'BBQ Brawl': Meet the Season 6 Competitors, Captains and Judges

On the all-new season of BBQ Brawl, acclaimed chef Bobby Flay is back and joined by his friends and fellow industry giants Antonia Lofaso and Maneet Chauhan as they mentor, compete with and coach some of the country’s most respected pitmasters — all in a bid to be named Master of 'Cue.

But this season brings a new twist. Not only does the competition kick off with an elimination challenge, but for the first time ever, the winner of that initial showdown will get to choose their team captain, setting the stage for an intense battle from start to finish.

Let’s meet the brawlers, captains and judges on Season 6 of BBQ Brawl, airing Sundays at 9|8c.

This season’s teams are led by three of the biggest names in the game. Bobby Flay (center), a Food Network icon with decades of experience, returns to the pit alongside James Beard Award winner Maneet Chauhan (right) and newly crowned Tournament of Champions winner Antonia Lofaso (left).

Led by legendary Chef Bobby Flay, Team Bobby includes Rosalie Bradford Pareja, the self-made underdog; Orchid Paulmeier, the seasoned mama bear with decades of culinary experience; Kyle Bryner, the soulful mountain man with hill-country roots; and Brad Leighninger, the decorated competition champ with a fiery track record.

“This is for you guys to win or lose, OK? Don’t forget it. The last thing I want to do is send you down a road that you don’t want to go down and then you get eliminated. That’s my nightmare. I’m not interested in that at all. I don’t do that. I can’t get you eliminated. Just understand that, OK? Because the judges, what they’re looking at is you," says Bobby.

Featured left to right: Kyle Bryner, Orchid Paulmeier, Rosalie Bradford Peraja, Bobby Flay and Brad Leighninger

The man who needs no introduction: World-renowned chef and restaurateur Bobby Flay has been a dominant force in the culinary world for nearly five decades. A graduate of the inaugural class of the French Culinary Institute in 1984, Bobby has since racked up a long list of accolades, including multiple James Beard awards, four Daytime Emmys and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Bobby has hosted more than 15 shows and specials across Food Network and the Cooking Channel, from Hot Off the Grill With Bobby Flay to his latest hits Beat Bobby Flay and Bobby’s Triple Threat. He’s also served as a judge on Food Network Star and The Next Iron Chef, mentoring rising chefs while continuing to raise the bar himself. Bobby remains one of the most influential figures in the American food scene today.

“Antonia and Maneet are teaming up against me, but I like that because maybe they’ll cancel each other out. And there I will be standing at the end, victorious again,” he says of his four BBQ Brawl season victories, only losing so far to Team Anne Burrell in Season 3.

Rosalie Bradford Pareja made her way onto the BBQ scene with true grit, hustle and a whole lot of determination. Growing up with ADHD and struggling in school, she knew finding success might not come easy, but she found her spark in barbecue. What started with a backyard fire pit and a few rigs [smokers] has turned into a serious career as a recipe developer, now backed by major BBQ brands across the country. Rosalie isn’t just bringing the heat on the grill — she’s a fiery competitor with something to prove and the skills to back it up.

“I haven’t won world championship BBQ competitions. I don’t have 'X' amount of Michelin stars. I have Michelin tires. I’m just a girl who has fought her way to get here and I’m a freakin’ badass. I’ve developed a really strong skill set and I’m ready to take it to the end,” she says.

Orchid Paulmeier is the heart and soul behind One Hot Mama’s on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. A former contestant on Season 7 of Food Network Star and a 2016 South Carolina Chef Ambassador, she’s also cooked at the prestigious James Beard House. For more than two decades, she’s balanced running her restaurant with raising three kids — and now, as she prepares for her next chapter, she’s ready to put it all on the line.

“For the last 21 years, I have been running One Hot Mama's and raising all three of my kids, but I'm about to be an empty nester. It's the second half of life, and I want to be able to enjoy the fruits of my labor [when I leave the restaurant]. Winning BBQ Brawl would reintroduce One Hot Mama's to the world again to make sure that the restaurant stays successful. The stakes are higher than ever,” she says.

Kyle Bryner is the owner of Blue Hound Barbecue in Dillard, Georgia, where he serves up soulful, down-home cooking straight from the Southern Appalachian mountains. His style blends Southern comfort, mountain flavors and good old-fashioned hillbilly food — the kind that “feels like a warm hug” on a plate. Kyle may not look like the typical contender, but he’s ready to prove he’s got what it takes to compete with the best of the best in the BBQ spotlight and bring the title home to the hills.

“I know the other brawlers, they're going to be thinking, 'Here's this little hillbilly that has no idea what in the world he's doing.' I can't wait to show them I've got what it takes to win. I'm a competitor. I'm the mountain man,” he says.

Brad Leighninger is the owner of Gettin’ Basted in Branson, Missouri, where he’s known for serving up bold Ozarks-style barbecue and burgers. With around 80 BBQ competition wins under his belt — including some major titles — Brad is one of the most decorated pitmasters to join the BBQ Brawl. His style is hot, fast and straight over the fire — and he’s not shy about bringing the heat, both on the grill and in the trash talk. For Brad, it’s simple: He won’t stop until he’s won it all.

“I’ve won more BBQ awards than anybody else that has been on the show. The Jack, Memphis in May, King of the Smoker; you name it, I’ve won it. I like to talk trash, get in people’s heads. I can’t quit until I’ve won everything,” he says.

Led by James Beard award-winning chef Maneet Chauhan, Team Maneet includes Greg Gatlin, a Texas legend with deep roots in Houston BBQ; Jason Dady, the high-energy hot shot chasing redemption; Arturo Ramon, the live fire rancher blending rustic tradition with family pride; and Alexandra Donnadio, the fiery cop balancing law enforcement and whole-animal barbecue.

"This is the team that I wanted. I chose the color red because red is like, get the **** outta… We are going to kick Bobby's ***, right? That's what we are going to do," charges Maneet.

Featured left to right: Jason Dady, Alexandra Donnadio, Greg Gatlin, Maneet Chauhan and Arturo Ramon

Maneet Chauhan is a chef, an author and a TV personality who’s become a familiar face on Food Network over the last decade — both behind the judges’ table and in the heat of competition. Originally from India, she graduated with honors from the Culinary Institute of America and has gone on to build a standout career. She’s a two-time winner of Tournament of Champions, a regular judge on Chopped and has made several other Food Network appearances on Beat Bobby Flay, Guy’s Grocery Games, Outchef’d and The Great Food Truck Race, among others.

Maneet is the founding partner and president of Morph Hospitality Group in Nashville, Tennessee, which includes restaurants Chauhan Ale & Masala House, The Mockingbird and Eet. She’s also the author of two cookbooks — Flavors of My World and Chaat — and won the James Beard Broadcast Media Award in 2012.

"I mean, nobody knows me as a BBQ pitmaster, but I’ve been working with live fire since my undergrad days back in India. This season, with my spices and my Indian techniques, I’m here to compete, and competing means winning — no other option," she says.

A cornerstone of the Houston barbecue scene, Greg Gatlin is the owner of Gatlin’s BBQ and Gatlin’s Fins & Feathers, both beloved staples in the city. What began as a family venture in a small bungalow in The Heights neighborhood has grown into a celebrated name, earning spots on Houston’s Top 50 and Texas Monthly’s best barbecue lists. For Greg, barbecue is more than just food, it’s about legacy and the name he’s built from the ground up. Earning the title of Master of 'Cue isn’t just a win; it’s a way to take that legacy well beyond the borders of the Lone Star State.

“The Gatlin name. My legacy, my reputation is always on the line … Being the Master of ‘Cue elevates my legacy in Houston barbecue and around the nation,” he says.

Jason Dady is a Texas restaurateur with serious culinary range. From barbecue to pizzerias to Italian steakhouses, he owns six restaurants across the Lone Star State. After falling short on Season 14 of Beat Bobby Flay, Jason’s back with something to prove. Known for his fast-paced, high-intensity cooking style, he’s gunning for redemption on BBQ Brawl and proudly repping Team ABB.

“I’m team ABB, Anybody Beat Bobby. He got me on Beat Bobby Flay and it still doesn’t sit right with me. I cook like an F1 race car; I am full speed ahead all the time. I think I’m one of the best and I just want BBQ Brawl to be my chance at redemption,” he says.

Arturo Ramon is the chef and owner of Blanco River Meat Company in Wimberley, Texas, where he specializes in open-fire catering rooted in rustic, Old-World techniques. A rancher, farmer and proud family man, Arturo’s style is all about whole animals, firewood and tradition. For him, cooking isn't just a craft — it's a calling. And he's here to show his family, and the world, exactly what he was meant to do.

“I’m here to show my family what I was put on this earth to do, and that’s to cook,” he says.

Alexandra Donnadio handles high-stakes negotiations and high-heat cooking with ease. Based in Hillsborough, New Jersey, she runs Iron & Oak Catering while also serving as a hostage negotiator in law enforcement. Known for her go-big-or-go-home approach to barbecue — often cooking whole animals over an open flame — Alexandra is quickly making a name for herself in the culinary world. Hoping to eventually retire from law enforcement and go all in on BBQ, she sees being named Master of 'Cue as the turning point that could flip her passion into a full-time career.

“I think being a hostage negotiator, I’ll be able to handle BBQ Brawl … I’m definitely new to the game, but it went from zero to 100 very quickly. We [Iron & Oak Catering] book an event every weekend. In two years, I will qualify for my pension and I plan to leave [law enforcement] and do BBQ full time. Winning BBQ Brawl will really solidify myself in the culinary world,” she says.

Guided by Tournament of Champions winner Antonia Lofaso, Team Antonia features Thyron Mathews, the weekend warrior with championship pedigree; Tyler Anderson, the comeback kid with fine-dining finesse; Aarthi Sampath, the trailblazing tandoor master; and Tim Van Doren, the bold BBQ influencer with a loyal online following.

“It’s very easy to get nervous. For me, it’s all about execution, execution, execution; time management, time management, time management. Everything that you will ever hear from me in this competition is going to be 100% real, honest and straightforward,” says Antonia.

Featured left to right: Tyler Anderson, Aarthi Sampath, Thyron Mathews, Antonia Lofaso and Tim Van Doren

Antonia Lofaso is a renowned chef, a restaurateur and a familiar face on Food Network. She’s competed across a wide range of shows, including Worst Cooks in America, Beat Bobby Flay, Outchef’d, Wildcard Kitchen, Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, Cutthroat Kitchen and Guy’s Grocery Games — where she’s also a past winner. Most recently, she took home the title on Tournament of Champions, adding another major win to her résumé.

Author of The Busy Mom’s Cookbook, Antonia is also the executive chef and owner of three popular Los Angeles restaurants: Black Market Liquor Bar, Scopa Italian Roots and DAMA.

“I actually love mentoring. And the truth is, my background is a lot of live-fire cooking. When I worked for Wolfgang Puck, we had a live-fire oven for making bread and roasting meat, so for me, this is where I shine. I’m coming in hot; coming in hot to Texas,” she says.

Thyron Mathews is a double agent of sorts — sheriff by day, barbecue champ by weekend. Pitmaster at T&T Barbecue in Oelwein, Iowa, he has racked up 16 Grand Championships across Northeast Iowa — and took home the Season 2 title on Netflix’s Barbecue Showdown. Drawing from family recipes and memories of his father and grandfather, Thyron serves up traditional, old-school BBQ while owning a successful food trailer and catering business.

“I’m a jail warrior by day and a BBQ warrior on the weekends. The kind of BBQ I make is traditional, done the old-school way. It reminds me of my granddad, my father,” he says.

Tyler Anderson is a celebrated chef and restaurateur based in Connecticut. He co-owns several establishments under Tanda Hospitality, including Millwright’s and TA-Que in West Hartford and Ore Hill & Swyft in Kent, the latter landing him a spot on the New York Times' 2023 list of the 50 best restaurants in the United States. A seven-time James Beard Award nominee for Best Chef: Northeast, Tyler is known for his chef-driven approach to barbecue. After the heartbreaking closure of his barbecue restaurant The Cook & the Bear, Tyler is joining the brawl with a desire to prove he belongs with BBQ’s best of the best.

“My signature BBQ style is chef-driven barbecue, because I’m a chef … and I barbecue. One of my personal points of pride was my BBQ restaurant, The Cook & the Bear. But about two years in, we realized that we owed the bank a lot of money. Our rent was very high. We had to close it. Losing that restaurant haunts me to this day. So, I'm here to prove that I can come back from a failure and make something great,” he says.

Aarthi Sampath is a trailblazing pitmaster who grew up in Mumbai, moving to the US just 12 years ago. She has earned national acclaim with wins on Chopped, Guy’s Grocery Games and by defeating Bobby Flay. Aarthi is also the culinary expert behind Sigri Indian BBQ, with locations in New York City and Los Angeles. Known for her bold, nontraditional style, she proudly embraces her roots as a tandoor master, aiming to prove that vibrant Indian flavors belong at the top of the pitmaster world.

“My style of cooking is 100% not traditional. I’m a tandoor master, simple as that … I'm here to show the world that these gorgeous Indian flavors can hang with the rest of these pitmasters and bring home the win,” she says.

Tim Van Doren is a BBQ influencer out of Alabaster, Alabama, best known online as @bamagrillmaster. With his thick Southern accent and trademark catchphrase — “Aight, guys” — Tim has built a loyal following that extends beyond the third screen. He lives and cooks (and sleeps) alongside his beloved pet pig, Butler. But don’t let the charm fool you: behind the camera is a serious competitor with a down-home Southern cooking style and an itch to prove himself even more in the BBQ world.

“My signature BBQ style would be just down-home Southern cooking. I cook good BBQ, but I’m way more than an influencer. I compete, I win,” he says.

This season’s judges bring a mix of technique, tradition and big personality. Tournament of Champions winner and longtime Food Network competitor Brooke Williamson (center) is joined by James Beard Award winner Rodney Scott (left) and TV personality Carson Kressley (right), who brings sharp wit and a fresh perspective to the competition.

She’s one of the fiercest competitors in the kitchen. Brooke Williamson is a chef, restaurateur and Food Network staple known for bold flavors and serious skill. As a Titan on Bobby’s Triple Threat and the first-ever winner of Tournament of Champions, she’s earned a reputation for being both intimidating and inspiring. With an exceptional palate and the title of youngest female chef to ever cook at the James Beard House, she brings experience, edge and undeniable flavor to the judging table.

“Chef Brooke … the Diva of Flavors. She’s intimidating and awesome. Her palate is amazing.” — Orchid Paulmeier

Rodney Scott is a legendary whole-hog pitmaster and the acclaimed owner of Rodney Scott’s BBQ, with locations across South Carolina, Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee. He’s known nationwide for his Lowcountry-style slow-smoked pulled pork, chicken and ribs — barbecue that’s steeped in tradition and flavor. Named Eater Charleston’s Chef of the Year in 2017 and winner of the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Southeast in 2018, Rodney brings his undeniable barbecue skills and calm confidence to the judging panel.

“When you think of the best pitmasters, you think of Rodney Scott.” — Rosalie Bradford Pareja

Carson Kressley brings flair, wit and a touch of fabulous to the judging table. A television personality, an actor and a designer, he’s no stranger to the Food Network spotlight, with appearances on Beat Bobby Flay, Celebrity Cupcake Wars and Worst Cooks in America. Known for his quick puns, colorful metaphors and signature style, Carson is easily the most stylish guy at the BBQ — adding a fun, unexpected spark to every competition.

“Carson Kressley, the king of all metaphors and puns. He's going to bring a lot of energy to the competition. I look forward to it.” — Jason Dady