BBQ Brawl

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.^[6]

BBQ Brawl
Season 6 intertitle
Also known as	BBQ Brawl: Flay v. Symon (season 1)
Genre	Food reality television
Directed by	Peter J. Babington
Creative director	Manuela Schmidt
Presented by	Bobby Flay Michael Symon Eddie Jackson Jet Tila Anne Burrell Sunny Anderson Michael Voltaggio Maneet Chauhan Antonia Lofaso
Judges	Moe Cason Chris Lilly Amy Mills[1] Rodney Scott Brooke Williamson Carson Kressley[2]
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	6
No. of episodes	52
Production
Executive producers	Bobby Flay Kim Martin Kirsty Nordal Grant McGahuey
Producer	Janelle McCracken
Production locations	Seasons 1 – 3, 5 – 6: Austin, Texas[3][4][1] Season 4: Half Moon Bay, California[5]
Cinematography	Nathan Hutchins
Editors	Daniel Moratti Dmitry Beryozkin Eric Anderson David Cutler Adam Hall Eli Middleton Jessie Rogowski Karrin Ellertson Anthony Fitzgerald Kristine Gaffney Matt Hollywood
Production company	Rock Shrimp Productions
Original release
Network	Food Network
Release	August 1, 2019 (2019-08-01) – present

Production

The first three seasons were filmed at the Star Hill Ranch in Austin, Texas,^[3][1] while the fourth season was filmed at Long Branchs Saloon & Farms Half Moon Bay, California.^[7][5]

The first season aired from August 1 to August 22, 2019;^[6] and it was presented by chefs Bobby Flay and Michael Symon. Chefs Moe Cason, Chris Lilly and Amy Mills served as judges.^[1] 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.^[8]

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.^[9] It aired from June 14 to August 9, 2021.^[10]

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^[11] to June 27, 2022.^[12]

In April 2023 Symon revealed that the show was filming a fourth season, but he would not be returning.^[13] 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.^[7]

In September 2023, Food Network renewed the show for a fifth season which premiered on July 8, 2024.^[14][15] The show returned to Texas for the fifth season, with Michael Voltaggio serving as a captain alongside Flay and Anderson.^[16]

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.^[17]

Contestants

Season 1

Source^[18]

• KEY
• Team (B)obby
• Team (M)ichael

Winner

• Lee Ann Whippen (B) – Tampa, Florida

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^[19] (B) – Richmond, Virginia
• Phil Johnson (B) – Phoenix, Arizona
• Lynnae Oxley-Loupe (M) – Battle Ground, Washington

Season 2

• KEY
• Team (B)obby
• Team (M)ichael
• Team (E)ddie

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

• KEY
• Team (B)obby
• Team (A)nne
• Team (J)et

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

• KEY
• Team (B)obby
• Team (A)nne
• Team (S)unny

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

• KEY
• Team (B)obby
• Team (S)unny
• Team (V)oltaggio

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

• KEY
• Team (B)obby
• Team (A)ntonia
• Team (M)aneet

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[20]
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[6][21]	Rating (18-49)	Viewers (millions)
1	"Backyard BBQ"	August 1, 2019 (2019-08-01)	0.3[22]	1.00[22]
2	"High Steaks"	August 8, 2019 (2019-08-08)	0.2[23]	0.94[23]
3	"Winging It"	August 15, 2019 (2019-08-15)	0.2[24]	0.82[24]
4	"Going Whole Hog"	August 22, 2019 (2019-08-22)	0.2[25]	1.03[25]

Season 2 (2021)

No.	Title	Original air date[26]	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[27]	0.1	0.31	0.3	1.26[27]
2	"Hometown Favorites"	June 21, 2021 (2021-06-21)	0.2	0.97[28]	0.1	0.27	0.3	1.24[28]
3	"BBQ Hacks"	June 28, 2021 (2021-06-28)	0.2	0.80[29]	0.1	0.31	0.3	1.11[29]
4	"Game Day BBQ"	July 5, 2021 (2021-07-05)	0.2	0.89[30]	0.1	0.30	0.2	1.19[30]
5	"Competition 'Cue"	July 12, 2021 (2021-07-12)	0.2	0.78[31]	0.1	0.38	0.2	1.16[31]
6	"BBQ Brunch Battle"	July 19, 2021 (2021-07-19)	0.2	0.99[32]	0.1	0.34	0.3	1.32[32]
7	"Seafood Showdown"	July 26, 2021 (2021-07-26)	0.2	0.68[33]	—	—	—	—
8	"BBQ Around the World"	August 2, 2021 (2021-08-02)	0.2	0.72[34]	—	—	—	—
9	"Future 'Cue"	August 9, 2021 (2021-08-09)	0.2	0.89[35]	0.1	0.31	0.2	1.20[36]
10	"Master of 'Cue"	August 9, 2021 (2021-08-09)	0.2	0.81[35]	0.1	0.33	0.2	1.13[36]

Season 3 (2022)

No.	Title	Original air date[26]	Rating (18-49)	Viewers (millions)
1	" 'Cue the Introductions "	May 9, 2022 (2022-05-09)	0.2	0.88[37]
2	"BBQ Games"	May 16, 2022 (2022-05-16)	0.2	0.87[38]
3	"Backyard BBQ"	May 23, 2022 (2022-05-23)	0.2	0.95[39]
4	"Throwback BBQ"	May 30, 2022 (2022-05-30)	0.2	0.83[40]
5	"You Gotta Beef with Me?!"	June 6, 2022 (2022-06-06)	0.2	0.93[41]
6	"Not Your Average 'Cue"	June 13, 2022 (2022-06-13)	0.1	0.79[42]
7	"Social Media Connection"	June 20, 2022 (2022-06-20)	0.2	0.84[43]
8	"Impress Us"	June 27, 2022 (2022-06-27)	0.2	0.96[44]

Season 4 (2023)

No.	Title	Original air date[26]
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[26]	Rating (18-49)	Viewers (millions)
1	"Howdy Again, Texas!"	July 8, 2024 (2024-07-08)	0.1[45]	0.57[45]
2	"3rd Annual BBQ Games"	July 15, 2024 (2024-07-15)	0.1[46]	0.54[46]
3	"On the Road Again"	July 22, 2024 (2024-07-22)	0.1[47]	0.56[47]
4	"Nose to Tail"	July 29, 2024 (2024-07-29)	0.1[48]	0.43[48]
5	"BBQ Hacks"	August 5, 2024 (2024-08-05)	0.0[49]	0.33[49]
6	"Red, White and 'Cue"	August 12, 2024 (2024-08-12)	0.1[50]	0.58[50]
7	"State Fair Fare"	August 19, 2024 (2024-08-19)	0.1[51]	0.59[51]
8	"BBQ Triple Threat"	August 26, 2024 (2024-08-26)	0.1[52]	0.55[52]
9	"I Do 'Cue"	September 2, 2024 (2024-09-02)	0.1[53]	0.56[53]
10	"Mission 'Cue"	September 2, 2024 (2024-09-02)	0.1[53]	0.51[53]

Season 6 (2025)

No.	Title	Original air date[26]	Rating (18-49)	Viewers (millions)
1	"Cookin' Up Something New"	June 1, 2025 (2025-06-01)	0.1[54]	0.74[54]
2	"4th Annual BBQ Games"	June 8, 2025 (2025-06-08)	0.1[55]	0.66[55]
3	"Global Live-Fire Feast"	June 8, 2025 (2025-06-08)	0.1[55]	0.56[55]
4	"Judges' Day Off"	June 15, 2025 (2025-06-15)	0.1[56]	0.70[56]
5	"$10,000 Showdown"	June 22, 2025 (2025-06-22)	0.1[57]	0.75[57]
6	"Chuck Wagon Wars"	June 29, 2025 (2025-06-29)	0.1[58]	0.85[58]
7	"To Meat ... Or Not to Meat"	July 6, 2025 (2025-07-06)	0.1[59]	0.68[59]
8	"Into the Fire!"	July 13, 2025 (2025-07-13)	0.1[60]	0.75[60]
9	"BBQ Duels"	July 20, 2025 (2025-07-20)	0.1[61]	0.81[61]
10	"Feast All Night"	July 27, 2025 (2025-07-27)	0.1[62]	0.75[62]