Season 1, Episode 1

You Hear That Sizzle?

Host David Guas travels to Asheville, North Carolina, a scenic arts community, as four rough-and-tumble grillers battle it out using local cuisine like scuppernongs and liver mush, to take home $10,000 and the title of grill master. Here, tucked between the Blue Ridge and Smokey Mountains, it's all about homegrown foods, the great outdoors and beer. In this episode, there's Will Smith, a self-proclaimed refined redneck caterer, Shawn "Tiny" Townsend, a part-time caterer and full-time grill lover, Jeff Banister, a process server who hunts and grills whole animals and Dillon Black, the youngest in the group but perhaps the most experienced in the BBQ circuit. Some of the final plates are wildly creative. Some are overly ambitious. And one is incomplete. The clock keeps watch and waits for no one. David is joined by guest judges Elizabeth Karmel, owner of Hill Country BBQ restaurants and Jason Sandford, a food writer and journalist from Asheville. Some of the food exceeds the judges' expectations. And some literally go up in flames. It's a high-heat, high-intensity rush to the finish. And only one will survive. The Starters Challenge round required the use of bison loin and Ellington cheese, a stinky goat cheese. After some hectic, hair raising grilling, Dillon Black was sent home due to his bland dish. The Butcher's Choice round required the use of guinea fowl, scuppernongs, a large grape native to the Southern United States, and microbrew beer. After a tense, last minute grill, Will Smith's scorched guinea fowl resulted in his elimination. The Monster Mains round determined who walked away with $10,000. Jeff and Tiny used ribeye, red Russian kale, peaches and liver mush. Tiny was unable to finish is sauce in time, but ultimately the judges decided that he best represented both the grill and Asheville. As a result, he took home $10,000 along with the title of Asheville grill master.

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