Halloween Baking Championship Season 8: Meet the Competitors

Get to know the 12 bakers competing to survive their thrilling stay at Hotel Henson and check out with $25,000.

Marcus is a culinary specialist for the U.S. Navy. He loves being a baker, because it gives him the creativity and space to stand out, especially with his amplified decorations.

Jill is a bakery owner from Michigan. She started decorating in her early teens with her mom, who was also her first teacher when it came to cakes.

AJ is a home baker who does special orders for cakes. One of his favorite things to make is bloody cream puffs — a gory dessert perfect for Halloween!

Kristi is a pastry chef and culinary instructor, who thinks she has a dark internal soul, because she loves the gore of Halloween. She plans to make awesome and realistic-looking horror desserts...with eyeballs!

Justin is a bakery owner and creepy cake artist from Texas, who turns people’s darkest nightmares into sugary treats. Although he is a sweetheart on the inside, he can make the creepiest things you will ever see in your life!

Lola is a chef and co-owner of a horror-themed bakery in Arizona. She makes all kinds of spooky-decorated desserts.

Margarita is a pastry chef originally from Colombia and is now based in Florida. She describes herself as a witch, because she believes in the power of plants and will try to bring elements of nature onto her spooky desserts.

Alexey is a baker, who specializes in 3D and custom cakes. He grew up in Russia but now owns a home bakery in Brooklyn, New York.

Zac is a drag performer and baker from Colorado. He owns a bakery that merges the worlds of entertaining drag shows and cooking classes.

Lauren is a bakery owner from Washington and is known for her specialty cakes. Every Saturday in her bakery, she makes about one cake per hour, and she is competing to make her grandmother proud.

Maricsa is a bakery owner from Texas, who lives and breathes Halloween. She was self-taught and was a semi-finalist for a James Beard Award for Outstanding Baker.