Brooke Williamson transitions from judge to team captain in the seventh season of the Food Network series
NEED TO KNOW
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Bobby Flay and Maneet Chauhan return as captains while 12 pitmasters compete for the title of “Master of ‘Cue”
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Flay and Williamson, who began dating last year, face off in friendly competition for the first time on the show
A new trailer forBBQ Brawlteases competition between the show’s captains.
Brooke Williamson’s role changes from judge to captain in the Food Network series’ seventh season, whileBobby Flayand Maneet Chauhan return to lead the other two teams.
“Welcome back, Maneet! Or should I say ‘reigning barbecue world champ’?” Flay asks Chauhan, whose team won season 6.
“You ready to battle our newest captain?” Flay asks Chauhan, adding, “Got some new blood in the house.”
Williamson makes it clear she’s up for the challenge, admitting, “I've been wanting to get my hands dirty for years.”
“Don't make me come over there,” Chauhan says, to which Williamson responds, “I'm not doing anything!”
“She's a killer when her back is up against the wall,” Flay warns.
Flay then announces that viewers can expect the new season to turn up the competition.
“This season, the high heat's not just gonna be on the grill. It's gonna be between the captains,” he says.
“I think these lovebirds are out to get me,” Chauhan jokes of Flay and Williamson, who began dating in March 2025.
However, the next clips suggest Flay and Williamson are also facing off fiercely against each other.
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“You’re supposed to root for me,” Flay says, with his arm around Williamson, who insists, “No!”
And when judge Carson Kressley asks, “Which captain is the biggest diva on set?” Williamson writes, “Robert William Flay.”
“Oh, really?” Flay shoots back.
Adrienne Cheatham and season 3 winner Rashad Jones join Kressley as judges on the season, which will see 12 pitmasters vie for the title of “Master of ‘Cue” at Star Hill Ranch in Austin, Texas.
The brawlers include Dakari Akorede (Atlanta); Morgan Bolling (Boston); Chris Farella (Fort Lee, N.J.); Raquel Fleetwood (Long Beach, Calif.); Torrece “T” Gregoire (Bristol, Va.); Vinny Mangual (Brooklyn, N.Y.); Edith Mattiuzzo (Udine, Italy); Tim McLaughlin (Dallas); Tung Nguyen (Oklahoma City, Okla.); Braunda Smith (San Antonio, Texas); Blake Stoker (Martin, Tenn.) and Bob Trudnak (Philadelphia).
Flayfirst revealedthat girlfriend Williamson was becoming a team captain while chatting with PEOPLE at the South Beach Wine & Food Festival (SOBEWFF) in February.
“Brooke has been a judge since almost the beginning, the second season, and she's always wanted to be one of the mentors and cook on the show, and there was never sort of an opportunity for that,” Flay said.
However, circumstances changed after the couple began dating last year.
“But now, our rule between us is that we can't judge each other, because how can we judge each other?” Flay added. “We can compete against each other in kind of friendly ways. She's becoming one of the captains onBBQ Brawl,so I have to actually compete against her. And she, as you might imagine, is very competitive, so she's tough to beat.”
BBQ Brawlpremieres Monday, May 11, at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Food Network and streams the next day on HBO Max.
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