Tamal Kundu
With “Show, don’t tell” being regarded as one of the important rules of performance art, the Showtime series ‘Billions’ can’t just tell its audience that the characters such as Mike Prince and Bobby Axelrod are ridiculously rich, they have to show it through examples of opulence and ridiculous spending. And that isn’t limited to private jets, yachts, and high-end watches. It includes private performances by global pop stars and personal training sessions with iconic sportspeople. In season 6 episode 4, titled ‘Burn Rate,’ a chef named Rodney Scott is employed to cook for the delegation from the Olympic committee. If you are wondering whether Scott is a chef in real life, we got you covered. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Who Is Rodney Scott?
The New York 2028 Summer Olympics hasn’t been finalized yet. There are still competitors that can snatch the lead away from Mike Prince and New York. New Jersey nearly does precisely that by promising the delegation a chance to meet Jon Bon Jovi and Bruce Springsteen. But ultimately, that doesn’t work because they face the combined brainpower of Wags and Scooter.
After it is revealed that the Olympic delegation will be visiting New York, Prince tasks both Wags and Scooter to entertain them. They hire Rodney Scott to prepare food for the delegation. Scott is presented in the show as a celebrity chef whose whole-hog barbeque is an instant hit among the guests.
Is Rodney Scott a Real Chef?
Yes, Rodney Scott is a real chef. As the show depicts, he is a chef and whole-hog pitmaster. Born in 1971 in Philadelphia, Scott is the only child of his parents, Roosevelt and Ella Scott. About a year after his birth, the family moved to the Pee Dee region in South Carolina. There, they owned several businesses, including a barbeque restaurant, Scott’s Variety Store + Bar-B-Q in Hemingway, South Carolina.
When Scott was about 11 years old, he started working as a barbequing specialist at the restaurant. By the time he was 17, he was a full-time employee there. The restaurant initially barbequed a whole hog. They grew significantly in the next few years, and at one point, they were barbequing eight hogs a day.
Scott took over the family restaurant in 2011. He then teamed up with restaurateur Nick Pihakis to establish Rodney Scott’s Whole Hog BBQ in Charleston, South Carolina, in 2017. Scott received the Best Chef: Southeast accolade from the James Beard Foundation in 2018.
Scott’s relationship with his father allegedly suffered after he chose to set up the restaurant in Charleston, but the famous pitmaster never regrated the decision. “T.D. Jakes (pastor of the Dallas megachurch) told a story that not everybody you encounter on your journey is meant to be with you when you get to your destination,” Scott stated in an interview. “Sometimes your journey is to go past that person. That person may be your brother, sister, mother, father, uncle, whomever. . . My life is just like that. I don’t waste my time dwelling on people’s opinions and what they say and think. I focus on running my business.”
Read More: Are Chuck and Wendy Together in Billions Season 6?
