Locking skilled pastry chefs inside the famed Hersheypark after dark and watching them compete to create the most mind-bending chocolate showpieces is all part of the competitive fun in the new primetime series, Chocolate Meltdown: Hershey’s After Dark.
The four-episode series, produced in partnership with Hershey’s, premieres at 10 p.m. Sept. 27 and is hosted by Sunny Anderson, who challenges the pastry artists to create the most mind-bending chocolate showpieces. It is part of Food Network’s biggest Halloween lineup yet – featuring more than 36 hours of Halloween-themed programming.
“Chocolate Meltdown: Hershey’s After Dark combines two of my all-time passions, going to amusement parks and creating art with food,” said Anderson. “I cannot wait to share these amazing chocolate displays with viewers, featuring some of the most talented pastry chefs on the planet.”
Created by Milton S. Hershey more than 115 years ago, Hersheypark in Hershey, Pennsylvania, is a 121-acre amusement park featuring three parks in one with more than 70 rides, a full water park and zoo attracting families to the destination. And this September, three pastry chefs are locked inside the amusement park after-hours, and in each hour-long episode, they must solve clues and brave the rides to use Hershey’s sweets for their creations before the night is over.
Working with the help of just an assistant within Hershey’s largest candy store, Chocolate World, the competitors race against the clock as judges Ralph Attanasia (Food Network’s Buddy vs. Duff) and Maneet Chauhan (winner, Tournament of Champions) keep a watchful eye to determine who was the most successful at molding chocolate and spinning sugar into works of art. The winner of each episode earns a year’s supply of Hershey’s candy, a Hersheypark vacation and a cash prize.
“This brand-new series, the first ever to film overnight inside Hersheypark and Hershey’s Chocolate World, is a viewer’s ultimate Halloween fantasy brought to life,” said Courtney White, president of Food Network and Cooking Channel. “Our partnership with the iconic candy brand and the show’s no-holds-barred access to rides, sweets and everything Hershey, Pennsylvania offers, makes Chocolate Meltdown: Hershey’s After Dark an addictive new highlight to our supersized Halloween lineup.”
For more than a century, The Hershey Co. has been a candy innovator with more than 90 brands around the world, including Hershey’s, Reese’s, Kit Kat and Jolly Rancher.
Fans can check out all the creations and see Anderson, Attanasia and Chauhan compete in their own chocolate-themed challenges at FoodNetwork.com. Follow along with the competition on social media using #HersheysAfterDark.
Chocolate Meltdown: Hershey’s After Dark is produced by Beyond Productions for Food Network.
