# Man v. Food season 1

The first season of Man v. Food, an American food reality television series hosted by Adam Richman on the Travel Channel, premiered on December 3, 2008. The series debuted with back-to-back new episodes airing for the first two weeks then settling down to a pattern of one new episode followed by one repeat episode. First-run episodes of the series aired in the United States on the Travel Channel on Wednesdays at 10:00 PM Eastern time. Man v. Food was executive produced by Matt Sharp, in association with the Travel Channel. The season contains 18 episodes and concluded airing on March 25, 2009.
Man v. Food is hosted by actor and food enthusiast Adam Richman. In each episode, Richman explores the "big food" of a different American city before facing off against a pre-existing eating challenge at a local restaurant. Over the course of the first season, the final record wound up at 11 wins for "Man" and 7 wins for "Food".

## Reception
### Ratings

The first season of Man v. Food was initially picked up for 10 episodes and then, after initial ratings success, an additional 8 episodes were ordered. The Los Angeles Times noted that the Travel Channel received its highest-ever ratings for a new debut with Man v. Food. They highlighted the show as an example of other networks moving in on the traditional turf of the Food Network.

### Critical reaction

CityPages Minneapolis/St. Paul describes the show, "...like the food version of Jackass, with host Adam Richman as its very own Steve-O". In the Star-Ledger, television critic Alan Sepinwall wrote: "It ain't deep, and it certainly ain't healthy (I could feel my arteries clog just from watching), but it's fun". Features reporter Thomas Rozwadowski of the Green Bay Press-Gazette said that "playfully eager host Adam Richman has won me over" and that "it's all in good fun".

## Episodes

| Episode | Episode Number | Original Air Date | Winner |
| Amarillo, TX | 01 | December 3, 2008 | Man |
| The Big Texan Steak Ranch Adam began his cross-country eating expedition by journeyed down Route 66 to Amarillo to visit Youngblood's Stockyard Café for authentic chicken fried steak, and Coyote Bluff for the extra-spicy "Burger From Hell". This episode's challenge was to complete the Big Texan Challenge in an hour at The Big Texan Steak Ranch. The challenge included a 4.5-pound (2 kg) steak, a baked potato, a shrimp cocktail, a salad, and a dinner roll. Accompanied by members of the Route 66 Roller Derby League, Adam approached the challenge by eating the steak first, followed by the shrimp cocktail and salad, leaving the potato and roll for last. Despite some struggles halfway, Adam completed the challenge in just 29 of the allotted 60 minutes and was awarded a commemorative t-shirt, the price of the meal waived, and his name placed on the Wall of Fame (approximately 1 in 6 challengers finish in an hour). Local press coverage places the taping of this challenge on September 29, 2008. ||||
| Memphis, TN | 02 | December 3, 2008 | Food |
| Adam traveled to Memphis for the spicy fried chicken at Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken, plus the ribs and pulled pork at Charlie Vergos's Rendezvous. This episode's challenge was to eat the 7.5-pound Sasquatch Hamburger, which included 4 pounds of beef, 1.5 pounds of toppings, and a 2-pound bun in an hour at Big Foot Lodge. Adam's strategy was to cut the burger into six sections and eat each one within 10 minutes. While he started strong, eating half of the burger within the first 20 minutes, the burger proved to be too much for Adam and he eventually gave up with 13 minutes to go, with a quarter of the burger still left. According to the restaurant's website, this challenge was taped on August 1, 2008. This was the first episode taped for this season. As of December 2008, only 5 people have successfully completed the challenge. Also in mid-December, just two weeks after this episode aired, the names of Big Foot Lodge and the Sasquatch Burger were changed to Kooky Canuck and the Kookamonga, respectively. ||||
| Pittsburgh, PA | 03 | December 10, 2008 | Man |
| Primanti Brothers Adam ventured to Pittsburgh and Primanti Brothers for huge sandwiches served with the fries and cole slaw inside then Deluca's Restaurant for big omelettes and plate-sized chocolate chip pancakes. This episode's challenge was to complete the Atomic Hot Wings challenge at Quaker Steak & Lube by consuming 6 "Atomic" chicken wings doused in a 150,000 Scoville unit sauce. Adam warmed himself up by eating an assortment of other wings, with progressively hotter sauces, before taking on the Atomic wings. Adam completed the challenge and was awarded a commemorative bumper sticker and a place on Quaker Steak & Lube's "Atomic Wall of Flame". The "liability waiver" Adam signed before eating the wings was dated October 19. This is the first challenge on Man v. Food not to have a time limit. ||||
| Columbus, OH | 04 | December 10, 2008 | Man |
| The Thurmanator Adam went to Columbus, Ohio, to visit Schmidt's Sausage Haus for cream puffs and an all-you-can-eat sausage buffet called "The Autobahn," plus the Thurman Cafe for an enormous burger dubbed "The Thurman Burger". Mentioned, but not eaten, was the even larger "Thurmanator". This episode's challenge was to eat the 2.5-pound Dagwood Sandwich challenge and a pound of fries in 30 minutes at the Ohio Deli & Restaurant. The sandwich consisted of 21 ounces (1 pound, 5 ounces) of three different cold meats and 19 ounces (1 pound, 3 ounces) of toppings. Before facing the challenge, he psyched himself up with a fantasy sequence involving the Ohio State Buckeyes mascot and cheerleaders at Ohio Stadium. Adam completed the challenge in just 20 of the allotted 30 minutes and was awarded a commemorative t-shirt. As of December 2008, about 400 of the more than 1,000 challengers to date have completed the challenge. Post-episode update: According to news accounts, the Ohio Deli & Restaurant burned down on December 30, 2014. ||||
| Austin, TX | 05 | December 17, 2008 | Food |
| Adam headed west to the Texas Hill Country to make and devour giant doughnuts at Round Rock Donuts in Round Rock and sample the meats from the open pit at The Salt Lick barbecue restaurant in Driftwood. This episode's challenge was to eat 8 of the three-quarter-pound Don Juan El Taco Grande breakfast tacos and beat the record of 7 at Juan in a Million in Austin, Texas. The tacos totaled up to 6 pounds, and each taco consisted of potatoes, eggs, cheese, and bacon all wrapped in a tortilla. This challenge had no time limit, but Adam only finished 4.25 of the tacos; however, he was nonetheless rewarded with a commemorative t-shirt and posting of his name and photo on the "Juan of Fame" as the first "Celebrity Champ" and one of the top five all-time eaters. Local press coverage puts the filming of this challenge on September 25, just before the Amarillo challenge. The date on the posted photo was September 25. ||||
| Chicago, IL | 06 | December 24, 2008 | Man |
| A Gino's East deep dish pizza Adam traveled to Chicago to visit Al's Beef for Italian beef sandwiches and Gino's East for deep dish pizza. At Al's Beef, after learning the official "Italian stance" for eating such a juicy sandwich, Adam completed a double-meat, double-cheese Reuben sandwich in under 30 minutes. This episode's main challenge was to eat 3 1.5-pound overstuffed sandwiches in an hour at Lucky's Sandwich Company. Lucky's is named for "Lucky" Charlie Weeghman who once owned a part of the Chicago Cubs and built what is now called Wrigley Field although the restaurant itself is in no way connected to the descendants of Lucky Charlie Weeghman or to the Chicago Cubs. Adam completed the challenge in 25 minutes and became just the 11th person to have his photo posted on the Wall of Fame. ||||
| Atlanta, GA | 07 | January 7, 2009 | Food |
| Adam traveled to Atlanta, where he went to college, to visit Gladys Knight & Ron Winans' Chicken & Waffles for homemade food, plus Vortex Bar and Grill for their famous burgers. Adam spent time in the kitchen with Gladys Knight (he described himself as a "white Pip") making a chicken and waffles plate named "The Midnight Train" in honor of the song Knight made famous. This episode's challenge was to eat a 2.5-foot, 11-pound Carnivore Challenge Pizza in one hour at Big Pie in the Sky Pizzeria (located in Kennesaw, Georgia) without having the pizza leave the body. The pizza consisted of 6 pounds of crust and sauce plus 5 pounds of pepperoni, ground beef, Italian sausage, ham, and bacon. Because the pizza is so large, the restaurant has set this as a two-person challenge. Adam recruited Drew Middlebrooks, who previously came close to beating the challenge until his partner gave up, to help him. With a $250 cash prize on the line, Adam finished most of his half of the pizza, but Drew eventually vomited most of his half pizza with 16 minutes to go, losing the challenge for them both. At the time of this episode's taping, the challenge had never been successfully completed by anyone; later in 2009, it was beaten for the first time by Erik Unger and Anthony Reganato. Post-episode update: According to news reports, Gladys Knight Chicken & Waffles changed their name to World Famous Chicken & Waffles after a legal dispute between the famous singer and her son, who owned the restaurant. The restaurants were later closed for good after the restaurants failed multiple health inspections. ||||
| Boston, MA | 08 | January 14, 2009 | Food |
| Adam journeyed to Boston to visit the East Coast Grill & Raw Bar for seafood and a super-spicy feast dubbed "Hell Night" and The Barking Crab for a four-pound clambake as well as the "Fisherman's Platter" of fried seafood. This episode's challenge was to complete the Eagle's Challenge in an hour at Eagle's Deli and Restaurant. Boston magazine awarded Eagle's Deli their "Best of Boston 2006 Burger" honor and the Travel Channel named it one of the "World's Best Places to Pig Out". The challenge included a 5-pound burger with 20 slices each of bacon and cheese, 5 pounds of fries, and a giant pickle. Adam, a self-proclaimed New York Yankees fan, competed against a former Eagle's employee, Chuck Whittall, a Boston Red Sox fan (he even got help from Red Sox first baseman Kevin Youkilis). Chuck finished 6 ounces more of his burger and fries than Adam, who was forced to wear an "I Love Boston" shirt and got his picture on the Wall of Shame (had he won, Chuck would have been forced to wear an "I Love New York" shirt). Local press reports as well as a sign that can be seen at East Coast Grill & Raw Bar place the taping of this episode in late October 2008. As of January 2009, more than 1,500 have tried but no one person has successfully completed the Challenge Burger. The challenge was later completed by Furious Pete (and in his honor it was renamed as the "Furious Pete" burger). In a March 2009 interview, after the end of season one, Adam contested his loss over issues of portion size and the preparation of the burgers while noting that Chuck was "not a noble contestant". Post-episode update: According to the Boston eating guide Boston.Eater.com, East Coast Grill & Raw Bar closed for good in December 2017. ||||
| New York, NY | 09 | January 21, 2009 | Man |
| Sylvia's Restaurant of Harlem Adam went home to New York City to visit Sylvia's Restaurant of Harlem for homemade food and Katz's Delicatessen for their famous deli sandwiches. This episode's challenge was to eat Spicy P'haal, claimed to be "the hottest curry in the world", at Brick Lane Curry House and be added to the restaurant's "P'hall of Fame". The owner of Brick Lane warned Adam that one time during the challenge, a contestant actually got a nosebleed, and the head chef advised Adam to wear a gas mask to watch the preparation of the curry, since it had a strong, spicy smell and consisted of 10 different chilies, including habaneros, Thai chili peppers, and white chili powder. This challenge had no time limit. Despite the pain from the curry (Adam made the mistake of wiping his face with the napkin he used to wipe his mouth), Adam finished it and was awarded a free beer, a certificate of completion, and his picture on the restaurant's website. ||||
| New Orleans, LA | 10 | January 28, 2009 | Man |
| Adam traveled to New Orleans to visit Mother's Restaurant for a "Ferdie Special" po' boy sandwich and Deanie's Seafood for barbecued shrimp. This episode's challenge was to eat 180 oysters in an hour at Acme Oyster House and join the "15 Dozen Club". To prep himself, Adam visited a voodoo queen, who gave Adam a bag of magic powder, telling him to sprinkle it on the oysters, and he would be able to accomplish the challenge. Adam finished the challenge in 41 minutes and became the 29th member of the "15 Dozen Club". As of the time of the taping in December, only 28 of the 150 people who had attempted this challenge had succeeded. ||||
| Portland, OR | 11 | February 4, 2009 | Man |
| Adam journeyed to Portland, Oregon, to visit the historic Stepping Stone Cafe for 13-inch pancakes known as "mancakes" and Voodoo Doughnut which features more than 70 varieties of doughnut, including a maple bacon bar with real bacon on top. While at Voodoo Doughnut, Adam prepared doughnuts and witnessed a wedding held in the doughnut shop. This episode's challenge was to complete the Great Balls of Fire Challenge in 5 minutes at Salvador Molly's—5 habanero chili cheese fritters with a side of habanero salsa. After psyching himself up dressed as a pirate in a fantasy sequence, Adam completed the challenge and got his picture on the "Wall of Flame". At the time the episode was filmed, only 50 of the 1,000 that attempted this challenge succeeded. Adam stated in an interview that he believed he acquired habanero poisoning after the challenge was over. A press release from Salvador Molly's states the challenge was taped on December 9, 2008. ||||
| Seattle, WA | 12 | February 11, 2009 | Food |
| Adam traveled to Seattle for a December 13 stop at Red Mill Burgers for a double bacon deluxe cheeseburger and onion rings, then to The Crab Pot in Seattle's historic waterfront district for their signature "Captain's Combo" of shrimp, clam strips, calamari, cod, and halibut. The episode's challenge took place at Beth's Cafe, in which Adam went up against the "Southwestern Exposure" 12-egg omelet. The omelet weighed 5 pounds and was served on a pizza tray with a side of hashbrowns and toast. On average, only one person in 10 is able to complete the challenge and win a Beth's Cafe t-shirt. This challenge was complicated by the addition of a race against local competitor Adam Houghton, who had previously completed the challenge. In the end, "East Coast Adam" (Richman) beat out "West Coast Adam" (Houghton), although neither were able to completely finish the challenge, with Richman unable to finish the last "2-3 bites". ||||
| Los Angeles, CA | 13 | February 18, 2009 | Man |
| Philippe the Original Adam traveled to Los Angeles to take on the Goliath Manuel's Special and machaca burritos at El Tepeyac Café in East Los Angeles and French dip sandwiches at Philippe the Original near Union Station. The episode's main challenge was to finish a serving of the "Special No. 2", a ramen soup consisting of a special secret spice mix and chopped jalapeño peppers, in 30 minutes at Orochon Ramen in Little Tokyo. Despite the pain from the soup's heat, Adam completed the challenge and was awarded a place on the "Wall of Bravery". The Los Angeles Times reports that Adam was in town in late January. ||||
| St. Louis, MO | 14 | February 25, 2009 | Food |
| Adam journeyed to St. Louis, Missouri, to attempt the $35 "Big Ben" meal at Pappy's Smokehouse which includes a full slab of ribs, 2 sandwiches, a quarter-chicken, and 4 side dishes. Local press reports state this taping took place on December 18, 2008. He also stopped at Iron Barley to try oak-roasted pork loin and a Monte Cristo hot dog. The episode's main challenge was to drink 5 24-ounce milkshakes in 30 minutes at Crown Candy Kitchen, totaling up to 7.5 pounds, a challenge offered by the restaurant since 1913. The milkshakes were divided into 15 8-ounce glasses. For his choice of ice cream flavors, Adam went with two vanilla, one coffee, one mocha (combination of coffee and chocolate), and one eggnog. Adam prepared for the "cold" challenge with some heat, first sitting in a sauna, then consuming a flaming drink, and then watching a burlesque show. Adam started strong, but he ended up having to vomit in the bathroom after drinking 12 out of the 15 glasses, resulting in a disqualification. As a result of this episode, Pappy's Smokehouse reported a spike in traffic on their website and increased business from the national exposure, even on Ash Wednesday. In August 2009, Adam told a reporter that Pappy's had added a dish to their menu named "The Adam Bomb" in his honor which was seen in the episode. Post-episode update: According to news reports, Iron Barley closed their St. Louis location in 2017 and moved to a Jefferson County location. The restaurant permanently closed in 2022 after the death of its owner and the building was filled with a new eating establishment. ||||
| San Jose, CA | 15 | March 4, 2009 | Man |
| Adam traveled to San Jose, California, where he visited Iguana's Taqueria and Henry's World Famous Hi-Life. Iguana's is the home of "BurritoZilla", a 5-pound (2.3 kg), 1.5-foot (46 cm) burrito that takes several tortillas to construct. Competitive eating champion and San Jose native Joey Chestnut made a guest appearance at this point, eating the BurritoZilla in 3 minutes and 10 seconds. Henry's World Famous Hi-Life, opened in 1960, serves steaks, chicken, and pork chops but is most noted for its baby back ribs. This episode's challenge was to complete the Hellfire Challenge at SmokeEaters Hot Wings. To win, Adam had to eat 12 chicken wings doused in a sauce composed of hot sauce, barbecue sauce, duck sauce, cayenne pepper and 6 ounces of habanero powder (equivalent to 6 whole habanero peppers). He had 10 minutes to eat the wings with no beverages or napkins available and then, if he succeeded, he had to lick the excess sauce off his fingers and hands, and then go through a 5-minute "afterburn" period where he remained unable to use any napkins, towels, or cooling remedies. To prep for the challenge, Adam ate some hot chili at a San Jose firehouse, before being called to answer the challenge. Adam was able to complete the challenge successfully, and was awarded a commemorative t-shirt and a spot on the Wall of Fame, but was in such pain from the sauce, that he needed ice from SmokeEaters' ice machine for relief. ||||
| Denver, CO | 16 | March 11, 2009 | Food |
| Duffy's Cherry CricketAdam ventured to Denver for burgers, steaks, and burritos. The show taped on January 20 at Duffy's Cherry Cricket where Richman had waitresses toss darts to determine which toppings he put on his special "Man v. Food Burger". The production team spent 8 hours at the restaurant. Bacon, a fried egg, guacamole, salsa, smoked cheddar, and grilled Bermuda onions were the randomly chosen toppings. The Denver Post further reported that he would be taping at The Buckhorn Exchange steakhouse on January 21 and Jack-n-Grill for New Mexican food on January 22. The Rocky Mountain News reported that Man v. Food would tape at Jack-n-Grill in Denver on January 22, as Adam faced off against a 7-pound "monster breakfast burrito". The burrito consisted of 7 diced potatoes, 12 eggs, an entire onion, and a pound each of ham, cheese, and green chili. If successful, Adam would get his picture up on the restaurant's Wall of Fame. This challenge had no time limit, but Adam was only able to finish two-thirds of the burrito before surrendering. The restaurant offers any man who can finish the burrito that the $12 price of the meal will be waived. However, any woman who can complete the challenge is offered the right to dine there "for free forever". Post-episode update: Jack-N-Grill closed its original location where the episode was taped in 2017 to help settle a divorce settlement for the owner. The other two locations were shuttered later in 2017 and 2018. ||||
| Research Triangle, North Carolina | 17 | March 18, 2009 | Man |
| Adam traveled to the North Carolina Triangle, home to three of North Carolina's major universities (Duke, North Carolina, and North Carolina State), first to hand out hot dogs to several of the "Cameron Crazies" who were camping outside of Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, then to check out Time Out in Chapel Hill for their Chicken & Cheddar Biscuit, and also on to The Pit in Raleigh to cook a pig with "local legend" Ed Mitchell. This episode's challenge was to eat 17 hot dogs (including 17 buns, a cup of mustard, and a pint of chili sauce) in an hour at The Roast Grill, also in Raleigh. Opened in 1940 by the grandparents of current owner George Poniros, The Roast Grill is noted for refusing to serve ketchup. The previous record of 16 hot dogs in 50 minutes had been set on August 14, 2008, by Gabe Gigliotti. Adam wore North Carolina Tar Heels and Duke Blue Devils wristbands plus an NC State Wolfpack headband for the challenge. According to local press reports, the visit to The Pit was taped on January 28, and challenge at The Roast Grill was taped on January 30. Adam completed the challenge in about 30 minutes, and as the winner, renamed it the "Man v. Food Hot Dog Challenge". Gigliotti returned about a month after the filming of this episode and set a new record of 18 hot dogs in 23 minutes on March 6 and returned it back to its original name. ||||
| Minneapolis, MN | 18 | March 25, 2009 | Man |
| Adam traveled to Minneapolis in February to tape the season finale. In January, CityPages Minneapolis/St. Paul and fellow Travel Channel host Andrew Zimmern reported that Richman would be in town to tape the show from February 5 through 8. Richman visited "everything from Juicy Lucy joints to the brewski at local beer bars" and was escorted by Zimmern to rotisserie specialists Brasa Premium Rotisserie Restaurant to "see if he can eat everything on the steam table in one sitting". In an interview given during the taping of the North Carolina episode, Adam told the reporter: "I'm about to go to Minneapolis where a certain adorable, cuddly bald bear named Andrew Zimmern will be appearing on my show". Despite an initial press report of a rumor that taping had been cancelled, filming occurred on February 4 at Matt's Bar, on February 6 at the historic 5-8 Club for a Juicy Lucy (and when Adam tries to say which place has the best, and original, Juicy Lucy, a semi conveniently drives in front of him, preventing anyone from hearing him), and on February 7 at Gasthof zur Gemutlichkeit & Mario's Keller Bar for the episode's challenge, which was a giant bratwurst. Gasthof offers a Meterbratwurst, a grilled German Bratwurst one meter (just over 3 feet) long and served with two side dishes of the challenger's choice (Adam chose red cabbage and potato croquettes), and anyone who completes the meal is awarded a certificate. Adam first went after just the bratwurst, cutting it into pieces to cool down faster. Adam started strong, but as he felt himself filling up halfway through the bratwurst, he combined the remaining bites of bratwurst with the red cabbage, before finishing the croquettes, and he received the certificate. Post-episode update: Gasthof zur Gemutlichkeit closed at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and the building was later sold in 2021. ||||