Host Alyson Hannigan gives the seven carvers their first challenge in the outdoor pumpkin arena: Turn three pumpkins into jack-o'-lanterns depicting a cursed nursery rhyme. Then the stakes are raised with a minimum of five pumpkins needed to create a terrifying jack-o'-lantern display depicting what lies beneath the ocean. Judges Marc Evan and Terri Hardin pick their favorites, and one competitor is sent packing.
In the final challenge, host Alyson Hannigan tasks the remaining four pumpkin carvers with their most-monstrous carves yet. For the Quick Carve round, they have to create a terrifying monster-in-law. In the Big Carve round, they have to make a 5-foot-tall monster bash scene using Atlantic Giant pumpkins weighing in at over 1,000 pounds each! Judges Terri Hardin and Ray Villafane decide which monster is the life of the pumpkin party and which carver takes home the $25,000 prize.
The five carvers are challenged to create out-of-this-world structures and sky-high alien encounters using at least two stacked pumpkins. Then host Alyson Hannigan tasks the competitors with using at least 15 pumpkins to create an epic monster ride. Judges Marc Evan and Terri Hardin send one carver cruising home while four elite carvers head to the finale.
The sky's the limit when host Sunny Anderson challenges the carvers to reach new heights and build their biggest pumpkin creations yet, first bringing a frightening phobia to life and then depicting a circus sideshow gone terribly wrong. Judges Paul Dever and Terri Hardin decide which fearsome carvers move on to the finale and which carver has to leave the pumpkin patch.