Gourds will be launched long distances through the air before splattering back to earth when the Punkin Chunkin competition is featured on the Science Channel and the Discovery Channel this November.

Press Release: Projectile pumpkins take over the sky as PUNKIN CHUNKIN returns to Science Channel with a three hour simulcast with Discovery Channel – that’s more primetime gourd-chunkin hours than ever before! Punkin Chunkin is the epic gathering of unconventional engineering teams and builders who compete using a variety of technologies - air cannons, catapults, trebuchets and other homemade contraptions - to see who can propel a pumpkin the farthest. This signature Science Channel television event celebrates the science and engineering skills of all those who compete, as well as their creativity, ingenuity, teamwork, and passion. PUNKIN CHUNKIN returns in all its glory after a two-year absence as a simulcast on Science Channel and Discovery Channel Saturday, Nov. 26 at 8PM.

Veteran PUNKIN CHUNKIN hosts Kari Byron and Tory Belleci co-host the high-flying television event, joined by MythBusters: The Search host Kyle Hill. They will take viewers behind the firing line to experience all the action as the teams prepare to compete. PUNKIN CHUNKIN 2016 will keep Science Channel’s on air, on-demand, online and social audiences on the edge of their seat with all-new technologies employed to get closer to the field and the pumpkin hurling action than ever before.

“Punkin Chunkin is a celebration of backyard engineers, American innovation and everyday science. I’m excited to reintroduce this television event to Science Channel, Discovery and a whole new generation,” said Marc Etkind, General Manager of Science Channel

The competition is hosted by the World Championship Punkin Chunkin Association (WCPCA), and will feature all-new machines and fan favorite teams, including returning champs Yankee Seige II and Sir Chunks-A-Lot; Chunk Norris; American Chunker; newcomers Pluto and Safety 3rd; American Chunker, who continue their ongoing rivalry with Big Ten Inch; Colossal Thunder, the youth team now old enough to compete with the big boys; and a top secret team making a foray into the Air Cannon division. PUNKIN CHUNKIN 2016 will also mark the return of legendary chunker, Fat Jimmy. With titles in every division on the line, teams featured will pull out all the stops in hopes of achieving the holy grail of pumpkin propulsion: launching a pumpkin more than one mile, which has never been done before. The current record is a distance of 4,694.68 feet, set in 2013.

“I couldn’t be prouder to announce that, thanks to the unparalleled efforts of our dedicated volunteers and the undying support of the community we serve, the Chunk is back, and we intend for it to be bigger and better than ever. We’re honored to once again be partnering with Science Channel to help further the Chunk’s reach and promote the charitable endeavors and scholarship programs that it always has, and always will, support. Together we’ll bring Punkin Chunkin - a Delaware tradition unlike any other - back to homes nationwide,” said Frank Payton, President of Punkin Chunkin.

For all things PUNKIN CHUNKIN, explore the wealth of material on ScienceChannel.com which includes the latest video on all aspects of the competition, team bios, photos and more. Audiences can join the action live as it unfolds via Science Channel Social Media with unmissable content during the event and the PUNKIN CHUNKIN premiere. There will always be something new with Facebook Live events, host and participant tweets, photo posts, live video and snaps using the hashtag #PunkinChunkin. Find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat via @ScienceChannel.

PUNKIN CHUNKIN is produced for Science Channel by Sharp Entertainment where Matt Sharp, Dan Adler and Scott Miller serve as executive producers. For Science Channel, Kyle McCabe serves as executive producer with Lindsey Foster Blumberg as producer.

About Science Channel

Science Channel, a multi-media business unit of Discovery Communications, is the home of all things science around the clock, including series such as THROUGH THE WORMHOLE WITH MORGAN FREEMAN, OUTRAGEOUS ACTS OF SCIENCE, WHAT ON EARTH?, HOW THE UNIVERSE WORKS, UNEARTHED, HOW IT’S MADE and PUNKIN’ CHUNKIN’. Science Channel’s programming also includes daily news updates with SCIENCE PRESENTS DNEWS and timely, expert-driven specials covering breaking science news and discoveries. Science Channel is the premiere TV, digital and social community for those with a passion for science, space, technology, archeology, and engineering, providing immersive, engaging, high-quality entertainment across all Science Channel assets including: Science Channel television network, available in more than 72 million homes in the U.S; complimentary Video On Demand offering; SCI Go app allowing viewers to catch up on full episodes of their favorite shows anytime; deep video, interactive storytelling and virtual reality at www.sciencechannel.com; and conversations on Science Channel’s popular social platforms including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat via @ScienceChannel.

About Discovery Communications

Discovery Communications (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) is the world’s #1 pay-TV programmer reaching nearly 3 billion cumulative subscribers in more than 220 countries and territories. For 30 years Discovery has been dedicated to satisfying curiosity and entertaining viewers with high-quality content through its global television brands, led by Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Investigation Discovery and Science, as well as U.S. joint venture network OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network. Discovery controls Eurosport, the leading pan-regional sports entertainment destination across Europe, Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa. Discovery also is a leading provider of educational products and services to schools, including an award-winning series of K-12 digital textbooks, through Discovery Education, and a digital leader with a diversified online portfolio, including Discovery Digital Networks. For more information, please visit www.discoverycommunications.com.

  • Derek Anderson
    About the Author - Derek Anderson

    Raised on a steady diet of R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps books and Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Derek has been fascinated with fear since he first saw ForeverWare being used on an episode of Eerie, Indiana.

    When he’s not writing about horror as the Senior News Reporter for Daily Dead, Derek can be found daydreaming about the Santa Carla Boardwalk from The Lost Boys or reading Stephen King and Brian Keene novels.