American Barbecue Showdown Season 2: Info We Know So Far

Shows like "MasterChef," "Top Chef" and "Chopped" have been around for decades by now, and considering the popularity that those series have received, Netflix has been introducing their own cooking show competitions for fans of the genre. In 2020, the streaming platform launched a new one called "The American Barbecue Showdown" where eight contestants were picked from all over the country (Texas, Georgia, the Carolinas) to show off their barbecuing skills for a chance to win the prized title of American Barbecue Champion.

Season 1 had eight episodes, with each consisting of one major challenge designed to test the contestants in all aspects of barbecuing — from old-school BBQ technique to grilling unique meats, and even last-minute challenges to test how well contestants could think on their feet (via The Cinemaholic). 

Decider deemed Season 1 of the show to be absolutely streamable, saying, "The contestants on 'The American Barbecue Showdown' are fun to watch and it seems like they're all great at what they do. But it's going to be the food that's the determining factor, and after one episode, so far, so good." 

Considering the show also currently holds a 7.2 rating out of 10 on IMDb, fans clearly want to see more of the showdown. So will there be a Season 2?

So far, Netflix has not officially announced that they will be coming out with Season 2 of "The American Barbecue Showdown," despite the show's popularity.

Since the streaming network has neither confirmed the possibility of a Season 2 nor have they officially announced its cancelation, there is no reason to believe that a renewal won't be happening, as of now. If the new run is in the works, The Cinemaholic speculates that it might be out sometime during Fall 2021. As they said, "Noting the consistent success of culinary shows on the streamer, we are highly optimistic that this particular series will see another season at least." 

The debut season of the "The American Barbecue Showdown" aired on September 18, 2020, so it may be possible that Netflix will drop the new episode run around the same time this year. 

It could also be that the new season has been pushed back due to the pandemic and the delay that COVID-19 has caused in the production of many films and TV shows. We can only hope it's coming soon!

Season 1 of "The American Barbecue Showdown" paired up two judges, Kevin Bludso and Melissa Cookston, to taste all the contestants' delicious slabs. Both are experts in all things BBQ — Bludso owns Bludso's BBQ, one of LA's best Southern-style restaurants. Cookston owns the Memphis BBQ Company and happens to be a seven-time world barbecue champion herself (via The Cinemaholic). As for the hosts, Season 1 saw Rutledge Wood, a popular TV host who also helmed Netflix's "Floor Is Lava" and actress/comedian Lyric Lewis who is known for her role on "A.P. Bio."

Since Netflix hasn't officially announced details for Season 2 yet, there is no telling which judges and hosts viewers might be seeing again. But since Season 1 of the cooking competition had quite an impressive panel of personnel, there's no reason to believe that the original members have left the show or have been replaced. It could be entirely possible that viewers will see the same pairs back on screens sometime soon.

Season 1 of "The American Barbecue Showdown" had eight episodes with each one presenting an entirely new challenge for the contestants, from grilling basic meats correctly to nailing the barbecue preparation of exotic cuts like raccoon and iguana. Episode Two also saw contestants being tested in a Fourth of July-themed cookoff whereas the last episode of the season turned out to be the greatest challenge of all: participants had to build their own pit. 

And that's not all — judges sometimes threw the contestants off by giving them additional tasks right in the middle of their cooking time to turn up the heat on the competition.

If Season 1 was any indication, viewers can expect the hosts and judges to put new barbecue aficionados through an equally grueling process to win Season 2 of "The American Barbecue Showdown." Or, new contestants may face challenges of similar difficulty levels — cooking various cuts of meats, whipping up equally good sides, making barbecue sandwiches and, plenty of surprise twists thrown in for good measure.

While viewers wait for Season 2 of the show to come out, barbecue-loving fans can also watch Netflix's "Chef's Table: BBQ" for some more smoking hot action.