'Rocket Around the X-Mas Tree' Takes Flight With Holiday Cheer, Get an Exclusive First Look

Discovery is kicking off the holiday season with a candy-coated blast-off! Rocket Around the X-Mas Tree kicks off Thursday, Dec. 3 at 10 p.m., pitting some of the most festive rocketeers against one another as they compete for the coveted Golden Rocket-Tree Topper trophy in a series of explosive contests designed to see who can take their holiday cheer to new heights! Ahead of the tree-mendous premiere, PopCulture.com has an exclusive sneak peek of what's to come on the limited series, hosted by science star and YouTuber Nick Uhas.

Competing against one another for the ultimate prize this season are teams ranging from thrill-seeking amateurs to aerospace engineers, who will all put their unique skill sets to the test while taking on a series of challenges to "give 2020 the explosive send-off it deserves." In PopCulture's sneak peek of Thursday's premiere, the Odd Rocketeers try their hand at Candy Cane Chaos, launching their candy cane as far away from Christmas Town as they can without breaking it to secure the win.

Made up of longtime friends Max Kauker and Alex Moreno, who met through their university's rocketry club, the Odd Rocketeers can't help but cheer and high five as their candy cane makes it a full 201 ft. away from Christmas Town on their launch. "Alright, you guys are officially no longer in the doghouse," Uhas tells them. "Congratulations, no parachute deploying, but you had a pretty straight shot. ...I'm pretty sure that that thing flew like a candy cane should."

Another team, Alex and Lydia Yeckley of the Snow It Alls, is comprised of a unique father-daughter duo of mechanical engineers who are ready to combine their shared skills in high-pressure robotics competitions to take home the Golden Rocket-Tree Topper trophy. Married couple Myron and Tiera Fletcher make up team Rocket With The Fletchers, and the adorable duo is ready to put their advanced degrees in fields like structural and thrust engineering, as well as their motto of "Faith, Love and Rockets" into action.

Other challenges facing the teams this year include everything from launching fake Christmas trees high into the air while trying to deliver letters to Santa Claus, blasting toy soldiers towards Santa's pile of presents, firing candy canes at warp speed to cover a massive distance, and attempting to safely transport and land 50 delicate ornaments without breaking them using only standard model rocket kits. Rocket Around the X-Mas Tree premieres Thursday, Dec. 3 at 10 p.m. ET on Discovery.