Sam Jones on Top Chef

Sam Jones, the Eastern North Carolina pitmaster behind Sam Jones BBQ, is set to guest judge Bravo’s “Top Chef” on Monday, April 13. (reflector.com) The episode is titled “Going Whole Hog,” and it airs at 9:30 p.m. on Bravo as Season 23, Episode 6 of “Top Chef.” Bravo’s episode listings say the chefs skip the Quickfire and split into pairs for a whole-hog barbecue challenge. (publicradioeast.org) (thetvdb.com) Before the cook, the contestants travel to Charlotte and Lexington to see Carolina barbecue up close. Preview material for the episode says they then cook overnight and work through five cuts of hog in a head-to-head format. (thetvdb.com) (memorabletv.com) Jones comes from Ayden, North Carolina, and Public Radio East described him as a fourth-generation barbecue man. His restaurant company says Sam Jones BBQ cooks whole hog over real hickory wood and now has locations in Winterville and Raleigh. (publicradioeast.org) (samjonesbbq.com) That background fits the episode’s subject. Whole-hog barbecue is a defining style in Eastern North Carolina, where the entire pig is cooked over wood and chopped, rather than built around a single cut like pork shoulder. (publicradioeast.org) (samjonesbbq.com) “Top Chef” moved to the Carolinas for Season 23 after filming Season 22 in Canada. Bravo says the current season premiered on March 9, 2026, with 15 chefs, and Charlotte tourism officials say the show is using locations around the region through the season. (bravotv.com) (charlottesgotalot.com) Jones’s appearance also extends a run of national attention for his restaurant. The Michelin Guide lists Sam Jones BBQ in Raleigh as a Bib Gourmand selection in its 2025 guide for good quality and good value cooking. (guide.michelin.com) For Jones, the crossover lands on a night when “Top Chef” turns a Carolina barbecue tradition into the entire challenge, with a local pitmaster at the judges’ table. (reflector.com) (thetvdb.com)