Friday, December 12, 2008

Adam Richman (Man Versus Food): A Cut Above the Rest

(1/10/09 update: Check back soon for a Man Versus Food surprise.)

Up until recently, I only watched two travel food shows. One. No Reservations with Anthony Bourdain. Two. Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern. The rest of the shows of that genre, mainly on the Food Network, are unwatchable. They are always hokey and lame. They involve a genial, non-threatening weatherman/hack of a comic/obnoxious bleached haired, goateed guy with a bowling shirt going to diners and county fairs, wowing about the local deep fried and gravy drenched hot dog/stick of butter/cotton candy.

When I first saw a promo for Travel Channel's Man Versus Food, I thought it was going to be another snoozefest. But after watching the first four episodes, I really like it. The host, Adam Richman, is perfect for the show. The premise is as follows: each episode, Richman goes to a different American city. He goes to a couple of famous low-rent food places and has large meals. In the last segment, he sits down and tries to eat a huge meal that is an institution in said town. In the first city, Amarillo, he eats the infamous 72 oz. steak under an hour, and succeeds.

So what makes Adam rare among food travel hosts?
1. He's funny.
2. He's charming.
3. He's enthusiastic without sounding fake.
4. He's a good sport under challenging conditions.
5. He can eat a lot.
6. He does not take shortcuts when he eats, e.g. he does not dunk buns in water a la Kobayashi.
7. He's a foodie-- he's kept a food journal since the mid-90s.
8. He's well-educated-- undergrad at Emory, masters from Yale School of Drama.
9. He's talented-- he's a theater actor.
10. He can eat a lot, fast.



Update 1: Many of you have wondered where Adam was born. According to IMDB, he was born in New York, NY, in 1974.

CKY

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Hi,

I work with the Travel Channel's online community team and I love your post about Man V. Foods! I thought you might be interested to know that this week Travel Channel's Man V. Food will be featuring Austin, Texas. The episode will air on Wednesday, December 17th starting at 10pm ET.

Austin Details
Everything is bigger in Texas, right? In this week's episode host Adam Richman is about to find out just how "big" food can be in Austin. His first stop is Round Rock Donuts, home of the 2 pound Texas Donut. Next it's brisket, ribs, and sausage over an open pit at The Salt Lick BBQ.

This week's main event is the Don Juan Taco Eating Challenge at Austin's own Juan in a Million. Adam must finish eight tacos to beat the record, which is currently held by the Hong Kong Hero since 2004. Can he do it?

Be sure to tune in this Wednesday, December 17th at 10pm ET to find out. Below is a sneak peek video;
http://www.viddler.com/explore/TravelChannel/videos/54/

Also, Adam will be doing a live chat with fan's at 11pm ET after the Austin premiere and the Amarillo recap. Ask him questions about the show and chat with other fans!
http://www.travelchannel.com/TV_Shows/Man_v_Food/Kyte_Player

To get updates on Travel Channel's Man v. Food and look at pictures of Adam on the road, become a fan of Travel Channel's Facebook Page or follow us on Twitter. Also, we are putting together a weekly updates list to keep fans "in the know". Please let me know if you are interested in being on this list.

On a more personal note, I hope you do not find this offensive. I try to reach out to people who would be interested to know what Man V. Food is up to.

Cheers,
Emma Sefton

esefton@room214.com
Room 214, Inc. on behalf of the Travel Channel
www.room214.com
www.travelchannel.com
http://www.travelchannel.com/TV_Shows/Man_v_Food