He’s the man with the iron stomach. Adam Richman has hosted numerous food programs
on the Travel Channel but his most famous stint is easily as host of “Man vs. Food”,
a highly popular food challenge show. Each episode involved Richman stopping by various
go-to restaurants across the country. All of the show's six seasons had a single mission
in mind: to feast on impossibly large meals. While many episodes saw the host falling under
the pressures of the food, there were a few, brief, shining moments in which the host emerged
on top. To celebrate the show’s lasting legacy, we thought we’d take the time to
delve into the top ten food challenges that Richman, or his co-host Casey Webb, actually
won, leaving us feeling hungry and satisfied, all at the same time.
Stuffed Pizza – Hartford, Connecticut (Season 2, Episode 20)
The first entry on our list is sure to leave you feeling stuffed. Such is the case for
this stuffed pizza challenge. 442 two-person teams have attempted the stuffed pizza challenge
at Randy’s Wooster Street Pizza Shop, but astonishingly enough, only two have ever been
able to complete the task. Previous winner Greg Malunion teamed up with Adam Richman,
in an attempt to wring in another victory. The pair had just an hour to eat a 10-pound
pizza, stuffed to the gills with meat, cheese, and cooked vegetables. The duo finished with
just one second to spare, guzzling down the last bits of dry crust like there was no tomorrow.
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The Stuffaluffagus Challenge – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (Season 6, Episode 7)
This entry brings us to Steel City Samiches in Pennsylvania, where the show’s second
host Casey Webb attempted to consume a five-pound Pittsburgh style sandwich, piled high with
meat, cheese, french fries - and slaw, for good measure. With a partner, if the challenger
eats the sandwich in under 30 minutes, the winner gets a free t-shirt and a picture on
the restaurant’s coveted wall of fame. With a success rate of ten percent, it’s easy
to see why this challenge is nearly impossible to complete. But, Webb rose to the occasion
like a caped crusader, tearing through the sandwich at breakneck speeds. His partner
handled his first portion in just four minutes. But as the pair began digging into the rest
of the sandwich, the food began fighting back with a vengeance. With sweat now dripping
from every pore, the duo began mixing up their strategy. Opting for a more tactical approach,
the two began eating the sandwich layer by layer. Webb eventually stepped up his game,
despite the immense odds stacked against him. Pinned under the weight of the sandwich, the
host courageously split his partner’s last portion. As his partner cleaned off the final
table scraps, Webb hoisted his final bite, completing the challenge with a few minutes
to spare.
Big Texan Challenge – Amarillo, Texas (Season 1, Episode 1)
This entry goes to Adam Richman’s first food challenge endeavor. In the pilot episode
of “Man vs. Food”, Richman tackled the “Big Texan Challenge”. And the main course,
you might be asking? Well, let’s put it this way. It’s a steak that’s pretty much
the size of a human infant. Terrified yet? After popping his head in various hotspot
restaurants on Route 66, Richman swung by The Big Texan Steak Ranch to take on a steak
that weighs in at about 72-ounces. With just an hour on the clock, this monster of a steak
is just the beginning. In addition to the four-and-a-half-pound steak, the challenger
must eat a baked potato, a bread roll, beans, a shrimp cocktail and a modest salad. While
Richman seemed overwhelmed at times, he ran through the meal in 29 staggering minutes;
with plenty of time left for digestion.
Atomic Hot Wings Challenge – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (Season 1, Episode 3)
These wings are hot. No questions there. But what puts this challenge at a stupidly high
bar, is the fact that you have to sign a legal waiver before even attempting to eat them.
These wings are the main attraction at Quaker Steak & Lube in Pennsylvania. Richman hit
up the famous restaurant to feast on one of the hottest, if not, the hottest wings in
the world. There’s no time limit, but in order to take home the heralded bumper sticker
prize and to land a spot on the “Wall of Flame”, the challenger has to take down
six wings. Not too bad right? Think again. Clocking in at just about 150,000 Scoville
units, one bite of these bad boys is the equivalent of eating 40 jalapeños at once. That didn’t
waver Adam’s confidence, though. With purpose in his eyes, the host dug into the wings with
conviction. Not only did he have to finish the wings fast, he did it while under extraordinary
amounts of pain. In the end, Richman took home the bumper sticker, a place on the “Wall
of Flame”, and yet another victory in the record books.
Spicy Tuna Handroll Challenge – Charleston, South Carolina (Season 2, Episode 3)
Adam came all the way to Bushido restaurant at the unlikely location of South Carolina
to take on the “Spicy Tuna Handroll Challenge.” Consisting of ten increasingly spicy tuna
rolls, over 500 people have attempted to complete this remarkable challenge. If successful,
the winner would become one of a small few to be rewarded the title “Legend of the
roll”. Adam finished about six of the ten hot rolls before realizing the severity of
the spiciness. It was the seventh roll where the chef decided to really crank up the heat.
After devouring the seventh roll, the eighth roll proved to be the stuff of nightmares.
The roll is filled with a whole Carbonaro, a hybrid pepper which levels the potency 40
jalapeños. The previous rolls were slowly surging inside of Richman like a firecracker.
Richman attempted to subside the flame with a few sips of milk, but the drink did virtually
nothing. Just when Adam thought he couldn’t take another bite, he called back to a classic
“Man vs. Food” strategy. After scarfing nine unbearably hot rolls, the last and final
roll was no doubt the most formidable, filled with a red chili and something called sulfuric
sauce. Richman once again accomplished food glory, beating the challenge faster than anyone
had done it before. He somehow was able to demolish the ten rolls in just 16 minutes.
Spicy Phaal – New York, New York (Season 1, Episode 9)
People tend to think of New York as a place where deli meats and hot dogs are found around
every corner. There’s a boundless array of foodie experiences to be had. The last
thing you would associate with New York cuisine, however? That would probably go to this challenge.
After, dipping his feet in a plethora of New York eateries, Richman took the time to stop
by Bricklane Curry House in the East Village for their “Spicy Phaal” challenge. The
challenge involves devouring what the restaurant proudly boasts to be the spiciest curry in
the world. That’s a mighty bold claim for a curry house in New York. Adam miraculously
managed to finish this one with only a hint of apprehension. No big deal? Just you wait.
According to Richman, the owner told him that someone else who had tried the dish started
having a nosebleed in the middle of eating it. That’s one spicy curry.
Kodiak Arrest Challenge – Anchorage, Alaska (Season 2, Episode 16)
Alaska may not pull a lot of attention outside its local population, but the seafood is the
stuff of food legends. In this delectably fishy episode of “Man vs. Food”, Richman
made his way to Humpy’s Alaskan Ale House to test his luck against the “Kodiak Arrest
Challenge”. The dish consists of a healthy serving of three Alaskan specialties featured
on the restaurant’s menu, including a rack of king crab legs, Alaskan smoked salmon,
and reindeer meat, oddly enough. This challenge was definitely out of the ordinary for a “Man
vs. Food” episode, but what kind of food extraordinaire would Richman be if he didn’t
at least attempt it? With just an hour to finish eating the massive seven-course meal,
which tallied about six pounds in weight, Adam scarfed and scarfed the heaps of seafood
and deer meat without breaking a sweat. This one proved no match against Richman’s bottomless
appetite. He became the first contender to ever win the challenge, and with an impressive
43 minutes to spare. Not bad, not bad at all.
The Surf N Turf Challenge” – Daytona Beach, Florida (Season 6, Episode 9)
This entry takes us to Daytona Beach, where “Man vs. Food”’s season five and six
host Casey Webb faced a three-tier tower sandwich, packed with enough gluten to kill a small
lion. With a foundation of Texas toast and a ten-ounce bun, the sandwich is first smothered
with a layer of garlic butter, where it is then topped with a slice of provolone cheese,
eight strips of bacon, pesto mayo, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles and four ounces of
deep fried onion strips. The sandwich’s main draw is a fillet of mahi-mahi, a fish
most commonly found in Hawaii, but is also local to the Atlantic coast. If victorious,
the winner gets a t-shirt, and of course, bragging rights for life. Only 15 percent
of people who try the colossal meat sandwich actually finish it. And there’s more where
that came from. Each “Surf N Turf” sandwich comes with a side option of fries. You know.
Just in case the sandwich wasn't enough. The burger proved too massive to tackle all at
once. Webb took an alternative route, deconstructing it into four distinct parts. He ate the burger
with no trouble, riding a wave of meat in just over five minutes. Using the veggies
as a flavor barrier, Webb managed to power through the Texas toast. The last part that
remained was the bun. The host rose to the occasion, securing a winner’s spot in the
pantheon of “Surf N Turf” challengers.
The Kitchen Sink – San Francisco, California (Season 2, Episode 4)
This entry took Richman to the San Francisco Creamery in California, where he endured a
massive, two-gallon sundae. Like its name suggests, “The Kitchen Sink” is a veritable
mess of eight hulking scoops of ice cream, piled high with eight servings of whip cream
and toppings. If finished in under an hour, those brave enough to drain this clutter of
sweetness, gets their picture on the wall of fame and free ice cream for an entire year.
At first, the spectators seemed doubtful. At just 20 minutes in, Richman was already
halfway done. Things were looking pretty good. Fueled by the crowd’s boisterous cheers,
Richman was feeling more than confident. That was until the weight of what he was eating
really started to kick in. In his stomach, that is. He was consuming what a sane person
would consider to be an overwhelming amount of sugar. When all hope seemed lost, Richman
made a desperate plea. Cautiously eating a few fries proved to be an effective strategy.
The salt from the potatoes gave him that extra kick of fuel to resume the ice cream feast.
Eventually, the ice cream melted into a puddle of broth. Richman somehow shoveled the remaining
ice cream spoonful by spoonful until all that remained was a shallow pool of soupy ice cream.
At this point, the host was nearly at the end of his rope, but in typical “Man vs.
Food” fashion, Richman rose to the challenge, pulling energy from the uproarious crowd around
him. Despite some minor hardships, Richman hoisted the final spoonful, effectively sinking
the proverbial sink and prevailing as the fifth person to ever defeat the challenge.
Kudos to you, Richman. But, there’s still one challenge even more death-defying than
ice cream.
Hellfire Hot Wing Challenge – San Jose, California (Season 1, Episode 15)
While most of the dishes on this Top 10 are there because of the magnitude of the portions,
this last one takes the cake because, well, it nearly knocked Richman out cold. Yeah,
it was that bad. In this season one episode, the “Man vs. Food” host headed to sunny
San Jose, California, taking the time out of his hearty schedule to sample the best
grub the city has to offer. Everything was nice and dandy. That was until he was met
with facing the “Hellfire Hot Wing Challenge”, which according to Richman, caused him to
endure the worst physical pain he’s ever felt. Not to mention, the dauntingly small
portion size of a dozen wings. It’s only a testament to the intensity of the wings.
One order of these savory hellfire wings contains more than six ounces of dried habanero, making
the sauce so unimaginably hot that out of the 9000 people that have tried it, only 20
have been successful. Judging from the look on Richman’s face after taking his first
smoky bite, he was experiencing pure, unadulterated pain. But what sets this challenge apart from
the other entries on this list, is the unbelievably harsh set of rules. That being, the challenger
is permitted no drink or napkin. Talk about overkill. On top of that, after eating the
12th wing, the challenger must endure a five-minute waiting period to let the spices rage inside.
And that’s only the beginning. During this waiting period, the challenger has to lick
their fingers clean. Yikes. A few minor obstacles didn’t stop Richman from backing down. After
his sixth wing, the pain flowed like a thousand knives over his face and hands. And with no
napkin in sight, we can only imagine the kind of pain Richman was in. As the fiery blazes
raged, he reached the last wing with sauce smothered across his face and hands. The real
torture, however, proved to be the five-minute waiting period. No relief was in sight, just
time stirring in unbridled spiciness. With nothing to sooth the pain, Richman was literally
drifting between a state consciousness and unconsciousness. Once the battle was finally
won, the spiciness only increased. But as it goes in the battle of “Man vs. Food,”
man emerged victorious, proving once again that even the most agonizing food challenges
are no match against the sweet taste of victory.
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