Naman Shrestha
Originally titled ‘The American Barbecue Showdown,’ Netflix’s ‘Barbecue Showdown’ is a cooking competition reality show that brings the best of the best chefs from different parts of the nation as they face off in a heated yet friendly barbecue cook-off for the crown of the “American Barbecue Champion” and the grand cash prize. The third season introduces nine of the best barbecue cooks from different walks of life, each tasked to create smokey and mouth-watering barbecue for the BBQ judges, Melissa Cookston and Kevin Bludso.
With $50,000 and the title of the “American Barbecue Champion” on the line, the chefs showcase their barbecue skills in an open-fire playground. To pacify the heat of the competition, actress and comedian Michelle Buteau served as the host of the show, keeping viewers entertained with her presence. Many of you are bound to notice that the backdrops in the third round were not the same as the previous installments, raising questions about its locations.
Barbecue Showdown Season 3 Filming Locations
Shooting for the third season of ‘Barbecue Showdown’ was carried out in Georgia, especially in Gay. According to reports, principal photography for the third round of the cooking show took place over the course of several weeks in December 2023. One of the judges, Kevin Bludso, talked about his experience shooting season 3 on social media. He wrote, “Great Memories!! BBQ Showdown is a family Affair!! Real Talk!! Intense competition,Long Days Cold and Hot! Extremely tough challenges…. But at the end they became family … They’re very concerned for one another…”
Gay, Georgia
Unlike the first two seasons, the third season was lensed in the town of Gay in Georgia. In particular, the talented chefs compete for recognition and prize money in and around The Hammer Mill at Longleaf at 18830 Highway-85 in Gay, Georgia. While most of the barbecue challenges were done outdoors, the judges mostly conducted the tasting indoors. One of the memorable contestants, Kareen El-Ghayesh, was asked about his experience by Texas Standard. He admitted, “Yes, it was a difficult experience. Long hours of shooting in the cold weather and staying out there on set for long periods of time. I would go back home late, exhausted, and then we would be called back the next day at 7:00 a.m. The experience was rough, but I did enjoy being on this show.”
The Austin pitmaster’s major highlight was meeting the highly competitive cast. He stated, “Going through such a tough competition, we quickly bonded together and built a family. It almost feels like you’re at war. We just met each other and then we are going through this test together. After a super long, rough day of physical and mental stress, one person would be missing. It almost feels like you’re fighting for your life. But we built such a powerful connection with this cast and we plan to tour the country and visit each other. We have big plans for after the show comes out of getting together and cooking together.”
Read More: Is Barbecue Showdown Scripted or Real?
