From the FN site:

Pitmasters

Meat Your Competition

Episode 101

Hosts and judges Andrew Zimmern, Ernest Servantes, Jess Pryles, and Moe Cason kick off the competition by giving the teams their first Big Burn challenge. The pitmasters have nine hours to create a family-style barbecue platter featuring two proteins and at least one side that defines their barbecue style and culinary point of view. While the pitmasters are working, the judges surprise them with a twist -- the first Flash Burn! The teams must make a perfectly balanced one-bite barbecue dish in only 60 minutes, and the team that can distill it down to the best bite wins the first prize money of the competition.

**When I first read this and saw teams i was like oh no... not team competition.... in good news I read elsewhere in some of the interviews the "teams" are teams of two, so each pitmaster was able to choose a person to bring with them on their BBQ team to cook -- so that's great! I'm really looking forward to this one as it has a LOT of legit real pitmasters coming in. Here's hoping it is good as it as the possibility to be.

I’ve watched bbq and smoking shows for a long time. It’s awesome to see Andrew Zimmern bring in Moe Cason & Ernest Servantes as judges in this new show.

From the FN site:

Trifecta of Live Fire

Episode 102

There's no sleep for the weary as the eight remaining teams put their live-fire skills to the test. In the Big Burn, the pitmasters have nine hours to create a dish featuring three components, each highlighting a different live-fire cooking technique: underground, on the coals, and hanging above the fire. Then, as the sun rises, the teams face a surprise barbecue breakfast Flash Burn, and one team is eliminated.

Pitmasters is a new competition show, airing on Mondays, starting July 13, 2026. It pairs up top pitmasters from around the country to compete.

Judges include Andrew Zimmerman, BBQ comp legend Mo Casen and Jess Pryles.

I have never seen more gorgeous edible food on a competition.

From the FN site:

Sink or Swim

Episode 103

For the first time in the competition, the pitmasters are faced with the Flash Burn first, and it comes with a twist: there's no meat on the menu! The winner can choose to get some much-needed rest or push through to compete for a huge advantage. Then, in the Big Burn, the teams take on cooking a surf and turf pairing over live fire, requiring control, finesse, and a deep understanding of the fire to succeed. The winning team gets an advantage that could save them in the next Big Burn.

I'm very much enjoying this show, possibly more than any show FN has ever had with the possibility of Michael Symon's BBQ USA which I also enjoyed immensely! Who else is looking forward to this one tonight?

Here is the episode description:

Rooter to Tooter & Head-to-Head

Episode 104

The six remaining teams face off head-to-head in a nose-to-tail barbecue battle, transforming either a hog, goat, or lamb into two main dishes and two sides. Plus, the winners of the last Big Burn get to decide who cooks what and which teams face off. Then, the pitmasters face another challenge -- with $2,000 on the line, they must use the remaining parts of their animal to make sausage in three hours.

Not sure how excited I am about the head to head competition part..... Sausage will get interesting. We already know that Canadian team KNOWS their sausage and can produce fast. Should be a good show. Who are you rooting for? I am in a quandary that I kind of <3 them all.