BBQ Brawl comes back to Food Network for Season 5 in 2024 behind an impressive cast of contestants and judges.
First started in 2019, BBQ Brawl brings together some of the best barbecue chefs in the country, splitting them into three teams that compete against each other in weekly rounds.
The winner of this competition earns the coveted title of "Master of 'Cue" and gets their own round of programming on Food Network's website for their efforts.
2024's Season 5 premiered on Food Network on June 8, and the first episode is now streaming on Max.
Every Contestant & Judge in BBQ Brawl Season 5 Cast
Bobby Flay (Judge)
Instagram: @bobbyflay
Longtime Food Network veteran Bobby Flay takes top billing in BBQ Brawl Season 5 as a judge and mentor, as he has done for the first four seasons.
Flay is a 30-year veteran of the Food Network, having hosted over a dozen shows as a chef and judge, and having won four Emmy awards in his time on TV.
This includes programs such as Beat Bobby Flay, Worst Cooks in America, Throwdown! with Bobby Flay, and Bobby's Triple Threat.
Outside of the Food Network, Chef Flay is a three-time James Beard Foundation Award winner and he currently owns three different restaurants (per Yahoo). Those restaurants are Bobby's Burger Palace, Amalfi, and Brasserie B, the latter two located in Las Vegas, NV.
Sunny Anderson (Judge)
Instagram: @sunnyanderson
Standing alongside Flay as another judge and mentor is Chef Sunny Anderson, a 19-year Food Network veteran. She first joined BBQ Brawl in 2023 for Season 4 and returns for a second run in Season 5.
Anderson has hosted over a dozen shows on Food Network and other channels over the past two decades. This includes appearances on The Kitchen, NFL Tailgate Takedown, and Easter Basket Challenge.
Michael Voltaggio (Judge)
Instagram: @mvoltaggio
Completing the trio of judges on BBQ Brawl Season 5 is Michael Voltaggio.
Voltaggio broke onto the cooking scene by winning Season 6 of Bravo's Top Chef, competing against his brother, Bryan Voltaggio, in the finale.
He appeared as a judge on 2022's The Julia Child Challenge and occasionally judges and competes on Guy's Grocery Games, hosted by Guy Fieri.
The chef was also handpicked by Bobby Flay to be one of three culinary Titans on Bobby's Triple Threat.
Andrea Nicholson
Instagram: @chefandreanicholson
Andrea Nicholson is a Canadian barbecue chef who owns her own restaurant chain, Butchie's, which is known for its bar-style food and ice cream.
Nicholson is also a judge on the Canadian cooking series Fire Masters along with the American series Top Chef All-Star.
Ashley Turner
Instagram: @chefanessa
Ashley Turner is a Wisconsin-based chef who works as the Executive Chef/Culinary Director at Hacienda Taproom and Kitchen in Milwaukee.
Per MKE Lifestyle, she spent multiple summers cooking at the Wisconsin State Fair, where she created award-winning dishes while she worked as a chef.
Bruce Kalman
Instagram: @chefbkalman
Chef Bruce Kalman is the head smoker and founder at Soul Belly BBQ in Las Vegas, Nevada, and specializes in pickles at his other business, the BK Brinery.
Outside of his work as a chef, Kalman is a father, focuses energy on his physical fitness, and is passionate about music.
Elena Terry
Instagram: @chefelenaterry
Chef Elena Terry's biggest claim to fame is her work as the founder of Wild Bearies, a Wisconsin Dells-based catering nonprofit organization.
Through this organization, she feeds ancestral foods to Indigenous communities in her area, embracing her Native American heritage through her work.
Erica Barrett
Instagram: @iamericabarrett
Chef Erica Barrett hails from Atlanta, Georgia, working as the owner of both the Southern Kitchen Oyster Bar and Dough Boy Pizza.
She is also a veteran of ABC's Shark Tank, striking a deal for her pitch with Barbara Corcoran after getting offers from her and Kevin O’Leary.
Flora Kamimura
Instagram: @florakamimura
Flora Kamimura is a Hawai'i native from the big island who works as a private chef.
She is deeply involved with Forged to Fire Hawai'i, which is a cooking experience that uses live fire as part of the food preparations.
Hugh Magnum
Instagram: @hugh_magnum
Hugh Magnum comes from Wilton, Connecticut, and he owns Rise Doughnut and Mighty Quinn's BBQ.
Passionate about using wood in his cooking, Magnum brings barbecue to the table for a living with his unique cooking style.
Logan Sandoval
Instagram: @zef.bbq
Chef Logan Sandoval comes from California but specializes in traditional Texas-style barbecue with his food.
He owns a company called ZEF BBQ, where he hopes to mesh old-school and new-school techniques for flavor, presentation, and execution for his customers.
Noah Sims
Instagram: @mountain_man_sims
Listed at a whopping 6'7" tall on his Instagram page, Noah Sims brings big energy to his food as well.
Along with his passion for movies seen on his social media, he is heavily connected to religion and lists himself as a humanitarian.
Ray Lampe
Instagram: @realdrbbq
Also known as Dr. BBQ, Ray Lampe is a Chicago, Illinois-based chef who spent 25 years in the trucking business before diving into a career as an outdoor cook.
He was inducted into the BBQ Hall of Fame in 2014, and he's been a judge on Firemasters, Chopped, and Smoked.
Samantha Cruz
Instagram: @conservacruz
Conserva Cruz is a cooking show veteran, having won Food Network's Beachside Brawl in Season 2 and a June 2024 episode of Food Network's Chopped.
She also runs her own pop-up food events in multiple Florida cities.
Shannon Snell
Instagram: @relationshipribs
Shannon Snell has a regular job as a cook, working as a BBQ Head Pitmaster at the popular Sonny's BBQ chain.
Away from the grill, he was an offensive lineman for the University of Florida from 2000 to 2003, and he was voted as a first-team All-American player. He would later play on the practice squads for the Minnesota Vikings, Dallas Cowboys, and Jacksonville Jaguars.
New episodes of BBQ Brawl Season 5 air on the Food Network on Mondays. at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT before coming to Max.
Read more about food on The Direct:
Crumbl Cookies: This Week's Flavors (July 8 - 13)
Full Cast of Barbecue Showdown Season 3: Contestants & Judges In 2024 Episodes (Photos)
