Kristin Chenoweth Might Not Be a Chef, But She Loves Hosting the New ‘Candy Land’ on Food Network

From Woman's Day

Kristin Chenoweth is the first person to admit that she is not a cook. The singer-actress previously told Woman's Day, "I don't go in the kitchen very often," which explains her ongoing partnership with Kellogg's crackers. It doesn't, however, explain how she landed the delicious gig of hosting a new Food Network show aptly titled Candy Land.

"Candy Land was a sniper from the side that I didn't see coming," Chenoweth tells Woman's Day. "But I love it."

The show, which includes six episodes and premieres on the Food Network on Nov. 15, is based on the old-school board game of the same name. The show features competing teams, tasked with creating sugar masterpieces as they advance through the "game board," navigate surprise challenges with the hope of winning the grand prize: a whopping $25,000.

"I just can't wait for everybody to watch," Chenoweth says. "To watch these teams compete and really love each other, and to watch them create these confections with sugar, I just can't believe what they did."

The pieces the teams created showcase pure artistry, Chenoweth says. "I loved watching the artists — and I use that word very carefully — create entire villages," she says. "As an artist in a different milieu, I was so impressed by the different contestants and what they offered. I'd never be able to do it, so I stand in awe of what they created."

It wasn't just the confections Chenoweth loved on set, either. She also enjoyed getting to know each of the contestants and the show's judges, Aarti Sequeira and Nacho Aguirre. "I got close to all of them," Chenoweth says. "We were really bonding in a safe way, but it was the first thing I'd done in the pandemic, and we're all learning how to work now."

She says the set employed strict COVID-19 protocols and that there was an emphasis on safety. But of course, because she enjoys a bit of fun, Chenoweth got everybody matching Candy Land face masks. Despite the new filming environment, she wanted everyone on set to know "we're in this together."

When Chenoweth secured the hosting job her mother gave her some advice. "My mom said, 'Just try to learn something,'" Chenoweth says. "And I thought, 'But I don't want to cook, I'll leave it to you guys.'" In the end though, she did end up learning something important on set. "There's one thing I did learn," she says. "It was so cold in the studio, and as the host, I kept saying, 'Can you guys make it hotter? It's so cold,'" she says. "And they're like, 'No, that's the one thing you don't get.' And it's because food melts," she laughs.

On the bright side, at least her custom Candy Land mask could help keep her a bit warmer during filming.

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