Halloween Wars recap: Date night couldn’t be more terrifying

In this Halloween Wars episode, the teams find date night might have misfortune.

After heading down an uncertain road trip, Halloween Wars asks the question if fortune favors the brave. While none of the teams can predict the ultimate winner, each Food Network challenge seems to be creepier than the next. But, unlike an episode of the Bachelor, these teams dream of rotten roses on their dates, not red ones.

Each season of Halloween Wars seems to exceed the previous one. From the creativity of the scene to the execution of the display, these teams prove that edible art can be quite frightening.

For the small scare, the teams are asked to create the ultimate misfortune. When the fortune teller falls prey to her fortune, what horror unfolds? In these frightening displays, it seems that the future is not so bright.

While most teams took the fortune teller theme literally, the execution was not equal. From unequal proportions to mistakes in sugar work, it seems that none of these fortune tellers predicted this unfortunate outcome.

Still, one team balanced idea with execution. Mummies Rejects with its hand coming out of the crystal ball really worked. Not only was it quite difficult, the creepy factor was clear. Maybe everyone should remember that you might be careful what you wish for.

Moving onto the spine chiller challenge, the teams had to create a scene for the blind date from hell. While everyone has a differing opinion (and maybe a good antidote to tell) a few of these scenes would never make the cut on Love Island let alone Married At First Sight.

Overall, the key to these displays was to bring the creepy yet not make the whole display look garish. There is a fine balance between scary and repulsive. Even people who like horror cannot go too extreme.

Of course, the tasting element does come into play. That element can be the difference between being safe and going home. This week’s flavors focused on romance, bringing together red wine and dark chocolate. Could the tasting element seduce the judges?

Looking at the various Halloween Wars displays, the approaches were quite varied. While Candy Coroners focused on the overall scene, Ghoulicious focused on a character. Some approaches worked better than others.

While a great character shows the emotion, the character needs to fit the theme. Just because a character looks like he is fleeing in terror doesn’t mean that the scene is horrifying. Maybe he is scared that he was dragged into a bad version of the Dating Game.

The top displays seemed to convey a scene that was almost active. From the positioning of the characters to the movement in the décor, those scenes seemed to that that split second in time. By being thoughtful, the teams could draw the judges into that terrifying date.

Earning another victory, Crave Diggers proved that opposites could bring big wins. From the satanic bride to the fleeing date, this scene was a perfect moment in time. More importantly, the team found a way to ensure that all the details were well executed. From the styling of the bridal gown to the delicious tasting element, everything was on point.

But, the judges did give a warning. The main character in the display was similar to last week’s character. Since the judges want to see variety, they do not want to see a “family resemblance” in each week’s display.

One of the most disappointing displays was Ghoulicious and its catfish inspired theme. While the literal catfish face was quite impressive, there was not a scene. From the catfish towering over the backdrop to no date in the scene, the display missed the theme.

More importantly, the catfish did not look like he was part of Halloween Wars. While ghoulish creatures can get dressed up for a date, they would probably wear darker tones, not some bright yelllows and blues.

Overall, the team seemed to miss the point. In many ways, this team is not communicating well. All the pieces in the display need to play off each other. Another great carved pumpkin might not save them again.

Killer Cakerz had a great idea, but they did not execute well. With an important part of their display crumbling to the ground, the team tried to recover, but it was hard. Many elements were left unfinished.

The characters were quite expressive, but the scene didn’t read horror. The sense of humor seemed to overwhelm the scary pet. It was more Little Shop of Horror versus Kujo.

Still, Killer Cakerz had a great tasting element. The drunken raisins enveloped in the black current bonbons should have kept them safe.

Unfortunately, that unruly pet ate the Killer Cakerz for a snack and they were sent home. While Ghoulicious lives to swim another day, they might want to stick to the dark, deep crevices of the pond. Maybe some scary inspiration lies under the water.

What do you think of this week’s Halloween Wars episode? Did the right team get to stay in the competition?