BBQ Brawl
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BBQ Brawl (titled BBQ Brawl: Flay v. Symon during the first season) is an American cooking reality competition television series that airs on Food Network.
Production
The first three seasons were filmed at the Star Hill Ranch in Austin, Texas, while the fourth season was filmed at Long Branchs Saloon & Farms Half Moon Bay, California.
The first season aired from August 1 to August 22, 2019; and it was presented by chefs Bobby Flay and Michael Symon. Chefs Moe Cason, Chris Lilly and Amy Mills served as judges. It began with eight barbecue chefs in the pilot episode, who were then divided into two teams that were each headed by Flay and Symon. At the end of each episode, one chef from each team was eliminated. The winner in the season finale was awarded the title "Master of 'Cue", which was in turn the name of their subsequent series on FoodNetwork.com.
The second season added chef and former football player Eddie Jackson as a team captain alongside Flay and Symon. Chefs Rodney Scott and Brooke Williamson were added in as the new judges along with television personality Carson Kressley. It aired from June 14 to August 9, 2021.
The third season consisting of eight episodes brought in chefs Jet Tila and Anne Burrell as new captains alongside Flay. It aired from May 9 to June 27, 2022.
In April 2023 Symon revealed that the show was filming a fourth season, but he would not be returning. In June 2023, Warner Bros. Discovery announced that it would premiere on July 10, 2023 with a 90-minute special episode and Sunny Anderson would serve as a captain alongside Flay and Burrell.
In September 2023, Food Network renewed the show for a fifth season which premiered on July 8, 2024. The show returned to Texas for the fifth season, with Michael Voltaggio serving as a captain alongside Flay and Anderson.
In April 2025, TheWrap reported that the sixth season would feature two new chefs, namely Maneet Chauhan and Antonia Lofaso, serving as captains alongside Flay. The season premiered on June 1, 2025.
Contestants
Season 1
Source
Winner
Runner-up
- Susie Bulloch (M) – Lehi, Utah
Eliminated
(in order of elimination)
- Joe Pearce (B) – Kansas City, Missouri
- Kevin Bludso (M) – Compton, California
- Carey Bringle (M) – Nashville, Tennessee
- George "Tuffy" Stone (B) – Richmond, Virginia
- Phil Johnson (B) – Phoenix, Arizona
- Lynnae Oxley-Loupe (M) – Battle Ground, Washington
Season 2
Winner
- Erica Blaire Roby (B) - Dayton, Ohio
Runners-up
- Ara Malekian (M) - Richmond, Texas
- David Sandusky (M) - St. Louis, Missouri
Eliminated
(in order of elimination)
- Christina Fitzgerald (M) - St. Louis, Missouri
- Max Hardy (E) - Detroit, Michigan
- Megan Day (E) - Lee's Summit, Missouri
- Brendan Lamb (B) - Roanoke, Texas
- Terry Matthews (B) - Phoenix, Arizona
- Lu Holter (E) - Hudson, Wisconsin
- Taylor Carroll (B) - Atlanta, Georgia
- Christopher Prieto (E) - Knightdale, North Carolina
- Brittani Bo Baker (M)(E) - Tampa, Florida
Season 3
Winner
- Rashad Jones (J)(A) - Ocala, Florida
Runners-up
- Don Nguyen (J)(A) - Houston, Texas
- Winnie Yee-Lakhani (A)(J) - Fullerton, California
Eliminated
(in order of elimination)
- James Cruse (B) - New Orleans, Louisiana
- Tony Froyan (A)(J) - Maplewood, New Jersey
- Michelle Wallace (A)(J) - Houston, Texas
- Matt Roth (B) - Austin, Texas
- Sunny Moody (J)(A)(J) - Nashville, Tennessee
- Tina Cannon (B) - Atlanta, Georgia
Season 4
Winner
- Dominique Leach (S)(B) - Chicago, Illinois
Runners-up
- Chuck Matto (B)(S) - Vallejo, California
- Harold Villarosa (A)(B) - San Francisco, California
Eliminated
(in order of elimination)
- Kate Neville (A) - Los Angeles, California
- Robert Smith (B)(S) - Hempstead, Texas
- Chris Williams (S)(B) - Louisville, Kentucky
- Larissa Da Costa (B)(S) - Los Angeles, California
- Christie Vanover (A) - Las Vegas, Nevada
- Brian Duffy (B)(S) - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Ami Cisneros (S)(B) - San Diego, California
- Ippy Aiona (A) - Kamuela, Hawaii
- Chris Binotto (S)(B)(S) - Venice Beach, California
Season 5
Winner
- Erica Barrett (B) - Atlanta, Georgia
Runners-up
- Bruce Kalman (V) - Las Vegas, Nevada
- Hugh Mangum (V) - New York City, New York
Eliminated
(in order of elimination)
- Noah Sims (S)(B) - Epworth, Georgia
- Shannon Snell (S)(B) - Gainesville, Florida (withdrew)
- Andrea Nicholson (B)(S) - Toronto, Ontario
- Logan Sandoval (B)(S) - Simi Valley, California
- Ray Lampe (S) - St. Petersburg, Florida
- Elena Terry (V) - Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin
- Flora Kamimura (V)(S) - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii
- Ashley Turner (B)(S) - Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Sam Cruz (S)(B) - Miami, Florida
Season 6
Winner
- Kyle Bryner (B)(M) - Dillard, Georgia
Runners-up
- Tyler Anderson (A) - Hartford, Connecticut
- Brad Leighninger (B) - Branson, Missouri
Eliminated
(in order of elimination)
- Tim Van Doren (A) - Alabaster, Alabama
- Arturo Ramon (M) - Wimberley, Texas
- Alexandra Donnadio (M) - Hillsborough, New Jersey
- Jason Dady (M) - San Antonio, Texas
- Aarthi Sampath (A) - New York City, New York
- Rosalie Bradford Pareja (B) - Clearwater, Florida
- Thyron Mathews (A) - Oelwein, Iowa
- Greg Gatlin (M) - Houston, Texas
- Orchid Paulmeier (B) - Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
Contestant progress
Season 1
| Rank | Contestant | Episode | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | ||
| 1 | Lee Ann | IN | BTM | IN | WINNER |
| 2 | Susie | IN | IN | IN | RUNNER-UP |
| 3 | Lynnae | IN | BTM | OUT | |
| 4 | Phil | IN | IN | OUT | |
| 5 | Tuffy | BTM | OUT | ||
| 6 | Carey | BTM | OUT | ||
| 7 | Kevin | OUT | |||
| 8 | Joe | OUT |
(WINNER) This contestant won the competition and was crowned "Master of 'Cue".
(RUNNER-UP) The contestant was the runner-up in the finals of the competition.
(BTM) The contestant was selected as one of the bottom entries on their team, but was not eliminated.
(OUT) The contestant was eliminated from the competition.
Season 2
| Rank | Contestant | Episode | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | ||
| 1 | Erica | IN | IN | IN | BTM | IN | IN | BTM | IN | IN | WINNER |
| 2 | Ara | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | BTM | RUNNER-UP |
| David | BTM | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | BTM | RUNNER-UP | |
| 4 | Brittani | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | STL | BTM | OUT | |
| 5 | Christopher | IN | BTM | BTM | IN | IN | BTM | IN | OUT | ||
| 6 | Taylor | IN | IN | IN | IN | BTM | IN | OUT | |||
| 7 | Lu | IN | BTM | IN | IN | IN | OUT | ||||
| 8 | Terry | IN | IN | IN | IN | OUT | |||||
| 9 | Brendan | IN | IN | IN | OUT | ||||||
| 10 | Megan | IN | BTM | OUT | |||||||
| 11 | Max | IN | OUT | ||||||||
| 12 | Christina | OUT |
(WINNER) This contestant won the competition and was crowned "Master of 'Cue".
(RUNNER-UP) The contestant was the runner-up in the finals of the competition.
(IN) The contestant was among the members of the first team to be safe in the challenge.
(IN) The contestant was among the members of the second team to be safe in the challenge.
(STL) The contestant was stolen by a rival team captain using their "Steal Card".
(BTM) The contestant was selected as one of the bottom entries on their team, but was not eliminated.
(OUT) The contestant was eliminated from the competition.
Season 3
| Rank | Contestant | Episode | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | ||
| 1 | Rashad | SWC | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | WINNER |
| 2 | Don | SWC | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | RUNNER-UP |
| Winnie | SWC | IN | BTM | BTM | IN | IN | IN | RUNNER-UP | |
| 4 | Tina | IN | IN | IN | IN | BTM | IN | OUT | |
| 5 | Sunny | SWC | IN | IN | IN | STL | OUT | ||
| 6 | Matt | IN | BTM | IN | IN | OUT | |||
| 7 | Michelle | SWC | IN | IN | OUT | ||||
| 8 | Tony | SWC | IN | OUT | |||||
| 9 | James | IN | OUT |
(WINNER) This contestant won the competition and was crowned "Master of 'Cue".
(RUNNER-UP) The contestant was the runner-up in the finals of the competition.
(IN) The contestant was among the members of the first team to be safe in the challenge.
(IN) The contestant was among the members of the second team to be safe in the challenge.
(SWC) The contestant was switched to another team.
(STL) The contestant was stolen by a rival team captain using their "Steal Card".
(BTM) The contestant was selected as one of the bottom entries on their team, but was not eliminated.
(OUT) The contestant was eliminated from the competition.
Season 4
| Rank | Contestant | Episode | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | ||
| 1 | Dominique | SWC | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | WINNER |
| 2 | Chuck | SWC | IN | BTM | IN | BTM | IN | BTM | IN | BTM | RUNNER-UP |
| Harold | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | STL | RUNNER-UP | |
| 4 | Binotto | SWC | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | STL | OUT | |
| Ippy | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | BTM | IN | IN | OUT | ||
| 6 | Ami | SWC | IN | IN | BTM | IN | IN | IN | OUT | ||
| 7 | Duffy | SWC | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | OUT | |||
| 8 | Christie | IN | BTM | IN | IN | IN | OUT | ||||
| 9 | Larissa | SWC | IN | IN | IN | OUT | |||||
| 10 | Chris | SWC | IN | IN | OUT | ||||||
| 11 | Robert | SWC | IN | OUT | |||||||
| 12 | Kate | IN | OUT |
(WINNER) This contestant won the competition and was crowned "Master of 'Cue".
(RUNNER-UP) The contestant was the runner-up in the finals of the competition.
(IN) The contestant was among the members of the first team to be safe in the challenge.
(IN) The contestant was among the members of the second team to be safe in the challenge.
(SWC) The contestant was switched to another team.
(STL) The contestant was stolen by a rival team captain using their "Steal Card".
(BTM) The contestant was selected as one of the bottom entries on their team, but was not eliminated.
(OUT) The contestant was eliminated from the competition.
Season 5
| Rank | Contestant | Episode | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | ||
| 1 | Erica | FP | IN | IN | IN | BTM | IN | IN | IN | BTM | WINNER |
| 2 | Bruce | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | BTM | IN | IN | IN | RUNNER-UP |
| Hugh | FP | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | RUNNER-UP | |
| 4 | Sam | SWC | BTM | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | OUT | |
| 5 | Ashley | SWC | IN | BTM | IN | IN | IN | BTM | OUT | ||
| 6 | Flora | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | STL | OUT | |||
| 7 | Elena | IN | IN | IN | IN | BTM | OUT | ||||
| 8 | Ray | FP | IN | IN | BTM | OUT | |||||
| 9 | Logan | SWC | IN | IN | OUT | ||||||
| 10 | Andrea | SWC | IN | OUT | |||||||
| 11 | Shannon | SWC | IN | WDW | |||||||
| 12 | Noah | SWC | OUT |
(WINNER) This contestant won the competition and was crowned "Master of 'Cue".
(RUNNER-UP) The contestant was the runner-up in the finals of the competition.
(IN) The contestant was among the members of the first team to be safe in the challenge.
(IN) The contestant was among the members of the second team to be safe in the challenge.
(FP) The contestant was chosen by the captain as the team's franchise player and is immune from the "Team Switch".
(SWC) The contestant was switched to another team.
(STL) The contestant was stolen by a rival team captain using their "Steal Card".
(BTM) The contestant was selected as one of the bottom entries on their team, but was not eliminated.
(OUT) The contestant was eliminated from the competition.
(WDW) The contestant withdrew from the competition.
Season 6
| Rank | Contestant | Episode | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | ||
| 1 | Kyle | IN | IN | IN | IN | STL | IN | IN | IN | IN | WINNER |
| 2 | Tyler | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | BTM | IN | RUNNER-UP |
| 3 | Brad | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | RUNNER-UP |
| 4 | Orchid | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | BTM | IN | OUT | |
| 5 | Greg | IN | BTM | IN | BTM | IN | IN | IN | IN | OUT | |
| 6 | Thyron | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | BTM | IN | OUT | ||
| 7 | Rosalie | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | OUT | |||
| 8 | Aarthi | BTM | IN | IN | IN | IN | OUT | ||||
| 9 | Jason | IN | IN | BTM | OUT | ||||||
| 10 | Alexandra | IN | IN | OUT | |||||||
| 11 | Arturo | IN | OUT | ||||||||
| 12 | Tim | OUT |
(WINNER) This contestant won the competition and was crowned "Master of 'Cue".
(RUNNER-UP) The contestant was the runner-up in the finals of the competition.
(IN) The contestant was among the members of the first team to be safe in the challenge.
(IN) The contestant was among the members of the second team to be safe in the challenge.
(STL) The contestant was stolen by a rival team captain using their "Steal Card".
(BTM) The contestant was selected as one of the bottom entries on their team, but was not eliminated.
(OUT) The contestant was eliminated from the competition.
(WDW) The contestant withdrew from the competition.
Episodes
| Season | Episodes | Originally released | |
|---|---|---|---|
| First released | Last released | ||
| 1 | 4 | August 1, 2019(2019-08-01) | August 22, 2019(2019-08-22) |
| 2 | 10 | June 14, 2021(2021-06-14) | August 9, 2021(2021-08-09) |
| 3 | 8 | May 9, 2022(2022-05-09) | June 27, 2022(2022-06-27) |
| 4 | 10 | July 10, 2023(2023-07-10) | September 4, 2023(2023-09-04) |
| 5 | 10 | July 8, 2024(2024-07-08) | September 2, 2024(2024-09-02) |
| 6 | 10 | June 1, 2025(2025-06-01) | July 27, 2025(2025-07-27) |
Season 1 (2019)
| No. | Title | Original air date | Rating (18-49) | Viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Backyard BBQ" | August 1, 2019(2019-08-01) | 0.3 | 1.00 |
| 2 | "High Steaks" | August 8, 2019(2019-08-08) | 0.2 | 0.94 |
| 3 | "Winging It" | August 15, 2019(2019-08-15) | 0.2 | 0.82 |
| 4 | "Going Whole Hog" | August 22, 2019(2019-08-22) | 0.2 | 1.03 |
Season 2 (2021)
| No. | Title | Original air date | Rating (18-49) | Viewers (millions) | DVR (18-49) | DVR viewers (millions) | Total (18-49) | Total viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Introduce Your 'Cue" | June 14, 2021(2021-06-14) | 0.2 | 0.95 | 0.1 | 0.31 | 0.3 | 1.26 |
| 2 | "Hometown Favorites" | June 21, 2021(2021-06-21) | 0.2 | 0.97 | 0.1 | 0.27 | 0.3 | 1.24 |
| 3 | "BBQ Hacks" | June 28, 2021(2021-06-28) | 0.2 | 0.80 | 0.1 | 0.31 | 0.3 | 1.11 |
| 4 | "Game Day BBQ" | July 5, 2021(2021-07-05) | 0.2 | 0.89 | 0.1 | 0.30 | 0.2 | 1.19 |
| 5 | "Competition 'Cue" | July 12, 2021(2021-07-12) | 0.2 | 0.78 | 0.1 | 0.38 | 0.2 | 1.16 |
| 6 | "BBQ Brunch Battle" | July 19, 2021(2021-07-19) | 0.2 | 0.99 | 0.1 | 0.34 | 0.3 | 1.32 |
| 7 | "Seafood Showdown" | July 26, 2021(2021-07-26) | 0.2 | 0.68 | — | — | — | — |
| 8 | "BBQ Around the World" | August 2, 2021(2021-08-02) | 0.2 | 0.72 | — | — | — | — |
| 9 | "Future 'Cue" | August 9, 2021(2021-08-09) | 0.2 | 0.89 | 0.1 | 0.31 | 0.2 | 1.20 |
| 10 | "Master of 'Cue" | August 9, 2021(2021-08-09) | 0.2 | 0.81 | 0.1 | 0.33 | 0.2 | 1.13 |
Season 3 (2022)
| No. | Title | Original air date | Rating (18-49) | Viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | " 'Cue the Introductions " | May 9, 2022(2022-05-09) | 0.2 | 0.88 |
| 2 | "BBQ Games" | May 16, 2022(2022-05-16) | 0.2 | 0.87 |
| 3 | "Backyard BBQ" | May 23, 2022(2022-05-23) | 0.2 | 0.95 |
| 4 | "Throwback BBQ" | May 30, 2022(2022-05-30) | 0.2 | 0.83 |
| 5 | "You Gotta Beef with Me?!" | June 6, 2022(2022-06-06) | 0.2 | 0.93 |
| 6 | "Not Your Average 'Cue" | June 13, 2022(2022-06-13) | 0.1 | 0.79 |
| 7 | "Social Media Connection" | June 20, 2022(2022-06-20) | 0.2 | 0.84 |
| 8 | "Impress Us" | June 27, 2022(2022-06-27) | 0.2 | 0.96 |
Season 4 (2023)
| No. | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Welcome to California!" | July 10, 2023(2023-07-10) |
| 2 | "2nd Annual BBQ Games" | July 17, 2023 |
| 3 | "Fisherman's Wharf War" | July 24, 2023 |
| 4 | "Hurts So Good" | July 31, 2023 |
| 5 | "Takin' It to the Next Level" | August 7, 2023 |
| 6 | "Live Fire, Live Wire" | August 14, 2023 |
| 7 | "Fancy Schmancy" | August 21, 2023 |
| 8 | "Triple Rib Showdown" | August 28, 2023 |
| 9 | "A Trip Down Memory Lane" | September 4, 2023 |
| 10 | "Impress Us" | September 4, 2023 |
Season 5 (2024)
| No. | Title | Original air date | Rating (18-49) | Viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Howdy Again, Texas!" | July 8, 2024(2024-07-08) | 0.1 | 0.57 |
| 2 | "3rd Annual BBQ Games" | July 15, 2024(2024-07-15) | 0.1 | 0.54 |
| 3 | "On the Road Again" | July 22, 2024(2024-07-22) | 0.1 | 0.56 |
| 4 | "Nose to Tail" | July 29, 2024(2024-07-29) | 0.1 | 0.43 |
| 5 | "BBQ Hacks" | August 5, 2024(2024-08-05) | 0.0 | 0.33 |
| 6 | "Red, White and 'Cue" | August 12, 2024(2024-08-12) | 0.1 | 0.58 |
| 7 | "State Fair Fare" | August 19, 2024(2024-08-19) | 0.1 | 0.59 |
| 8 | "BBQ Triple Threat" | August 26, 2024(2024-08-26) | 0.1 | 0.55 |
| 9 | "I Do 'Cue" | September 2, 2024(2024-09-02) | 0.1 | 0.56 |
| 10 | "Mission 'Cue" | September 2, 2024(2024-09-02) | 0.1 | 0.51 |
Season 6 (2025)
| No. | Title | Original air date | Rating (18-49) | Viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Cookin' Up Something New" | June 1, 2025(2025-06-01) | 0.1 | 0.74 |
| 2 | "4th Annual BBQ Games" | June 8, 2025(2025-06-08) | 0.1 | 0.66 |
| 3 | "Global Live-Fire Feast" | June 8, 2025(2025-06-08) | 0.1 | 0.56 |
| 4 | "Judges' Day Off" | June 15, 2025(2025-06-15) | 0.1 | 0.70 |
| 5 | "$10,000 Showdown" | June 22, 2025(2025-06-22) | 0.1 | 0.75 |
| 6 | "Chuck Wagon Wars" | June 29, 2025(2025-06-29) | 0.1 | 0.85 |
| 7 | "To Meat ... Or Not to Meat" | July 6, 2025(2025-07-06) | 0.1 | 0.68 |
| 8 | "Into the Fire!" | July 13, 2025(2025-07-13) | 0.1 | 0.75 |
| 9 | "BBQ Duels" | July 20, 2025(2025-07-20) | 0.1 | 0.81 |
| 10 | "Feast All Night" | July 27, 2025(2025-07-27) | 0.1 | 0.75 |
External links
- at IMDb