Host John Henson welcomes a dozen bakers to the Henson & Sons Carnival, where they're ready for the ride of their lives. First, they must layer a "tarot-misu" depicting the carnival's untimely demise. Then, the bakers scare up a new carnival mascot by designing creepy clown cakes for judges Carla Hall, Stephanie Boswell and Zac Young.

Do-nut try to steal John Henson's dream job, or things might get bloody. The remaining bakers make bloody filled doughnuts to commemorate an unfortunate accident. Then it's a joyful bake for some and doomed one for others as the competitors take judges Carla Hall, Stephanie Boswell and Zac Young round and round on the creepiest carousel ever.

Things heat up when John Henson tells the tale of an Australian fire eater before asking the bakers to create charred and flambéed pavlovas. Then, a missing family member returns with extraterrestrial oddities that the bakers use to inspire alien head Charlotte royale cakes with enough ooze to gross out judges Carla Hall, Stephanie Boswell and Zac Young.

John Henson tells the story of the ghost in the funhouse hall of mirrors as inspiration for the bakers' Bloody Mary bar desserts. Then, the magician known as the Fantastic Fondante puts on a show as the bakers work in teams to fuse two body parts together as Franken-cakes for judges Carla Hall, Stephanie Boswell and Zac Young.

The bakers dig deep to make buried alive trifles honoring the carnival's escape artist who went to an early grave. Then, John Henson shows the bakers the carnival's wind chimes, which look eerily like some of the missing family members' heads, and asks them to make shrunken head pies for judges Carla Hall, Stephanie Boswell and Zac Young.

The bakers make desserts designed to melt after hearing John Henson's torrid tale of one of the carnival's most enthralling sideshow attractions, the Human Ice Pop! Then, a miscommunication spells the end for the sword swallower as the bakers create a dessert that swallowed another dessert to impress judges Carla Hall, Stephanie Boswell and Zac Young.

John Henson challenges the remaining bakers to create torta della nonnas that honor the matriarch of the Henson & Sons Carnival, the Tattooed Woman. Then, a mysterious swap smashes the Strong Man, which inspires the bakers to smash their desserts in front of judges Carla Hall, Stephanie Boswell and Zac Young.