Day 7 of the 🎁 13 Days of Recommended Holiday Reality TV ✨
7. Wrapped & The Ultimate Gift Wrapping Challenge
The holiday magic
QVC says ► “contestants put their creative skills to the test and face off”
why I recommend them ► both shows highlight the talent and craft of gift wrappers, a craft I appreciate even more as I’m stuffing something into a gift bag
where to watch ►
free: on TV via the QVC+ or HSN+ apps
free online: Wrap Battle • Ultimate Gift Wrapping Challenge
Why you should watch
I was hoping to recommend Wrap Battle, a super-fun gift-wrapping competition with Carson Kressley judging.
Alas, Disney disappeared the show, though you can still watch two extended clips here.
Thankfully, the home shopping networks QVC and HSN—now one company!—have filled in the gift-wrapping gap with two separate competitions.
The Ultimate Gift Wrapping Challenge aired two seasons in 2023 and 2024, and is very similar to Wrap Battle—so much that its first season even has one of the same contestants from Wrap Battle, Joe.
It’s basically Top Chef for gift wrapping, with a contestant eliminated each week.
The location and set are rich, and the challenges creative, like wrapping blindfolded or wrapping wine without a box. But the judging and hosting is kind of awkward, with host Lauren McBride flinging her cards around and reading from them in ways that make RuPaul’s cue card reading seem natural.
In July, for its Christmas in July stunt, QVC+ and HSN+ premiered Wrapped!, hosted by Ricki Lake! And Ross Matthews and Peloton’s Cody Rigsby among the judges! They elevate the game, though the show feels lower budget overall, and is just four episodes.
In each episode, three contestants battle in two challenges for $5,000, such as wrapping the most gifts they can in 30 minutes—though, of course, only the well-wrapped gifts count.
In a fun twist, they keep the gifts they wrap. And so can you: Everything on the show is shoppable, including Ricki Lake’s attire.
Clearly, these shows are both QVC/HSN ads first and foremost, but they also show of their contestants’ skills and provide some festive fun.
✨ 13 Days of Holiday Reality TV ✨
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