BBQ Brawl Season 2 Episode 6 marks the halfway point of BBQ Brawl: Flay v. Symon Season 2, and it starts off with the typical amount of lighthearted banter between the team captains. Team Bobby has now been in the bottom two weeks in a row, so Bobby Flay is ready to prove that his team is far from finished with this BBQ battle!
In this barbecue showdown TV show, BBQ experts Michael Symon, Bobby Flay and Eddie Jackson are each the captain of a team of talented pitmasters. This Food Network show is available for subscribers of Discovery + or Amazon Prime Video, airing every Monday at 8 pm. If you find yourself binging Big Bad BBQ Brawl with Shannon Ambrosio or the cooking channel in general, this BBQ show is for you.
The first five episodes, "Introduce Your 'Cue," "Hometown Favorites," "BBQ Hacks," "Game Day BBQ" and "Competition 'Cue" have been full of surprise, competition and world-class BBQ. This episode, "BBQ Brunch Battle," continues on this theme.
BBQ Brunch Battle
This episode began with team captains Bobby Flay, Michael Symon and Eddie Jackson walking to join the nervous contestants, who are anxiously awaiting the news on what today's BBQ challenge will be. Since Bobby Flay's team lost a member last week, he gets to choose today's competition.
From the start, this episode differs from the first five in that the first challenge will give the winning contestant an individual advantage rather than a team advantage. This week, whoever wins the initial competition will win two grills, along with a $5,000 gift card for more grilling supplies. I don't know about you, but I can't imagine better motivation for a barbecue chef!
A Breakfast Classic With a Twist
The challenge is to make eggs Benedict, but with an added twist of BBQ. The contestants have 30 minutes to accomplish this feat and win the brand-new grills and incredibly generous gift card. Bobby Flay says that eggs Benedict are the first thing he thinks of when he thinks about barbecue, which led him to this uniquely breakfast-themed meal.
Many of the contestants struggle with the challenge, as eggs Benedict is hard to perfect for even the all-stars talented enough to be on BBQ Brawl. David and Chris have trouble making perfectly poached eggs, while Lu chooses to skip the hollandaise sauce, a choice that the judges highly disapprove of.
"It's Brittany Brunch"
Of team Bobby, Taylor makes fried biscuit bites Benedict with chorizo and fried jalapeños, along with hollandaise sauce. Erica goes the unconventional route, making North African shakshuka Benedict with onions, peppers, garlic and cumin. Although this is delicious, the judges don't feel that it fully fits into the category of eggs benedict.
As for team Michael, Ara makes a Japanese rolled omelet with smoked salmon on the inside, which his team members feel hesitant about due to the lack of egg. Brittany goes for sweet and spicy French toast Benedict with bacon and pecans, and David makes Bloody Mary Benedict with shrimp and pancetta.
Last but not least, Chris of team Eddie makes spicy chorizo eggs Benedict, and Lu cooks up herby BBQ eggs Benedict. Unfortunately, the judges are less than impressed, saying that today is "not their day." The winner of the first contest is Brittany, and Carson Kressley jokes "it's Brittany brunch!" Brittany is thrilled to have won, commenting that she feels this victory is more proof to her team members that she knows what she's doing.
The True Contest Begins
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Once the initial competition of BBQ Brawl Season 2 Episode 6 is judged, the true contest of the day commences. Continuing with the brunch theme, the face-off is "BBQ Brunch Battle Royale," in which the pitmasters have 2 hours to "make the best brunch of their lives." As Carson Kressley says, "work hard, brunch harder!"
Tensions are running high as numbers dwindle; with each new episode, the remaining contestants have fewer pitmasters to compete against, making it more likely that they'll be sent home.
Taylor decides to make a non-traditional brunch food- chicken pot pie. She feels good about this until she overhears the judges saying that this is "not barbecue-y." Lu is also feeling nervous about her ability to make a perfect crepe, as this is not her area of expertise. In the last few minutes of the alotted time, Team Michael looks frantic as they do their best to complete the meal.
How Will the Brunch Battle End?
All too soon, time is up and the moment of truth is here for BBQ Brawl Season 2 Episode 6. Team Michael has made a balanced brunch with a BBQ twist. David makes "eggs in hell," which is a spicy tomato sauce with Fresno chilis, along with cornbread to dip in it. Ara makes smoked duck and duck chicharron with a fennel and radish salad. As for team captain Michael, he goes for smoked salmon with a spicy soy glaze and spicy watermelon salad. Brittany goes for fried chicken with fried mac n cheese waffles.
Team Bobby goes for "brunch around the world," which includes international dishes. Erica makes a Colombian dish- lomo al trapo with grilled pineapple and chimichurri, while Bobby makes Southwestern soft scrambled egg chilaquiles. Taylor makes a smoked chicken pot pie from the south of France.
As for team Eddie, their theme is "the international house of brunch." Christopher makes Puerto Rican steak and eggs with plantains and chimichurri, and Eddie goes for chili relleno with salsa verde and roasted tomato sauce. Lu makes a veggie and cheese frittata along with cream cheese, bacon, and syrup stuffed crepes.
When giving feedback, the judges give team Eddie less than stellar reviews, saying that the team has been on a winning streak but that their brunch wasn't up to the standard they set for themselves. Team Michael also falls flat, failing to impress the judges with their "balanced brunch." As for team Bobby, they remark that Erica's dish was potentially the best bite of the day, but that Taylor's pot pie is unseasoned and underwhelming.
The first safe team is team Michael, and then team Bobby. Erica and Taylor immediately sprint away, full of joy and relief to have made it through another barbecue battle. Sadly, either Chris or Lu will be going home, forever losing the chance to become master of 'cue. In the end, the judges choose Lu, saying that her ideas were great, but that the execution wasn't up to par.
Lu takes the blow with grace, saying that she's proud of herself for getting this far. At the end, the judges reveal that next episode, Eddie will get to steal someone from another team! He also deviously remarks that he plans to "shake it up a little bit." Tune in next Monday to see what happens!
