The Great Food Truck Race 2025
This year’s The Great Food Truck Race is back, and it’s more unpredictable than ever. The 18th season kicked off August 3, 2025, with Tyler Florence returning as host. The show features nine food trucks rolling up the South Atlantic coast, all fighting for the $50,000 prize and a shot at becoming the next big thing in mobile eats.
The whole journey this season stretches from Savannah all the way to New York, with the first episode bringing the Savannah Bananas baseball team as guest judges—just to spice things up and throw in a curveball right from the jump.
Many fans couldn’t help but notice the focus on community, personality, and real-life hustle among the new teams.
It’s not just about who can cook, it’s about adapting to wild challenges and some tough business decisions, too. The premiere had a banana-themed challenge—imagine banana steak fries and biscuits on a humid Georgia day, and you’ll get the sweet-and-savory vibe they were chasing.
Honestly, this season is stacked with interesting contenders. You got everything from Asian-American comfort food to loaded mac & cheese.
Rising Tiger, repping Colorado, was a standout with their unique fusion approach—blending Lao roots, American upbringing, and bold street food flavors. The diversity’s real and so is the competition.
Why did Rising Tiger Leave the Great Food Truck Race?
Here’s where the story takes a turn nobody really saw coming. Right after a strong performance in the banana challenge—Rising Tiger actually won the first two mini-competitions—fans tuned in for episode two, only to hear that the team had withdrawn from the race. Not eliminated, but withdrew. It was the sort of shock exit that immediately got everyone talking online, with speculation, disappointment, and support coming from all corners.
The official details? Well, according to multiple recap sites and lively social threads, Rising Tiger’s withdrawal was voluntary—they chose to walk away after the initial challenges. The exact reasons weren’t spelled out in long speeches on TV, but Instagram gave that extra touch of honesty you don’t always get on camera. Devin “Tiger” Keopraphay, the chef behind Rising Tiger, posted:
https://www.instagram.com/p/DM4FGSVsPZO/
A user on X(Twitter) commented that she is confused. There is no way a team with two challenge wins was 2nd to the bottom. And then they just up and quit?
Another user @thrllsnsplls wrote that rulebook didn't make Rising Tiger disclose their reason for quitting on air.
Sometimes you come for the competition and end up with a reminder that food—and the people behind it—matter more than TV drama or $50,000. That was definitely the case here. With Rising Tiger, the real win isn’t a trophy, it’s seeing a chef put his values and community first, even when everyone’s watching.
