RTA Outdoor Living lets Rob Gronkowski spike, soak and torch its outdoor kitchen panel construction
The “Gronk Proof” video puts RTA’s concrete panels up against framed construction five days before Gronkowski enters
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Greenland, NEW HAMPSHIRE, Nov. 03, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — For nine seasons, Rob Gronkowski celebrated touchdowns for the New England Patriots by spiking the football into the turf. In “Gronk Proof,” a new video from RTA Outdoor Living, he trades the football for a cinder block and takes aim at outdoor kitchen construction methods.
Rob Gronkowski puts RTA Outdoor Living’s panels to the test ahead of his Nov. 7 Patriots Hall of Fame induction.
Over three rounds, the four-time Super Bowl champion spikes, pressure-washes and torches two kinds of wall construction: RTA’s one-piece concrete panel and the framed multi-layer construction behind many outdoor kitchens, where cement board and stone veneer cover a metal or wood frame. The video went live Nov. 2, five days before Gronkowski takes his place in the Patriots Hall of Fame.
Key Takeaways
- In “Gronk Proof,” Rob Gronkowski lends his signature Gronk Spike using a a cinder block to test various outdoor kitchen wall construction, then hits them with a pressure washer and a propane torch.
- Each round compares RTA Outdoor Living’s monolithic, one-piece concrete panel construction with a framed panel made of metal or wood, cement board and stone veneer.
- The tests are informal demonstrations filmed in a backyard. They are not lab or certification tests.
- The video came out Nov. 2, 2026, five days before Gronkowski’s induction into the Patriots Hall of Fame.
Three rounds in Gronk’s backyard
“I got to make sure it’s Gronk proof,” Gronkowski says at the start of the video. “It’s got to be able to handle spikes.”
Round one is signature Gronk. From the top of a ladder, he spikes the cinder block onto a metal-frame cement panel, then onto an aluminum-frame panel with cement board and stone veneer, the same construction he says a contractor wanted to use at his house. Neither panel survives the hit. Then the block comes down on an RTA monolithic panel, which takes it and holds it.
Round two brings out the pressure washer, Gronkowski’s stand-in for the “snow, rain and everything in between” a Northeast kitchen has to live through. The spray rips pieces off the cement board and veneer panel while he explains that cement board soaks up water and expands. The RTA panel comes out clean and intact.
For the final round, with professionals standing by, he pulls down a welding helmet and puts a propane torch to a cement board panel on a wood frame. The wood catches fire. The RTA panel gets the same treatment and doesn’t.
The difference comes down to how the walls are built. RTA makes its kitchens from one-piece, monolithic panels made from engineered high-performance concrete reinforced with composite rebar, with the finish formed right into the panel. There are no layers or separate frame, board or veneer affixed.
“Durability and strength and safety, those are some things you really don’t think about. And that’s why I trusted RTA Outdoor Living to think about it for me,” Gronkowski said.
The video wraps up at Gronkowski’s own RTA kitchen at his New England home, which RTA designed and installed earlier this year, complete with two 12-foot islands, a 42-inch Coyote grill, a 30-inch griddle and a separate pizza oven station. Gronkowski wraps the video with one last spike with a football against his finished outdoor kitchen.
The spike, retired and rehired
Gronkowski retired from football, but the spike never did. It has turned up everywhere from Fox’s live New Year’s Eve broadcast in 2019, where he spiked a Lego bust of host Steve Harvey, to RTA’s new video, where it finally has a job to do.
“Most homeowners never see what’s behind the stone on their outdoor kitchen,” said James King, vice president of sales and design at RTA Outdoor Living. “Rob made it pretty easy to see. When the structure and the finish are the same panel, there’s no frame, board or veneer to come apart.”
Gronkowski played nine seasons with the Patriots, from 2010 to 2018, winning three Super Bowls in New England before adding a fourth with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He still holds the team record for total touchdowns with 80. Fans voted him into the Patriots Hall of Fame, and he will be inducted at 1 p.m. Nov. 7 at Patriot Place Plaza in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
From the backyard to Mount Washington
This isn’t the first time this year RTA has put one of its kitchens somewhere uncomfortable. In August 2026, the company installed an outdoor kitchen at the 6,288-foot summit of Mount Washington as a real-world exposure project, not a scientific test or certification. It will stay uncovered through August 2027 while Mount Washington Observatory staff document its condition. So far it has come through wind gusts of 103.9 mph and 110 mph, and its first winter is just starting.
Follow the Mount Washington kitchen on the live summit camera at rtaoutdoorliving.com/outdoor-kitchen-on-mount-washington
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Gronk Proof?
Gronk Proof is a video from RTA Outdoor Living in which former New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski spikes, pressure-washes and torches outdoor kitchen wall panels to compare RTA Outdoor Living’s one-piece concrete panels with framed cement board and stone veneer construction.
What is the Gronk spike?
The Gronk spike is Rob Gronkowski’s touchdown celebration, in which he slams the football into the ground. He has since spiked everything from a Lego bust on live TV to a cinder block in RTA Outdoor Living’s Gronk Proof video.
How are RTA Outdoor Living panels different from framed outdoor kitchen construction?
RTA Outdoor Living panels combine structure and finish in one engineered concrete panel reinforced with composite rebar. Framed construction covers a metal or wood frame with cement board and stone veneer.
Are the Gronk Proof tests scientific?
No. They are informal demonstrations filmed in a backyard, not lab or certification testing. RTA Outdoor Living’s Mount Washington kitchen is a real-world exposure project, also not a scientific test.
When is Rob Gronkowski’s Patriots Hall of Fame induction?
The ceremony is at 1 p.m. Nov. 7, 2026, at Patriot Place Plaza in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Fans voted Gronkowski in.
About RTA Outdoor Living
RTA Outdoor Living is a leading provider of custom prefab outdoor kitchen solutions, designed to make high-quality outdoor living accessible and easy to implement. With a focus on streamlined design, durable materials, and a digital-first, virtual approach, RTA helps homeowners create outdoor spaces that are both functional and built for everyday use.
Press Inquiries
Mirjam Lippuner
hello [at] getinkdiy.com
920-395-8998
https://rtaoutdoorliving.com/
1 Bayside Rd suite 106, Greenland, NH 03840, United States
A video accompanying this announcement is available here: https://youtube.com/watch?v=Pm1oVaGWI7s
