Fun ... win, lose or draw

“It has been a whirlwind of education, working with networks from New York to California, pitching the show three years ago,” Lannom said. “It’s been a learning experience for sure.”

In BBQ Country, 12 backyard BBQ competitors were paired with 12 famous pitmasters to face off against each other.

“We went to social media, and we put out an advertisement for auditions,” Lannom said. “From 300-700 people, we narrowed it down to the best 12 people in the country that really stood out to the talent agency. They’re from all over the country. We’ve got from California to (Washington) D.C. We’ve got some hometown people coming in. We’ve got them coming in from everywhere.”

The show filmed nine episodes while on site at the Wilson County Fairgrounds. The crew will return on June 3 to film the live finale.

Country Network CEO Tommy Snyder met Lannom during a shoot that the Country Network was doing in Nashville.

“Russ came to me with the idea for a show, and so I went and checked the demographics out,” Snyder said. “I realized the cooking world was an amazingly huge world that I didn’t really know existed, because I don’t cook very often. It was such great concept. I couldn’t say yes fast enough.”

The process leading up to being on set for the competition took approximately three months.

“It’s been a fast-moving train,” Snyder said. “We started out reaching out to sponsors. All these great companies came out and said, ‘We’d love to be a part of the show.’ At the Country Network, we’re a full-production television network, so it was real easy for us on that side of things. We got everything scheduled.”

Snyder knew that the show was meant to be filmed in Fiddlers Grove Historic Village when Lannom brought him to the Wilson County Fairgrounds.

“Russ brought me to Fiddler’s Grove,” Snyder said. “I was with an old guy named Charlie Daniels for 15 years. I walked into the general store, and his picture was on the wall, and I knew that was a sign that we were supposed to do it here.”

Ashton Knowles, 44, is originally from Mt. Juliet and is competing in BBQ Country as one of the backyard BBQ contestants.

“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous,” Knowles said. “I love to cook. Win, lose, or draw, we’re gonna have fun. It’s nice to be here, and I’m excited.”

Knowles decided to apply for the show when he saw advertisements online. He enjoys cooking steaks and chicken.

“I’m always learning, ” Knowles said. “Like I said, win, lose or draw, I’m going to take something away from this. I’m excited to learn something, and I hope to apply it to my future.”