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Man vs. Food was a glorious mix of travel, tradition, and towering stacks of meat
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And it gave us one of the most oddly beloved icons in food TV, Adam Richman
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But behind the five-pound burritos and atomic hot wings is a story of internet scandals
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near-death experiences, and a show that just couldn't quit. Today, we're going for deep-fried gold as we answer
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Whatever Happened to Man vs. Food? Man vs. Food premiered on December 3rd, 2008 on the Travel Channel
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The idea was simple but brilliant. Combine food tourism with extreme eating
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At the time, there were shows about cooking and restaurant reviews, but nothing like this
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A host facing down local eating challenges across America. Enter Adam Richman
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Richman wasn't a chef or even a competitive eater. He was an actor with a love of food, a Yale drama degree, and a food journal that he'd been keeping since 1995
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The show was an instant hit. Viewers were hooked by the mix of food tourism, local flavor, and high-stakes eating
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Man vs. Food became Travel Channel's highest-rated debut ever. Richmond's charisma made it more than just a stunt show
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He celebrated local restaurants, traditions, and people. Richmond became a household name He appeared on talk shows judged Iron Chef America and was treated like a rock star at food festivals He wasn just eating he was entertaining
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and the world ate it up. But not everyone was thrilled. Critics like Alton Brown called the show an embarrassment
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citing the glorification of gluttony during a time of food insecurity. Anthony Bourdain, who was at the time
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the image of culinary cool, went even further, later commenting, Why did we watch that show
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Admit it, you wanted him to die. Brutal. Even Richmond's personal favorite food heroes had turned on him
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He later admitted that hearing those critiques stung more deeply than people may have thought
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After leaving, Richmond focused on getting healthy. He lost 70 pounds and posed nude for Cosmopolitan UK
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And not even in the whole the strategically placed fork way, he went the full Monte Cristo
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He also tried new shows, like Amazing Eats, Best Sandwich in America, and The Traveler's Guide to Life
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He even wrote a book, America the Edible. Richmond may have moved on, but Man vs. Food wasn't done
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In 2017, the Travel Channel rebooted the show with a new host, Casey Webb
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Like Richmond, Webb was an actor with restaurant experience. And like Richmond, he didn't know he was auditioning for Man vs. Food
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He just knew it was a food show. The fan response was mixed
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Some loved Webb's energy and picked up where they left off. Others were loyal to Richmond and missed the original vibe
