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Science has 'Splatitude' for Punkin Chunkin and more, Thanksgiving schedule

By April MacIntyre Nov 1, 2011, 14:47 GMT

Punkin Chunkin for bears! The zoo bears received several pumpkins as a halloween surprise. EPA/DANIEL BOCKWOLDT

Time to show some splatitude!

The countdown to the 2011 Punkin Chunkin is underway, and SCIENCE is putting some muscle behind the annual Thanksgiving special to catapult it into gourd glory, as it turns November into “Chunktember.”

This year’s event will include a robust offering of behind-the chunk specials, online games, and social media engagement – all in anticipation for the main event. Will last year’s overall champion—the first woman ever to win—defend her crown? Breathing down her neck is a field of mechanical wizards including former champs, perennial underdogs, and trash-talking fan favorites – each with a new bag of tricks they claim will guarantee victory this year.  See who has the skill and determination to turn their blueprints and dreams into a legitimate chance at finding glory on the firing line come November. 

From SCIENCE:

Viewers are taken into the workshop to find out with a new three-part special,
Road To Punkin Chunkin, airing for three consecutive Thursdays at 10PM ET/PT leading up to the main event (November 3, November 10 and November 17).

Road To Punkin Chunkin joins teams across America as they get monstrous air cannons and medieval weapons built and tested in time for the annual gathering in a Delaware cornfield, where the crowning glory is bestowed upon the one whose homemade contraption can propel a pumpkin the farthest. With each episode hosted by one of the MythBusters’ Kari Byron, Grant Imahara, and Tory Belleci, all three of whom are co-hosting the main event on Thanksgiving, ROAD TO PUNKIN CHUNKIN explores who has the skill and determination to turn their blueprints and dreams into a legitimate chance at finding glory on the firing line.

Starting today, viewers can get in on the fun as SCIENCE.com rolls into “Chunktember” with the launch of the exclusive one-stop shop fan page for all things PUNKIN CHUNKIN. Back by popular demand is the online game, “Lord of the Gourd,” where viewers can step up to the practice range and test their chunkin skills. Viewers are can get live #PunkinChunkin tour updates from @ScienceChannel and more for Sci Sports fans at facebook.com/ScienceChannel. Also, through November 5, @ScienceChannel followers should keep an eye out for “Chunk Trivia,” with a chance to win PUNKIN CHUNKIN swag.

This all culminates with the thrilling annual competition where “man meets machine meets mayhem,” as Punkin Chunkin launches on Thanksgiving night, Thursday, November 24 at 8PM (ET/PT) as a simulcast on Discovery Channel and SCIENCE.

Punkin Chunkin is an annual extravaganza where teams (and more than 30 thousand fans) gather in a Delaware cornfield to see whose homemade contraption can propel a pumpkin the farthest. Hosted by the World Championship Punkin Chunkin Association (WCPCA), the event is held annually in Sussex County Delaware to benefit a number of charitable organizations including St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital.

This year, Mythbusters' Kari Byron, Grant Imahara, and Tory Belleci join as hosts of the simulcast of Punkin Chunkin. Now in its 26th year of competition, PUNKIN CHUNKIN has become a pop culture phenomenon, inspiring countless backyard warriors looking to recreate the wacky rituals that make up this autumnal event. Punkin Chunkin airs Thanksgiving night, Thursday, November 24 at 8PM (ET/PT) as a simulcast on Discovery Channel and SCIENCE.