BISMARCK, N.D. (KXNET) — It’s Halloween night! There’s only a little bit longer before kids and adults head out to trick-or-treating, but no matter where you go, there’s one thing that’s almost guaranteed to come up during a Halloween celebration: candy.
There’s a whole world of candy that’s given out at Halloween, but everyone has a favorite — and while there aren’t exactly arguments around candy the same way debates between pizza or BBQ styles are, plenty of people have their own thoughts as to the best candy brands.
Surprisingly, journalists are humans too (most of us, at least), and we all have our own opinions on our favorite sweet treats. We thought that the Halloween season would be a great time to share our preferences with you. Without further ado, here’s what a few of KX Bismarck and Minot’s staff members think are the best — and worst — candy to find in their treat bags.
The Big Bosses
Joe Rinaldi, News Director
Favorite: “Milky Way – I love caramel and chocolate together.”
Least Favorite: “Mounds – I just don’t like coconut, so really anything coconut is a no from me.”
Stephanie Malloy, Assistant News Director
Favorite: “I love ALL the Candy! I don’t know if I could pick a favorite: chocolate-covered cherries, Marshmellow Pumpkins, chocolate-covered marshmallows, chocolate-covered almonds, are all great, but I also love circus peanuts, burnt peanuts, those milk maid royals, and really, just candy in general!”
Least Favorite: “Anything sour, but probably Warheads in particular.”
Jeniffer Churchill, Producer
Favorite: “Three Musketeers.”
Least Favorite: “Sour Apple-Flavored Anything.”
Karen Lucrece, Producer
Favorite: “Starburst and Nerds. I personally love flavored candy more than chocolate.”
Least Favorite: “Candy Corn just sounds bad, and the aftertaste is disgusting.”
Newsroom
Joel Porter, Evening Anchor/Reporter
Favorite: “Mini Twix bars. As soon as they’re in the bag, it’s a pile of empty gold wrappers. I can’t resist.
Least Favorite: I wouldn’t give Mary Jane Peanut Butter Kisses to my worst enemy. I’m surprised they’re still legally sold in stores.
Nicholas Quallich, Morning Anchor
Favorite: “Snickers bars. There’s just a lot to them and I’ve always liked them since I was a youngster.”
Least Favorite: “Any candy with mint and chocolate. It was one of my favorite combos years ago, but I’ve grown not to like it at all. Mint is mint and chocolate is chocolate, but for me, the two together….not so much.”
Kyara Brown, Multimedia Reporter/Host of ‘Cooking with KX’
Favorite: “Reese’s peanut butter cups! bonus points if they are in the pumpkin or Christmas tree shapes.”
Least Favorite: “Tootsie Rolls and Candy Corn.”
Nai Remy, Multimedia Reporter/Morning Reporter
Favorite: Skittles. They’re really sweet.
Least Favorite: Candy Corn. Absolutely not. It’s a big no for me.
Corbin Warnock, Multimedia Reporter
Favorite: There are a few I like. Twix, Crunch, and Snickers are some of the best.
Least Favorite: Black Licorice.
Mary Gutenkauf, Multimedia Reporter
Favorite: “I love all the candy. It’s so hard to decide on a favorite, but the top three are probably peanut butter cups, Sour Patch Kids, and Heath bars. I also love a good dark chocolate bar with caramel or some fruit in it.”
Least Favorite: “Black Licorice. I don’t know why someone ever decided that black licorice would be a good flavor for candy.”
Sam Sayler, Multimedia Reporter
Favorite: “Sour Skittles and Kit Kats.”
Least Favorite: “Black Licorice.”
Adrienne Oglesby, Multimedia Reporter/Weekend Anchor
Favorite: “Snickers! It’s just about the only candy I eat.”
Digital Team
Keith Darnay, Digital Executive Producer
Favorite: “Snickers mini-bars. Chock full of flavor, peanuts — it’s like a Halloween meal in itself. If you feel like stopping trick-or-treating for the night, eat one of the mini-Snickers you received earlier and you’ll have the energy to go door-to-door for candy for another hour at least.“
Least Favorite: “Candy Corn. Why? Because It’s. Candy. Corn. No more explanation needed.”
Nick Jachim, Digital Producer
Favorite: “Kit Kat, by far.”
Least Favorite: “I’ve never been a fan of Warheads. WAY too sour for me.”
Morgan DeVries, Digital Producer
Favorite: “Chocolate. Almost anything chocolate is my go-to, simply because it’s chocolate. But my favorites are Snickers and Butterfingers.”
Least Favorite: “Dots, or any other super chewy candy. It gets stuck in my teeth, and I feel like I’m chewing forever.”
Brendan Rodenberg, Digital Reporter/Column Host
Favorite: “I’m a fan of chocolate with a crunch, so I love Take 5s, Pretzel M&Ms, and Crunch bars. My favorite sweet snacks are chocolate-coated biscuits like Pocky or Kinoko, but I’m not sure if those really count as Halloween treats.
Least Favorite: “Spicy candy, and anything overly hard like Bit-O-Honey or Charleston Chew. I’m also pretty averse to white chocolate… it just tastes weird to me.
Jonathan Arenz, Digital Media Coordinator
Favorite: “Anything Reese’s. A“new” mixture I discovered a few years ago, but not a trick or treat candy, is candy corn and peanuts.”
Least Favorite: “Candy Corn on its own is horrible, but it’s amazing with peanuts.”
Studio 701
Amber Schatz, Host
Favorite: “Peanut butter cups. I like to eat the hard outer chocolate edge first and then have my last satisfying bite be the soft, peanut butter center.”
Least Favorite: “I’m not a huge fan of candy corn, but my least favorite candy is that mysterious one with black and orange colored wrapping with no name or logo on it (Peanut Butter Kisses). I remember getting them when I was little. They were gross!”
KX Weather Team
Stone Schafer, Meteorologist
Favorite: “Reeses’ Peanut Butter Cups.”
Least Favorite: “They don’t have anything to do with Halloween, but I hate Peeps… ew.”
Taylor Aasen, 4:00 Weather
Favorite: “Sour Patch Kids, because they’re just like me — sour, sweet, gone.”
Least Favorite: “Almond Joy.. what crazy person likes coconut flakes in their chocolate?“
Carolyn Gurske, Weekend Weather
Favorite: “Twix Bars.”
Least Favorite: “Candy Corn… it’s gross.” (we are told this was said with a gag face.)
Behind The Scenes
Andrew Verry, Production Lead
Favorite: “Snickers Bars, right out of the freezer.”
Least Favorite: “I don’t really hate any candy.”
Gabe Anderson, Director
Favorite: “Reeses’ Pieces.”
Least Favorite: “Black Licorice.”
Andrew Cramin, Director
Favorite: “Kit Kat Bars.”
Least Favorite: “Licorice.”
Lauren Senescall, Production Team Member
Favorite: “Snickers.”
Least Favorite: “Wax Lips.”
Ziyaye Chongwe, Production Team Member
Favorite: “Twix Bars.”
Least Favorite: “Candy Corn.”
It seems like most of us are fans of chocolate and peanut butter, and the traditional snack of candy corn is almost entirely disliked across the office. Judging by recent reports on what is considered to be the ‘worst’ Halloween candy, however, our opinions don’t seem to be far off from the rest of the country.
What are your favorite Halloween treats? Are there any that are more of a trick to you? Feel free to let us know on our Facebook pages! Happy Halloween!
