NEED TO KNOW
The Great Food Truck Race is back and heading up the Atlantic coast for one of its most exciting seasons yet.
Hosted by longtime Food Network star Tyler Florence, the fan-favorite food competition series will pit nine teams against each other as they hit the road for a culinary road trip for the chance to win a $50,000 prize. But naturally, there are a few unexpected detours along the way.
Food Network
In season 18, titled The Great Food Truck Race: Truckin’ Awesome, Florence challenges the teams to cook, sell and strategize their way through an eight-city route that starts in Savannah and ends in New York.
Along the way, the trucks pull up to high-profile spots including a NASCAR raceway, a busy beach boardwalk and even a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier.
Food Network
The season premiere wastes no time in kicking up the energy, with the teams meeting baseball’s most entertaining team — the Savannah Bananas.
Fittingly, the teams introduce the cooks to their first coking challenge, which features bananas. A clear front-runner quickly emerges, but by the final day of sales, three teams are on the chopping block.
As noted in the episode’s description, the episode closes with a dramatic twist, featuring a “shocking, never-before-seen surprise” elimination that promises to set the tone for the rest of the season.
In an exclusive first look shared with PEOPLE, food truck Eat My Biscuits gives a banana-infused biscuit to a few of the Bananas who applauded the innovative dish.
“You take that bite and you look over at your mama, and you say, ‘I’m sorry, mama,’” joked Malachi Mitchell. Team Rising Tiger cooked up banana steak fries, which pleasantly surprised many of their customers, bringing in a sweet addition to the traditionally savory dish.
The Great Food Truck Race: Truckin’ Awesome premieres Sunday, Aug. 3, at 9 PM ET/PT on Food Network, with next-day streaming available on HBO Max.
