What Happened to Cactus Bob's BBQ Corral After Man v. Food? (Johnston, IA)

Man v. Food's Des Moines episode visited Cactus Bob's BBQ Corral, a Johnston barbecue restaurant built around a smoked-meat menu and its fiery food challenges. Owners Robert Prince and Craig DeDecker opened Cactus Bob's in 2005 after winning a Grand Championship title in their first barbecue competition, according to WHO13, and the restaurant went on to serve the Des Moines metro for more than two decades from its Merle Hay Road storefront in Johnston. WHO13 and other Des Moines-area outlets reported that the owners posted on Facebook on August 13, 2025, that after more than 20 years in business, Cactus Bob's was closing; the post read in part that "it is with both sadness and great pride" that the restaurant was ending its run, and it thanked customers for their patronage. Yelp's listing for the Merle Hay Road location shows it marked closed as of a June 2026 update.