| Composer: | Vanacore Music |
| Country: | United States |
| Language: | English |
| Num Seasons: | 7 |
| Num Episodes: | 57 |
| Runtime: | 46 minutes |
| Channel: | TLC (2009–2010) Destination America (2012–2015) |
BBQ Pitmasters is an American reality television series which follows barbecue cooks as they compete for cash and prizes in barbecue cooking competitions.
The series premiered on TLC on December 3, 2009. The eight-episode first season was filmed in a docu-reality format, as it followed several competing BBQ teams around the country to various BBQ contests.
Season two premiered on August 12, 2010, at 10 pm EDT featuring a completely new competition game show-based format.[1] Each week, four teams competed against each other. Challenges included common protein and more exotic meat. Weekly winners faced off against each other in the second-season finale as they vied for $100,000 and the Kingsford Cup. The judges for the second season were Myron Mixon, Art Smith, and Warren Sapp.[2] Kevin Roberts served as host.[3]
On January 29, 2012, Myron Mixon confirmed on his Facebook account for Jack's Old South that filming for Season 3 would start in March. On April 4, 2012, it was announced that Season 3 would air on Destination America, which is a rebranded version of the Planet Green channel that launched on May 26, 2012.[4]
On May 26, 2014, Destination America debuted a preview of their new TV series named BBQ Pit Wars. The episode first aired on May 31, 2014. This new reality show uses the old docu-reality format of BBQ Pitmasters season 1 (many viewers had voiced their preference for this format on the channel's website), in which Myron Mixon is one of the team competitors rather than a BBQ judge. Along with Stump McDowell of Stump's BBQ, Moe Cason of Ponderosa BBQ, and Michael Character of Character BBQ, the four teams compete in regional BBQ championships around the nation, for prizes, and bragging rights to be named the master of BBQ.[5]
| Season | Episodes | Season Premiere | Season Finale | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 | ||||
| 2 | 6 | ||||
| 3 | 6 | ||||
| 4 | 7 | ||||
| 5 | 13 | ||||
| 6 | 9 | ||||
| 7 | 9 | ||||
| Episode | Pitmaster | Team | Hometown | Episode Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Moe Cason | Ponderosa BBQ | Des Moines, Iowa | |
| Ryan Amys | Hot Grill on Grill Action | Omaha, Nebraska | ||
| Nicole Davenport | Taint the Sauce | Sheffield, Texas | ||
| Harrison Sapp | Southern Soul BBQ | Saint Simons Island, Georgia | ||
| 2 | Melissa Cookston | Yazoo's Delta Q | Nesbit, Mississippi | |
| John Fernandez-Melone | Bare Bones BBQ | Pleasanton, California | ||
| Rhoda Brown | Smokin' Fatties | West Monroe, Louisiana | ||
| Brent Walton | QN4U | Clovis, California | ||
| 3 | Craig Kimmel | Firehouse BBQ | DeLand, Florida | |
| Bubba Latimer | Bub-Ba-Q | Jasper, Georgia | ||
| Joe Davidson | Joe BBQ | Bixby, Oklahoma | ||
| Kyle Laval/Stephanie Wilson | The Slabs | Kansas City, Missouri | ||
| 4 | Johnny Trigg | Smokin' Triggers | Alvarado, Texas | |
| Danielle Dimovski | Diva Q | Barrie, Ontario | ||
| Jody Clark | Big Poppa Smokers | Coachella, California | ||
| Neil Strawder | Bigmistas | Long Beach, California | ||
| 5 | Shad Kirton | A Boy & His BBQ | Grimes, Iowa | |
| Dan Hixon | 3 Eyz BBQ | Owings Mills, Maryland | ||
| Lee Ann Whippen | Wood Chicks BBQ | Chesapeake, Virginia | ||
| Tyler Sayler | Big Mouth Smokers | Memphis, Tennessee |
| Episode | Pitmaster | Team | Hometown | Episode Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Shad Kirton | A Boy & His BBQ | Grimes, Iowa | bgcolor=gold | |
| Melissa Cookston | Yazoo's Delta Q | Nesbit, Mississippi | |||
| Johnny Trigg | Smokin' Triggers | Alvarado, Texas | |||
| Moe Cason | Ponderosa BBQ | Des Moines, Iowa | Eliminated | ||
| Craig Kimmel | Firehouse BBQ | DeLand, Florida |
In this season, three teams compete in each episode. The winning team will move on to the championship round, where they will compete for a $50,000 prize.
| Episode | Pitmaster | Team | Hometown | Episode Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Wagyu Brisket & Tri-Tip Tupelo, MS | Solomon Williams | Carolina Rib King | Georgetown, South Carolina | |
| Hank Vaiden | Cotton Patch Cooking Crew | Columbus, Mississippi | ||
| Jim Stancil | Bare Knuckles BBQ | Oxford, Georgia | ||
| 2 Pork Shoulder & Baby Back Ribs Memphis, TN | Melissa Cookston | Memphis Barbecue Co. | Nesbit, Mississippi | |
| Moe Cason | Ponderosa Barbecue | Des Moines, Iowa | ||
| Donny Bray | Warren County Pork Choppers | Bowling Green, Kentucky | ||
| 3 Pork Belly and Turkey Thomaston, GA | Johnny Trigg | Smokin' Triggers | Alvarado, Texas | |
| Chris Hart | Wicked Good BBQ | Boston, Massachusetts | ||
| Charles Wilson | C-Dub's Corruption BBQ | Puyallup, Washington | ||
| 4 Beef Ribs & Fresh Ham Dothan, AL | Corey Brinson | Fatback's BBQ & Rib Shack | Fayetteville, North Carolina | |
| Lee Ann Whippen | Wood Chicks BBQ | Chesapeake, Virginia | ||
| Shane McBride | Ribdiculous Bar-B-Krewe | New York City, New York | ||
| 5 Chicken & Rack of Pork Salisbury, MD | Danielle Dimovski | Diva Q BBQ | Ontario, Canada | |
| Rob Marion | 2 Worthless Nuts | Cleveland, Ohio | ||
| Randy Hill | Southern Krunk Burn One Boys BBQ | Little Rock, Arkansas |
| Episode | Pitmaster | Team | Hometown | Episode Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 Pork Shoulder, Spare Rib and Cheek | Johnny Trigg | Smokin' Triggers | Alvarado, Texas | bgcolor=gold | |
| Corey Brinson | Fatback's BBQ & Rib Shack | Fayetteville, North Carolina | |||
| Danielle Dimovski | Diva Q BBQ | Ontario, Canada | |||
| Solomon Williams | Carolina Rib King | Georgetown, South Carolina | Eliminated | ||
| Melissa Cookston | Memphis Barbecue Co. | Nesbit, Mississippi |
This season features individual regional BBQ style competitions. Each episode crowned a regional champion of the BBQ style for that state. Three local teams compete for bragging rights, and a $2,000 prize donated by Jack's Old South. There is no overall BBQ champion at the end of season 4. The last episode has Myron Mixon competing against his son Michael.
| Episode | Pitmaster | Team | Hometown | Episode Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Beef Brisket & Cowboy Steak Bedford, TX | Harold "Buzzie" Hughes | Buzzie's BBQ Restaurant | Kerrville, Texas | |
| Ernest Servantes | Burnt Bean Company | New Braunfels, Texas | ||
| Will Fleischman | Lockhart Smokehouse | Dallas, Texas | ||
| 2 Pork Picnic & Country-Style Ribs Atlanta, GA | Dionn Lanton | Holy Smokes BBQ | Dublin, Georgia | |
| Danny Outlaw | Georgia Bob's BBQ Co. | Warner Robins, GA | ||
| Bear Sloane | Lazy Bear BBQ | Gainesville, GA | ||
| 3 Pulled Chicken, Wet & Dry Baby Back Ribs Memphis, TN | Mark West | 10 Bones BBQ | Memphis, TN | |
| Craig Blondis | Central BBQ | Memphis, TN | ||
| Carey Bringle | Peg Leg Porker | Nashville, TN | ||
| 4 Pork Spareribs & Brisket Points Kansas City, MO | Rod Gray | Pellet Envy | Leawood, Kansas | |
| Tim Grant | TrueBud BBQ | Tonganoxie, Kansas | ||
| Stretch | Grinders BBQ | Kansas City, Missouri | ||
| 5 Pork Belly & Whole Pork Shoulder Charlotte, NC | Zach Goodyear | Sauceman's BBQ | Charlotte, NC | |
| Sam Jones | Skylight Inn BBQ | Ayden, NC | ||
| Debbie Holt | Clyde Copper's BBQ | Raleigh, North Carolina | ||
| 6 Mutton & Country Ham Munfordville, KY | John Foreman | Old Hickory Bar-B-Q | Owensboro, Kentucky | |
| Mike Ramage | Still Smokin' BBQ | Louisville, Kentucky | ||
| Roy Henry | Henry's Boogalou BBQ | Owensboro, Kentucky | ||
| 7 The Big Pig Jig Vienna, GA | Myron Mixon | Jack's Old South | Unadilla, Georgia | |
| Michael Mixon | Jack's New South | Unadilla, Georgia |
This season the BBQ competition returns to the previous elimination format. Three teams from around the country compete in each episode, and the winning teams advance to the finale. The overall grand BBQ champion wins a $50,000 prize.
| Episode | Pitmaster | Team | Hometown | Episode Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Pork Butt & Spareribs | David Bouska | Butcher BBQ | Chandler, Oklahoma | ||
| Eric Thomas | The Rolling Grill | Atlanta, Georgia | |||
| Big Jim Modesitt | Big Jim's BBQ | San Francisco, California | |||
| 2 Whole Pork Shoulder & Whole Chicken | Mark "Pig Daddy" Little | Team Bibs | Winston-Salem, North Carolina | ||
| Sara Horowitz | Nacho Mama | El Paso, Texas | |||
| Chuck Baker | Barrel House BBQ | Lynchburg, Tennessee | |||
| 3 Beef Shoulder Clod & Beef Ribs | Michael Character | Character's Famous BBQ | Adairsville, Georgia | ||
| Glenn Gross | Fat Jack's BBQ | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | |||
| Garry Roark | Ubons BBQ of Yazoo | Yazoo, Mississippi | |||
| 4 Buffalo Brisket & Bone in Pork Loin | Jeff Vanderlinde | Shiggin' & Grinnin' | Delano, Minnesota | ||
| Andy King | The Bastey Boys | Templeton, Massachusetts | |||
| Scott Lane | Piggy's UK | Hugglescote, Leicestershire, UK | |||
| 5 Turkey & Baby Back Ribs | Rob "Rub" Bagby | Swamp Boys | Winter Haven, Florida | ||
| Tommy Houston | Checkered Pig | Martinsville, Virginia | |||
| Jennifer Duncan | Smoked to the Bone | Gilbert, Arizona | |||
| 6 Brisket Points & Turkey Legs | Lynnae Oxley | Sugar's BBQ | Portland, Oregon | ||
| Danny Coogle | Pit Bulls Up in Smoke | Kennesaw, Georgia | |||
| Cody Archie | Lulu's BBQ | East Prairie, Missouri | |||
| 7 Pork Belly & BBQ Chicken Wings | Stump McDowell | Stump's BBQ Team | Elko, Georgia | ||
| Jamie Geer | Jambo Pits Cooking Team | Burleson, Texas | |||
| Rich Tuttle | K Cass Bar-B-Que | Kansas City, Missouri | |||
| 8 Pork Spare Ribs & Brisket Flat | Rod Gray | Pellet Envy | Kansas City, Kansas | ||
| Corey Brinson | Fatback's BBQ & Rib Shack | Fayetteville, North Carolina | |||
| Mark West | 10 Bones BBQ | Hernando, Mississippi | |||
| 9 Country-Style Ribs & Beef Tri-Tip | Robby Royal | Rescue Smokers | Sycamore, Georgia | ||
| Jack Waiboer | Common Interest BBQ | Charleston, South Carolina | |||
| Howie Kleinberg | Bulldog BBQ | Miami, Florida | |||
| 10 Fresh Ham & Buffalo Short Ribs | David Bouska | Butcher BBQ | Chandler, Oklahoma | ||
| Michael Character | Character's Famous BBQ | Adairsville, Georgia | |||
| Mark "Pig Daddy" Little | Team Bibs | Winston-Salem, North Carolina | |||
| 11 Whole Pork Shoulder & BBQ Meatloaf (Pork, Veal, and Beef Chunks) | Lynnae Oxley | Sugar's BBQ | Portland, Oregon | ||
| Rob "Rub" Bagby | Swamp Boys | Winter Haven, Florida | |||
| Jeff Vanderlinde | Shiggin' and Grinnin' | Delano, Minnesota | |||
| 12 Brisket Point & Venison Tenderloin | Rod Gray | Pellet Envy | Kansas City, Kansas | ||
| Robby Royal | Rescue Smokers | Sycamore, Georgia | |||
| Stump McDowell | Stump's BBQ Team | Elko, Georgia | |||
| 13 Whole Hog Finale | Rod Gray | Pellet Envy | Leawood, Kansas | bgcolor=gold | |
| Lynnae Oxley | Sugar's BBQ | Portland, Oregon | |||
| David Bouska | Butcher BBQ | Chandler, Oklahoma |
All Season 6 episodes were filmed in a single location in Florida.
| Episode | Pitmaster | Team | Hometown | Episode Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Bone-In Ham & Smoked Salmon | Robby Royal | Rescue Smokers | Sycamore, Georgia | |
| John A. Ley Jr. | Heavenly Hawgs | Perry, Georgia | ||
| Eric Thomas | The Rolling Grill | Atlanta, Georgia | ||
| 2 Vegas Strip Steak & Brisket Flat | ||||
| Junior Urias | Up in Smoke BBQ | Midland, Texas | ||
| JD Davidsmeyer | JD's Team Xtreme BBQ | San Antonio, Texas | ||
| Matt Pittman | Meat Church | Waxahachie, Texas | ||
| 3 Smoked Beef Prime Rib & Whole Chicken | ||||
| Joe Pearce | Squeal Like A Pig BBQ | Kansas City, Missouri | ||
| Michael Johnson | Sugarfire Smokehouse | St. Louis, Missouri | ||
| Richard Fergola | Fergolicious BBQ | Gardner, Kansas | ||
| 4 Pork Spareribs & Pork Butts | ||||
| Ken Wood | Charcoal Cowboys | Franklin, Tennessee | ||
| Michael McDearman | Fired Up BBQ | Cookeville, Tennessee | ||
| Chris Chadwick | Hawg County Cookers | McKenzie, Tennessee | ||
| 5 Baby Back Ribs & Pork Shoulder | ||||
| Carl H. Lewis | Big Show BBQ | Fremont, North Carolina | ||
| Jonathan Upchurch | Rocky Top BBQ | Monroe, North Carolina | ||
| Christopher Prieto | Prime BBQ | Wendell, North Carolina | ||
| 6 Whole Turkey & Rack of Lamb | ||||
| John Coon | House of Q | Springville, Alabama | ||
| Jeff Petkevicius | Give it to God BBQ | Ponchatoula, Louisiana | ||
| Howard Daley | DTS BBQ | New York City, New York |
| Episode | Pitmaster | Team | Hometown | Episode Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 Baby Back Ribs, Beef Ribs, Country Style Ribs | ||||
| Robby Royal | Rescue Fire Smokers | Sycamore, Georgia | ||
| John Coon | House of Q | Springville, Alabama | ||
| Junior Urias | Up In Smoke BBQ | Midland, Texas | ||
| 8 Brisket Point, Cowboy Steaks, Beef Tenderloin | ||||
| Joe Pearce | Squeal Like A Pig BBQ | Kansas City, Missouri | ||
| Carl H. Lewis | Big Show BBQ | Fremont, North Carolina | ||
| Ken Wood | Charcoal Cowboys | Franklin, Tennessee |
| Episode | Pitmaster | Team | Hometown | Episode Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 Brisket Flat, Spare Ribs, Whole Chicken, Whole Pork Shoulder One Bite Challenge: Shrimp | ||||
| Robby Royal | Rescue Fire Smokers | Sycamore, Georgia | bgcolor=gold | |
| Joe Pearce | Squeal Like A Pig BBQ | Kansas City, Missouri |