The Great Food Truck Race

Eight teams of aspiring Food Truck owners arrive in Long Beach, Calif., to kick off this season's Great Food Truck Race: Lighthouse to Lighthouse. Host Tyler Florence welcomes the teams and presents them with the food trucks of their dreams and matching cars. The teams are then sent directly to the toughest, most cutthroat place in the food truck universe: the place where it all started, Los Angeles. These rookies learn quickly that running a food truck is much harder than it looks, and the seven surviving teams realize that they are in for the ride of their lives.

The seven remaining teams roll into Flagstaff, Ariz., determined to get the hang of the food truck game. Just when things start to settle down, Tyler springs a Truck Stop cooking challenge on them: Create a dish featuring the local delicacy prickly pear cactus. Celebrity Chef Beau MacMillan judges the dishes and delivers a game-changing prize -- but Tyler is not done. On Sunday, he tells the teams to go vegan, and the teams scramble again to stay above water.

The five remaining teams roll into Fayetteville, Ark., a college town bustling with teenagers. Their Truck Stop Challenge is targeted at this audience as they must create an amazing breakfast dish using Kellogg's Pop Tarts. One of the nation's top teen chefs, Jeremy Salamon, stops by the trucks to taste their creations and award a prize. After the breakfast shift, Tyler calls with a major Speed Bump. He shuts the trucks down completely until the late night shift. The teams then have to scrape together sales overnight, ending well after the sun comes up.

The final four trucks head to the heart of the South in Nashville. For their Truck Stop Challenge, the teams have to create a down-home country style picnic for country music stars Joey & Rory. The competition shakes up when Tyler reveals the next Speed Bump: to simulate what happens when employees don't show up or call in sick, Tyler tells the teams that two members must sit out and they must train two students from the Art Institutes Culinary School to work on the truck.

The final two teams race to Boston to begin selling, and in the middle of their shift, Tyler calls and tells the teams they must add a true blue New England lobster dish to their menu. Two authentic lobstermen taste the dishes and award the winner a huge cash advantage and a head start ... to Portland, Maine, where the teams will sell next. The losing team stays behind and "helps" a local restaurant. On Sunday, the teams sell head to head in Portland, but Tyler calls again and sends them to tiny Lubec, Maine where they have to fight for every sale. Finally, Tyler calls once more to meet him at the West Quoddy Lighthouse, the easternmost point of the United States. When the teams arrive, Tyler counts their money in front of them ... and the winner drives away in their new food truck, along with $50,000 to get their business started.

The seven remaining teams roll into Salt Lake City, and Tyler immediately explains the Truck Stop challenge: the teams must create an original sausage dish with the ingredients on the farmer's table, but the sausage is missing. The trucks head to world renowned Creminelli Fine Meats and create three customized links of sausage in hopes to impress guest judge chef Ryan Lowder and add $200 towards their final tally. The Speed Bump adds another game-changing twist as Tyler calls the teams and tells them to move the trucks to a new location, no matter how many patrons are on line.

Tyler and "Good Morning America" anchor Robin Roberts meet the six remaining trucks at a ranch outside of Denver. The stakes of the Truck Stop challenge are high as the winning truck scores a story on the Denver affiliate morning show that's sure to give them a serious marketing advantage. The teams have 50 minutes to harvest morel mushrooms and create an original dish to impress Truck Stop challenge judge, chef Frank Bonnano. Next, NFL Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway throws the teams a Speed Bump: each team must choose only one teammate to run the entire truck on his or her own.

The five remaining teams roll into Manhattan, Kan., the home of Kansas State University, and meet Tyler at the county courthouse. Tyler gives the teams a college-themed Truck Stop challenge to stay on student budget and spend only five dollars at the local market to create an original tasty dish. With only a short time to prepare, the teams hope to impress guest judge Charles Fezzura and win exclusive rights to sell their food on the bustling campus during commencement weekend. The Speed Bump hits the teams hard: every item they sell for the entire weekend can only cost one dollar.

The final four trucks land in Memphis, Tenn., the barbeque capitol of the world, at Court Square Park. For the most grueling Truck Stop challenge yet, the teams have four hours to retrieve a 100 lb. hog from legendary BBQ joint The Rendezvous, carry it back their truck, butcher it and create a barbeque sauce and dish on the master pit. Stakes are high as the dishes are judged by Jim Neely, the godfather of Memphis barbeque. The teams begin to sell in the city, when Tyler calls with the Speed Bump: for the remainder of the weekend, the teams may not sell any dishes with meat. On the second day of selling, Tyler adds another game changer when informs the teams a local food blogger is presenting immunity from elimination to the truck with the best vegetarian dining experience.

The three remaining teams roll into Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, and learn that when it comes to food, Georgia is famous for two things: peaches and peanuts. Tyler announces the Truck Stop Challenge to create an original dish incorporating both items, but instead of providing these Georgia specialties, they must beg and borrow from the locals downtown. Chef Kevin Rathbun determines the winner and hands out a game changing reward - a guaranteed spot in the finals. All bets are off as Tyler reveals the game-changing Speed Bump: each team will lose their lead chef for the day.

Eight of the country's most skilled food trucks meet at the Malibu Pier to kick off a coast-to-coast culinary competition. In the season premiere, host Tyler Florence greets the teams and explains their gastronomic journey that ends in a life-altering prize of $100,000 for the winning truck. For their first Truck Stop challenge: they must create an inventive dish with one lobster and farmer's table ingredients. The dish that most impresses guest judge and acclaimed chef Susan Feniger receives $500 towards their final tally. Next, the trucks drive to Las Vegas, where they hit a Speed Bump: Tyler summons the teams to the Venetian Casino and spins a wheel filled with food truck disasters.

The final four trucks arrive in New Orleans, eager to take advantage of the culture and nightlife of the Big Easy. But wicked weather drenches the teams and leaves them scrambling for customers. An epic battle ensues at the edge of the French Quarter, until a surprise catfish cook-off sends one team back to the streets and the others to a slimy, grimy punishment that no one will soon forget. One more team is eliminated, setting up a small-town showdown 700 miles north in Tennessee.

The remaining six trucks arrive in Santa Fe, New Mexico where they are greeted by a snow storm. Will the weather affect sales or will some trucks be able to succeed despite the low temperatures? The teams are thrown a curve-ball when they have to add green chilies to their menu. After another frenetic weekend, the truck who makes the least amount of money will be sent home.

Seven of the country's best Food Trucks start the cross country journey in Southern California. An early twist leaves the teams scrambling. They think they are starting in LA, but quickly learn that the first city they must conquer over 100 miles away in San Diego. How will they handle this switch? Teams will struggle to find a location, source their food, and market their trucks in a brand new city. After a frenetic weekend, the truck who makes the least amount of money will be sent home.

The final two teams roll into New York City and are shocked to learn that everything they think they know about this race is out the window for this final leg. The teams race off into the Bronx, needing to travel to all five boroughs of New York and reach a sales threshold in each one. One final cooking challenge sees the teams cooking the other's signature dish, setting up an epic finale in Manhattan. The winning team races on foot to the top of the Flatiron Building, where Tyler is waiting with a $50,000 check... and the first winner of the Great Food Truck Race is declared.

The final three trucks arrive in tiny Jonesborough, Tennessee, ready to battle it out for the attention of its 5,000 residents. Each customer is precious, as the town is excited to see the trucks but shuts down after sunset. The teams get yet another surprise when they must ""go back in time"" and cook a five-course meal in the style of the pioneer-era chuckwagon. Then it's back to Main Street for a nip and tuck battle that sees the low-earning team eliminated by a mere $37.

The remaining five trucks head further east as they arrive in Forth Worth, Texas. The teams hit the streets in a whole new city and have to start over from scratch. Where will they set up? Will they change their menu? How do they get the word out. Things are running relatively smoothly until they are all give a giant side of beef that they have to carve and incorporate into their trucks. This elimination is the most intense yet.