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Host Tyler Florence kicks off the race in Nashville, where eight sweet and savory food trucks compete together for the first time ever. After creating music-inspired dishes in Music City, the teams race to Broadway for a chaotic sales day that includes a taste challenge honky-tonk ingredient hunt for one of four Nashville-themed ingredients. One team dominates the sales game while the bottom two teams must battle for redemption, and guest judge Maneet Chauhan helps decide which truck goes home first.
Host Tyler Florence leads seven teams to Franklin to compete along the Tennessee Whiskey Trail, and one truck is protected by immunity after last week's big win. A whiskey-inspired taste challenge tasks teams with creating a three-item mini food flight, sparking competitive tensions. Truck troubles, execution issues, and mounting stress threaten several teams' chances of survival before Tyler reveals razor-thin sales margins and sends the bottom teams into a whiskey-focused redemption battle with guest judge Aarti Sequeira.
Host Tyler Florence welcomes six teams to Knoxville, Tenn., for a three-stop race across different events where adaptability and understanding the audience is everything. At the University of Tennessee, the trucks sell to game day crowds, and a mashup-themed taste challenge pushes teams to combine two dishes into one creative item while tensions flare between competitors. Then, the teams serve a more refined crowd at the Rossini Opera Festival before taking on a "switching roles" taste challenge that creates struggles for several trucks.
Continuing the competition in Knoxville, Tenn., the remaining teams arrive at a whimsical fantasy village where they fully embrace the theme with renamed menu items and costumes before host Tyler Florence asks them to create an "enchanted dish." As exhaustion, self-doubt, and team tensions mount, the final sales results from all three Knoxville events are revealed at the World's Fair Park, and the bottom teams battle for survival in a high-stakes redemption challenge judged by food truck entrepreneur Sabin Lomac.
The final five teams head to Gatlinburg, Tenn., where smoky flavors, mountain tourism, and rising tensions push the competition to a new level. Host Tyler Florence kicks things off with a "holy smokes" taste challenge, sending one member from each truck up a mountain chairlift to claim a smoky ingredient for their dish. At a tense sales rankings announcement, the teams learn that immunity is officially over, and the bottom teams face off in a smoky, grill-focused redemption battle judged by barbecue expert Rashad Jones.
The final four teams arrive at Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., where massive crowds, amusement park chaos, and high sales stakes push everyone to their limits. Host Tyler Florence presents a "Dollywood delights" taste challenge, where team members must incorporate an iconic Dollywood ingredient (cinnamon bread, fudge, turkey legs or candied jalapeno) into a special dish. The next day at Dollywood's Splash Country, the sales totals are announced, and guest judge Arnold Myint joins Tyler Florence for a potato-focused redemption battle and an emotional elimination.
Host Tyler Florence welcomes the final three teams to Louisville, Ky., and hops on the trucks with a taste challenge featuring Kentucky's state fruit -- the blackberry. The pressure grows as the teams search the city for the perfect sales location, and only the top-selling team is guaranteed a spot in the finale. For the last redemption battle of the season, guest judge Kelsey Murphy tasks the teams with creating a dish centered around another Kentucky classic, beer cheese. With rain pouring down and emotions running high, one truck's journey comes to an end while the last two teams race to the finale!
After a sales day at the Louisville Slugger Museum, the final two teams battle for $50,000 at the legendary Churchill Downs in Louisville, KY; the winner-takes-all showdown is judged by 500 fans, along with Tyler Florence and guest judge Damaris Phillips.
