Southern trekking: Food Network’s The Great Food Truck Race returns

Southern cuisine is smoking hot. The next installment of Food Network’s The Great Food Truck Race has contestants trucking through the Southern cities.

Food television often features food trends. No one wants to learn about or watch a topic that is outdated and boring. Southern cuisine and Southern cities are very popular. Food Network’s The Great Food Truck Race joins the Southern city road trip with the upcoming season.

Looking at various food television shows, the South has been featured recently. Top Chef went to Charleston. The top contenders from Season 13 of Food Network Star are Southern chefs. New Orleans is an iconic culinary city. Ashville, Charleston and Savannah are all top foodie destinations. The homey, comforting Southern influenced cuisine continues to draw people.

Announced recently, the Food Network’s food truck reality competition begins a trek through the South. These inexperienced food truck operators take on Southern staples as they battle to win the $50,000 prize. Some contestants will overcome the obstacles and others will be left stranded.

Great Food Truck Race, new contestants, photo from Food Network

Competing to win the big prize are:

"Braised in the South – Charleston, South Carolina (Nick Hunter, Steven Klatt, Brandon Lapp)The Breakfast Club – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Ashanti Dixon, Taylor Randolph, Mikey Robins)Mr. Po’ Boys – Dallas, Texas (Cedrick McCoy, Ryan Thompson, Esther Torres)Papi Chulo’s Empanadas – Cherry Hill, New Jersey (Sarah Hasbun, Carleena Lara-Bregatta, Luis Lara Polanco)The Southern Frenchie – Little Rock, Arkansas (Donnie Ferneau, Meaghan Ferneau, Amanda Ivy)Stick ‘Em Up – Rogersville, Tennessee (Justin House, Landon House, Shona House)Li>Wicked Good Seafood – Falmouth, Massachusetts (Bill Henrique, Ryan Schuhmacher, Dan Torres)"

Starting in New Orleans, these food truck operators will travel through iconic Southern locations, like Nashville, before ending in Savannah, Georgia. The first episode will feature beignets. It should be a hard first challenge. A beignet is difficult to master in the most perfect conditions, let alone in a food truck. This challenge should make for some entertaining watching.

Looking at the cities, I could see contestants having to make Nashville hot chicken and low country boil. Featuring local favorites is part of these food television shows. The little known featured facts are the best. Hopefully, a few locales will have some hidden gems.

The Food Network’s The Great Food Truck Race premieres on Sunday, August 20 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. The winning food truck will be crowned on Sunday, September 24.

Next: What do Anthony Bourdain and Guy Fieri have in common?

Are you ready for some Southern trekking? Tune into the Food Network and see which food truck makes it to the finish line first.