While we got some early Halloween programming news from Food Network back in August, it appears that the Discovery family of networks had some more Halloween fun up their sleeves. On Monday, Discovery, Inc announced its Food Network, HGTV, and Travel Channel are coming together to deliver 14 series and specials – more than 50 hours of shows – as part of the Ghostober programming event on the three networks and on discovery+. This year, the larger-than-ever “Ghostober IV” is designed to appeal to viewers who live for the creepy, scary, adrenaline-inducing stories that define Halloween.
Several of the series and specials will be led by fan-favorite celebrities and supernatural experts. Emmy® nominated actor and producer Anthony Anderson (“Black-ish,” “To Tell the Truth”) and his mischievous mom, Doris Bowman (“To Tell the Truth”), star in the tricks-filled real estate show “House Haunters” on discovery+. Actress Alyson Hannigan hosts “Outrageous Pumpkins,” an ode to astounding carved creations on Food Network. Paranormal superstar Zak Bagans makes his Food Network debut on “Halloween Wars,” stars in “Ghost Adventures: Goldfield Hotel” special on discovery+ and collaborates with director Eli Roth in the new discovery+ series, “The Haunted Museum.” Jack and Kelly Osbourne hunt for ghosts aboard the RMS Queen Mary in “Jack and Kelly Osbourne: Night of Terror” on discovery+. From haunted houses and creepy culinary treats to ghoulish ghost stories and poltergeist-laden paranormal investigations, “Ghostober IV” is an annual programming treat for Halloween fans.
“Halloween is a big holiday for our lifestyle brands, and while in past years each brand has delivered on themed programming in its own way, this year we joined forces to build on Travel Channel’s popular ‘Ghostober’ special event,” said Kathleen Finch, chief lifestyle brands officer, Discovery, Inc. “We combined the ghost-themed series and specials from Food Network and HGTV with Travel Channel’s compelling content to curate an incredible season of scary, fun and bingeable shows across platforms. With stars like Anthony Anderson, Zak Bagans, Doris Bowman, Alyson Hannigan, Jack, and Kelly Osbourne and director Eli Roth bringing the creative for these series and specials to life, fans of Halloween can watch scary stories and visual treats all month long.”
Expanding beyond the small screen and building on the successful partnership from 2019, discovery+, Travel Channel, and Food Network are bringing the “Ghostober” excitement to Six Flags Fright Fest® at 13 Six Flags Theme Parks, from September 10 through Halloween. The partnership includes a “Ghostober” themed haunted attraction at Six Flags Magic Mountain and a Food Network specialty dessert item celebrating the return of the series Halloween Wars and is available for a limited time only. Additionally, “Ghostober” and “Halloween Wars” trailers will air nationwide on the Six Flags TV network.
New “Ghostober” series, specials, and returning favorites launch in September, beginning with a new season of “Halloween Baking Championship” (September 13). This time, the bakers create killer treats that pay homage to quintessential 1980s horror films. The baking fun continues when “Halloween Wars” (September 19) returns with a new season featuring “Ghost Adventures” star Zak Bagans, who lends creepy inspiration from his Haunted Museum collection to challenge the teams to create frightening confections. But it only gets scarier as disastrous cooks face their fears in the kitchen and tackle terrifying ingredients in the new special, Worst Cooks In America: Halloween Redemption 2″ (September 26).
October kicks off with an especially personal “Ghost Adventures” lockdown. Zak Bagans, Aaron Goodwin, Billy Tolley, and Jay Wasley return to the place where their journey began in the emotionally-charged special, Ghost Adventures: Goldfield Hotel” (October 1), to settle once and for all a mysterious, evil feud that’s been cast over this haunted Nevada town. Then, fear kicks up a notch with the horror anthology series “The Haunted Museum” (October 2). Produced in collaboration with filmmaker Eli Roth, each episode tells frightening tales inspired by some of the most terrifying, cursed artifacts on display in Zak Bagans’ Haunted Museum in Las Vegas.
October isn’t complete without some “Outrageous Pumpkins” (October 3), and this new season, hosted by Alyson Hannigan, takes the pumpkin-carving tradition to another level as talented carvers compete for the grand prize. Then, bringing in the Halloween “tricks” are actor Anthony Anderson and his mom Doris Bowman, as they host the new series “House Haunters” (October 7). The duo takes over properties to devise humorous gags to scare, startle and surprise visitors – it’s a hidden camera real estate and home renovation prank show that’s full of Halloween fun.
If scares are your preference, then check out “Eli Roth Presents: A Ghost Ruined My Life” (October 8), a new series from the master of horror that recounts real-life stories of hauntings that have taken a terrifying toll on unsuspecting people. Then, medium Amy Allan and retired homicide detective Steve DiSchiavi are back on the case with a brand-new season of “The Dead Files” (October 23), as the duo combine their unique skills to help solve paranormal mysteries plaguing property owners. Brother-sister duo Jack and Kelly Osbourne reprise their ghost hunting roles together in the two-hour special “Jack and Kelly Osbourne: Night Of Terror” (October 24), an eerie investigation inside the supremely haunted RMS Queen Mary ocean liner. The pair are in for a night of fright with unsettling and aggressive paranormal activity, laced with classic Osbourne expletives and sibling squabbles, of course.
Finally, on the scariest night of the year comes the revival of the series that started it all. Jason Hawes, Steve Gonsalves, Dave Tango, and Shari DeBenedetti, along with a few other familiar faces, take on epic haunted locations in a sneak peek of the brand-new season of “Ghost Hunters” (October 31).
New episodes of “Paranormal Caught On Camera,” “The Woods Are Haunted,” and “The Alaska Triangle” also drop throughout the month. Join the scares this “Ghostober,” only if you dare!
This year’s bigger-than-ever “Ghostober” is complemented by exclusive digital and social content on every platform, all month long. Check out the original digital series “Haunted Hotspots” on Travel Channel’s Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, plus exclusive videos, photos, and more from your favorite shows and hosts. And stay tuned for a brand-new podcast launching just in time for Halloween! (Details to be announced.) Follow the scares on Travel Channel (@travelchannel), Food Network (@foodnetwork), HGTV (@HGTV), and discovery+ (@discoveryplus), Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok handles, using #Ghostober to join the conversation.
“Ghostober IV” and Halloween-Themed Programming Lineup (by date):
PARANORMAL CAUGHT ON CAMERA – New Episodes
Thursdays beginning September 9 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Travel Channel
THESE WOODS ARE HAUNTED – New Season
Fridays beginning September 10 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Travel Channel
THE ALASKA TRIANGLE – New Season
Fridays beginning September 10 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Travel Channel
HALLOWEEN BAKING CHAMPIONSHIP – New Season
Premieres Monday, September 13 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Food Network
This season pays tribute to 1980s classic slasher movies, kicking off with host John Henson welcoming the competitors to Camp Devil’s Food Lake, where only their baking skills will help them survive. Each week the bakers must create killer cakes, creepy cupcakes, and more to showcase their skills in challenges that pay homage to quintessential horror films. Judges Stephanie Boswell, Carla Hall, and Zac Young determine whose desserts earn $25,000 and the title of Halloween Baking Champion! (Seven episodes including three super-sized, two-hour episodes and four one-hour episodes)#HalloweenBakingChampionship
HALLOWEEN WARS (featuring Zak Bagans) – New Season
Premieres Sunday, September 19 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Food Network
Paranormal investigator Zak Bagans has spent the last 15 years experiencing the scariest supernatural encounters ever recorded. For the first time, he shares those experiences with the eight Halloween Wars teams of expert cake and sugar artists in the new season. Over the course of the season, Zak takes inspiration from his collection of dangerous and mysterious artifacts from his Haunted Museum in Las Vegas to challenge the teams to create intricate cakes that are as frightening as they are tasty. In each episode, one team will be eliminated by a panel of judges featuring award-winning cake decorator Shinmin Li and chefs and cookbook authors Aarti Sequeira and Eddie Jackson. The last team standing will earn $25,000. (Seven one-hour episodes) #HalloweenWars
WORST COOKS IN AMERICA: HALLOWEEN REDEMPTION 2 – New Special
Premieres Sunday, September 26 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Food Network
Four ghoulishly disastrous Worst Cooks recruits return for another stab at boot camp, and they will once again face their fears in the kitchen and tackle terrifying ingredients. With coaching from chefs Anne Burrell and Michael Symon, the culinary hopefuls will create a spooktacular feast for a panel of culinary experts. The recruits start by making a dish using a mystery ingredient they have been assigned; after Anne and Michael pick their teams, the chefs will teach them to make a buffet for a Halloween gathering in order to win a kitchen upgrade worth $5,000 and culinary redemption. (One hour-long episode) #WorstCooks
GHOST ADVENTURES: GOLDFIELD HOTEL – New Special
Begins Streaming Friday, October 1 on discovery+
The GHOST ADVENTURES crew heads back to Goldfield, Nevada, to settle – once and for all – a mysterious evil feud that’s been cast over the town. In a highly personal and emotionally charged investigation, Zak Bagans, Aaron Goodwin, Billy Tolley, and Jay Wasley revisit the haunted town where their journey began … and head back inside the infamous Goldfield Hotel, a landmark with a bloodied past. New frightening paranormal incidents call the GAC back in their final attempt to unmask a vengeful presence that only grows stronger – and more menacing – by the day. (Two-hour special) #GhostAdventures
THE HAUNTED MUSEUM – New Series
Begins Streaming Saturday, October 2 with Two-Episode Binge on discovery+
The creepy collection of haunted artifacts housed inside Zak Bagans’ Haunted Museum are getting the spotlight in THE HAUNTED MUSEUM, a new horror film anthology series produced in collaboration with filmmaker Eli Roth. The series presents frightening and hellish tales inspired by the spooky relics on display in Zak Bagans’ Las Vegas museum. Bagans, a devoted collector of the macabre, is opening his museum vaults and sharing the secrets and stories behind a curated selection of his most prized haunted items through scripted shorts produced by Roth and his accredited team and featured commentary from Bagans. (Nine episodes) #TheHauntedMuseum
OUTRAGEOUS PUMPKINS – New Season
Premieres Sunday, October 3 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Food Network
OUTRAGEOUS PUMPKINS with host Alyson Hannigan takes the traditional Halloween pastime to the next level. Seven extraordinarily talented pumpkin carvers duke it out in an outdoor pumpkin competition that defies imagination. Each week, the carvers dive headfirst into the most insane, eerie, and outrageous challenges executing their intricate Halloween designs to impress judges Terri Hardin and Marc Evan. Only one will earn the coveted title of Outrageous Pumpkin Champion and take home $25,000. (Four one-hour episodes) #OutrageousPumpkins
HOUSE HAUNTERS – New Series
Begins Streaming Thursday, October 7 on discovery+
Emmy® nominated actor and producer Anthony Anderson, star of the ABC sitcom Black-ish, along with his mom and co-host of ABC’s To Tell the Truth, Doris Bowman, will combine their love of all things home—and mischief—to host the new discovery+ series HOUSE HAUNTERS. During this hidden camera real estate and home renovation prank series from the producers of Impractical Jokers, Anthony and Doris will take over properties and devise hilarious gags for unsuspecting house hunters, real estate agents, handymen, and even a few HGTV stars, including Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent (The Nate & Jeremiah Home Project) and Brian and Mika Kleinschmidt (100 Day Dream Home). Throughout House Haunters, with dozens of hidden cameras in place and working from a nearby unmarked van, Anthony and Doris will scheme to scare, startle and surprise visitors to the homes – executing humorous high jinks with creepy dolls come to life, mysterious pests on the loose, home decor that has a mind of its own or seemingly haunted spaces. (Six half-hour episodes) #HouseHaunters
ELI ROTH PRESENTS: A GHOST RUINED MY LIFE – New Series
Begins Streaming Friday, October 8 with Two-Episode Binge on discovery+
From master of horror Eli Roth, A GHOST RUINED MY LIFE shares the shocking stories of hauntings that have left emotional (and sometimes physical) scars on those unlucky enough to have experienced them. Equal parts terrifying and evocative, every hour-long episode will expose viewers to the real-life stories of survivors who have been dragged through hell and back and now struggle to rebuild their shattered lives. (Eight one-hour episodes) #AGhostRuinedMyLife
THE DEAD FILES – New Season
Premieres Saturday, October 23 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Travel Channel
Former NYPD homicide detective Steve DiSchiavi and physical medium Amy Allan are back on the case. Utilizing his detective skills, DiSchiavi interviews witnesses and experts, and researches the history and facts behind each haunted location. Allan, a physical medium who sees and communicates with the dead, assesses the property to identify what underlying entities reside there. Keeping their findings hidden from each other, the team avoids all contact with one another – coming together only at the very end to reveal their shocking discoveries to the property owners, and each other. (Six one-hour episodes) #TheDeadFiles
JACK AND KELLY OSBOURNE: NIGHT OF TERROR – New Special – “The Queen Mary”
Begins Streaming Sunday, October 24 on discovery+
Jack Osbourne introduced his sister, Kelly, to the paranormal last year and turned her skepticism into a curiosity of the unknown. Now, he’s bringing her to the queen of all haunted locations – the RMS Queen Mary. For decades, people have ventured onto the ship, docked in Long Beach, California, for a glimpse at the other side. However, since it shut down to the public in early 2020 when the Coronavirus pandemic struck, the hallowed halls of this once-elegant ocean liner have grown silent – but hardly empty. The skeleton crew of security and maintenance workers has experienced unsettlingly aggressive paranormal activity, including scratches, threatening footsteps thundering down the hall, and vivid apparitions. Now, Jack and Kelly will come aboard to investigate the infamous ghost ship alone. (Two-hour special) #NightofTerror
GHOST HUNTERS – New Season Sneak Peek – Special Halloween Event
Begins Streaming Sunday, October 31 on discovery+
The revival of the series that started it all is here! GHOST HUNTERS comes exclusively to discovery+ with a brand-new season featuring original team leader Jason Hawes, joined by Steve Gonsalves, Dave Tango, and Shari DeBenedetti. A special Halloween event kicks off the new run, as the TAPS team take back the paranormal reins in epic haunted locations. Joining the hunt inside one of America’s scariest prisons are a few familiar faces and special guests, including Amy Bruni and Adam Berry (Kindred Spirits, Ghost Hunters). (One-hour episode) #GhostHunters
