Ultimate Braai Master

The 15 teams arrive at the Monkey Valley Resort in Noordhoek, Cape Town, which marks the start of an epic, 70-day, 9000 kilometre culinary road trip. The judges set the bar of what they expect teams to produce on the open fire and contestants soon realise that this isn’t going to be a walk in the park when they battle it out in their first challenge in the treacherous weather conditions the Cape of Storms is so famous for!

Fifteen teams travel to the Breede River Resort and Fishing Lodge the picturesque town of Witsand, situated at the mouth of the Breede River. Here they are split into five groups, and after enjoying an unexpected adventure on the river, they regroup to battle it out in a highly pressurised challenge that’s all about fish! Contestants who can’t deliver the goods end up in an elimination challenge and the first team’s dream of taking the title goes up in smoke.

Fourteen teams travel to the Cape Columbine Nature Reserve on the West Coast. This iconic fishing area marks the third leg for teams battling it out to get their hands on this year’s prize and title, but Justin and the Judges have a few tricks up their sleeves! Teams compete in three tough challenges – from preparing a selection of camping food to traditional West Coast fare. Sadly two teams are sent home after they fail to impress the judges.

The twelve surviving teams travel to the Rondeberg Resort situated in the Cederberg Mountains, home to the most incredible rock formations and one of southern Africa’s best rock art sites. The game gets a lot tougher as teams are divided into four groups to produce an array of potjie dishes in a grueling challenge. While some teams crack the challenge, others melt under the pressure and end up in an emotional Elimination in the Bulshoek Dam Resort that sees two more teams sent home

The ten remaining teams travel from the Cederberg back to the West Coast to the infamous Diamond Diver Cottages in Noup – a hidden place that’s far off the beaten track and in times of old, was not a destination for the faint hearted. Contestants are put under pressure in the ultimate chicken challenge, and while some rule the roost, three unlucky teams cross tongs in a nail-biting elimination that sees another team’s dreams going up in smoke!

The remaining teams continue their epic road trip and cross borders into Namibia. Their first destination is the Felix Unite Provenance Camp on the banks of the mighty Orange River. Teams are tired but a trip down the river and a magical night sleeping under the stars revives their wilted spirits, but not for too long as they have to compete in an intense six-hour challenge that requires concentration and team work. The weakest team ends up in a surprise elimination, which sees one team sent back to South Africa with nothing more than braai-filled memories to keep them warm.

The town of Lüdertiz, Namibia, stands in isolation on the frontier between the ‘great dune sea’ and the rich, cold Benguela Current that runs up the west coast of Africa. This marks the 7th leg in what has proven to be the toughest season of Ultimate Braai Master yet, and it’s not about to get any easier. Teams are split into two groups and are challenged to braai a variety of snoek dishes for 450 school kids from the area!

The remaining teams travel deep into the desert to Sossusvlei situated in the Namib-Naukluft National Park situated on the edge of what is considered to be the most ancient desert in the world. After a tough venison challenge, the winning team gets a reward and a fast-forward to the tenth leg of the competition, while the two losing teams who have become close friends during the road trip have to face-off and cross their tongs to remain in the game.

The Fish River Canyon in the south of Namibia marks the start of the 9th leg of South Africa’s toughest outdoor kitchen and the tension is rising between the remaining seven teams as they cross tongs in a challenge that’s all about quintessential roadhouse food. While it seems like an easy task, many of the contestants fail under pressure and two teams face off in a traditional South African Elimination with one more team’s dreams going up in smoke.

Teams cross the border back in to South Africa after three weeks in Namibia and travel to what is known as the Northern Cape’s Green Kalahari on the banks of the Orange River. This is the tenth leg of their epic road trip and after a freezing trip down the river teams have to produce braaied pizza. While some teams ace the challenge, others serve up burnt offerings that see them go into an elimination challenge that’s all about swine.

The Karoo is a 400 000 square kilometer semi-desert that engulfs a third of southern Africa’s landmass. It’s a harsh environment where water has always been a scarce commodity and life has had to adapt accordingly. It’s another desolate, beautiful part of the country and the top five teams cross tongs in the longest, toughest challenge yet. After an exhausting challenge and with no elimination to fight to stay in the game, one more team’s dreams go up in smoke!

The remaining four teams travel to Buffelsdrift Game Lodge just outside of Oudtshoorn in the Little Karoo. With only one more leg to go to the final, contestants are under pressure as they find themselves racing to complete five challenges. After failing to impress the judges during the main challenge, two teams cross tongs in the elimination challenge. One team is too exhausted to focus during the challenge, and after a poor performance, they lose their spot in the finals.

Over the last nine weeks contestants have been crossing tongs all across southern Africa, battling it out to get their hands on the cash, the car and the title of this year’s Ultimate Braai Master! The final three teams arrive at the Felix Unite Round the Bend Camp on the banks of the Breede River. Now all that remains is to see who has the right combination of teamwork, fireside skills and drive to take it all in the final challenge!