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TLC heating up 'BBQ Pit'

Cable network greenlights 'Masters' series

By STUART LEVINE

TLC has added to its food-themed roster, which includes 'Cake Boss,' (above) with 'BBQ Pit Masters.'

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TLC continues to spice up its programming slate by adding another food-related skein to its lineup.

Cabler has greenlit new series "BBQ Pit Masters." Docusoap focuses on nationwide BBQ competitions and the cutthroat world of competing grillers.

Hourlong "BBQ Pit Masters," produced by Original Media ("L.A. Ink"), will run for eight episodes. Series will launch Dec. 2.

Net, which also announced it's reupping both "Cake Boss" and "Ultimate Cake Off," continues to position itself as a destination for food lovers.

"As we've refined our brand, we find the things that have been working for us are core to family, and we weren't paying enough attention to the food category," TLC president Eileen O'Neil told Daily Variety.

Ratings for food programs have been solid. "Cake Boss," which features the goings-on at Carlo's Bakery in Hoboken, N.J., averaged 2.2 million viewers, and "Ultimate Cake Off," presently on the air, is averaging more than 1 million.