If the idea of chocolate-covered jalapeños, frozen popcorn balls, giant pickle-stuffed corn dogs and deep-fried spinach dip balls sounds good to you, then welcome to the rodeo.

The 2018 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo isn't shy when it comes to offering gastronomic adventures as thrilling as the loopiest midway rides. Sure, hungry visitors can always get familiar staples such as loaded baked potatoes, smoked turkey legs, hefty cinnamon buns, tacos and foot-long sausage on a stick. But the rodeo's carnival concessions also includes exotica such as chocolate-dipped cheesecake on a stick, deep-fried Sriracha nuggets, bacon-wrapped deep-fried Oreos, pizza topped with Flamin' Hot Cheetos (or, worse, topped with dried crickets).

This year, 75 commercial exhibitors are ready to feed rodeogoers food both sweet and savory, said Julie Bass, executive director of General Exhibits and Attractions. In turn, visitors to the rodeo will shell out more than $9 million on concessions throughout the fairgrounds.

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There are several new vendors this year, including the Original Minneapple Pie (a fried-pie operator from the Minnesota State Fair), Fruiteria Cano (specializing in fruit cups, mangonada smoothies and rusa drinks made with fresh fruit juices and chile powder), and Cadillac Bar, the Houston brand from Landry's Inc. that will dispense nachos, burritos and fajita bowls.

While much of carnival food will be familiar - after all, just how far can you push a funnel cake? - some is clearly intended to shock and awe. The latter efforts can be seen in food such as the Big Rib, a 2-pound beef steak attached to a 17-inch bone, or deep-fried Jell-O and deep-fried tamale on a stick.

"That is their quest - interesting, different concoctions," Bass said of the vendors, some of which are very competitive when it comes to innovation. "They work year-round to find the new and different for each year."

This year, Bass said there are some fun carnival food surprises in store. But the crazy, over-the-top foods won't be shown until Feb. 26, when the rodeo holds its annual Gold Buckle Foodie Awards for the best treats on the fairgrounds.

Will there be a shocker like last year's pizza coated in dried baby scorpions? You'll have to wait and eat.