Scrumptious smashburger on Texas toast? No problem. Yummy creamed spinach? Not so easy.
Tim Van Doren, a grillmaster from Alabama, struggled during the Season 6 debut of “BBQ Brawl,” a reality series on the Food Network. After a promising start on Sunday’s episode with a dish he called “Bama’s Texas Toast Smashburger,” Van Doren was eliminated in the second half of the program.
He prepared creamed spinach for a team challenge that focused on a barbecue feast, but evidently went overboard on one key ingredient.
“Tim, we love the idea of your down-home, good old decadent creamed spinach,” judge Rodney Scott said. “But some of the true flavors of the ingredients were overpowered by a little bit too much cream.”
Contestants on the show tackle difficult grilling tasks, under the guidance of mentors Bobby Flay, Maneet Chauhan and Antonia Lofaso. Over the course of 10 episodes, the list of 12 competitors is trimmed via weekly eliminations, until the winner is revealed and proclaimed the new “Master of ‘Cue.”
Along with Scott — a North Carolina pitmaster with two restaurants in the Birmingham metro area — the judges for “BBQ Brawl” are TV personality Carson Kressley and chef Brooke Williamson.
Van Doren, 47, an Alabaster resident and social media influencer, seemed like a natural for “BBQ Brawl.” Known as @BamaGrillMaster, Van Doren has attracted more than 2 million followers with his skillful, down-to-earth videos.
He was a top five finisher in the 2019 World Food Steak Championship, and Van Doren has won plenty of competitions sanctioned by the SCA Steak Cookoff Association.
READ: Alabama ‘backyard barbecue dude’ aims to smoke the competition on reality TV: ‘Gotta go for it’
Van Doren’s ouster on “BBQ Brawl” must have vexed the grillmaster — not to mention viewers from his home state — considering that a side dish did him in.
“Tim, we’re so sorry that you weren’t able to show us all of your range in a creamed spinach dish,“ Williamson said. ”Unfortunately, we did have to eliminate someone today.”
“I didn’t even get to show who I really am,“ Van Doren said. ”I didn’t even get to cook a protein.”
Van Doren left the show with good grace, however, wishing his teammates good luck and bidding farewell to his mentor, Lofaso.
“It was just too short-lived,” Lofaso told Van Doren. “That being said, your food’s good. You touch a ton of people, and don’t let this stop you for one second, OK?”
Alabama’s Tim Van Doren, back row at right, is one of 12 contestants on the Food Network series “BBQ Brawl.” “It’s funny to meet all the brawlers,” Van Doren told AL.com. “We’re in the the hotel, not knowing who’s who or what’s what on the show, and meeting each other for the first time. Now we’re like family. We text each other all the time. It was a great, great group of brawlers. Fantastic people.”(Courtesy of Food Network)
Typically, “BBQ Brawl” keeps the list of competitors intact on the first episode of the season, but that rule was changed for 2025. Van Doren was sent home at the end of an hour-long program, after cooking just two dishes on the show.
“Going out first, it sucks,” Van Doren said in his exit interview. “Especially when I didn’t get to really showcase me in this situation. My dad would say, ‘Hey, you did your best. You went out there, you did what you wanted to do.’”
During an interview with AL.com before the season premiere, Van Doren offered no spoilers on his fate on “BBQ Brawl.” He emphasized, however, that his experience on the show was a positive one.
“This was like a ‘fish out of water’ for me,” Van Doren said. “It was a learning experience. It was a great experience. I wouldn’t change it for the world. No way, no how.”
