Today’s Guest-clacker is Nicole Yates, who’s clacked for us on CliqueClack TV, most recently about Better Off Ted….
The Travel Channel has a bunch of great shows these days, but the one I love (besides No Reservations with Tony Bourdain) is Man v. Food with Adam Richman. The premise of the show is simple, he travels around and visits eateries in one town each week, but the best part is that at the end of each episode, he takes on a food challenge. It could be 30 dozen oysters, a seven pound burrito, an 80 ounce steak or a whole giant pizza. Sometimes he makes it and sometimes he does not, which I think is one of the best parts of the show. His voice-overs are hilarious and the crowd participation will make you cheer him on at home!
What really makes the show is the host Adam Richman, who, out of terms of full disclosure, I must admit, I have a ridiculous crush on (right up there with Jason Segel). I have watched, for years and years (because I have no life), a ton of Food Network shows where they take a chef, throw them on the road and they feign interest in whatever roadhouse/shack/restaurant/diner/grandmom’s house they happen to end up. Adam, while not actually a chef (or a competitive eater), actually seems to not only be genuinely excited about trying new foods and meeting people, but loves to goof around with them, and that all comes out in the show. It’s almost like hanging out with your best friend from grade school while he tries to eat the most of whatever you’ve got laying around!
They tend to definitely find some interesting places and to mix it up. In Denver, they hit a place that sells all sorts of big game meat that has been there since Teddy Roosevelt was president, in Minneapolis they hit 2 places that have competing Juicy Lucy burgers (burgers with cheese in the middle), and in NYC they find a place that has the hottest curry in the world (which, of course, was his challenge that week!). Even the city-specific little interstitials that he does to get ready for the challenge are funny: running with Vikings in Minneapolis and Eating burritos in the middle of the Broncos field are two great examples. It might be a little hammy, but it works!
The Travel Channel seems to have done it right with this traveling show of goofball-ness, food challenges and colorful eateries. Bourdain is great, but he is also kind of a too-cool-for-school guy at times, which works for him, but Adam is the flip side of the coin: wanting to see what’s out there, not taking it super seriously and working to get his picture on as many walls as possible! I just wish the show would come to Philly, I have a ton of places I could take him to, but oddly enough, nowhere that has a food challenge.
For another view on Man v. Food, head over to CliqueClack TV and read Bill White’s version, complete with original artwork….
Clacked by Guest Clacker
on Apr 08, 2009 @ 13:00 EST5EDT
