Things are getting shaken up at the pit on BBQ Brawl. This Sunday at 9:00 PM ET, the regular judges get benched for an episode titled, fittingly, “Judges’ Day Off.” So, who decides which brawler gets sent packing? The locals, of course.
Before the main event, the advantage challenge gets a twist. Team captains Bobby Flay, Maneet Chauhan, and Antonia Lofaso will step in to rate a blind taste test, putting their own palates on the line without knowing whose food they’re tasting. It’s a solid change-up that removes any potential for team favoritism and puts the focus squarely on the food itself.
After that, it’s on to a Texas-sized chili cook-off. The teams will have to impress a crowd of hungry locals, who will have the final say on which team’s chili is the best and which one gets extinguished from the competition. Stripping away the usual judges and handing the power over to the public is a smart move that injects a dose of unpredictability into the proceedings. This is where reputations are made or broken, not in front of a panel of experts, but in a parking lot full of people who just want a good bowl of chili. It’s a welcome and chaotic shift for the Food Network staple.
“BBQ Brawl” airs Sunday at 9:00 PM ET on Food Network.
