Adam Richman starred in the hit Travel Channel show Man versus Food for four years, competing
in food challenges across the country that seemed impossible — until he finished them,
anyway.
But Richman walked away from the highly-rated show in 2012, leaving many fans scratching
their heads and wondering what reason he could possibly have had for leaving.
After all, how many people actually get paid to eat massive amounts of bar food?
After Richman left the show — which was rebooted with new host Casey Webb in 2017
— there were rumors that he had quit because of health problems, and others said that the
host had become depressed.
But it turns out that neither of those rumors is the real reason Richman left Man versus
Food.
The truth behind the host's exit was a little more subtle.
Competitive eating is demanding on the human body, but Richman didn't stop because he was
gaining weight.
In fact, Richman went through a lot to make sure his body could handle the challenges.
According to The Guardian, he would work out ahead of his food feats to boost his metabolism,
make sure to stay hydrated, and would often do a cleanse after completing a challenge.
Instead, he said that he simply had stopped enjoying the competitions, especially the
ones that involved eating spicy food.
According to BBC, Richman said in an interview,
"I don't miss the physiological feeling after having a spicy challenge and having that much
food in you."
"I've never felt being stuffed in the back of my head, I think the food has like crept
up my back, it's like I have an airline pillow made of food right now."
Richman bemoaned the excessive use of spice in dishes he ate, saying that too many chefs
used hot pepper extracts to make their food spicy, rather than relying on whole peppers
that would keep a dish balanced.
He explained,
"I could give you a chip, buddy, and you could put ghost chili extract on it, and it instantly
becomes a deathly hot dish.
But there's no artistry in it."
"Only two wings in and I'm on the verge of passing out."]
Another type of challenge he stopped looking forward to?
Those that involved eating vast quantities of starchy foods like breads, potatoes, and
fried foods that make you fill up fast.
Some of the challenges also ruined his appetite for some formerly favorite foods, like oysters.
According to Mirror, after he downed 15 dozen for a challenge in New Orleans, he said he
just lost the taste for them altogether.
All good things must come to an end, and though Man versus Food may have started out as a
dream job, eventually, Richman was simply ready to move on.
He told The Guardian,
"The simplest way to put it is to say that the spectacle diminishes over time."
Richman added that as a producer, his priority was keeping things fresh for his audience.
Once he realized he no longer could, he decided to move on.
Announcing that he'd hung up his, quote, "competitive fork" in a 2012 Facebook post, he wrote, in
part,
"I now seek to explore, to learn and to share what I've learned about food, places, people
and travel itself and make that information enjoyable and accessible to everyone."
After he left Man versus Food for good, Richman got a new show on the Travel Channel called
Man Finds Food, but it wasn't without controversy, according to Earn The Necklace.
Richman posted a weight-loss photo on Instagram using the hashtag "thinspiration," a term
that's commonly used by the Pro-anorexia and Pro-bulimia communities on the internet, which
are often populated by young women with eating disorders who encourage the same self-harming
behavior in others, as GoodTherapy reports.
When some of his followers pointed out the problematic history of this term, Richman
totally lost his cool.
According to The Guardian, he responded with expletive-laced comments, including one that
encouraged a follower to harm themselves.
It was a little strange, considering how he'd had to deal with vicious rumors about his
own health over the years.
In response to his outburst, the Travel Channel delayed the release of Man Finds Food for
an entire year.
Weight gain and weight loss may not have had anything to do with why Adam Richman left
Man versus Food, but it seems like they're two topics the host can't escape.
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