The air is turning colder, the smell of pumpkin spice is in the air, and another season of Halloween Baking Championship is just around the corner. This year host John Henson welcomes 12 Halloween hopefuls as they check into Hotel Henson to create some of the most delicious — but haunted — creations yet.
Interested to see which guys and ghouls are in the running for this year’s $25,000 grand prize? Read on to meet the talented Season 8 contestants.
Marcus Brackett — Rockville, MD
This contestant is no regular old baker; he is also a culinary specialist for the U.S. Navy. There, he uses his skills and creativity to whip up delicious but nourishing concoctions, and now he plans to take his baking skills to the next level on this show. Watch for fare with amplified decorations as Marcus uses his platform to stand out.
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Jill Davis — Owosso, MI
Jill has been in the cake-decorating game since her early teens. Back then, she and her mom would bake saliva-inducing cakes and other treats, and today Jill still credits her mom as her first teacher. These days Jill runs her shop in Michigan, which means she knows a thing or two about thriving under pressure.
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AJ DeDiego — Atlanta, GA
This home baker is all about creating special custom orders, so he brings creativity and flexibility to the competition. At home, AJ is known for one of his favourite Halloween desserts: Bloody Cream Puffs. Here’s hoping for an in-depth re-creation on this season of the show.
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Kristi Descher — Valencia, CA
This pastry chef and culinary instructor is well versed in baking. However, she relishes the chance to showcase her dark soul with realistic horror desserts. If there’s a concoction that requires eyeballs this season, Kristi will be first in line to bake it.
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Justin Dominguez — San Antonio, TX
What would this competition be without at least one “creepy cake artist?” Well, we’ve found him in Justin. The bakery owner often transforms people’s dreams into edible delights, with plenty of creepy decorations and adornments. That means he’s got lots of experience heading into the show, and we can’t wait to see how it translates.
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Lola Forbes — Mesa, AZ
This chef also owns a horror-themed bakery in Arizona, where she doles out all kinds of frightful treats and desserts. Those skills will undoubtedly come in handy on the show, especially if this business owner can roll with the twists and tight timelines of the competition.
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Margarita Garcia — Miami, FL
This pastry chef originally hails from Colombia and is all about using the power of plants to take her edible creations to the next level. She even describes herself as a witch because she uses that plant power so often, invoking it to bring spooky, natural elements to her desserts.
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Alexey Ivanov — Brooklyn, NY
This baker grew up in Russia but now calls Brooklyn home. There, he owns a home bakery specializing in 3D and custom cakes — two skills that come in handy in the Halloween Baking Championship kitchen. If he can make those concoctions spooky enough, he’ll be one to watch.
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Zac Mercer — Denver, CO
A baker that merges the worlds of entertainment and cooking classes? Well, that’s where Zac shines. This Colorado baker is also a drag performer and is well versed in creating beautiful fusion plates at his bakery. This competition seems like the next logical step for showing off those jaw-dropping concoctions.
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Lauren Rogers — Olympia, WA
Speedy cakes? Lauren has that down pat. She can bake a cake at her home bakery in an hour, an impressive feat that will undoubtedly come in handy during this competition. However, this baker is just as known for her specialty cakes as her speed, and she has something to prove on this show: she wants to make her grandmother proud.
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Maricsa Trejo — Richardson, TX
This Texas bakery owner is all about Halloween — according to her, she lives and breathes it. That love and raw skill should give her a (severed) heads up in this competition. After all, the self-taught baker was once a semi-finalist for a James Beard Award for Outstanding Baker.
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Blayre Wright — Lancaster, PA
This pastry chef also has a unique skill: she’s known for creating Halloween-inspired wedding cakes. That experience is bound to pay off when she enters Hotel Henson. Still, Blayre is motivated to win this competition for another reason: her love for her grandmothers, Flora and Loretta, whom she named her bakery after.
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