Somewhere between a cocktail competition, a throwback pop culture reunion, and what sounds like absolute organized chaos, E! has officially added Cocktail Wars to its growing unscripted lineup.
The new 10 episode mixology competition series will debut this summer with Lance Bass and Joey Fatone serving as hosts, which honestly feels like the exact kind of energy this concept probably needs.
Each episode pits rising mixologists against one another in a fast paced cocktail showdown where creativity, presentation, and personality matter just as much as what ends up in the glass. Contestants will compete for a $10,000 prize each episode while navigating surprise challenges, celebrity guests, and the kind of pressure that tends to make reality competition shows either wildly entertaining or deeply stressful. Usually both.
According to E!, the series leans heavily into fun over formality, focusing on bold drink ideas, flashy technique, and bartenders willing to take risks instead of playing things safe. In other words, less quiet craft cocktail bar energy and more “someone might light rosemary on fire while a former boy band member yells encouragement from three feet away.”
Bass and Fatone said the combination of talent, cocktails, and competition made the project an easy fit for them, while E! President of Entertainment Val Boreland described the series as a blend of nostalgia, personality, and pop culture driven entertainment.
The show is executive produced by Texas Crew Productions and R&D Media, with Russ McCarroll serving as showrunner.
No exact premiere date has been announced yet, but Cocktail Wars is scheduled to arrive this summer on E!