Holiday Wars kicks off a new season with a big holiday parade

Holiday Wars is back on Food Network and Mrs. Claus is ready for a parade.

As the countdown to the holidays begin, Holiday Wars has brought a new twist to its popular holiday baking competition show. With new host Raven-Symone, these teams will need to be on top of their game to win holiday baking glory. Are you feeling the holiday cheer yet?

While many people love Halloween Wars and its spine chilling competition, Holiday Wars is a little different. In addition to some different competition twists, these teams need to bring the cheer to the holiday displays. There better be some holiday happiness on the table.

For the Holiday Wars premiere, the show started mid-competition. Without any introduction, background or explanation, viewers were thrown into the midst of teams creating a holiday display. Although change can be good, it was a little abrupt. It was almost as if it seemed like you missed the first part of the show.

The first challenge had the teams show Mrs. Claus in the middle of her new hobby. Like many people today, new hobbies can bring a zest for life. From a fortune teller to a tight-rope walker, Mrs. Claus was definitely leaving Santa’s workshop behind.

Given the limited time and the first challenge, the teams did well. Some choices were a little unusual, but the holiday feeling was there. Sometimes the idea is just as important as the execution. Judges can overlook a mistake or two if the concept is strong.

Unlike other Food Network Wars competitions, the loser from the first round had to sit out the next round. While no teams were eliminated in this episode, being delegated to the side-line during a competition is never a good feeling.

While all the Mrs. Claus displays had festive notes and a few pieces of coal, the biggest takeaway was the lack of communication between the teams. Although each baker and sugar artist need to have his/her strength, they need to come together as a team. As seen time and again, teamwork will lead to the biggest success in any Food Network competition.

After viewing all the teams, Treat Yo Elf was told to sit out the next round. Looking at their mad scientist Mrs. Claus, it wasn’t that bad. Unlike other Holiday Wars teams that had a scary looking Mrs. Claus, their display had merit. Still, the judges voted them to the bottom of the pack.

As Treat Yo Elf sat out, their comments while the other teams competed in round two were not in the festive holiday spirit. From comments about the “mean Mrs. Claus” to complaining about their dismissal, there were no milk and cookies in that part of the kitchen.

For the next round, the remaining teams had to create a holiday parade. Additionally, the Mrs. Claus that they made in the first round needed to be incorporated into the larger display. Luckily, the teams could fix any problems that the first display had, but couldn’t recreate Mrs. Claus completely.

Also, since this round was about winning a prize, not elimination, the teams seemed to overlook that idea. While no one wants a holiday display disaster, without elimination on the line, the teams could have pushed the envelope a little more.

At the same time, these Holiday Wars teams are trying to make an impression on the judges. It would be nice to see a little more creativity, ingenuity or just something a little different in a Food Network competition. While every can see holiday traditions, these holiday displays need to convey a feeling more than just captivate the eye.

Of course, there was a tasting element to these holiday displays. Since candy is often thrown at parades, the teams had to create a candy element. Given the broad topic, it was curious that the teams didn’t use this idea to be a little creative. While no one was expecting shooting candy, something a little more than another chocolate bonbon would have been nice.

Overall, the displays were well-done. There wasn’t falling cake or toppled Mrs. Claus. For the first challenge, this holiday parade display come out relatively well.

Additionally, the teams found creative ways to make Mrs. Claus part of the scene. Although Mrs. Claus on a tight rope was a stretch. Also, most of the teams altered Mrs. Claus based on the judges’ feedback.

One big element that many of the teams forgot was positioning of the characters. It has been said time and again, if the judges can see the characters, it is a waste of time.

Still, only one team could win this week’s prize. In a big change of events, Rebelves won this week’s challenge and prize. Their Mardi Gras holiday parade was a big hit. Plus, they made their Mrs. Claus go from scary to sweet. That element might have sealed the deal.

While this Holiday Wars episodes was a little confusing, it looks like there might be some baking disasters ahead. If you are ready for a little schadenfreude, this Food Network show might top your holiday list.

What did you think of this Food Network show?