Man V. Food Complete Season 1

Man v. Food is an American food reality television series. It premiered on December 3, 2008 on the Travel Channel. The program was originally hosted by actor and food enthusiast Adam Richman.[1] In each episode, Richman explores the "big food" offerings of a different American city before facing off against a pre-existing eating challenge at a local restaurant. The program airs in syndication at various times during the week.

Man v. Food Complete Season 1

Travel Channel revived the series in 2017, with Casey Webb replacing Richman as host,[2] starting with the fifth season on August 7. The show moved to the Cooking Channel for season eight, which premiered on July 2, 2019. After an extended hiatus, season nine premiered on December 28, 2021.[3]

Series host Adam Richman grew up in Brooklyn, New York, completed his undergraduate degree in International Studies at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, and earned a master's degree from the Yale School of Drama.[4] A self-educated food "fanatic", since 1995 he has kept a travel journal including each of the restaurants he visited and what he learned from the trip.[1] Although described as "a bit on the husky side", to maintain his health while indulging for the show, Richman exercises twice a day while he is on the road.[4][5] When the schedule permits, he does not eat the day before a challenge and he tries to stay "crazy hydrated" by drinking plenty of water or club soda and forgoing coffee or soft drinks.[6][7] After taping for a challenge is complete, Richman spends an hour or so on a treadmill, telling the Las Vegas Review-Journal: "Being sedentary is incredibly uncomfortable. Despite the fact that the first 10 minutes or 15 minutes on the treadmill might suck, it actually does alleviate a lot of pressure, and you feel better".[7]

Episodes sometimes include a brief fantasy sequence where Richman pretends to be a character to psych himself up for the episode's big food challenge. The half-hour show culminates in Richman facing off against an established local food challenge. Each show wraps with a fake press conference where Richman fields questions about the challenge as if it were a just-concluded sporting event or as if he had just won, or in some cases lost, a big award.[8][10]

Christopher Lawrence of the Las Vegas Review-Journal describes Richman as "impressive" and "likable" saying: "Think a beefier Fred Savage, although one who somehow weighs less than he did last season".[7]

Alton Brown, host of the food science show Good Eats, was also critical of the show, calling Man v. Food "disgusting": "That show is about gluttony, and gluttony is wrong. It's wasteful. Think about people that are starving to death and think about that show. I think it's an embarrassment".[17]

The weekly series premiered on December 3, 2008, 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. 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.[6] The show travelled to Amarillo, Memphis, Pittsburgh, Columbus, Austin, Chicago, Atlanta, Boston, New York City, New Orleans, Portland, Seattle, Los Angeles, St. Louis, San Jose, Denver, the North Carolina Triangle, and Minneapolis. Over the course of the first season, the final record wound up at 11 wins for "Man" and 7 wins for "Food". Season 1 was released on DVD in the United States on October 6, 2009.[18]

The second season of Man v. Food premiered on August 5, 2009, at 10:00 pm EDT. First-run episodes of the series aired in the United States on the Travel Channel on Wednesdays at 10:00 pm Eastern time. The 20 scheduled episodes included visits to San Antonio; Las Vegas; Charleston, South Carolina; San Francisco; Durham (North Carolina); Honolulu; Sarasota; Philadelphia; Springfield, Illinois; Boise; Washington, D.C.; Baltimore; Detroit; Brooklyn; Anchorage; Little Rock; Tucson; New Brunswick and Hartford, plus a "Baseball Special" episode that aired on September 30.[19] After the season finale in Hartford, a special "Live" episode aired in Miami on February 3, 2010.

The third season began to air on June 16, 2010, with a one-hour run at 9 pm ET before the premiere of Bert the Conqueror. It began airing on June 16 at 9 pm Eastern / 6 pm Pacific, with episodes in San Diego and Boulder. Other visits chronicled this season include Cleveland, Richmond, Salt Lake City, Phoenix, Puerto Rico, Long Island, Oklahoma City, Kansas City, Indianapolis, the Jersey Shore, Syracuse, Portland (Maine), Niagara Falls, Butte, Sacramento, Des Moines, Knoxville, and Ann Arbor.

The fourth season of Man v. Food is titled Man v. Food Nation. The format of the show is generally the same, with Richman travelling across the US to visit cities known for their interesting eateries.[21] Unlike the previous seasons of Man v. Food, Richman would recruit locals of the selected cities to take on the food challenges, while he serves as their coach. Richman stated that the change is not due to any lack of ability or desire to do the challenges himself, but instead to keep the show interesting.[22] The locales featured on Man v. Food Nation were New Haven, Tampa, Nashville,[23] Tulsa, Albuquerque, Mobile, the Florida Keys, the Gulf Coast, Portsmouth, Louisville, Milwaukee, Providence, Dallas, U.S. Route 66, Harlem, New York City, the Pacific Coast Highway, St. Paul, Cincinnati, Rochester, Omaha, Green Bay, Savannah, Oahu, Charlotte and Jackson, as well as a "Street Eats" special and a Thanksgiving "Feast" special. After a special preview episode on May 25, 2011 at 9PM ET/PT, Man v. Food Nation premiered on June 1, with back-to-back episodes in New Haven and Tampa, and concluded on April 11, 2012 with back-to-back episodes in Charlotte and Jackson.

I'm Adam Richman. For years I was one man on a quest to discover the country's greatest chowdown joints and take on its legendary food challenges. Now it's your turn. Together we'll find the most delicious local eats and face down the mightiest meals. This is...Man v. Food Nation.

The final record for this season was 11 wins for "Man" and 16 wins for "Food", and this was the first season in which "Food" won both the season opener and the finale, and most of all, "Food" had more wins than "Man".

After five years in hiatus, Travel Channel revived Man v. Food for a fifth season. With former host Adam Richman moving on to other food shows, Casey Webb, a food enthusiast and actor who worked in the restaurant business, continues what Richman started. Webb travels the country in search of legendary eating challenges at the most unique eateries in America.

For years, food's army has grown unchecked...bigger, spicier, bolder. But a hero rises, ready to taste the nation's most epic eats. I'm Casey Webb. Holding the banner of man and armed with years of experience in the restaurant industry, I go into battle. Food, your days are numbered. The mighty Casey is at the plate. This is Man v. Food.

Webb visited eateries in New York City, Milwaukee, Charleston, New Orleans, Sleepy Hollow, Houston, Portland (Oregon), Chicago, Des Moines and Billings, and his first season tally was 5 wins for "Man" and 5 wins for "Food".

Season six of Man v. Food, the second hosted by Webb, premiered on December 4, 2017 with back-to-back episodes in Los Angeles and Boston.[24] In inclusion, Webb also visited eateries in Louisville, St. Louis, Seattle, Burlington, Pittsburgh, San Diego, Daytona Beach, Philadelphia, Boise, the Ozarks, Nashville, and Grand Rapids. His second season tally ended up at 8 wins for "Man" and 6 wins for "Food".

Season seven of Man v. Food, and the third hosted by Webb, premiered on the Travel Channel[25] on May 28, 2018 with back-to-back episodes on the Jersey Shore[26] and in Minneapolis.[27] In addition, Webb also visited Atlanta, Worcester, Savannah, Palm Springs, Baltimore, Orange County, Duluth, Phoenix, St. Paul, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, and Maui. The final tally for this season was 7 wins for "Man" and 7 wins for "Food".

Season eight of Man v. Food, and the fourth hosted by Webb, premiered on the Cooking Channel on Tuesday, July 2, 2019 with an episode in Sacramento.[3] During the course of this season Casey also visited Wilmington, Hoboken, Charlotte, Kansas City, Omaha, Columbus, Providence, Green Bay, Miami, Tucson, Santa Fe, Santa Barbara, Alaska, Ocean City, Manchester, San Jose, San Antonio, Austin, San Francisco, Mystic, Fargo, Deadwood, Scottsdale, Denver, Portland (Maine), Manhattan, Washington, D.C., Lafayette, the Florida Keys, Cleveland and Detroit. The final record for this season stood at 19 wins for "Man" and 13 wins for "Food".

Season nine of Man v. Food, and the fifth hosted by Webb, premiered on the Cooking Channel on Tuesday, December 28, 2021 with an episode from the Delaware Beaches. During the course of this season Casey also visited Newark, NJ, Richmond, Virginia Beach, VA, Long Island, Boulder, Roswell, NM, Buffalo, NY and Brooklyn. The final season tally this season was 7 wins for Man and 3 wins for Food.

Season ten of Man v. Food, and the six hosted by Webb, premiered on the Cooking Channel on Tuesday, September 6, 2022 with an episode from Orlando, Florida. During the course of this season Casey also visited Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, Oakland, Newport, California Wine Country, Lake Tahoe, Tampa, Hudson Valley and Salem. The final record for the season was 5 wins for Man and 5 wins for Food.

Man v. Food: Carnivore Edition aired on March 3, 2010. The episode was mainly a compilation of clips from Richman's more "carnivorous" food stops. Some clips included barbecue in Amarillo, Texas, and the Thurman Burger in Columbus, Ohio.[28]