What Happened To Rising Tiger Food Truck Race

Remember Rising Tiger Food Truck Race? That chaotic, wonderful, and slightly confusing show where people screamed about tacos while driving stick shift? Yeah, it vanished faster than a truck’s last batch of sliders at a music festival. So, what actually happened? Grab your coffee (or a lukewarm energy drink, no judgment), and let’s untangle this mystery together.

The Wild Ride We Miss

The show was pure insanity. Teams built food trucks from scratch, then raced across the country to serve hungry crowds. It was part cooking competition, part demolition derby, and 100% addictive. Remember that episode where a tire fell off mid-service? Or the time someone’s deep fryer caught fire while they were also lost in Kansas?

It felt like a fever dream cooked up by a network exec who had one too many late-night burritos. And we loved it. So why did the network yank the keys to the truck?

The Network’s Cold Shoulder

Here’s the thing: The Food Network (the show’s original home) got quiet. Really quiet. After the second season in 2016, they just… stopped. No dramatic goodbye. No final credits. Just a cold shoulder and a fresh coat of paint on the schedule. Rumor has it the show was too expensive to produce. Think about it—rigging a truck for competition, sending camera crews on the road, and then cleaning up actual grease spills? That’s a lot of cash.

And let’s be honest: ratings probably weren’t sizzling hot. The show had a cult following, but not the mega-viewership that keeps a network happy. So it got cancelled—quietly, without fanfare, like a side of guacamole forgotten in the back of the fridge.

Rising Tiger Longmont food truck premieres on Food Network’s 'The Great

The Host Who Moved On

Then there’s Tyler Florence, the show’s smiling, mustachioed host. You know him—the guy who can make a grilled cheese sound like a life-altering event. After the show ended, Tyler bounced right back to his usual Food Network gigs. He didn’t mourn the loss. He just kept cooking, smiling, and being… Tyler. Honestly, that’s a power move.

But here’s a sad little detail: The show’s social media accounts went dead. No “Thanks for the memories” post. No final tweet. It was like the internet version of a food truck driving into the sunset and never looking back. Cold, right?

The Competition That Ate Itself

Let’s get real about the format. The show asked teams to do something physically impossible: drive a giant truck, cook gourmet food, and survive human obstacles—all on a tight deadline. Many teams broke down. Literally. Trucks overheated, fryers exploded, and contestants cried over scrambled eggs. It was beautiful chaos, but sustainable? Not really.

Rising Tiger Longmont food truck premieres on Food Network’s 'The Great

Think about it: How many people can simultaneously be a professional chef and a skilled truck driver and a stress-proof miracle worker? That’s like asking a unicorn to also fix a flat tire. By season two, the pool of talent probably ran dry. The drama shifted from “who makes the best burger” to “whose transmission is about to fail.”

The Ghost Season Nobody Talks About

Here’s where it gets weird. There was supposed to be a third season. I’m not joking. The network teased it. The cast was allegedly recruited. But then—poof. The whole thing went up in smoke like a burnt brisket. My pet theory? The production costs hit ludicrous levels. Imagine insuring a fleet of mobile kitchens, paying for gas, and bribing local health inspectors to look the other way. That’s a lot of zeroes on a spreadsheet.

Other people whisper that licensing issues killed it. Food trucks need permits to operate in different cities, you know. The show probably ran into a wall of red tape so thick, even Tyler Florence couldn’t sauté his way through it.

Why Did Rising Tiger Leave The Great Food Truck Race?

Where Are They Now?

The winning teams? They didn’t become household names. Most went back to their regular jobs or opened actual brick-and-mortar restaurants. The show’s legacy is mostly a blip on the food competition timeline. But ask anyone who watched it, and their eyes will light up. “Remember the guy who drove into a ditch because of a GPS error?” Yes. We remember.

So, Rising Tiger Food Truck Race didn’t get cancelled in a fiery explosion. It just… faded. Like a cheap t-shirt after too many washes. But hey, we still have the memories. And our own copycat recipes. Because nothing tastes quite like the chaos of a show that tried to cook and race at the same time.

Pour one out for the deep-fried dreams. And maybe tip your local food truck driver today. They’re probably not racing cross-country, but they’re fighting a different kind of battle—serving you tacos in traffic.