadway and doing stay theater is that when the curtain goes up, it’s simply me and the viewers and the opposite forged members on stage. There are not any notes, no adjustments, issues adjusted or re-filmed. When the curtain goes up, it’s simply me and the viewers. That’s the place I really feel most at residence, after I’m simply entertaining.
Halloween Wars Season 15 premiere, September 21, 9/8c, Meals Community (Subsequent Day on HBO Max)