The Great Food Truck Race is an American reality television and cooking series that debuted on August 15, 2010, on Food Network, with Tyler Florence as the host.[1] Billed as a cross between Cannonball Run and Top Chef,[2] this late summer show features several competing teams of three who drive across the United States in their food trucks and make stops every week to sell food in different cities.
The show's eighteenth season premiered on August 3, 2025.
Format
Every season, between six and nine food truck teams compete in a race where they must cook, sell, and adapt to different challenges in the hopes of winning $50,000 (and in some cases, their own food truck). While taking a journey through a specific region or route, every week the food truck that makes the least profit is eliminated and sent home, while the rest of the food trucks continue on to the next city. They're usually given "seed money" at the beginning of each episode that goes towards grocery shopping. The teams are assigned different challenges every week for a chance to earn more money (usually in the form of selling the most of a special dish or making a version of a local delicacy for Tyler and a guest judge). They're also thrown obstacles that hinder their ability to make normal sales (for example, switching their menu to vegan food or being unable to restock supplies for the day).