Carroll’s competitive BBQ team, already making headlines for its impressive second-place finish at the Texas High School BBQ State Championship, is now earning a different kind of recognition — screen time on BBQ High, a Magnolia Network docuseries on HBO Max that recently scored an Emmy nomination.
Led by head coach Ken Goodman, the Dragon Pitmasters have grown from a local curiosity to one of the top-ranked teams in the state. But the journey to TV stardom wasn’t overnight for the students.
"Two seasons ago the production company for Magnolia Studios approached me asking if we would like to be on a new docuseries about high school barbecue," Goodman said. “At the time, we were really trying to perfect our craft, and I felt like that would be a large distraction for us.”
But the Dragons’ rise was hard to ignore. After a string of top finishes, including first place at their own regional event in October 2023 and a Reserve Champion title in 2025, Magnolia came calling again — this time asking to follow then senior Cami O'Neill and her dessert team, Overtime BBQ.
“The pride I was feeling for Cami and the rest of the team led me to agree to the rest of the series,” Goodman says.
Courtesy Ken Goodman
Film crew documenting Carroll students cooking barbecue in Mt. Vernon
While the final cut of BBQ High captures plenty of sizzle, the behind-the-scenes process was time-consuming.
“Honestly, filming for the series was exactly what I thought it would be... a lot of work and a huge time commitment,” Goodman says. “Cami and her team spent a full day and hours and hours of interviews filming and cooking at her home. I spent north of 16 hours in interviews at Carroll High School as well.”
The crew even tagged along for the team’s annual trip to Mt. Vernon — a unique bonding experience where the team worked cattle, chopped wood and cooked fajitas for the local church. “None of this made the show,” Goodman says. “I thought that really shined a light on the overall vision and mission I had in starting the BBQ team. I felt that was a missed opportunity.”
Despite the editing room cuts, the series still made an impression — both with viewers and critics. Magnolia’s BBQ High has quickly become one of the most watched culinary shows on TV, ranking third in its category. Its recent Emmy nomination brought a renewed sense of pride to Goodman and his team.
“I think being nominated is terrific for the show and all of the great kids featured, showing their passion and dedication in the art of competition BBQ,” he said. “It highlighted these kids and what they love to do.”
And according to Goodman, the students embraced the attention.
“I think they loved doing it and having that experience,” he said. “It was also fun watching them periodically realize they were on a live mic the entire day.”
While the cameras have stopped rolling (for now), the Dragons’ fire hasn’t gone out.
Looking to the 2025–26 school year, Goodman is optimistic. “We just lost one graduated senior, so all of our teams are extremely experienced and know exactly what they are doing,” he said. “We’re looking forward to a great competition year.”