Alison Victoria is walking away from her passion project, the “Pap Smear Podcast,” and moving on to bigger things. The HGTV star revealed why she decided to record her final episode, admitting that the show wasn’t paying off as she had hoped and sharing what’s next for her career.
Alison Victoria Reveals Why She’s Quitting Her Podcast
On June 18, Victoria took a moment during her “Pap Smear Podcast” episode to explain why she is ending the show — and what’s next for her.
“Welcome to ‘Pap Smear Podcast’ for my final episode,” the “Sin City Rehab” star said. “And I don’t want you to be scared, and I don’t want you to be sad, because even though it’s the final episode of ‘Pap Smear Podcast,’ it’s actually the beginning of something exciting and something new.”
She explained how she first came to name the podcast, inspired by her boyfriend Brandt Andersen’s suggestion to pick something connected to when she felt “most vulnerable.”
“I laughed my [expletive] off. I thought it was hysterical,” she said of the name. “For me as a businesswoman, I’m all about change because, for those of you who know me and have followed me for a while, you know that change is not foreign to me.”
“Whether it’s changing where I live or changing what I’m doing or shifting my business, you guys have seen me do a lot of that. So, this is just more of it,” Victoria explained.
The behind-the-scenes of the podcast, however, proved challenging. The HGTV star mentioned the amount of work that went into creating the intro’s animation and music, scheduling guests, and doing photo shoots to promote the show. “It’s a lot … and I’m only on season 2,” she noted.
“Also, figuring out that seasons don’t work for podcasts when you want to make money,” she shared. “I’m not making any money on this podcast. I feel like I just found out from Nicholas, my camera operator, and my editor, and also producer — we made $237 on YouTube.”
“That’s not a sustainable business, is it? I’d be a very bad businesswoman if I didn’t change some things,” she shared. “So, it’s time.”
Alison Victoria Explains What’s Next for Her
Victoria may be saying goodbye to the “Pap Smear Podcast,” but she’s got other ideas on the horizon.
“And we are working on rebranding everything — streamlining my brand with television shows, products, interior design, influencing. And so, when the new team came to me, they said, ‘Would you be open to rebranding the podcast?’ And I said yes,” the HGTV star explained.
Victoria noted, “And I think the ‘Pap Smear Podcast,’ although it’s funny as [expletive], it’s just not resonating with advertisers.”
“And so, I want this to be a business that makes money so I can continue to do it, and so I can continue to give you guys what you love most, which is these honest conversations that are quirky, weird, informative, inspiring, funny,” she explained.
“So, we’re shifting. And I hope you guys will shift with me,” Victoria said.
“I hope you guys stay tuned — I know it’s just going to get bigger and better,” she noted.
“Thanks for sticking with me. Thanks for always believing in me. Thanks for always watching me. And thank you for always listening to me,” Victoria added. “You guys are the best, and I will see you on the other side with a new name, fresh start, and a whole new look.”
Fans flooded the comments section of her Instagram post about the podcast, with supportive messages, including, “Good to rebrand. Congratulations to you!!Keep going. 
,” “No worries … We’ll be waiting patiently,” and “I can’t wait to see what’s next!”
As BBQ Brawl Season 7 continues to heat up, team captain Brooke Williamson is opening up about the advice that helped guide her career from the very beginning — and the surprising lesson she says boyfriend Bobby Flay has taught her in recent years.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(773x331:775x333)/Brooke-Williamson-Advice-062226-AS-d81916c0f27d4b9ca719ace3af19c1bc.jpg)
Speaking with PEOPLE at the 2026 Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, Williamson reflected on her journey from a teenage cook to one of the most respected chefs in Food Network history.
According to Williamson, the most important advice she ever received did not come from a celebrity chef or restaurant mentor. It came from her parents.
The Top Chef champion revealed that when she first entered professional kitchens at just 17 years old, her parents encouraged her to focus on something simple: happiness.
Rather than chasing prestige or financial success, they told her to pursue the work that made her genuinely excited to get up every day.
Williamson explained that the advice helped her push through the difficult moments that inevitably come with a career in the culinary world. Long hours, intense pressure, and countless setbacks become easier to endure when someone truly loves what they do.
She added that there is no substitute for hard work, but hard work becomes much more sustainable when it is connected to passion.
The lesson clearly left a lasting impression because Williamson says she has tried to pass the same philosophy on to her son, Hudson Roberts.
Now 18 years old and preparing to attend New York University this fall, Hudson has become a source of enormous pride for the chef. Williamson praised her son for being highly self-motivated, revealing that she never pressured him to earn top grades despite him becoming a straight-A student.
She said one of the qualities she admires most is his ability to push himself without outside pressure, adding that she is excited to see what he accomplishes in the future.
While Williamson credits her parents for shaping her career outlook, she says another important lesson came from a much more recent source: Bobby Flay.
The two Food Network stars confirmed their relationship in 2025 and have since become one of the most talked-about couples in the culinary television world.
According to Williamson, Flay has taught her something that does not come naturally to highly competitive people: how to lose gracefully.
That lesson may sound simple, but it carries extra significance for Williamson, who has built a reputation as one of the fiercest competitors in food television.
Over the years she has won Top Chef, competed on numerous cooking shows, and established herself as one of Food Network’s most respected culinary personalities. Her drive to win has never been questioned.
Yet Williamson says Flay constantly emphasizes the importance of appreciating opportunities regardless of the outcome. Winning is valuable, but maintaining perspective and professionalism after a loss can be even more important.
The timing of that lesson is particularly interesting given Williamson’s current role on BBQ Brawl.
After spending five seasons as a judge, Season 7 finally gave her the opportunity she had wanted for years: becoming a team captain and mentor.
And according to Flay, nobody wanted that promotion more than she did.
Speaking to PEOPLE at the same event, Flay revealed that Williamson had repeatedly expressed her desire to move from the judging panel into a leadership role. When the opportunity finally arrived, he says she fully embraced it.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(447x497:449x499)/Brooke-Williamson-Advice-062226-AS-son-huddy-roberts-7487ec9f454a4aba9e0e07b54ff2cf29.jpg)
Flay described Williamson as incredibly determined this season, saying viewers can see how seriously she has approached the competition. In fact, he admitted he has rarely seen anyone want to win as badly as she does.
That competitive fire has become one of the defining storylines of BBQ Brawl Season 7. Early concerns from some viewers that Williamson’s relationship with Flay might affect the dynamic of the show have largely faded as the season has progressed.
Instead, many fans have praised the chemistry between the two chefs, arguing that their competitive relationship has added another layer of intrigue to the season. Rather than creating favoritism concerns, their rivalry has often produced some of the show’s most entertaining moments.
For Williamson, however, the season appears to represent something larger than simply winning another television competition.
It is the culmination of years spent building a culinary career based on the advice her parents gave her as a teenager: find what makes you happy and work relentlessly at it.
Nearly three decades later, that philosophy has taken her from a 17-year-old line cook to one of the biggest stars on Food Network — and now, one of the leading faces of BBQ Brawl.
