Here’s How Gator Great Shannon Snell Performs on Food Network Show
The hungry Gators are hoping to have former Florida football player Shannon Snell appear in the third installment of Food networkMonday night’s “BBQ Brawl” was probably a disappointment. And no, he wasn’t eliminated from the competition last week.
Monday’s episode opened with chef and team leader Bobby Flay announcing Snell’s departure from the competition. The camera then quickly cut to a shot of Snell announcing he had to leave the show due to health reasons.
“This experience has been very important to me. And to all my fellow fighters, rock out here while you can, but I’ll see you guys again, I promise,” he said, clearly moved by his decision.
“A great spirit, a great chef, too,” Flay said of Snell, who is the executive chef at Sonny’s BBQ. “And I’m really going to miss him.”
A week earlier, Snell and the other contestants had faced off in the show’s “Third Annual BBQ Games,” the first episode in which one of the chefs would be eliminated.
“The competition is really tough now,” Snell said. “If your dish isn’t good enough, you’re going to have to fly home.”
The first part of the competition revolved around a relay race in which the five members of each of the three teams worked together to create a steak burrito. Speed and taste were the key words.
More: Shannon Snell, Sonny’s Pit Master and Big Gator, Compete on Food Network’s “BBQ Brawl”
Snell was in charge of the cheese and lettuce. He made a blend of pepper jack and white cheddar, while shredding enough lettuce to create a small storm. Snell’s team – Team Bobby – finished second in speed to Team Sunny (Anderson), but took top honors for taste.
The relay race was followed by a team challenge in which each team had to choose between refrigerators labeled “Students,” “Professional Athletes,” and “Foodies.”
After a quick chase, Snell’s team recovered the “College Students” refrigerator. Inside the refrigerator were college staples such as pizza, chicken wings, ground beef, shredded cheese and potato chips.
Team Bobby prepared a “Hangover Feast” and Snell was tasked with making dessert. He chose to make a frozen banana tostada with cinnamon and sugar.
“If I was a hungover college student, this would be the feast I would want, but every team’s feast looks so good, it’s all about the taste now,” Snell said.
Judge Carson Kressley called Snell’s dish “very, very good.”
“It’s like Cinnamon Toast Crunch,” he said.
In the end, Team Bobby came in last and team member Noah Sims was eliminated.
This article was originally published on The Gainesville Sun: Shannon Snell to compete in Food Network’s BBQ Brawl
