Food Network’s popular “Halloween Wars” is a visual feast of spooky sweets every fall, as cake decorators, sugar artists, and expert pumpkin carvers create amazing Halloween-themed edibles. But for longtime Hallmark hunk Jonathan Bennett — who kicks off his 10th season hosting the show on September 21, 2025 — the scariest visual is watching his beltline expand each season.
“I start with a size 32 jean episode one,” Bennett told EntertainmentNow before the show’s season 15 premiere. “And I’m not joking. This is not a joke. You can ask the wardrobe department on ‘Halloween Wars’ — by the time we get to the last episode, I’m at a size 34 or 36.”
Jonathan Bennett Says Weight Gain on ‘Halloween Wars’ is Always ‘Worth It’
As a longtime leading man at Hallmark Channel, cable TV’s incredibly popular land of sweet love stories and chiseled abs, Bennett typically has to keep his physique in check. But when he’s filming “Halloween Wars,” the “Mean Girls” alum throws caution to the wind.
“I usually gain about five to six pounds filming a season,” Bennett told EntertainmentNow. “I can’t stop eating all the creations because they’re so delicious. If you look at my face (from) episode one to episode six, it gets a little puffy.”
But Bennett’s not the only one gaining “totally worth it” love handles. He also loves to share the best goodies made by the seven competing teams with his husband of three years, Jaymes Vaughan, whenever he’s on set.
“When we go to commercial, I sneak them on a napkin to my husband, who’s waiting in the wings, watching from, like, off stage,” Bennett laughed. “I run it up to him, like, ‘Try this, you’ve got to try this!’ It’s like the best job ever, eating the best Halloween creations from the best bakers in the country.”
Once filming is over, it’s back to Hallmark hunk status by surviving on “three weeks of water and Tic Tacs,” Bennett joked.
Jonathan Bennett Says His Favorite ‘Halloween Wars’ Challenge is the ‘Mind-Blowing’ Pumpkin Carving
Food NetworkWith judging left to Shinmin Li and Aarti Sequeira, Bennett told EntertainmentNow he gets to just marvel at every creepy creation “with no pressure” to decide the $25,000 winner of “Halloween Wars.”
“I have no say in the judging at all,” he said. “My job is just to host the show, and make jokes, and eat all the food. It’s the best.”
Noting that “Halloween Wars” serves as “an inspo board for all things Halloween and fall decorating,” Bennett said his favorite competition each season is the “mind-blowing” pumpkin carving.
“Each year, I don’t think it could get any bigger or better than the last,” Bennett shared. “Sure enough, it does, because the contestants watch the season before, and they want to top what they did.”
“You can’t just go on autopilot with this show,” Bennett said. “You have to really be thinking. And when you’re really put under pressure, it makes some of the best work happen.”
As soon as a new Halloween champion is crowned, Bennett will dive into holiday mode on October 27 with the season two premiere of “Finding Mr. Christmas,” the reality competition he co-created to find the next Hallmark hunk.
Catch “Halloween Wars” each Sunday night, starting on September 21, at 9 p.m. Eastern time on Food Network.
