Plot Synopsis

Hosted by Alyson Hannigan (Seasons 1 & 2), Sunny Anderson (Season 3) and Damaris Phillips (Seasons 4 & 5), OUTRAGEOUS PUMPKINS is an elimination competition series that starts with seven carvers who each week compete in outrageous challenges that test their creativity and pumpkin prowess, as they vie for the title of Outrageous Pumpkin Champion and a sweet $25,000 Halloween treat. In this series, the carvers must sculpt gravity-defying scenes that celebrate Halloween, with puppeteer and artist Terri Hardin and master pumpkin carver Ray Villafane judging their every move.

OUTRAGEOUS PUMPKINS debuted as a one-hour special on Sunday, September 29, 2019 at 10pm ET/PT on Food Network. Hosted by Casey Webb, the special featured four of America's best pumpkin carvers come together for a Halloween pumpkin carving competition. In three rounds of challenges, the talented artists use carving and sculpting tools -- ranging from toothpicks to saws -- to execute their intricate Halloween designs. The carver who most impresses the expert panel of judges -- Marc Evan, Terri Hardin, and Ray Villafane -- takes home a $10,000 prize.

Nearly one year later, OUTRAGEOUS PUMPKINS returned for its official series premiere on Sunday, September 20, 2020 at 10pm -- one week later than originally scheduled. In the series opener, "7 Deadly Jack-o'-Lanterns," Hannigan welcomes seven expert pumpkin carvers to battle it out for the title of Outrageous Pumpkins Champion! Their first challenge is to master the classic Halloween jack-o'-lantern and feature a dynamic use of light. In the Quick Carve round, the competitors must depict the struggle between good and evil. For the Big Carve round, each competitor is given one of the seven deadly sins to inspire their truly horrifying creation. Elimination is on the line as judges Hardin and Villafane decide which carvers advance in the competition. Competitors include: Brandy Davis (Nampa, ID); Monique Hawk (San Diego, CA); Danny Kissel (Newville, PA); Tom Lindskog (Eugene, OR); Griffon Ramsey (Austin, TX); David Smith (Columbus, OH); and Willy Tuz (Grand Junction, CO).

On Sunday, October 3, 2021 at 10pm ET/PT, Food Network premiered the second season of OUTRAGEOUS PUMPKINS, with Hannigan returning as host of four episodes that take the traditional Halloween pastime to the next level. Seven extraordinarily talented pumpkin carvers duke it out in an outdoor pumpkin competition that defies imagination. Each week the carvers dive headfirst into the most-insane, eerie, and outrageous challenges, executing their intricate Halloween designs to impress judges Terri Hardin and Marc Evan. Only one earns the coveted title of Outrageous Pumpkin Champion and take home a sweet $25,000 Halloween treat! In the season opener, "Jack-O'-Lantern Face-Off," Alyson gives the seven carvers their first challenge in the outdoor pumpkin arena: Turn three pumpkins into jack-o'-lanterns depicting a cursed nursery rhyme. Then the stakes are raised with a minimum of five pumpkins needed to create a terrifying jack-o'-lantern display depicting what lies beneath the ocean. Judges Marc Evan and Terri Hardin pick their favorites, and one competitor is sent packing. Season 2 competitors include: Ryan Anderson (Salem, OR); Titus Arensberg (Newark, OH); Lenny Calvin (Long Beach, NY); Kristina Patenaude (Temple, TX); Chrissy Scarpati (Monroe, CT); Liza Slaughter-Baker (Nashville, TN); and William Wilson (Cincinnati, OH).

Season 3 of OUTRAGEOUS PUMPKINS premiered on Sunday, October 2, 2022 at 10pm ET/PT on Food Network. Seven fierce pumpkin carvers descend onto the pumpkin patch, determined to make Halloween history as they compete for the title of Outrageous Pumpkins Champion. Over the course of four grueling weeks, host Sunny Anderson puts the carvers' skills to the ultimate test as they face hair raising challenges and build eye-popping pumpkin creations. In the end, judges Terri Hardin and Paul Dever will determine which carver will be the Outrageous Pumpkins Champion and take home the Outrageous Pumpkin Prize Belt. In the season opener, "Giant Jacks," Sunny asks seven carvers to create massive jack-o'-lanterns that tell a ghost story. Then, each carver must create four nesting jack-o'-lanterns that are just as enchanting on their own as they are when they come together. Judges Paul Dever and Terri Hardin send one carver packing while the rest continue on their journey for the title of Outrageous Pumpkins Champion. The seven Season 3 contestants are Brian "Tator" Edwards (Grove City, OH); Carli Ihde (Appleton, WI); Lincoln Bias (Rockford, IL); Eric Jones (West Clarksville, NY); Leigh Henderson (Palo Alto, CA); Alan Silva (Joshua Tree, CA); and Adam Bierton (Brooklyn, NY).

The fourth season of OUTRAGEOUS PUMPKINS premiered on Sunday, September 24, 2023 at 10pm ET/PT on Food Network. Eight elite pumpkin carvers begin their journey to become the next Outrageous Pumpkins Champion as they vie for a $25,000 prize. This year the challenges are bigger and more outrageous than ever, with jack-o'-lanterns, 3D carving, structures and Atlantic Giants. Host Damaris Phillips joins judges Terri Hardin and Ralph Attanasia to guide the contenders through these ghoulishly great carves to see who will be the best in the patch. In the season opener, "Welcome to the Pumpkin Patch," Damaris starts off with a challenge to create the best porch display in the neighborhood so they can show off their artistic point of view for the judges. The eight contestants are: Ethan Anderson (Chicago, IL); Rebecca DeGroot (Houston, TX); James Hall (Westlake Village, CA); Daniel Miller (Wilson, OK); Cassie Remillard (North Smithfield, RI); Arthur Romeo (Los Angeles, CA); Michele Vanderpyle-Hall (Westbrookville, NY); and Chaminda Weerappulige (Tampa, FL).

Season 5 of OUTRAGEOUS PUMPKINS debuted on Sunday, September 29, 2024 at 10pm ET/PT on Food Network. Returning host Damaris Phillips welcomes an all-star cast of 14 of the country's best carvers matched up in teams. These elite duos are challenged to create over-the-top pumpkin creations, from gravity-defying structures to mechanical monsters with unbelievable special effects. The stakes have never been higher as the teams compete to take home the first-ever title of Outrageous Pumpkins All-Stars Champions. Terri Hardin returns as judge, and is joined by a guest judge in each episode. In the season opener, "All Stars: Haunted Halloween Nightmares," Damaris teams up 14 of the world's top carvers to compete in an epic battle of creating larger-than-life masterpieces that defy imagination. The carvers pursue their dreams by bringing terrifying nightmares to life: being chased, losing teeth, falling, naked in public, feeling lost, being trapped and bugs on you. Impressing the panel of elite judges, Imagineer Terri Hardin and world-renowned pumpkin sculptor Deane Arnold put the teams one step closer to the title of All-Stars Champion and a whopping $50,000 prize. The contestants in Season 5 are: Carli Ihde; Chaminda Weerappulige; David Smith; Titus Arensberg; Willy Tuz; Danny Kissel; James Hall; Rebecca DeGroot; Ryan Anderson; Ethan Anderson; Daniel Miller; William Wilson; Brandy Davis; and Brian "Tator" Edwards.
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On Sunday, October 27, 2024 at 10pm ET/PT, Food Network premiered "All Stars: Scarytales," the Season 5 finale of OUTRAGEOUS PUMPKINS. The final all-star teams looking to be named rulers of the pumpkin patch find out not every fairy tale has a happy ending as host Damaris Phillips tasks them with turning a classic children's story into a scary tale. Judges Terri Hardin, Dan Langan and Duff Goldman decide who lives happily ever after, earning one team the title of Outrageous Pumpkins All-Stars Champions, the hallowed prize belts and $50,000.