Food Network Under Fire After Fans Claim Holiday Show ‘Rigged’
Food Network is back with holiday programming, but some fans claim the network rigs shows in favor of certain contestants. The accusation came after a shocking elimination. Keep reading for all the details.
Food Network Quietly Canceled Two Holiday Shows
With the weather getting colder, more people are staying indoors. Channels like Hallmark and the Food Network bring out their holiday-themed content for television viewers. Hallmark’s specialty is cheesy Christmas movies. The Food Network stays off the couch and heads to the kitchen for rousing food competitions.
The popular channel has over fifty hours of holiday shows planned for the season. But fans noticed the surprising absence of two favorites. The Food Network seemingly quietly canceled Holiday Wars and Christmas Cookie Challenge.
However, its schedule is filled to the brim with new and returning holiday shows. Holiday Baking Championship returns with a supersized season with 12 bakers competing for a $25,000 prize.
Beat Bobby Flay: Holiday Throwdown returns on November 11, featuring new and returning competitors aiming to beat Bobby Flay. Gingerbread Land: The Biggest Little Holiday Competition is a new competition that challenges teams to build intricate gingerbread worlds.
Bachelor Nation star Wells Adam hosts Sweet Empire, where bakers create holiday-inspired desserts for a $50,000 prize. Holiday Wars: Champion Cake-Off features reigning champions from Halloween Wars and Holiday Wars facing off.
But what really has fans talking is Tournament of Champions: All-Star Christmas hosted by Guy Fieri. The spinoff was reportedly filmed over the summer in Santa Rosa, California.
Network Under Fire After Fans Claim Holiday Show ‘Rigged’
Food Network star Tobias Dorzon returns as a contestant on Tournament of Champions after getting shot eleven times last year. While he has an astounding story to tell, he’s not who fans think the network is rigging the show to favor.
On previous seasons of the show, the contestants competed on their own. In a new twist, contestants are paired up to compete on the new season. Some fans felt that Aarti Sequeira & Crista Ludtke’s loss to Alex Guarnaschelli & Antonia Lofaso by half a point was a clear indication that the show was rigged.
One viewer wrote on social media, “I enjoy this show but last season seemed rigged with Antonia’s win.”
The first battle on tonight’s #TournamentOfChampions: All-Star Christmas is going to be one for the record books!
Tune in at 8|7c. pic.twitter.com/hR98wwQ8WD
— Food Network (@FoodNetwork) November 5, 2025
Fan ‘Conflicted’ Over Tournament Of Champions Pairing
The contestants working in pairs instead of individually didn’t sit right with some fans. One Food Network fan complained on social media that they were “conflicted” by the Voltaggio brothers being teamed up together. They wrote that it puts them in a “tough spot mentally” because they want to root for one of the brothers but not the other.
“I really don’t like Michael Voltaggio. He seems like a huge tool with a giant ego. So I want to root FOR Bryan and AGAINST Michael,” they added.
Tell us in the comments if you think the Food Network rigs the winner of its holiday shows.
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Took out Halloween cookie challenge, took out Christmas cookie challenge, changed Halloween wars, took out Holiday Wars, no Easter show with Sunny, no Thanksgiving shows….WTF are they doing? I have literally watched Food Network since the moment it aired. I’ve seen a lot of competition shows come, and go on this network (Cupcake wars , Iron Chef, Food network challenge…). They need to keep some nostalgia. We don’t need to reinvent the wheel all the time but, Last bite hotel, that was original and fresh. Now I’m watching whatever competition they put on that’s holiday because that’s what’s on. Doesn’t mean I like it, particularly, but it’s all that’s on. I’ve been searching on networks for holiday shows and I’ve been finding them. Pretty soon, If you keep cutting shows, I’m not watching your network.
TOC, including holiday TOC currently going on, are all about the women. Adam n Christian losing to Mei n Nini, Marcus losing, Jet always loses… the guys don’t whine like babies like Antonia, they just continue doing what they do. The women represent females as smug and snotty and whiny. Maneet, Damaris, Artie n Krista are exceptions. They are classy. I am so sick of watching the bias. Chopped always have women saying “ to show women can compete in a man’s world, to represent black women, to show that gay women, to whatever…. It’s always a Karen cause…. Just cook better and stop the whiney commentary…. Guys only win on GGG sometimes