Game Day games

Competition celebrates tailgate foods

Ask a non-sports fan about “tailgating,” and you’ll likely hear about a road rage incident. But if you pose that same question to a sports fan or food lover, brace yourself — you’re about to get some serious hunger pangs.

A pregame ritual that dates back to the 1800s, tailgating is where good food meets team spirit. With the NFL playoffs’ wild card games set for Jan. 14, 15 and 16, this is peak NFL tailgating season, and the perfect time for “NFL Tailgate Takedown” on Food Network.

The competition series kicked off last week (Jan. 4) on the cable network and discovery+, with new episodes airing weekly, including this Wednesday, Jan. 11. Unlike the NFL right now, each episode of “NFL Tailgate Takedown” is a self-contained competition, so you can jump in at any time.

Hosted by “The Kitchen’s” Sunny Anderson and New England Patriots Hall-of-Famer Vince Wilfork, the series’ six one-hour episodes were shot on location at an NFL stadium right before a big game. Not only that, the two competing tailgate chefs represent the NFL teams competing that day, and their gameday bites must reflect regional tastes and signature specialties, like Philly cheesesteaks.

Dubbed “The First Down,” the first round finds competitors creating a platter of bite-sized snacks (complete with dip) that best represent their hometown. A rotating panel of judges determines the winner, who will start Round 2 (dubbed “Between the Uprights”) with an advantage, as they prep some treats contained in a bun. The penalty for the losing team is the loss of a player heading into the “Hail Mary” third round, in which they’ll need to prep a meat platter with two sides. The winner is presented with the Yum-bardi Trophy by an NFL great, before being ushered into the stadium for the actual game and into VIP seats right on the 50-yard line.

Don’t miss the fun (and the food) — check out a new episode of “NFL Tailgate Takedown,” airing Wednesday, Jan. 11, on Food Network and streaming on discovery+.

Sunny Anderson and Vince Wilfork in “NFL Tailgate Takedown”