I can’t say I know from experience, but I’m sure running a food truck is ridiculously hard, which is part of what makes Food Network's The Great Food Truck Race so fun. Week after week, we get to stand on the other side of the too-tall serving counter and see what makes the geniuses behind the Lime Truck, Ragin’ Cajun’ and Nom Nom tick.
The only problem this season? None of the contestants has ever run, worked in or driven a food truck before. Insert montage of piss-poor parking jobs and broken lampposts here.
Veritable virgins to the game, this year’s crop of rookie GFT Racers is said to make up for their lack of experience with innovation and skill, and can probably best be described as “dreamers”—gutsy, stupid, impossibly driven dreamers, whose hard work might just land them the $50,000 grand prize and the right to keep the keys to their glitzy new rides, so graciously provided to them for the show.
(Although, it does beg the question of what exactly FN plans to do with the trucks once the teams are eliminated. Maybe pull an Extreme Makeover: Food Truck Edition and let everyone keep them anyway? Fingers crossed!)
For seven weeks, the eight teams will travel across the country from Long Beach, Calif. to Portland, Me. dealing for the first time with dead truck batteries, smoking engines and claustrophobia, and chances are the results will be awesome. At the very least, this year’s group will be much more relatable than previous years, due to the sheer fact that none of them have any clue what the actual f*ck they’re doing. And if by the end one lucky team does manage to figure it out, we viewers might even have the chance to patron their truck in real life. Shall we consider this the opposite of food television blue balls?
Here’s a quick look at this year’s teams:
West Coast:
Momma’s Grizzly Grub
Location: Wasilla, Alaska
Cuisine: Homestyle Pasta
Pictured: Corkscrew Pasta Topped with Tomato Sauce and Nutty Cheese
Barbie Babes
Location: Los Angeles, California
Cuisine: Australian Barbecue
Pictures: Burger Topped with Egg, a Pickle Spear, and Fresh Peppers, and Fries
Pop-A-Waffle
Location: Los Angeles, California
Cuisine: Sweet and Savory Waffle Creations
Pictured: Chicken Fajita Waffle
Seoul Sausage
Location: Los Angeles, California
Cuisine: Korean-Style Sausages
Pictured: Charred Kalbi Burger
Under the Crust
Location: San Diego, California
Cuisine: Gourmet Handheld Pies
Pictured: Mini-Pies with Creamy Dipping Sauce
Midwest:
Pizza Mike’s
Location: Columbus, Ohio
Cuisine: Italian Street Food
Pictured: Beef Sandwich with Sweet Tomato Spread
South:
Coast of Atlanta
Location: Atlanta, Georgia
Cuisine: Gourmet Seafood
Pictured: Seafood Taco with Peach Pico de Gallo and Jalapeno Hush Puppies
East Coast:
Nonna’s Kitchenette
Location: Parsippany/West Caldwell, N.J.
Cuisine: Italian Meatballs
Pictured: Sausage Sandwich Topped with Red and Yellow Peppers
The Great Food Truck Race season 3 premieres this Sunday, August 19, at 10 p.m./9c.
[Photos via Food Network]
