Charleston, W.Va. (WVDN) – The West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE) Office of Career Technical Education (CTE) is pleased to announce the nine CTE teams competing in the fifth annual Culineering Challenge. The teams will compete on Oct. 21, 2026, at the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center in Charleston to earn the title of 2026 Culineering Champion.
The Culineering Challenge brings together CTE students from culinary and engineering programs to compete in an exciting competition based on the Netflix® series Baking Impossible. Several cast members from the series will attend to serve as judges and mentors, including three new special guests: Andrew Smyth, creator and producer of Baking Impossible; Tamara Robertson of MythBusters; and Stefan Price, whose projects have been featured in Disney and Universal parks worldwide.
This year’s theme, “Crash Test Yummy,” requires each team to design and construct an edible crash-test vehicle inspired by one of West Virginia’s state parks. Students will design and build a vehicle using edible components and an assigned flavor combination. Flavors and the state park were selected through a random drawing. Teams will engineer their vehicles to protect a confectionery passenger as it travels down a gravity-powered crash test.
In addition to the competition, teams will present their projects to judges, document their progress through a social media campaign and showcase scenic displays representing their assigned state park.
The 2026 teams include:
| County | School(s) | Team Name | State Park |
| Marion | Marion County Technical Center | Ctrl. Alt. DaMeat. | Cacapon Resort State Park |
| Marshall | John Marshall High School | The Eggscellent Engineers | Tygart Lake State Park |
| Mason | Mason County Career Center | The Candy Men | Summersville Lake State Park |
| Mercer | Mercer County Technical Education Center | MCTEC Crash Dummies | Hawks Nest State Park |
| Monongalia | Monongalia County Technical Education Center, University High School, Morgantown High School | M&M Bake & Break | Blackwater Falls State Park |
| Ohio | Wheeling Park High School | The Crash Test Culineers | Chief Logan State Park |
| Summers | Summers County Comprehensive High School | The Radical CakeRide | Tomlinson Run State Park |
| Wayne | Spring Valley High School | Tiered & Geared | North Bend State Park |
| Wetzel | Wetzel County Technical Education Center | Crash Test Coyotes | Beech Fork State Park |
The Culineering Challenge awards include: grand champion, $5,000 classroom grant and a team trophy; second place, a $3,000 classroom grant and a custom-engraved cutting board; and third place, a $2,000 classroom grant and a custom-engraved cutting board. Teams with the best video and social media campaign will earn certificates.
Visit the WVDE Facebook page for team profiles leading up to the event and learn more about the Culineering Challenge on the WVDE website.
Stream the event live on the WVDE Facebook page on Oct. 21, 2026.
