LOS ANGELES, California, USA, October 16, 2026 — Three magicians who spend their time fooling audiences at the Magic Castle set out to spot deceptions they didn’t create. Viewers find out Monday whether they found the treats or fell for the tricks.
Jonathan Molo, Julia Dryas, and Jack Murdock appear in “Trick or Treat: The Magic Castle,” the fifth episode of Food Network’s new baking game show Sweet Deceit, airing Monday, October 19, at 10 p.m. Eastern and Pacific (9 p.m. Central). Host Josh Peck sends the team through the Castle in search of six hyper-realistic sweets hidden among the building’s real objects by cake artist April Julian. To prove a guess, they have to bite it. Find all six edible illusions and the team wins $12,000.
The magicians expected home-field advantage.
“We were very confident going in because it was happening at our second home. We knew the place,” Molo told Conjurly. “April is such an amazing baker and artist. It was far more difficult than we expected.”
A team of friends
Molo, known as “The Man in the Purple Suit” and the 2025 Magic Castle Strolling Showdown champion, said Food Network approached him about assembling a team to audition.
“I chose two of my favorite people who are amazing magicians,” he said.
Dryas, a junior member of the Academy of Magical Arts known for her butterfly-themed magic, said the process began with a Zoom interview in which the three showcased their magic, followed later by a call with a filming date.
“The experience was super unique. I’ve never done anything like it before,” Dryas told Conjurly. “We were so excited!”
One casting requirement puzzled Molo at first. Producers wanted people with good teeth, he said. Only later did he understand that was because of the close-up shots of each bite to prove the guess.
First time on television
The episode marks the television debut for all three magicians, according to Molo. They carpooled to the Castle together.
“It was like three kids heading to Disneyland for the first time,” he said.
For Murdock, a San Clemente close-up magician and Magic Castle member since 2009, the setting was the thrill. “To see the Magic Castle become a TV set with me as one of the stars was a dream come true!” he told Conjurly. “Dare I say, it was magically delicious!”
The scale of the production caught them off guard. Molo described a crowd of crew and gear, and a green room stocked with food and drinks. “They made us feel so welcomed and important as part of the show,” he said.
That included the host. “It is sometimes said that it is not always great to meet your heroes. Josh Peck proved that notion wrong,” Molo said. “He was so nice and made us feel welcomed and important as part of his show. They made us feel that it was easy to be ourselves.”
One part of the process stood out to him as a working magician: some scenes were shot a second time. “As a live performer, I’m not used to getting a second take,” he said.
Real or cake
The game itself proved harder than any of them anticipated. Julian, a Toronto cake artist and runner-up on season one of Netflix’s Is It Cake?, hid her creations throughout the Castle, including in several of Molo’s favorite rooms.
“All of the cake objects looked so realistic, so intricate,” Molo said. “April is an amazing artist and a delightful person to work with.”
Murdock said he approached the hunt the way a magician sizes up a stage, looking for what seemed natural and what is commonly used in magic. “The baker really worked their magic, blending it in so well that even us magicians weren’t sure if it was real or a sweet treat,” he said.
Dryas said even close inspection didn’t settle the question. “It is super difficult telling what is real and what is cake,” she said. “Even close-up, you couldn’t tell if the item was cake or not cake!”
The bite itself became its own small piece of theater. Before each one, the team had to pause while the camera moved in for a better angle.
“It was a little nerve-racking when you’re about to take a bite out of what you hope is cake,” Dryas said. “It felt like the suspense was rising until you took the bite.”
Murdock said the payoff was worth it. “The sweets are truly sweet!” he said. “I was lucky enough to get a bite of one of the best chocolate props ever!”
As for whether the magicians saw through the illusion, Dryas wasn’t saying. “You’ll have to watch the episode to find out!”
She said the prize was never the point. “I wasn’t really in it for the money. I wanted to do it to have a good time with my friends and try something new,” she said. “But the money was a plus!”
Murdock said the experience changed how he looks at the props in his own show. “Anything could be not as it seems,” he said.
That, he said, is the reason for magicians to tune in. “You can see how well even us deceivers can be deceived,” he said. “You can never trust your eyes, even when you know how magic works.”
Sweet Deceit airs Mondays at 10 p.m. Eastern and Pacific (9 p.m. Central) on Food Network, with episodes streaming the next day on HBO Max. See the Conjurly Event listing for additional details and links.
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