The Great Food Truck Race, Season 3: Behind the Scenes of Episode 2

Get an inside look at the truckers' challenges and relive the most memorable moments from "Attitude at High Altitude," the second episode of Food Network's The Great Food Truck Race.

Photo By: Mark Peterman

Photo By: Ken Ross ©2012, Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved. OWNED - No limitations on time/term, territory or media as long as the images are only used in direct promotion of related network(s), show and/or talent.

Photo By: Mark Peterman

Welcome to Arizona

The food truckers leave behind the big-city lights of L.A. and cruise east to Flagstaff, Ariz. There, Tyler greets them and warns of the challenges a new city presents. "You're going to have to figure out the rhythm of a very different town, with different people and a different pace," Tyler says. "Look at your strategies, your prices, your menu and adapt."

Challenges Ahead

Instead of announcing this week's Truck Stop challenge, Tyler tells the teams to start selling immediately but to be on alert for a game-changing phone call. He sends them off with just $400 to spend on food, since they already have stocked up on truck supplies and equipment.

New City, New Game Plan

After a slow start last week, Momma's Grizzly Grub is determined to take their selling efforts to the next level. Adriene think it's best to team up with Seoul Sausage and Nonna's Kitchenette, last week's first- and second-place earners, to make their time in Flagstaff "more of an event" for locals, and both other teams agree to the partnership.

Targeting Shoppers

Before leaving the grocery store, Pop-A-Waffle's Scott notices how crowded it is on a busy Saturday. The team decides to sell right there in the parking lot, both for the convenience and visibility the location offers. Their plan proves disappointing, however, as they struggle to bring in customers.

More of the Same

Thanks to their tried-and-true recipes, Pizza Mike's was able to finish strongly last week, so they're reluctant to make any drastic changes in Flagstaff. "Our specialty is our Italian beef and our pizzas," Mike explains. "I think the people here will be receptive to that."

Dishing Out Australia

Just when Barbie Babes starts selling, Tyler and Arizona chef Beau MacMillan call the teams to announce the first Truck Stop challenge: Each truck must feature a dish made with nopales, the edible part of the cactus and a staple ingredient in Southwestern fare. Beau will taste the plates and grant week-two immunity to the team with the best creation.

Peach Pico Gets Prickly

Coast of Atlanta is already serving fish tacos finished with peach pico de gallo, so Tawanaca recommends adding a nopales relish to their classic topping. The team is confident in their dish, and while Beau praises them for the way the flavors and textures "work together," he admits, "I wanted more cactus."

Italy Meets Arizona

Unsure of what cactus tastes like, Nonna's decides to dress up an Italian-style hot dog with a nopales relish. Though Beau appreciates their effort, he's not impressed with the finished product. "In a cactus battle," he says, "I think you have to be a little more innovative. It's not a huge wow factor for me."

Instant Immunity

Though Beau especially enjoys Pop-A-Waffle's and Seoul Sausage's cactus-focused creations, he names Pop-A-Waffle's savory fajita waffle the best dish of the day, calling it "very, very tasty." Anthony incorporates the nopales into a slaw-like mixture of peppers, pinto beans and chives to win week-two immunity for his team.

Water Wars

The trucks spend the night at a campground only to wake up to a fierce battle for the lone water hose, which each team needs to use before it can leave. Though Seoul Sausage claims that it has been promised the hose by Pizza Mike's Carlo, Mike from Coast of Atlanta attempts to grab it, even before Carlo is through filling up his own truck.

The Vegan Experience

On the second day of selling, Tyler catches the teams off guard when he calls to announce this week's Speed Bump. "Rethink, reshop. You're going vegan," he tells them, explaining that for the rest of the weekend, each team's menu must be wholly without meat, dairy, eggs and animal products of any kind. Though Pizza Mike's admits to being unfamiliar with veganism, the team finds vegan Italian sausage at the store, and decides to use it to top a vegan Italian pizza.

Embracing the Challenge

With the start of the vegan challenge, Seoul Sausage is forced to rethink their most popular offerings, like meaty burgers and cheesy nachos. "Everyone is freaking out, but we calmly readjusted the menu," Chris says. Despite their new dietary restrictions, the team serves up crowd-pleasing plates, including a "Manly (but Sensitive) Tofu Steak Salad."

"Vegan of Atlanta"

Instead of filling their classic tacos with fish, Coast of Atlanta relies on fresh vegetables to "beef" them up. "We're just going to replace our proteins with a lot more veggies," Mike says, before his team sets off to prepare $10 fried-zucchini tacos.

Tempers Run High

After saving prime parking spaces for several teams, including Momma's Grizzly Grub, yesterday, Nonna's Kitchenette expected Momma's to return the favor today. The ladies from Alaska, however, take up two sizeable spaces with both their truck and their follow vehicle, leaving no room for Nonna's. "Momma's Grizzly screwed us up really badly," Jaclyn says. "I want nothing to do with them."

On a Hot Streak

In the second elimination of the season, Seoul Sausage drives away with another win, earning $2,330, a profit of almost $2000. "We don't want to just skate by" Chris says. "We want to get first place every single week. This is how we roll." Tyler, too, is impressed by the team's two-for-two sweep, telling the guys, "It looks like you're the team to beat."

Saved by Cactus

Though Pop-A-Waffle is this week's lowest earner, the team avoids elimination thanks to their first-place finish in yesterday's cooking-with-cactus challenge, which won them immunity. "We would have been going home," Bobaloo admits, "but Chef Anthony saved the day with his award-winning cactus salsa."

A Close Margin

Momma's Grizzly Grub and Barbie Babes are both up for elimination this week, separated by only a $170 difference in earnings. Though Momma's made a potentially game-ending decision yesterday by choosing to stop selling before the end of the day, Angela tells Tyler, "Go home or go on, I have no regrets."

Aussies Head Home

In the end Momma's survives to sell another day, which means it's the end of the road for Barbie Babes. Though Tyler recognizes that the ladies "fought like champs," Skye wonders if her team could have strategized better. "All I can think is if we only charged a couple of dollars more for our Aussie burgers, we'd still be in the race," she reflects.