'Halloween Wars' Fans Beyond Disappointed After Food Network Cuts Popular Tradition From Show

October is here, and the TV landscape is being filled with spooky titles just in time for Halloween, but one popular competition is catching some major flak from fans. Halloween Wars, the Food Network competition series that pits teams against one another to create spectacular baking displays, has returned for the 2021 season without a popular component: pumpkin caring.

According to sources who spoke to TMZ, the lack of pumpkin carving in the 2021 season is due to a combination of the show's filming schedule and the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. While past seasons of Halloween Wars have filmed well before the start of the fall season, filming on the currently-airing season did not start until recently, by which time a shortage of pumpkins was already ongoing. The show typically requires large numbers of pumpkins and gourds, though they were unable to secure the number required for the competition due to the shortages. Sources cited "seasonal demand, an already-stressed supply chain, and new COVID-safety protocols for shows with group settings" for the lack of the popular pumpkin carving tasks on this year's Halloween Wars.

Given that pumpkin carving had been a main segment of the show, along with cake sculpting and sugar artistry, the lack of pumpkins on Halloween Wars 2021 hasn't gone unnoticed by fans. In fact, as viewers tune in weekly to new episodes on Food Network, there has been a growing amount of backlash online as fans take to social media to air their grievances. Keep scrolling to see what viewers are saying about this year's nearly pumpkin-less Halloween Wars.