| Bgcolour: |
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| Network: | Travel Channel |
| Num Episodes: | 20 |
| Prev Season: | Season 1 |
| Next Season: | Season 3 |
| Episode List: | List of Man v. Food episodes |
The second season of Man v. Food, an American food reality television series hosted by Adam Richman on the Travel Channel, premiered on August 5, 2009. 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 contained 20 episodes and finished airing on December 16, 2009.[1] On February 3, 2010, a special "Live" episode aired.
Man v. Food is hosted by actor and food enthusiast Adam Richman.[2] 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. Not counting the "Live" episode in Miami (which he won), the final second season tally was: 13 wins for "Man" and 7 wins for "Food".
The second season was first rumored in March 2009 when the Anchorage Daily News said that people from the show had contacted the owners of the Pepper Mill, home to "Fat Andy's Pizza Challenge".[3] This challenge, still unmet after two years and 50 attempts, requires two people to eat a 12lb two-meat, two-cheese pizza in one hour or less.[3] A successful challenger would win $500 in cash and have their photo posted on "Fat Andy's Wall of Pain".[3] The challenge pizza, the equivalent of four standard large pizzas, costs $49.99 and requires a full half-hour to bake.[3] Although Anchorage was visited this season, the "Fat Andy's Pizza Challenge", however, was not aired.
As for filming dates, shortly after season one finished airing, Richman told an interviewer: "They [Travel Channel] want to start up again in May. It doesn't leave a lot of time for me". Season 2 started filming in Sarasota, Florida, on May 2, 2009.
Joe Killian, culture critic for the Greensboro News-Record, wrote: "Caught the second-season premiere of Man v. Food last night and I've got to say, I think I'm hooked".[4] Christopher Lawrence of the Las Vegas Review-Journal described Richman as "impressive" and "likable" saying "think a beefier Fred Savage, although one who somehow weighs less than he did last season".[5] On his mastery of the spicy sushi roll challenge in Charleston, South Carolina, Katie Koch of the Charleston City Paper said: "This is a feat only an insane or highly admirable person could accomplish".[6] After detailing Richman's ice cream challenge in the San Francisco episode, Joshua Gillin of the St. Petersburg Times noted humorously: "He is definitely one person who will be dropped by his health insurance".[7] Jonathan Bernstein of British newspaper The Guardian described "mixed feelings" about the series saying he likes "the concept" and "the guy" but that the challenges make him "a little uneasy".[8] Emley Kerry of Tiger Weekly wondered, "Why isn't he fatter? Or just dead?"[9]
| Episode | Episode Number | Original Air Date | Winner | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| 1 (19) | August 5, 2009 | Man | ||||
| Adam traveled to San Antonio, the home of the Alamo, in early June to tape the season 2 premiere.[10] Adam visited Lulu's Bakery and Café to examine the plate-sized chicken fried steak and sample one of their famous 3.5lb cinnamon rolls[11] (after the episode aired, Lulu's began shipping the cinnamon rolls statewide to meet popular demand).[12] His next stop was Big Lou's Pizza[13] for barbecue brisket pizza and to tackle the "Big Lou Super 42". Adam sat down with Lou's extended family to try one of the restaurant's signature 3.5feet, 30lb monster supreme pizzas.[14] This episode's challenge, taped on Wednesday, June 3, was to complete the Four Horsemen Challenge at Chunky's Burgers & More. Adam had to eat one of Chunky's ultra-hot Four Horsemen Burgers in 25 minutes, then wait for an additional 5-minute "burn period" before he could drink or eat anything to cool himself off. The Four Horsemen Burger is a half-pound (0.23 kg) burger topped with sautéed jalapeño, serrano, and ghost chili peppers, covered in melted cheese and drenched in habanero chili sauce. The burger is so hot that while over 100 people had taken the challenge, up to this point only three had finished it. To psych himself up for the challenge, Adam went skeet shooting using burgers as targets. Wearing latex gloves to prevent spice burns, he was stopped by the first bite, sweating and visibly in pain, for five minutes. Adam made a comeback, though, and managed to finish the spicy burger in time. He completed the five-minute waiting period before gulping milk to quench the flames, becoming the fourth person to complete this challenge. For his efforts, Adam's photo was added to the restaurant's "Wall of Flame". Adam later described this as the most excruciatingly painful challenge he had ever successfully completed. NOTE: Lulu's Bakery & Cafe reappeared on the show in 2019, 10 years later, in which the show's new host, Casey Webb, took on a challenge known as the Cinnamon Roll Challenge. | ||||||
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| 2 (20) | August 12, 2009 | Food | ||||
| Adam went to Las Vegas, Nevada, in early May to face off against fried chicken eggs Benedict at Hash House a go go and spicy crawfish at Hot'n'Juicy Crawfish.[15] This episode's challenge was to eat the 2-foot, 6-pound Big Badass Burrito at the NASCAR Café in the Sahara Hotel and Casino in an hour and a half.[16] [17] Over 140 people have tried it prior to Adam's attempt, but only two had finished it. Adam's challenge was to become the third person to finish the burrito.[18] Anybody who completes the challenge wins a "Conqueror" T-shirt and "lifetime access to the Sahara's roller coaster". Ultimately, Adam failed, surrendering with only a pound of the burrito remaining, and for that, he was forced to wear a small pink "Certified Weenie" T-shirt and get his picture posted on the café's "Weenie Wall of Shame". After taping for the challenge was complete, Adam spent an hour 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". The Hash House A-Go-Go taping took place on Friday, May 8, and the NASCAR Café challenge was taped on Saturday, May 9.[19] Post-episode update: The NASCAR Cafe was demolished as part of the demolition and renovation of the former Sahara Hotel and Casino in 2013.[20] | ||||||
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| 3 (21) | August 19, 2009 | Man | ||||
| Adam journeyed to Charleston, South Carolina, for Lowcountry cuisine. This included a shovel full of oysters at Bowen's Island and a fried chicken sandwich with sausage gravy known as the "Big Nasty" at Hominy Grill, plus this episode's challenge at Bushido;[21] [22] Adam arrived in Charleston on Sunday, May 24, taped a segment for the "Baseball Special" to air later this season on Tuesday, May 26, visited Bowen's Island on Wednesday, May 27, and tape the challenge at Bushido on Friday, May 29.[23] The Charleston City Paper reported that "locals who have completed the challenge got first dibs on reservations [at Bushido] for the special night".[24] To complete the challenge, one had to eat 10 spicy tuna rolls that escalate from mild to "feels like someone decided to light a match and burn you alive from the inside out". The three spiciest rolls use a different pepper in their sauces; the "Level 8" sauce is made with a habanero pepper, then the "Level 9" sauce makes use of a green Thai chili, and finally, "Level 10" (Bushido's hottest sauce) uses a red Thai chili. This challenge had no time limit and most who complete it do so one roll per visit over several months, thereby earning the title of "warrior". Adam had to eat all 10 rolls in one evening (which would earn him the title of "legend" if he did so), a feat accomplished by only eight people out of 475 before him. Those who complete the challenge, both "warriors" and "legends", receive a commemorative headband and the honor of the Bushido staff bowing to them in subsequent visits, while "legends" get their picture on the restaurant's "Legends of the Roll" wall. Despite the intense pain of the escalating levels of the spicy tuna, Adam - taking some past winners' advice to eat the rolls quickly - managed to finish all 10 rolls in 16 minutes and 25 seconds (a new record set at Bushido), becoming the ninth person to win the title of "legend." Post-episode update: According to the restaurant's website, the Hominy Grill has closed for good, though their online shop is still open.[25] | ||||||
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| 4 (22) | August 26, 2009 | Man | ||||
| Adam visited San Francisco in mid-June. His stops included the Taquería La Cumbre, where he tried the 2-pound Mission Style Super Burrito while dressed in a sombrero and Mexican-style clothing.[26] [27] He visited sandwich shop Ike's Place on June 21, where he sampled the Kryptonite Sandwich, a 4-pound sandwich filled with 13 ingredients (including 5 different meats, 2 whole avocados, and appetizers including mozzarella sticks, onion rings and jalapeño poppers) and weighing in at a total of 4 pounds.[28] This episode's challenge took place at the San Francisco Creamery in nearby Walnut Creek, California, where Adam attempted the Kitchen Sink Challenge, a 2-gallon sundae consisting of 8 scoops of ice cream, 8 different toppings, and 8 servings of whipped cream, all served on a "kitchen sink".[29] If he could finish the sundae in an hour, he would receive a spot on the creamery's Wall of Fame and be allowed free ice cream there for a year. Prior to Adam's attempt, 150 people took the challenge, but only four had succeeded. To prepare himself for the challenge, Adam ate a "magical" sugar cube and fantasized himself as a 1970s-style hippie chasing a walking ice cream cone. During the challenge itself, Adam got off to a strong start but about halfway through, he began to struggle; he helped his cause by eating some fries (which was allowed) to help neutralize the level of sugar intake some, but even after finishing all the ice cream, he still had to consume the melted ice cream that fell onto his tray. While very nearly giving up, Adam summoned the strength to slurp it all and he ultimately won the challenge at the 45-minute mark. His picture was then taken and posted on the creamery's Wall of Fame. NOTE: A week after this episode aired, another challenger took on the Kitchen Sink Challenge and defeated it in an unprecedented 7 minutes, thereby prompting the Creamery to lower the challenge's time limit from an hour to 30 minutes.[30] A year later, the time limit was reset to an hour since no one succeeded in beating the challenge during that period. As a new condition, each person to defeat the challenge will set a new time for the next challenger to come.[31] | ||||||
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| 5 (23) | September 2, 2009 | Food | ||||
| Adam visited Durham, North Carolina, in late May 2009 to showcase local cuisine as a follow-up to season one's North Carolina episode.[32] Adam visited Backyard BBQ Pit, Durham's only open-pit barbecue, on the evening of Thursday, May 21.[33] He helped prepare and sampled Eastern North Carolina chopped pork barbecue. Adam visited Wimpy's Grill in West Durham to try the Garbage Burger, a 1.25lb bacon double-cheeseburger with the works including chili and coleslaw, on the morning of Tuesday, May 19.[34] On May 23, Adam fielded a four-person team, dubbed "MvF Food Fighters", in the Doughman, a 15miles relay race that has each team member at a different local restaurant where they eat a meal then perform "an athletic activity" including running, cycling, or swimming, then race to a central location where they meet up with their teammates, eat dessert together, then run to the finish line while holding hands.[35] [36] The "MvF Food Fighters" team included a cheerleader named Tiffany, a gymnast named Jordan, and Cincinnati Bengals linebacker and Travel Channel host Dhani Jones. For the 2009 Doughman race, the first leg started at Blu Seafood and Bar where Tiffany ate the Diablo Del Mar, a macaroni and cheese dish mixed with crab meat and topped with a fried egg, then ran 2miles, swam a lap, then tagged Dhani. Dhani cycled 2miles to Four Square for the Bull City BLT sandwich then cycled another 5.5miles to Nosh to tag Adam, putting the MvF Food Fighters in 6th place. Adam ate Nosh's Triple Tomato Threat, a fried green tomato sandwich on sun-dried tomato bread with a tomato spread, before a 1.8miles run to Dain's Place Pub & Grub, during which he sprained his ankle on a curb, putting his team in 23rd place, but he persisted and made it to Dain's, where he tagged Jordan. There, Jordan ate the Portable Defibrillator, a half-pound (0.23 kg) cheeseburger covered with chili, bacon, a quarter-pound (0.11 kg) hot dog, and coleslaw, before a 2.5miles run to rejoin the team at Daisy Cakes, where the entire team had to eat four "Sunny Side-Ups", maple cupcakes topped with cream cheese frosting made to look like a fried egg plus candied bacon, before running hand-in-hand two blocks to the finish line. The MvF Food Fighters placed 19th out of 51 entries, 16 minutes behind the winning team.[37] Post-episode update: Wimpy's Grill closed in 2019 following the retirement of its owners.[38] [39] Post-episode update: Four Square closed in 2016 with the owners not citing a specific reason.[40] Post-episode update: Daisy Cakes closed for good in 2015.[41] | ||||||
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| 6 (24) | September 9, 2009 | Food | ||||
| Adam visited Honolulu in late June to sample local restaurants and take on an existing "big food" challenge.[42] [43] Adam sampled the local cuisine at the Hukilau Cafe in Laie, where he tried the Hukilau Burger, a large burger topped with a fried egg, teriyaki beef and grilled onions.[44] While there he also tried the "Loco Moco" - two burger patties served with two fried eggs and gravy over a bed of white rice. Adam also visited Helena's Hawaiian Food in Kalihi, where he sampled pipikaula short ribs and Laulau - pork and cod wrapped in Luau and ti leaves.[45] For this episode's challenge, taped Monday, June 29, Adam took on the Mac Daddy Challenge at Mac 24–7 at the Hilton Waikiki Beach Hotel.[46] [47] Adam had to eat 3 14adj=midNaNadj=mid pancakes (which weigh in at 4 pounds) in an hour and a half without getting up from the table for any reason. At the time of the taping, only 4 people out of 297 had successfully completed this challenge. Any topping can be chosen to be mixed into the pancakes, and Adam chose blueberries for his. The pancakes were also topped with butter and a vanilla glaze. Adam started off strongly, but halfway through it proved to be too much for him, and ultimately, despite the aid of bacon and coffee, his time ran out with roughly a pound of the pancakes remaining.[48] | ||||||
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| 7 (25) | September 16, 2009 | Food | ||||
| Adam visited Sarasota, Florida, where his exploration of that city's big food involved deep-fried hot dogs, homemade pies, and his first-ever "Mystery Challenge".[49] [50] Adam's first stop was at the Old Salty Dog in City Island, where he tried the namesake "Salty Dog", a hot dog dipped in beer batter, deep-fried and served in a bun while topped with onions, mushrooms, sauerkraut, bacon, and a mix of cheeses. Adam's next stop was at Yoder's Restaurant, which is well known for its Amish menu - especially their homemade pies. There, he tried fried chicken that was prepared in a special "pressure fryer", and later had a piece of their homemade peanut butter cream pie. This episode's challenge was at the Munchies 4:20 Café, which is recognized for its stuffed "fat sandwiches" including the "Fat Sandy" (which consists of 2 burgers topped with cheese, chicken fingers, mozzarella sticks, onion rings, fries, and macaroni and cheese) and their biggest sandwich, the "Super Fat Daddy" (which has 6 burgers topped with cheese, fries, mozzarella sticks, chicken fingers, Philly steak, mushrooms, onions, and peppers, all smothered in a cheddar cheese sauce). However, the café's Mystery Challenge itself was revealed to be the Fire In Your Hole Challenge - 10 chicken wings deep-fried and doused in an intensely fiery sauce consisting of habanero pepper, hot sauce, cayenne pepper, chili powder, crushed red pepper, garlic, and ghost chili extract. Adam had to eat these wings in 20 minutes without the aid of milk (water was allowed in sips), and if he could succeed, he would get his picture on the "Wall of Pain". Unlucky for Adam, however, the wings proved way too hot for him, as he went for the milk and gave up the challenge after only two wings. Therefore, his picture was posted on the café's "Hall of Shame" along with the other 95% of challengers who have failed this challenge previously. Adam was in so much pain after his attempt that he wound up standing inside a freezer while drinking a gallon of cold milk, as he quickly admitted defeat. He had said that these wings were the hottest thing he had ever eaten and this challenge was the hardest he ever attempted. This is the only spicy food challenge that Adam has failed. In later interviews, Adam said that Munchies 4:20 Café sabotaged him by using an entire bottle of the extract in order to "smoke him out".[51] [52] | ||||||
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| 8 (26) | September 23, 2009 | Man | ||||
| Adam visited Philadelphia in late July to tape this episode.[53] [54] Adam's journey began at Tommy DiNic's Roast Beef and Pork at the Reading Terminal Market, where he tried their signature Roast Pork Sandwich. The production crew also spent two days taping at Franklin Fountain, an "old school" ice cream scoop shop in Old City, where Adam sampled the "Franklin Mint", a sundae consisting of mint chocolate chip ice cream (which Adam said is his all-time favorite flavor of ice cream), marshmallow cream, bittersweet fudge, crème de menthe syrup, and whipped cream; while there he also took on the "Mt. Vesuvius", a large sundae made with vanilla ice cream, homemade brownie pieces, hot fudge, malt powder, and whipped cream. This week's challenge took place at Tony Luke's, where Adam became the first person to ever attempt to eat the Ultimate Cheesesteak: a 5-pound cheesesteak made with 2 pounds, 10 ounces of beef, 1 pound, 2 ounces of American cheese (which Adam chose over the traditional Cheez Whiz), half a pound of onions, and stuffed inside a 1-foot, 8-inch bun.[55] This creation is the rough equivalent of 6 normal-sized cheesesteaks. Adam had to eat the Ultimate Cheesesteak in under an hour to get his picture posted on the Wall of Fame. At Adam's request, Tony also took on this challenge (using Cheez Whiz instead of American cheese). The duo started off strong, with Adam devouring 3 pounds in 11 minutes, but later it became a struggle. Tony bowed out of the challenge after consuming two-thirds of his cheesesteak, but Adam kept fighting, finishing his 4th pound at the 19-minute mark. To further help his cause, Adam used hot sauce on the last pound of his cheesesteak, a tactic that served him well as he easily finished the entire challenge in 28 minutes. For his victory, Adam received a T-shirt and got his picture posted on the Wall of Fame as the first person to ever successfully complete this challenge. | ||||||
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| 9 (27) | September 30, 2009 | Man | ||||
| Adam visited minor league baseball stadiums in three different cities to sample their unique food offerings.[56] On July 22, Adam attended a Gateway Grizzlies game at GCS Ballpark in Sauget, Illinois (just across the river from St. Louis, Missouri).[57] There, he tried the so-called "Baseball's Best Burger", a quarter-pound burger with cheddar cheese and two slices of bacon served between two halves of a Krispy Kreme doughnut.[58] While sitting down to watch the Grizzlies play, Adam also sampled some Philly Cheesesteak Nachos, also known as "Baseball's Best Nachos", which is a bed of "tri-colored" nachos topped with a mixture of philly steak, grilled peppers and onions, and a creamy Monterey Jack cheese sauce. Adam also visited "The Joe" in Charleston, South Carolina, for a Charleston RiverDogs game on May 26. There, he tried "The Homewrecker", a foot-long, half-pound hot dog with up to 25 toppings, including chili, jalapeño cheese, coleslaw, pimento cheese, and pickled okra.[59] [60] On July 15, Adam went to Fifth Third Ballpark in Comstock Park, Michigan (just north of Grand Rapids), the home of the West Michigan Whitecaps, to throw out the game's ceremonial first pitch and take on the Fifth Third Burger.[61] The Fifth Third Burger is made with 5 1/3-pound burger patties and topped with American cheese, nacho cheese sauce, chili, lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, sour cream, and tortilla chips, all stuffed inside an 8-inch, 1-pound sesame seed bun. To win a commemorative "Call 911" T-shirt and get his photo posted on the Wall of Fame, Adam had to finish this 5-pound burger in under the final 2 innings of the Whitecaps game (that is, after the seventh inning stretch). Clad in a customized Whitecaps jersey, Adam nearly lost the challenge with one strike left to go, but a foul ball allowed him to finish the last bite with no time to spare. As of the time of the taping, 1,213 Fifth Third Burgers had been sold with Adam becoming just the 157th person to earn the T-shirt.[62] Post-episode update: Fifth Third Ballpark officially retired the Fifth Third Burger in September 2018 after offering it for ten seasons.[63] | ||||||
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| 10 (28) | October 7, 2009 | Man | ||||
| Adam traveled to Springfield, Illinois, the state capital, to try the horseshoe sandwich at D’Arcy's Pint, a deep-fried battered hot dog on a stick at the Cozy Dog Drive In, and the Firebrand Chili Challenge at Joe Rogers' Original Recipe Chili Parlor.[64] The Cozy Dog Drive In claims to be the first place to serve the corn dog,[65] which there they call the "Cozy Dog". Adam also went to D'Arcy's Pint to experience the classic "Horseshoe" sandwich, which is meat (any kind may be used), cheese sauce, and crinkle-cut fries served open-faced on Texas toast. The Spicy Supreme horseshoe sandwich Adam ate contains two pounds of "ground beef, bacon bits, tomatoes, scallions and a spicy cheese sauce".[66] [67] For this episode's challenge, Adam had to eat 6 bowls of extra-spicy Firebrand chili at Joe Rogers' Chili Parlor to beat the record of 5 bowls. Each serving of the chili weighs 3/4 to one pound. Anybody able to finish even one bowl of the Firebrand chili (which contains a secret blend of spices that are said to be 9 times hotter than regular chili) has their names posted on the restaurant's wall. This challenge had no time limit. Adam fought hard, in pain from the spiciness of the chili, and while he did not break the record, he managed to eat 5 bowls of the chili, tying the record. The show was taped at D’Arcy's Pint on Friday, July 17, at the Cozy Dog Drive-In on Saturday, July 18, and Joe Rogers' on Monday, July 20. | ||||||
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| 11 (29) | October 14, 2009 | Man | ||||
| Adam visited Boise, Idaho, the home of hockey's Idaho Steelheads, in mid-August with stops at Big Jud's, Flying Pie Pizzeria, and Rockies Diner.[68] [69] At the first stop, Big Jud's, Adam tried the Double Big Jud, which consists of two 1-pound burger patties stacked on top of one another with various toppings (Adam's picks included blue cheese, Swiss cheese, mushrooms, onions and bacon) and stuffed inside a large bun. Altogether, the burger weighs roughly 4lb. At Flying Pie Pizzeria, Adam tried the ultra-spicy Triple Habanero Pizza (which features a sauce made with 18 habanero peppers) during the August 14 taping. This episode's challenge, taped on August 11, took place at the Rockies Diner, where Adam went up against the Johnny B. Goode Challenge - aka "The Rock" - which consists of the Johnny B. Goode Burger (3 1/3-pound burgers topped with Swiss and cheddar cheese, onions, pastrami, and a hot dog, all served open-faced on a toasted bun and smothered with chili), a 1-pound order of chili cheese fries, and a one-pound vanilla milkshake; altogether, the challenge weighs in at 6 pounds (2.95 kg), with the burger alone weighing roughly 4.5lb. Adam had to finish this challenge in 30 minutes or less, and if he could do so, he would win his very own Fender guitar. At the time of the taping, 1,119 people had attempted the Johnny B. Goode Challenge, with only 30 having finished it. Prior to the challenge, Adam fantasized himself as a '50s-style rock n' roll musician performing in front of a crowd of screaming '50s-style fans (some holding food). During the challenge, he breezed through the Johnny B. Goode Burger, setting a new record by completing it in 10 minutes and 48 seconds, but struggled with the chili cheese fries. Adam was inspired to keep fighting after the manager showed him the guitar that was on the line, which Adam said "will be mine". Once he finished the fries, he only had 2 minutes to drink the milkshake, but ultimately was able to swallow the last gulp of milkshake right before time expired, giving him the victory. For his efforts, Adam was rewarded with a free T-shirt and the Fender guitar. Post-episode update: Rockies Diner closed in June 2020 when the owner stated he could not keep up with restaurant update payments.[70] | ||||||
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| 12 (30) | October 21, 2009 | Man | ||||
| Adam visited Washington, D.C. in late August and early September.[71] Stops included Ben's Chili Bowl, where Adam tried the "Half-Smoke", a half-pork, half-beef frankfurter topped with Ben's famous chili. On September 1, Adam visited Horace & Dickie's Seafood Carry Out for a "jumbo" version of their signature fried fish (whiting) sandwich, which is topped with coleslaw and tartar sauce and placed between eight slices of bread - four on the bottom, four on the top.[72] This episode's challenge, filmed on August 30, was the Colossal Challenge at Chick & Ruth's Delly in Annapolis, Maryland. Adam had to consume a 6lb milkshake and a 1.5lb cold cut sandwich or 1lb burger in an hour.[73] Adam chose a vanilla milkshake and a sandwich with 1lb of turkey and 0.5lb of corned beef, a combination that normally costs $16.50 at the restaurant.[74] To make things more interesting, Adam competed alongside local milkshake enthusiast and Chick & Ruth's regular Heather Wright. Heather chose the 1-pound burger and a "Moose Tracks" (chocolate and peanut butter) milkshake. Any person who beats the Colossal Challenge in under an hour is awarded a commemorative "I Survived the Chick & Ruth's Challenge" T-shirt. During the challenge, Heather started by ignoring her burger and going straight at her milkshake, while Adam alternated between his milkshake and the sandwich (only after suffering a brain freeze from sipping his shake too fast). Adam used Russian dressing to give his sandwich more flavor. About 25 minutes in, Heather gave up her challenge after drinking only a quarter of her milkshake and not even touching her burger. Adam finished his milkshake in 35 minutes, and at that point, had roughly a half-pound of his sandwich remaining. He finished his sandwich with only 10 minutes to go. Only two people out of "a few hundred" had successfully finished this challenge prior to this taping, and with his victory, Adam became just the third person to succeed. | ||||||
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| 13 (31) | October 28, 2009 | Food | ||||
| Adam visited Baltimore. His first stop was Chaps Pit Beef on Pulaski Highway, where he sampled pit beef in the form of their famed Pit Beef Sandwich, which is topped with sliced onions and "Tiger Sauce" - a mixture of horseradish and mayonnaise. While there he also tried their 1-pound sandwich known as "The Raven", which consists of pit beef, corned beef, and turkey topped with American cheese, barbecue sauce, sliced onions, and the Tiger Sauce. Adam also visited Obrycki's Crab House and Seafood Restaurant at Fells Point to sample their crab cakes and their steamed blue crabs. This episode's challenge was at Steak & Main, which is located an hour outside of Baltimore in North East, Maryland. There, Adam faced off with the Great Steak Challenge - 2 13-ounce Delmonicos, a 12-ounce New York strip, an 8-ounce filet mignon, a 1-pound flat iron, and a 12-ounce prime rib (for a total of 74 ounces of meat), plus a pound of assorted sides (including homemade mashed potatoes and creamed spinach), all in under an hour; doing so would win him $100 in cash (and also the meal would be free), but failure meant he would have to pay the entire $140 price tag of the meal. 24 challengers have tried this challenge prior to Adam's attempt, and up to this point only four had succeeded. During the challenge, Adam started strong, easily finishing the filet mignon, flat iron and prime rib in 20 minutes, but struggled at the Delmonicos. He managed to finish them, as well as all of his side dishes, at the 40-minute mark, leaving him with only the New York strip, which gave him even more trouble; though he fought hard, he ran out of time with only a couple of bites to go, and thus he had to pay the $140 bill. | ||||||
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| 14 (32) | November 4, 2009 | Food | ||||
| Adam visited Detroit, Michigan, to take on the 190-pound Absolutely Ridiculous Burger at Mallie's Sports Grill & Bar which was topped with 4 pounds of bacon, 3 pounds of tomatoes, 3 whole heads of lettuce, pickles, onions, and 10 pounds of assorted cheeses. Before the challenge, Adam tasted Coney Island (restaurant) hot dogs from American Coney Island and Lafayette Coney Island. Adam was about to state his preference when his cell phone rang and he wisely declined to declare a favorite. He also visited Slows Bar-B-Q to try the Triple Threat Pork, a 1-pound sandwich made with Applewood smoked bacon, pulled pork and grilled ham. He used an orange pop BBQ sauce with the sandwich, which he enjoyed. For the challenge, Adam fielded a team of 40 people, consisting of police officers, firefighters, local football, hockey and roller derby teams, auto workers, semi-pro wrestlers and a KISS tribute band, to help him take on the Absolutely Ridiculous Burger in two hours. The team managed to eat through 160 pounds of the burger, but ultimately they were unable to complete the challenge in the allotted time. | ||||||
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| 15 (33) | November 11, 2009 | Man | ||||
| Adam returned to his hometown of Brooklyn, New York, to exact revenge on a challenge that had previously bested him. His first stop was Brennan and Carr in Gravesend, which is known for its signature Hot Beef Sandwich, a roast beef sandwich which is noted for its various usages of beef broth: one can choose to have just the beef dipped (known as a "dingle-dangle"), have both the beef and the bun dipped (known as a "double dip"), or choose the K.F.J. ("Knife and Fork Job") - pouring broth all over the sandwich, thus requiring the use of a knife and fork. While there, Adam tried their Gargiulo Burger, a burger topped with melted American cheese, roast beef, and sautéed onions, and also served with broth (with Adam choosing the double dip method); he sat down with Brooklyn borough president Marty Markowitz to enjoy the burger. Adam also visited L&B Spumoni Gardens pizzeria in Bensonhurst to try the Square Pizza, a Sicilian pizza that is noted for being prepared with mozzarella cheese topping the pizza before the tomato sauce. For this episode's challenge, Adam returned to Buffalo Cantina in Williamsburg for a rematch with the Suicide Six Wings Challenge, a challenge that Adam tried before the show premiered - and failed after just one bite. The wings were doused in a sauce made with jalapeño, serrano, chile de árbol, and habanero peppers, as well as a dose of chili pepper extract. Adam had to eat 6 of these wings in 6 minutes. Hundreds beside Adam had tried this challenge, but at the time of his rematch, only 10 had beaten it. Appearing at the restaurant to inspire Adam was New York Yankees pitcher Joba Chamberlain, who told Adam "not to think about it" and just eat. During the challenge, Adam wore latex gloves on his hands to prevent any spice burns. He was almost stopped by the first wing again, but remembered Joba's advice and went on to finish all 6 wings in the allotted time, much to the delight of his hometown crowd. Post-episode update: Reviewers on Yelp and Foursquare have reported that Buffalo Cantina has permanently closed. | ||||||
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| 16 (34) | November 18, 2009 | Man | ||||
| Adam journeyed north to Anchorage, Alaska. For his first stop, he visited the Roadhouse in Talkeetna to try the Roadhouse Standard, which consisted of scrambled eggs, home fries, bacon and honey whole wheat toast; he enjoyed this dish with a side of sourdough pancakes. Adam then visited the West Rib Deli & Pub, also in Talkeetna, to try the Seward's Folly, a 4.5-pound double-stacked burger made with Caribou meat (in the form of two 1-pound patties) and topped with American and Swiss cheese, 12 slices of bacon, a pound of ham, "Fatass Sauce" (made with mayonnaise, horseradish, bacon, and balsamic vinaigrette), caramelized onions, lettuce and tomatoes, and served inside toasted sourdough bread. The burger is held together with a small Alaskan flag and served with a pound of seasoned fries. For this episode's challenge, Adam ventured into the city of Anchorage itself and visited Humpy's Great Alaskan Alehouse, where he took on the Kodiak Arrest Challenge, which consisted of 3 pounds of Alaskan king crab legs, a foot-long, 3/4-pound reindeer sausage, seven 2-ounce wild Alaskan salmon cakes, 6 ounces of sour-cream-and-chive mashed potatoes, 6 ounces of assorted sautéed vegetables, and mixed berry crisp (served à la mode) for dessert. Adam had to eat the entire 6-pound, 7-course meal in 90 minutes. Dozens have tried this challenge prior to Adam, but no one had ever defeated it. During the challenge, Adam spent the first 15 minutes trying to shell the crab legs, but made up for the lost time by quickly downing the sausage and mashed potatoes. At the 22-minute mark, he finished the salmon cakes and vegetables. Though he enjoyed the taste of the crab legs, they began to slow him down, but at the 40-minute mark, he managed to make it to dessert, which he ultimately finished with 43 minutes to spare. Adam received a commemorative "I Got Crabs at Humpy's" T-shirt and became the first person to ever defeat the challenge. Adam later went on to say that the Kodiak Arrest Challenge was his favorite challenge due to the variety of flavors that the challenge consisted of.[75] NOTE: West Rib Deli and Pub and the Seward's Folly burger returned in 2019 10 years later, in which the show's new host, Casey Webb, took on the challenge. | ||||||
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| 17 (35) | November 25, 2009 | Man | ||||
| Adam visited Little Rock, Arkansas. For his first stop, he visited the Osborne Family Farm to partake in their annual barbecue benefiting the Little Rock Police and Fire Departments, which included heaping servings of oven-barbecued ribs, brisket, sausage, chicken, pulled pork, and turkey. Adam also visited Cotham's Mercantile in Scott, Arkansas, to try the Quadruple Hubcap Cheeseburger, which involves four 1-pound, "hubcap"-sized beef patties stacked on top of one another and topped with melted American cheese, pickles, lettuce and tomato; Adam ate his with a side of Cotham's double-dipped onion rings. This episode's challenge was the Shut-Up Juice Challenge, which took place at the Mean Pig BBQ in Cabot, Arkansas. The challenge involves a large smoked pulled pork sandwich topped with coleslaw and "Shut-Up Juice" - barbecue sauce mixed with a tablespoon of concentrated, undiluted habanero extract. Out of about 4,000 people who have previously tried this sandwich, only 64 people have finished it. This challenge had no time limit, and Adam was allowed to drink anything, but he had to finish the sandwich and hold it down for 5 minutes afterwards. If he could do so, he would get a commemorative T-shirt with the phrase "I Survived the Shut-Up Juice". To prevent spice burns during eating, Adam wore latex gloves. He also signed a waiver before the challenge. After only two bites, Adam felt intense pain from the Shut-Up Juice. He then picked up speed, but stopped again with only three bites left. Ultimately, though, he managed to take down the entire sandwich and survive the whole five-minute burn period; thus he won the T-shirt for his victory and became the 65th person to complete the challenge. In his "press release", Adam claimed that the Shut-Up Juice temporarily "shut him up", true to the challenge's name. Post-episode updates: The original Cotham's Mercantile location in Scott where the episode was filmed closed permanently when the building burned down in May 2017. A second location in downtown Little Rock remains open.[76] Also, Jennings Osborne, owner of the Osborne Family Farm, died in 2011 due to complications from heart surgery.[77] | ||||||
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| 18 (36) | December 2, 2009[78] | Man | ||||
| Adam visited Tucson, Arizona, to tape this episode in late September. Adam sampled Mexican eats including a Sonoran hot dog at El Guero Canelo. Popularized in Tucson and elsewhere in Southern Arizona, the hot dog is wrapped in bacon and grilled, served on a bolillo-style hot dog bun, and topped with pinto beans, onions, tomatoes, mayonnaise, mustard and jalapeño sauce. He continued his trek with a visit to Mi Nidito where he tried the "President's Plate." The combination platter consisted of a bean tostada, birria taco, chile relleño, chicken enchilada and beef tamale. This episode's challenge took place at Lindy's on Fourth on September 25 where he took on the O.M.G. Burger, a 3-pound burger made up of 12 quarter-pound patties, 6 slices each of Swiss and cheddar cheese, and "all the fixings". Just 30 people out of 300 had finished the burger prior to this episode's taping. This challenge had no time limit, but as an added bonus, Adam would get the meal for free if he could finish it in under 20 minutes. He started by eating the first 5 burger patties in 3 minutes, but soon struggled and was unable to meet the 20-minute bonus mark. However, he managed to rebound and ultimately went on to finish the entire burger in about 44 minutes. Though he had to pay the bill, Adam got his picture posted on the Wall of Fame. | ||||||
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| 19 (37) | December 9, 2009 | Food | ||||
| Adam visited several locations in New Brunswick, New Jersey, home of Rutgers University. His first stop was at Harold's New York Deli Restaurant[79] in nearby Edison, where he tried a 10-pound, 1adj=midNaNadj=mid Triple Decker Sandwich, which featured 3 pounds each of pastrami, corned beef, and turkey (the combo of pastrami and corned beef is collectively known as the "Abe Lebewohl", named for the founder of New York's Second Avenue Deli). Adam's second stop was at Stuff Yer Face in New Brunswick itself. Stuff Yer Face (where Mario Batali got his first job in the culinary industry as a dishwasher) is known for its several varieties of stromboli, including the option to make your own stromboli. Adam picked a "huge"-size (18 in.) Stromboli with the following: cheddar and brie cheeses, beef sirloin, grilled chicken, caramelized onions, fresh onions, tomatoes, spinach, Ancho-Chipotle sauce and roasted garlic spread. Altogether, Adam's stromboli weighed in at roughly 2 pounds. On October 10, Adam visited Rutgers University Homecoming, where he went up against the Fat Sandwich Challenge at R.U. Hungry?, one of Rutgers' famed Grease Trucks. His challenge was to eat 5 of their stuffed Fat Sandwiches in 45 minutes or less; doing so would allow Adam to create and name his very own Fat Sandwich as well as earn him a spot on the Grease Trucks' Wall of Fame. Adam picked a Chicken Fat Cat (grilled chicken strips, cheese, fries, lettuce, tomatoes, ketchup, and mayonnaise), a Veggie Fat Cat (same as the Chicken Fat Cat, except using deep-fried veggie burger patties instead of chicken), a Fat Romano (thin steak slices, over-easy egg, Taylor pork roll, fries, lettuce and tomatoes), and 2 Fat Kokos (steak, marinara sauce, mozzarella sticks and fries). Altogether, the 5 sandwiches weighed over 7 pounds. Prior to Adam, around 250 people had tried the challenge, and 16 had succeeded. On hand to cheer Adam on and give him challenge advice was Rutgers alumnus Darrell Butler, creator of another one of R.U. Hungry's sandwiches, the Fat Darrell. In the challenge, Adam ate 4 sandwiches before he ran out of time: he ate the two Fat Kokos in the first 13 minutes, but struggled with the Fat Romano and Chicken Fat Cat, causing him to run out of time when he was halfway through the Veggie Fat Cat. The Fat Romano, named after Belleville, New Jersey, native Rich Romano, a Rutgers student in the mid-1990s (making it one of the first sandwiches to be named after a student), was Adam's ultimate undoing. During the "Greatest Moments" episode (which aired after the conclusion of the second season), Adam expressed his disappointment with not finishing this challenge, noting that he would have finished it if the time limit were an hour, and feeling like he had let the entire school down by failing the challenge. | ||||||
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| 20 (38) | December 16, 2009 | Man | ||||
| Adam visited Hartford, Connecticut. For his first stop, Adam visited Woody's in Downtown Hartford, which is well known for its various hot dog creations. There, he tried a "Deputy Dog", a foot-long hot dog topped with pulled pork, cheddar cheese and barbecue sauce and served in a toasted bun. He also visited Doogie's Long Dogs and Fat Burgers in Newington, Connecticut, to try the "Doogie Dog", a 2adj=midNaNadj=mid, char-grilled hot dog topped with sauteed onions and peppers, cheese, chili and bacon and served on three German-style buns. Adam's next stop was at Ted's Restaurant in Meriden, Connecticut, where he tried a steamed cheeseburger (with square meat patties and white cheddar cheese prepared in separate steam cabinets) with various toppings served in a Vienna roll, and a side of home fries also topped with melted and steamed white cheddar cheese. This episode's challenge took place at Randy's Wooster St. Pizza Shop in Manchester, Connecticut, where Adam took on the Stuffed Pizza Challenge: a 22-inch, 10-pound stuffed pizza filled with various meats (including pepperoni, ground beef and bacon), cheeses (including romano, pecorino and mozzarella) and vegetables (including onions, peppers and broccoli).[80] This was a two-person challenge, and Adam's partner was Greg Maloomian (aka "The Great Moomsi"), who previously completed this challenge. If they could finish the pizza in under an hour, they would get free T-shirts and hats and be allowed to sign the restaurant's challenge table, but if they failed, they would have to sign the Hall of Shame. Out of 442 teams that have attempted this challenge prior to Adam and Greg, only two teams have succeeded (with Greg being on one of those teams). During the challenge, Adam tried eating the filling first and leaving the crusts for later, while Greg tackled whole slices. Greg finished all of his slices with 15 minutes left, but Adam struggled with the leftover crusts. Greg helped Adam with the crusts, and this tactic allowed the pair to finish the whole pizza with only one second left, ensuring their victory; this was Adam's first victory in the challenge, and Greg's second. Post-episode update: The owners of Woody's cited personal health reasons for closing the store for good in March 2018.[81] | ||||||
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| Special | February 3, 2010 | Man | ||||
| During the initial airing of the season 2 finale in Hartford, Adam announced a "live" episode of Man v. Food to take place in Miami on February 3, 2010, just days before Super Bowl XLIV. The episode was set at the Alexander Hotel in Miami Beach, which featured a huge tailgate party with fans and live announcers. During the episode, Adam's visits to various Miami-area restaurants were chronicled; first, he visited Sarussi to try the Sarussi Original, a 16-inch-long, 4-inch-high Cuban sandwich which featured baked ham, roast pork, melted cheese and pickles topped with a "secret" sauce, and altogether, the sandwich ultimately weighed in at 2.5 pounds. His second visit was to Joe's Stone Crabs, where he sampled their famed stone crab claws and their family-recipe key lime pie. Third, Adam visited La Moon Restaurant, a Colombian restaurant that is famous for the Super Moon Perro, a large hot dog topped with 11 ingredients (including Colombian chorizo, tocineta (a type of bacon), steamed mozzarella cheese, French-fried potato sticks, 5 different sauces - notably including pineapple sauce - and even a quail egg), a dish Adam enjoyed. At the hotel, there were also some Fan v. Fan competitions; the first involved two 2-person teams (one dressed in blue and dubbed "Team Indianapolis" and the other wearing black, called "Team New Orleans") each taking on The Burger & Beer Joint's "Mother Burger" (which weighs in at over 10 pounds) to see who could eat more in 15 minutes (judges, including Dhani Jones, would determine the winner by weighing the burgers after the 15 minutes), and the challenge was won by Team Indianapolis, who received free Man v. Food T-shirts. The second competition involved two teams of three NFL stars (on one team, Miami's own Jake Grove and Jake Long, and Washington's Clinton Portis, and on the other, Cincinnati's Dhani Jones and Keith Rivers, and the New York Giants' Danny Clark) going head-to-head in a spicy grilled wings challenge from the Sports Grill; each team member had 3 wings (for a total of 9 per team) and the first team to finish all their wings without drinking any milk would be declared the winner; the team of Jones, Rivers and Clark won the competition. For the live challenge itself, Adam took on Don Shula's 48 oz. Steak Challenge, where he had to eat a 3-pound porterhouse steak from Shula's Steak House to join Don Shula's "48 oz. Club". While normal challengers have no time limit, Adam - because he was doing this on live television - had to finish this steak in under 20 minutes. A fourth clip aired before the challenge, which showed Adam at Shula's Steak House, where he watched the preparation of the steaks and sampled their filet mignon. Before Adam's attempt at the porterhouse challenge, over 80,000 people tried this challenge, but roughly half of them failed it. Adam managed to finish the entire steak with 3 minutes and 23 seconds left on the clock and won the challenge. The "press conference" at the end of the episode also featured an appearance by New Orleans Saints defensive end Bobby McCray. Post-episode update: Yelp reviewers report that La Moon Restaurant is permanently closed. | ||||||