Man v. Food (season 2)

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, the final second season tally was: 13 wins for "Man" and 7 wins for "Food".

Production

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 12-pound (5.4 kg) 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.

Reception

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]

Episodes

Episode	Episode Number	Original Air Date	Winner
San Antonio, TX	1 (19)	August 5, 2009[9]	Man
Richman traveled to San Antonio, the home of the Alamo, in early June 2009 to tape the season 2 premiere.[10] Richman visited Lulu's Bakery and Café to examine the plate-sized chicken fried steak and sample one of their famous 3.5-pound (1.6 kg) cinnamon rolls.[4][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". Richman sat down with Lou's extended family one of the restaurant's signature 42-inch (1.1m), 30-pound (13.6 kg) monster supreme pizzas.[4][11][14] This week's challenge, taped on Wednesday, June 3, was to complete the "Four Horsemen Challenge" at Chunky's Burgers & More.[11] Richman had to consume one of Chunky's ultra-hot Four Horsemen Burgers in under 25 minutes then wait for an additional 5-minute 'burn period' before he can drink or eat anything to cool himself off.[4][11] The Four Horsemen Burger is a 1/2-lb (0.23 kg) hamburger topped with sautéed jalapeño, serrano, and Naga Jolokia peppers, covered in melted cheese and drenched in habanero chili sauce.[11] The burger is so hot that while over a hundred people had taken the challenge, up to this point only three had finished it.[4] To psych himself up for the challenge, Richman went skeet shooting with hamburgers for targets. Wearing latex gloves to prevent spice burns, he was stopped by the first bite, sweating and visibly in pain, for five minutes. Richman made a comeback, though, and managed to finish the spicy burger in time.[11] He completed the five-minute waiting period before gulping milk to quench the flames. For his efforts, Richman's photo was added to the restaurant's "Wall of Flame". Richman later described this as the most excruciatingly painful challenge he had ever successfully completed.[11]
Las Vegas, NV	2 (20)	August 12, 2009[15]	Food
Richman went to Las Vegas, Nevada, in early May 2009 to face off against fried chicken eggs Benedict at Hash House a go go and spicy crawfish at Hot'n'Juicy Crawfish.[15] This week's competition is the "Big Badass Burrito" Challenge at the NASCAR Café in the Sahara Hotel and Casino.[5][16][17] The burrito is a 6-pound two-feet-long concoction packed with more than 5,000 calories of food. Over 140 people have tried it prior to Richman's attempt, but only two had finished it. Richman's challenge is to become the third person to complete the burrito in under 90 minutes.[18] Anybody who completes the challenge wins a "Conqueror" t-shirt and "lifetime access to the Sahara's roller coaster."[5][18] Ultimately, Richman failed, surrendering with only 1 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, Richman spent an hour on a treadmill, telling the Las Vegas Review-Journal, "Being sedentary is incredibly uncomfortable. [...] [D]espite 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."[5] The Hash House A-Go-Go taping took place on Friday, May 8, and the NASCAR Café challenge was taped on Saturday, May 9.[17][18][19]
Charleston, SC	3 (21)	August 19, 2009[20]	Man
Richman journeyed to Charleston, South Carolina, for Lowcountry cuisine. This includes a shovel full of oysters at Bowen's Island and a fried chicken sandwich with sausage gravy at Hominy Grill plus this week's challenge spicy tuna sushi rolls at Bushido.[20][21] Richman 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, the 27th, and tape the challenge at Bushido on Friday, the 30th.[22] The Charleston City Paper reported, "Locals who have completed the challenge got first dibs on reservations [at Bushido] for the special night."[23] The Spicy Tuna Hand Roll Challenge requires a "warrior" to eat ten spicy tuna rolls that escalate from mild to "feels like someone decided to light a match and burn you alive from the inside out".[6] The three hottest 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. The challenge has no time limit and most who complete it do so one roll per visit over several months, thereby earning the title of "warrior". Richman's challenge was to eat all ten 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.[6] Those who complete the challenge in one sitting receive a commemorative headband, their picture on the restaurant's "Legends of the Roll" wall, a $25 Bushido gift certificate, and also, the honor of the Bushido staff bowing to them in subsequent visits. Despite the intense pain of the escalating levels of the spicy tuna, Richman - taking some past legends' advice to eat the rolls quickly - managed to finish all ten rolls in 16 minutes and 25 seconds, a new record set at Bushido.
San Francisco, CA	4 (22)	August 26, 2009[7]	Man
Richman visited San Francisco in mid-June 2009. His stops included the Taquería La Cumbre, where he tried the Mission Style Super Burrito (which weighs in at 2 pounds) while dressed in a sombrero and Mexican-style clothing.[24][25] He visited sandwich shop Ike's Place on June 21, where he sampled the "Kryptonite" Sandwich, a large 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.[24][26] The challenge this week was at the San Francisco Creamery in nearby Walnut Creek, California, where Richman attempted the Kitchen Sink Challenge: an enormous, 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".[25][27] If he could finish the sundae in under 1 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 Richman's attempt, only 4 people had ever succeeded at finishing the entire sundae. To prepare himself for the challenge, Richman ate a "magical" sugar cube and fantasized himself as a 1970s-style hippie chasing a walking ice cream cone.[26] During the challenge itself, Richman got off to a strong start but about halfway through, he began to struggle; he helped his cause by eating some French 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.[26] While very nearly giving up, Richman 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 1 hour to 30 minutes.[28] A year later, the time limit was reset to one 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.[29])
Durham, NC	5 (23)	September 2, 2009[30]	Food
Richman visited Durham, North Carolina, in late May 2009 to showcase local cuisine as a follow-up to season one's North Carolina episode.[31] Richman visited Backyard BBQ Pit, Durham's only open-pit barbecue, on the evening of Thursday, May 21.[32] He helped prepare and sampled Eastern North Carolina chopped pork barbecue. Richman visited Wimpy's Grill in West Durham to experience the "Garbage Burger", a 20 ounce (0.6 kg) bacon double-cheeseburger with the works including chili and coleslaw, on the morning of Tuesday, May 19.[32][33] On May 23, Richman fielded a four-person team, dubbed "MvF Food Fighters", in the Doughman, a 15-mile (19.3 km) 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.[30][33][34] The "MvF Food Fighters" team included a cheerleader named Tiffany, a gymnast named Jordan, and Cincinnati Bengals player and Travel Channel host Dhani Jones.[31] For the 2009 Doughman race, leg one 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 two miles (3.2 km), swam one lap, then tagged the second team member.[34] Jones cycled two miles (3.2 km) to Four Square for the Bull City BLT sandwich then cycled another 5.5 miles (8.9 km) to Nosh to tag up.[34] Richman ate Nosh's Triple Tomato Threat, a fried green tomato sandwich on sun-dried tomato bread with a tomato spread, before a 1.8-mile (2.9 km) run (during which he suffered a severe ankle sprain) to Dain's Place Pub & Grub where he tagged up.[34] There Jordan ate the Portable Defibrilator, an 8-ounce (0.23 kg) cheeseburger covered with chili, bacon, a 4-ounce (0.11 kg) hot dog, and cole slaw, before a 2.5 mile (4 km) run to rejoin the team at Daisy Cakes. There the entire team had to consume 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.[34] The Man v. Food team placed 19th out of 51 entries, 16 minutes behind the winning team.[35]
Honolulu, HI	6 (24)	September 9, 2009[36]	Food
Richman visited Honolulu in late June 2009 to sample local restaurants and take on an existing "big food" challenge.[36][37] Richman 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.[38] While there he also tried the "Loco Moco" - two burger patties served with two fried eggs and gravy over a bed of white rice. Richman 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.[39] For this week's challenge, taped Monday, June 29, Richman took on the Mac Daddy Pancake Challenge at Mac 24-7 in the Hilton Waikiki Prince Kuhio Hotel.[40][41] The challenge is to eat an entire plate of 14-inch-diameter (360 mm) pancakes (which weigh in at 4 pounds) in 90 minutes without getting up from the table for any reason. At the time of the taping, only four people out of 297 had successfully completed this challenge.[40] Any topping can be chosen to be mixed into the pancakes, and here, Richman chose blueberries.[38] The pancakes were also topped with butter and a vanilla glaze. Richman 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.[42]
Sarasota, FL	7 (25)	September 16, 2009[43]	Food
Richman 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".[43][44] Richman'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. Richman'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 hamburgers topped with cheese, chicken fingers, Mozzarella sticks, onion rings, French fries, and macaroni and cheese) and their biggest sandwich, the "Super Fat Daddy" (which has 6 burgers topped with cheese, French 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: 10 "Fire in Your Hole" hot wings - chicken wings deep-fried and prepared with an intensely fiery sauce consisting of: Habanero peppers, hot sauce, Cayenne, chili powder, crushed red pepper, garlic, and Ghost Chile extract. Richman's challenge was to eat these wings within 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". Unfortunately for Richman, 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. Richman 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. This is the only spicy food challenge that Richman has lost so far.
Philadelphia, PA	8 (26)	September 23, 2009	Man
Richman visited Philadelphia in late July 2009 to tape this episode.[45][46] Richman'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 Richman sampled the "Franklin Mint", a sundae consisting of mint chocolate chip ice cream (which Richman says 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.[45] This week's challenge took place at Tony Luke's, where Richman became the first person to ever attempt Tony Luke's Ultimate Cheesesteak Challenge: a 5-pound cheesesteak made with 3 pounds of beef, 1 pound of American cheese (which Richman chose over the traditional Cheez Whiz), and stuffed inside a 20-inch roll topped with a half pound of fried onions.[45][47] This creation is the rough equivalent of 6 normal-sized cheesesteaks. Richman had to eat the Ultimate Cheesesteak in under one hour to get his picture posted on the Wall of Fame. At Richman's request, Luke also took on this challenge (using Cheez Whiz instead of American cheese). The duo started off strong, with Richman devouring 3 pounds in 11 minutes, but later it became a struggle. Luke bowed out of the challenge after consuming two-thirds of his cheesesteak, but Richman kept fighting, finishing his 4th pound at the 19-minute mark. To further help his cause, Richman used hot sauce on the last pound of his cheesesteak, a tactic that served him well as he easily finished the entire challenge at the 28-minute mark. For his victory, Richman received a t-shirt and got his picture posted on the Wall of Fame as the first person to ever successfully complete this challenge.
Baseball Special	9 (27)	September 30, 2009	Man
Richman visited minor league baseball stadiums in three different cities to sample their unique food offerings.[48] On July 22, 2009, Richman attended a Gateway Grizzlies game at GCS Ballpark in Sauget, Illinois (just across the river from St. Louis, Missouri).[49] There, he tried the so-called "Baseball's Best Burger", a quarter-pound hamburger with cheddar cheese and two slices of bacon served between two halves of a Krispy Kreme doughnut.[49][50] While sitting down to watch the Grizzlies play, Richman also sampled some Philly Cheesesteak Nachos, also known as "Baseball's Best Nachos", which is a bed of "tri-colored" tortilla chips topped with a mixture of philly steak, grilled peppers and onions, and a creamy Monterey Jack cheese sauce.[49] Richman also visited "The Joe" in Charleston, South Carolina for a Charleston RiverDogs game on May 26, 2009.[23] It was there that he tried "The Homewrecker", an 8-ounce foot-long hot dog with up to 25 toppings, including chili, jalapeño cheese, coleslaw, pimento cheese, and pickled okra.[51][52] On July 15, 2009, Richman 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 Challenge.[53] The Fifth Third Burger is made with five 1/3-pound burger patties and topped with American cheese, nacho cheese sauce, chili, shredded lettuce, diced tomato, salsa, sour cream, and tortilla chips, all stuffed inside an 8-inch sesame seed bun. To win a commemorative "Call 911" t-shirt and get his photo posted on the Wall of Fame, Richman had to finish this 5-pound, 4,800-calorie burger in under the final 21⁄2 innings of the Whitecaps game (that is, after the Seventh Inning Stretch). Clad in a customized Whitecaps jersey, Richman managed to finish the burger with only one strike left in the game.[54] As of the time of the taping, 1,213 Fifth Third Burgers had been sold with Richman becoming just the 157th person to earn the T-shirt.[54]
Springfield, IL	10 (28)	October 7, 2009	Man
The sign at the Cozy Dog Drive In, featuring the original logo Richman 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.[55] The Cozy Dog Drive In claims to be the first place to serve the corn dog,[56] which there they call the "Cozy Dog". Richman 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 Richman ate contains two pounds of "ground beef, bacon bits, tomatoes, scallions and a spicy cheese sauce."[57][58] In this week's challenge, Richman attempted to break the record for how many bowls of extra-spicy Firebrand chili at Joe Rogers' Chili Parlor could be eaten (the record at the time was five bowls). Each serving of the chili weighs 12 to 16 ounces. Anybody able to finish even one bowl of the extra-spicy Firebrand variety of chili (which contains top-secret spices that are said to be nine times hotter than the restaurant's normal chili) has their names posted on the restaurant's wall.[55] Richman fought hard, in pain from the spiciness of the chili, and while he did not break the record, he managed to eat five 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.[57]
Boise, ID	11 (29)	October 14, 2009[59]	Man
Richman visited Boise, Idaho, the home of hockey's Idaho Steelheads, in mid-August 2009 with stops at Big Jud's, Flying Pie Pizzaria, and Rockies Diner.[59][60] At the first stop, Big Jud's, Richman attempted to eat the Double Big Jud, which consists of two 1-pound burger patties stacked on top of one another with various toppings (Richman's picks included blue cheese, Swiss cheese, mushrooms, onions and bacon) and stuffed inside a large bun. Altogether, the burger weighs roughly 4 pounds (1.81 kg). At Flying Pie Pizzaria, Richman tackled the ultra-spicy Triple Habanero Pizza (which features a sauce made with 18 Habanero peppers) during the August 14 taping. This week's challenge, taped on August 11, took place at the Rockies Diner. It was there that Richman went up against the Johnny B. Goode Challenge - aka "The Rock" - which consists of the Johnny B. Goode Burger (three 1/3-pound hamburgers topped with shredded lettuce, tomato, Swiss and Cheddar cheese, grilled onions, pastrami, and a 1/4-pound hot dog, all served open-faced on a toasted bun and smothered with chili), a 11⁄2-pound order of chili cheese fries, and a 16-ounce vanilla milkshake; altogether, the challenge weighs in at 61⁄2 pounds (2.95 kg), with the burger alone weighing roughly 4.5 pounds (2 kg).[60] Richman's task was 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.[60] Prior to the challenge, Richman 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, but struggled with the chili cheese fries. Richman was inspired to keep fighting after the manager showed him the guitar that was on the line, which Richman said "will be mine". Once he finished the fries, he only had 2 minutes to consume the 16-oz. milkshake, but ultimately succeeded in finishing the challenge right in the nick of time. For his efforts, Richman was rewarded with a free t-shirt and the Fender guitar.[60]
Washington, DC	12 (30)	October 21, 2009	Man
Iconic front of Ben's Chili Bowl, Washington D.C. Richman visited Washington, D.C. in late August and early September 2009.[61] Stops included Ben's Chili Bowl, where Richman tried the "Half-Smoke," a half-pork, half-beef frankfurter topped with Ben's famous chili. On September 1, Richman 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.[61][62] This week's challenge, filmed on August 30, was the "Colossal Challenge" at Chick & Ruth's Delly in Annapolis, Maryland.[62] Richman's task was to consume a 6 pound (2.7 kg) "Colossal" milkshake and a 1.5-pound (0.7 kg) cold cut "Colossal" sandwich or 1-pound (0.46 kg) hamburger with a one-hour time limit for completion.[62][63] Richman chose a vanilla milkshake and a sandwich with 1 pound (0.46 kg) of turkey and 0.5 pounds (0.23 kg) of corned beef, a combination that normally costs $16.50 at the restaurant.[62][64] To make things more interesting, Richman competed alongside local milkshake enthusiast and Chick & Ruth's regular Heather Wright.[64] Wright chose the 1-pound burger and a "Moose Tracks" (chocolate and peanut butter) milkshake. Any person who bests the Colossal Challenge in under an hour is awarded a commemorative "I Survived the Chick & Ruth's Challenge" t-shirt.[63] During the challenge, Wright started by ignoring the burger and going straight at her milkshake, while Richman alternated between his milkshake and the sandwich (only after suffering brainfreeze from sipping the shake too fast). Richman used Russian dressing to give his sandwich more flavor. About 25 minutes in, Wright gave up her challenge after drinking only a quarter of her milkshake and not even touching her burger. Richman 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, Richman became just the third person to succeed.
Baltimore, MD	13 (31)	October 28, 2009	Food
Richman visited Baltimore. His first stop was the Chaps Charcoal Restaurant 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. Richman also visited Obrycki's Crab House and Seafood Restaurant at Fells Point to sample their crab cakes and their steamed blue crabs. This week's challenge was at Steak & Main, which is located an hour outside of Baltimore in North East, Maryland. There, Richman faced off with the Great Steak Challenge - he had to eat two 13-ounce Delmonicos, a 12-ounce New York Strip, an 8-ounce Filet Mignon, a 16-ounce 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 one hour; doing so would win him $100 in cash (still having to pay the remaining $40 charge on remaining bill), but failure meant he would have to pay the entire $140 price tag of the meal. Two dozen challengers have tried this challenge prior to Richman's attempt, and up to this point only four had succeeded. During the challenge, Richman 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.
Detroit, MI	14 (32)	November 4, 2009	Food
Richman visited Detroit, Michigan to take on a 190-pound burger at Mallie's Sports Grill & Bar which was topped with 4 pounds of bacon, three pounds of tomatoes, three whole heads of lettuce, pickles, onions, and 10 pounds of assorted cheese. Before the challenge, Richman tasted Coney Island (restaurant) hot dogs from American Coney Island and Lafayette Coney Island. Richman 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 eat the "Triple Threat Pork", a 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, which took place at Mallie's Sports Grill & Bar, Richman fielded a team of 40 people, consisting of policemen, firemen, hockey teams, semi-pro wrestlers and a KISS tribute band, to help him take on the 190-lb "Absolutely Ridiculous" burger challenge in a two-hour time limit. The team managed to eat through 160 pounds of the burger, but ultimately they were unable to complete the challenge in the allotted time.
Brooklyn, NY	15 (33)	November 11, 2009	Man
Richman returned to his hometown of Brooklyn, New York to exact revenge on a challenge that had previously bested him. His first stop was the Brennan and Carr Restaurant 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, have both the beef and the bun dipped (also 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, Richman tried their "Gargiulo Burger", which is a burger topped with melted American cheese, roast beef, and sautéed onions, and also served with broth; he sat down with Brooklyn borough president Marty Markowitz to enjoy the burger. Richman also visited L&B Spumoni Gardens pizzeria in Bensonhurst to try "The Square", a Sicilian pizza that is noted for being prepared with mozzarella cheese topping the pizza before the tomato sauce. His final stop was at the Buffalo Cantina in Williamsburg for a rematch with the Suicide Six Wing Challenge, a challenge that Richman tried before this show was created - and failed after just one bite. "Suicide Wings" feature a sauce made with jalapeño, serrano, chile de árbol, and habanero peppers, as well as a dose of chili pepper extract. In the challenge, Richman had to eat six of these wings - in six minutes. Hundreds beside Richman had tried this challenge, but at the time of his rematch, only 10 had beaten it. Appearing at the restaurant to inspire Richman was New York Yankees pitcher Joba Chamberlain, who told Richman "not to think about it" and just eat. During the challenge, Richman wore latex gloves on his hands to prevent any spice burns. He was almost stopped by the first wing again, but remembered Chamberlain's advice and went on to finish all six wings in the allotted time, much to the delight of his hometown crowd.
Anchorage, AK	16 (34)	November 18, 2009	Man
Richman journeyed north to Anchorage, Alaska. For his first stop, Richman visited the Roadhouse in Talkeetna to try the "Roadhouse Standard", which consists of scrambled eggs, home fries, bacon and honey whole wheat toast; he enjoyed this dish with a side of sourdough pancakes. Richman also visited the West Rib Deli & Pub, also in Talkeetna, to try the "Seward's Folly", a 41⁄2-pound double-stacked burger made with Caribou meat (in the form of two 1-lb. 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 fries. For this week's challenge, Richman ventured into the city of Anchorage itself and visited Humpy's Alaskan Alehouse. There, he took on the Kodiak Arrest Challenge, which consists of 3 pounds of king crab legs, 12 ounces of reindeer sausage,[27] seven 2-ounce wild Alaskan salmon cakes, 6 ounces of sour-cream-and-chive mashed potatoes, 6 ounces of assorted sautéed vegetables, and for dessert, mixed berry crisp (served à la mode). Richman had to eat the entire 6-lb., 7-course meal in 90 minutes or less. Dozens have tried this challenge prior to Richman, but no one had ever defeated it. During the challenge, Richman lost the first 15 minutes trying to shell the crab legs, but made up for it by quickly downing the reindeer sausage and mashed potatoes. At the 22-minute mark, he finished the salmon cakes. He slowed down at the crab legs, but at the 40-minute mark, managed to make it to dessert, which he ultimately finished with 43 minutes to go. Richman received a commemorative "I Got Crabs at Humpy's" t-shirt and became the first person to ever defeat the challenge.
Little Rock, AR	17 (35)	November 25, 2009	Man
Richman visited Little Rock, Arkansas. For his first stop, he visited the Osborne Family Farm to partake in their barbecue benefiting the Little Rock Police and Fire Departments, which included heaping servings of oven-barbecued ribs, brisket, sausage, chicken, pulled pork, and turkey. Richman 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; Richman ate his with a side of Cotham's double-dipped onion rings. This week'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.[27] Richman, while allowed to drink anything he wanted, 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, Richman wore latex gloves. He also signed a waiver before the challenge. After only two bites, Richman 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. In his "press release", Richman claimed that the Shut-Up Juice temporarily "shut him up", true to the challenge's name.
Tucson, AZ	18 (36)	December 2, 2009[65]	Man
Richman visited Tucson, Arizona, to tape this episode in late September 2009. Richman sampled Mexican eats including a Sonoran hot dog at El Guero Canelo and the "President's Plate" at Mi Nidito before this week's challenge. He visited a hamburger joint called Lindy's on Fourth on September 25[65] to battle said challenge, which was the O.M.G. Burger—a three-pound hamburger made up of 12 patties, 12 slices of cheese, and "all the fixings".[65] Just 30 people out of 300 had finished the burger prior to this episode's taping. Richman's challenge was simply to finish the entire burger (which would earn him a spot on the Wall of Fame), but as an added bonus, he would get the meal for free if he could finish it in under 20 minutes. He started by eating the first five burger patties in about 5 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, Richman got his picture posted on the Wall of Fame.
New Brunswick, NJ	19 (37)	December 9, 2009	Food
Richman visited several locations in New Brunswick, New Jersey, home of Rutgers University. His first stop was at Harold's New York Deli Restaurant [66] in nearby Edison, where he tried a 10-lb., 1-foot-tall (0.30 m) Triple Decker Sandwich, which features 3 pounds each of pastrami, corned beef and turkey. Richman'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. Richman 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, Richman's Stromboli weighed in at roughly 2 pounds. On October 10, Richman was seen filming at Rutgers University Homecoming. There, he went up against the Fat Sandwich Challenge at R.U. Hungry?, one of Rutgers' famed Grease Trucks. His challenge was to eat five of their stuffed Fat Sandwiches in 45 minutes or less; doing so would allow Richman to create and name his very own Fat Sandwich as well as earn him a spot on the Grease Trucks' Wall of Fame. Richman picked a Chicken Fat Cat (grilled chicken strips, cheese, French 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, French fries, lettuce and tomatoes), and two Fat Kokos (steak, marinara sauce, mozzarella sticks and French fries). Altogether, the 5 sandwiches weighed over 7 pounds. Prior to Richman, around 250 people had tried the challenge, and 16 had succeeded. In the challenge, Richman ate 41⁄2 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 Richman's ultimate undoing. During the "Greatest Moments" episode (which aired after the conclusion of the second season), Richman 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.
Hartford, CT	20 (38)	December 16, 2009	Man
Richman visited Hartford, Connecticut. For his first stop, Richman visited Woody's restaurant 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 2-foot-long (0.61 m), char-grilled hot dog topped with sauteed onions and peppers, cheese, chili and bacon and served on three German-style buns. Richman's next stop was at Ted's Restaurant in Meriden, Connecticut, where he tried a steamed cheeseburger (with the meat and White Cheddar cheese prepared in separate steam cabinets) with various toppings served in a Vienna roll, and a side of home fries topped with melted, steamed White Cheddar cheese. This week's challenge took place at Randy's Wooster St. Pizza Shop in Manchester, Connecticut, where Richman was faced with 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).[67] This was a two-person challenge, and Richman's partner was Greg Maloomian (aka "The Great Moomsi"), who has finished this challenge previously. 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 Richman and Greg, only two teams have succeeded (with Greg being on one of those teams). During the challenge, Richman tried eating the filling first and leaving the crusts for later, while Greg tackled whole slices. Greg finished all of his slices at about 35 minutes, but Richman struggled with the leftover crusts. Seeing this, Greg helped Richman with the crusts, and this tactic allowed the pair to finish the whole pizza with just one second remaining, thus the team won. This was Richman's first victory in the challenge, and Greg's second.

Man v. Food Live

References

External links

• Man v. Food official website
• YouTube Link to Part of San Antonio Episode 1 (ten minutes)
• La Moon Restaurant official website