Food Network Ushers in the Holidays with 50+ Hours of Festive Series

Selena Gomez’s Selena + Chef: Home for the Holidays and The Elf on the Shelf: Sweet Showdown, based on the iconic Christmas tradition, are two new series that will light up Food Network’s schedule this holiday season. The lineup will also include returning holiday favorites, Beat Bobby Flay: Holiday Throwdown, Christmas Cookie Challenge, Holiday Baking Championship, and Holiday Wars.

Selena Gomez will open her kitchen to a few of Food Network’s favorite chefs and receive expert guidance on holiday entertaining in the new series of specials Selena + Chef: Home for the Holidays, premiering Thursday, November 30th @ 8PM ET/PT, Gomez is at the top of her game as a musical artist, actor, businesswoman, and philanthropist, but she calls in the experts to help amp up her kitchen skills. All-star chefs Eric Adjepong, Alex Guarnaschelli, Michael Symon, and Claudette Zepeda bring their favorite dishes and culinary wisdom to Selena’s home kitchen, so they can cook up perfect holiday meals to share with friends and family. Fans can visit Food Network’s social pages for exclusive interviews with Selena and sneak peeks of each episode. Plus, they can join the conversation and follow along using #SelenaAndChef.

For the first time ever, confectionery artists enter the fantastical world of The Elf on the Shelf in the five-episode event The Elf on the Shelf: Sweet Showdown hosted by Duff Goldman and premiering on Sunday, November 19th @ 8PM ET/PT. Santa and his loyal Scout Elves, along with the help of legendary cake master Goldman, will challenge six teams of Sweetmakers in a competition full of surprises. Each week, the teams must create edible showpieces that bring the holiday season to life. Only one team will win over judges Kardea Brown and Ashley Holt to earn the ultimate Christmas gift of $25,000 and the title of The Ambassadors of Confectionery Concoctions. Viewers can visit Food Network’s social pages to watch a digital-exclusive video series hosted by Ashley Holt in which she makes fun, family-friendly holiday treats with a little “help” from a real-life Scout Elf. Plus, fans will get an insider’s look at the Enchanted Cottage with Duff Goldman and learn holiday frosting hacks from Kardea Brown. They also can enter for a chance to win one of five Elf on the Shelf prize packs by tuning in to each week’s premiere, and they can follow #ElfOnTheShelf to chat with fellow fans.

The holiday season kicks off Thursday, November 2nd @ 9PM ET/PT when Christmas Cookie Challenge returns for a new eight-episode season. Each week hosts Ree Drummond and Eddie Jackson challenge four of the best cookie makers in the country to show off their baking and decorating talent. From Christmas Quilts to Grandfather Clocks made completely of cookies, bakers must create displays that impress Eddie and Ree. The most successful cookie artist will walk away with a $10,000 grand prize. Fans can go behind the scenes with Ree and Eddie at FoodNetwork.com/ChristmasCookieChallenge and share their favorite cookie creations using #ChristmasCookieChallenge.

On Sunday, November 5th @ 9PM ET/PT, Holiday Wars is back with teams of elite cake, candy and cookie artists battling it out over eight episodes in over-the-top confectionery challenges inspired by holiday tales. Host Jeff Mauro and judges Shinmin Li and Aarti Sequeira lead all of this season’s action. In the end, only one team is named Holiday Wars champion and awarded the grand prize: an all-expenses paid trip to see Iceland’s Northern lights. Each week fans can head to Food Network’s social pages using #HolidayWars as Jeff, Shinmin, and Aarti share how-to’s, take on challenges, and relive the unforgettable moments from the competition.

The new season of Holiday Baking Championship begins on Monday, November 6th @ 8PM ET/PT. Over eight episodes, a group of bakers display their immense baking skills, including in a challenge inspired by holiday-loving chocolatier Wonka. Jesse Palmer hosts and, along with judges Carla Hall, Duff Goldman, and Nancy Fuller, decides which baker wins the title of Holiday Baking Champion to take home the grand prize of $25,000. Fans can meet the new Holiday Baking competitors and get decorating tips from the judges at FoodNetwork.com/HolidayBakingChampionship. They can follow along with the competition on social media using #HolidayBakingChampionship and share who they think should be crowned the Holiday Baking champion.

Bobby Flay brings the Food Network family together again in Beat Bobby Flay: Holiday Throwdown, premiering Tuesday, November 7th @ 9PM ET/PT. Over seven weeks, Food Network’s favorites come together for holiday-themed culinary competitions and the chance to beat Bobby Flay. In each supersized episode, three chefs must bring their A-game and battle it out over two festive rounds to get to Bobby. The winner then moves on to battle Bobby – but this time it’s a team effort, and Bobby and the winning contender each pick an eliminated chef as their teammate and sous chef. A blind taste test determines if Bobby or his competitor takes home the win. Chefs competing include Sunny Anderson, Scott Conant, Darnell Ferguson, Duff Goldman, Alex Guarnaschelli, Eddie Jackson and Michael Symon. Fans 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.

In addition, viewers can look forward to holiday-themed episodes of The Big Bake, Chopped, Guy’s Grocery Games, Kids Baking Championship, Delicious Miss Brown, Guy’s Ranch Kitchen, The Kitchen, Mary Makes it Easy and The Pioneer Woman.