The Great Food Truck Race review: Miami heat was too much to handle

The Great Food Truck Race Season 10 is reaching the finish line. With three food trucks left, was the Miami heat cause tension to boil over?

Which two food trucks will make The Great Food Truck Race Season 10 finale? In Miami, the pressure seems to have created tension between the food trucks. Was a Miami meltdown inevitable?

This week’s episode opens with a challenge. Each food truck must make a pork-centric dish for their menu. The food truck who sold the most of this pork special would get an additional $300 added to their total.

In previous seasons, these challenges made a huge difference in the final standings. These challenges are part creativity and part smart selling. Since the challenge isn’t based just on taste, the food trucks need to sell that dish.

This Food Network show is a food competition that is more than serving delicious food. While old phrase, if you build, it they will come, might work in movies, the reality is far different in the real world. Bringing customers to the food truck is the only way to ensure that a business thrives.

In this week’s episode, there was more emphasis on the selling than the food, itself. Sure, everyone understands that most of these menus are set at this point in the competition. No one is really going to stray far away from what is working.

As for the selling, the food trucks need to secure the best location to ensure that they gain the most customers. When the competition had 8 food trucks, working together at a single location worked. Now, with just three food trucks, teamwork doesn’t make dream work.

Nola Creations was extremely smart securing an exclusive location at a famous coffee shop. If an owner is willing to provide that exclusive venue, the smart, business savvy food truck owner is going to jump on it. The decision wasn’t gamesmanship or underhanded. It was smart business.

On the other hand, Brunch Babes didn’t need to try to make a scene in the coffee shop with their donuts. Sure, this moment makes for entertaining television. But, it leaves everyone feeling a little off-put.

In a way, Nola Creations was made to look like the bad guy, which is far from the truth. They used their knowledge and business savvy to promote their business. They did nothing wrong.

Somehow this week’s episode lost the idea that this Food Network show was about the food from the food truck and turned it into a reality TV drama episode. As a food fan, I want to see how these food trucks created that dish, the reactions of the people eating the dish and why people want to eat it again. I don’t want to see teams yelling at each other from across the street.

In the second day of selling, the food trucks got an additional twist from Tyler. Each team had to add a dish that used Cuban coffee. Just like the pork challenge, the food truck who sells the most coffee dishes will get an extra $300.

It was obvious that Brunch Babes were going to do a donut dish. Rolling Indulgence didn’t push themselves with the egg cream either. Didn’t anyone learn from the previous episodes advice that creativity can fuel sales?

Unfortunately, Nola Creations’ initial dish would have been far more creative than the coffee glazed beignets, which were expected.  If Nola could operate the grinder, the coffee crusted fish would have been a game changer in the competition. While that dish might not have won the challenge, it would have showed Nola’s efforts to go big or go home.

Looking back at both ingredient challenges, neither team really pushed those secret ingredients. The creativity was lacking, which is disappointing. Food trucks often push the food trend conversation. This week, it was a conversation that never really seemed to find its spark.

At elimination, the first announcement seemed obvious. Nola Creations had the most sales in Miami. Based on the location and the menu, this food truck was a hit with locals.

Even though they were announced as the winner, Tyler hadn’t announced which food truck had won either of the challenges. Given that scenario, everyone knew that a twist was coming.

The determination of either Brunch Babes or Rolling Indulgence going home would come down to the challenges. With only $72 separating these two food trucks actual sales, these challenges changed the outcome of the competition.

Side note, with the impact of the challenges potentially changing the competition, it begs the question, should these challenges be allowed at such a late stage of the competition. At this point, shouldn’t the best food truck, based on what they learned in the competition process, win?

If the challenges change the outcome of the competition, is the final winner of The Great Food Truck Race really the best food truck or it is the best food truck competitor? That question will continue to be debated.

As Tyler reveals the results, Brunch Babes wins both challenges. In doing so, they not only send Rolling Indulgence home, they also secure the win in Miami.

Going into the finale, Nola Creations and Brunch Babes will have a heated battle. After this week’s spirited competition, each team will be determined to walk away with the title and prize.

Who do you think will win The Great Food Truck Race Season 10? Do you think that the challenges have too much impact on the outcome?