The third season[1] of the food reality television series, Man v. Food, premiered on the Travel Channel June 16, 2010, at 9pm Eastern Time. On Man v. Food, the host, actor and food enthusiast Adam Richman, visits a different city to sample the "big food" of its local eateries before taking on a pre-existing eating challenge at one of the local restaurants.
The final third-season tally wound up at 12 wins for Man and 9 wins for Food (despite technically finishing his challenge in Indianapolis, Adam called it a victory for Food).
Adam traveled to San Diego to kick off the show's third season. First, he visited the Lucha Libre Gourmet Taco Shop for the Surfin' California Burrito, which is filled with carne asada, grilled shrimp, pico de gallo, shredded Jack cheese, sliced avocados, chipotle sauce, and fries; Adam enjoyed his burrito in the restaurant's "Champion's Booth", a golden booth that usually needs to be reserved at least a day in advance. At Phil's BBQ, the second stop, Adam tried a sandwich called the "El Toro", which featured grilled tri-tip beef glazed with Phil's homemade barbecue sauce and stuffed in a large Kaiser roll. This episode's challenge was at the Broken Yolk Cafe, where Adam took on the Broken Yolk Iron Man Challenge, a 12-egg omelet filled with sautéed onions, mushrooms, and shredded American cheese, and topped with chili and more shredded cheese. The omelet is also served with 1+1⁄2 pounds (680 g) of hashbrowns and two large buttermilk biscuits. To win, Adam needed to finish the meal in under an hour. To psyche himself up for the challenge, Adam fantasized himself as a masked luchador competing against another pair of masked luchadors (representing an "egg and bacon breakfast"). In the challenge (which only 400 out of about 10,000 challengers have completed up to this point), Adam finished more than half the meal before it got cold, making it harder to consume; Adam helped himself by eating guacamole with the meal, and the plan ultimately worked in his favor as he finished the challenge in 32 minutes. For winning, Adam received the meal for free as well as a commemorative T-shirt and a spot on the café's Wall of Fame (complete with a commemorative plaque).
Adam visited Boulder, Colorado, home of the University of Colorado, for their unique food creations. His first stop was Beau Jo's, known for their famed "Mountain Pies" (large pizzas filled with several different ingredients and smothered with melted mozzarella cheese). There, he tried the largest Mountain Pie, called the "Grand Sicilian", which weighed an astonishing 14 pounds (6.4 kg). The second stop was at The Buff Restaurant (located across from the University of Colorado campus) where Adam experienced – and highly enjoyed – their "Saddlebags", large pancakes with bacon or sausage mixed into the batter and topped with basted eggs. For this episode's challenge, Adam visited West End Tavern to face the West End Wing King Challenge. Unlike all other chicken wing challenges that Adam has previously faced, this challenge was a quantity challenge, rather than a spicy challenge, wherein he would have to finish off a bucket of 50 buffalo wings (altogether weighing in at about 5 pounds (2.3 kg)) in under 30 minutes; doing so would get him a free T-shirt, a spot on the Wall of Fame, and a coupon for a dozen free wings on a future visit. Adam's strategy was to try to eat 2 wings per minute, covering the wings in blue cheese as he went. However, he only made it halfway before the tactic backfired on him, the sauce slowing him down considerably. Ultimately, Adam ran out of time, having consumed 36 out of the 50 wings. Besides Adam, around 70% of all challengers have failed to achieve victory. This is the second and final wing challenge Adam lost.
Post-episode update: According to media reports, Beau Jo's closed its Boulder location in September 2017 when its lease there ended in order to focus solely on a newer, larger location in Longmont.[2]
Adam visited Cleveland, home to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and one of his personal "favorite cities",[3] for their big eats; his first visit was to Steve's Gyros at Cleveland's West Side Market to try a jumbo lamb and beef-filled gyro (which includes a sour cream-based Tzatziki sauce). Adam next visited Hot Sauce Williams in Cleveland's East Side to sample their "Polish Boy", a deep-fried Kielbasa sausage on a bun topped with fries, coleslaw, pulled pork shoulder, and the restaurant's signature hot sauce. On February 27, Adam visited Melt Bar and Grilled in Lakewood (where customers with tattoos of sandwiches would get 25% off their meals at Melt "for life") where he faced off with the Melt Challenge: a 4-pound (1.8 kg) grilled cheese sandwich (which uses 14 different cheeses: herb and sweet cream cheeses, plus cheddar, cheddar-Jack, Gouda, blue, goat, feta, Swiss, pepper Jack, provolone, American, Muenster, and Havarti) served with a one-half pound (227 g) each of fries and homemade vinegar-based coleslaw.[4] Prior to Adam, only two people had successfully finished the challenge. This challenge had no time limit. Adam finished half of the sandwich and the majority of the fries in the first 10 minutes, but struggled once the sandwich cooled. Adam was able to get a boost by adding the coleslaw to the rest of the sandwich, and he was able to complete the challenge. Adam won a Melt T-shirt as a reward.
Post-episode update: According to media reports, Hot Sauce Williams closed for good in March 2018 when the owners chose to retire.[5]
Adam visited Richmond, Virginia, the site of Patrick Henry's famous speech, to experience their culinary creations with visits to Buz and Ned's Real BBQ, Black Sheep, and Caliente. At Buz and Ned's, Adam sampled a rack of barbecued pork spare ribs. Black Sheep, the second stop, is known for its large submarine sandwiches (2 feet (61 cm) long and 2+1⁄2 pounds (1.1 kg)) known as "battleships", which get their name from actual historical U.S. military cruisers. Adam tried a battleship called the "U.S.S. Brooklyn", a baguette filled with peach chutney, Jamaican jerk chicken and cabbage slaw topped with roasted banana ketchup. Finally, at Caliente, Adam squared off with the Stupid Wings Challenge, which had been defeated by only 30 of its 300 challengers up to this point. The wings consisted of hot sauce, barbecue sauce, habanero powder, and cayenne pepper, plus recycled sauce from past challenges (which is kept in a "container of poor judgement", where the spices continue to marinate, thus making the sauce hotter over time) and 5 drops of pure capsaicin extract.[6] Adam had to eat 8 of these wings in 30 minutes without the aid of any dairy products. Before the challenge, Adam signed a waiver and admitted to the crowd that he was terrified of this challenge. He felt immediate pain from the first wing and though he ate fast, he thought of giving up by the seventh. He pressed on and managed to finish the entire challenge; for his efforts Adam won an "I'm with Stupid" T-shirt. He called the Stupid Wings Challenge one of the hardest "in all three seasons".[7]
Post-episode updates:The Black Sheep closed for good in November 2017.[8] Also, in 2016, Caliente closed down and became the Sheppard Street Tavern, which changed most of its menu but still features the Stupid Wings Challenge.[9]
In Salt Lake City, Adam tried a pastrami and fry sauce-topped double cheeseburger called the Double Crown Burger at its namesake, Crown Burgers, and the "Machine Gun" (a spicy lamb sausage sandwich topped with Belgian frites and Andalouse mayonnaise) at Bruges Waffles & Frites before taking on the Hell Fire Challenge, which only 12 people out of 400 had beaten previously, at Kobe Sushi. Unlike past challenges, Adam had to qualify for the challenge first by eating one Level 4, Level 5, and Level 6 "Hell Fire" tuna roll, all increasing in heat. The actual challenge itself was six pieces of the Level 7 roll (the restaurant's hottest). Kobe's Level 4 sauce is prepared with hot Sriracha sauce mixed with a blend of secret spices, while Level 5 adds red chili shichimi; Level 6 uses dried red Thai chili, and finally, Level 7 includes everything from Level 6 combined with red chili paste, jalapeño peppers and red Chinese chili seeds. Adam was in visible pain by the time he finished Level 6 and commented that the milk, which was allowed, was not very effective in cooling the fire. Adam powered through the qualifying rounds and proceeded to the Level 7 roll, which he struggled through, but in the end, he became the 13th person to beat the challenge. He got a free T-shirt as a reward.
Adam headed to the desert to sample the big food of Phoenix. His first stop was at Alice Cooperstown, named after and owned by Phoenix-based rock legend (and 2011 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee) Alice Cooper, where he tried the "Big Unit" (named after former major league pitcher Randy Johnson, who, among other teams, has pitched for the Arizona Diamondbacks), a 22-inch (56 cm), 3-pound (1.4 kg) Vienna Beef hot dog with various toppings (including chili, cheese sauce, bacon, onions, sauerkraut, relish, jalapeños, and tomatoes) stuffed in a baguette. Adam's "Big Unit" was served to him by none other than Cooper himself, who sat down with him to enjoy his own "Big Unit" (following Adam's visit, Alice Cooperstown added a new version of the "Big Unit", called the "'Adam Richmond' Bases Loaded Big Unit", which featured toppings picked by Adam himself during the episode's taping[10]). At the second stop, Los Reyes de la Torta, Adam tried the 2-pound (907 g) "Torta Del Rey", a Telera roll filled with pork, breaded beef, and ham while topped with mozzarella cheese, beans, a hot dog-Mexican chorizo omelet, tomatoes, onions, avocado and chipotle sauce. On March 18, Adam visited Chompie's New York Deli, located in Tempe (near the Arizona State University campus), for a showdown with the Ultimate Slider Challenge.[11] In this challenge – which only one person out of 36 had defeated up to this point – Adam had 30 minutes to eat 12 of their Jewish sliders (Challah rolls filled with beef brisket (marinated in au jus and gravy), potato pancakes, and melted Monterey Jack cheese), altogether weighing in at 5 pounds (2.3 kg), with a 1⁄2-pound (227 g) side of their fried onion strings. The platter is also served with a bowl of au jus for dipping. Adam's fantasy sequence before the challenge saw him steal home plate as a member of Arizona State's baseball team. In the challenge, Adam ate the first 9 sliders before experiencing problems that ultimately slowed him down; with 10 sliders down and only 4 minutes left, he tried combining the last two sliders and onion strings into one large slider, but time ran out when he was about halfway through it. His picture was therefore posted on Chompie's Wall of Shame. The filming at Chompie's featured a special guest appearance by Sam Moore, formerly of R&B duo Sam & Dave.
NOTE:Chompie's Scottsdale location was featured on the show in March 2020, 10 years later, in which the show's new host Casey Webb visited the restaurant to take on a new challenge known as the Day at the Deli Challenge.
Post-episode update:Alice Cooperstown's longtime manager indicated that it was time to leave on an up note when the popular establishment shuttered in October 2017.[12]
Post-episode update:Chompie's Tempe location closed permanently in November 2022 to allow for future brand growth according to a company spokesperson.[13]
Adam traveled to Puerto Rico for some Caribbean-style eats. He tried Chuleta Kan-Kan (a 7-pound (3.2 kg) deep-fried pork chop surrounded by crispy pork rind) at Restaurant Raices in San Juan and the "Mixto", a large churrasco, chicken and (optional) bacon sandwich with various toppings (including "mayo-ketchup" sauce and French-fried potato sticks) at the El Churry food truck before heading to La Vaca Brava, located in the mountains of Barranquitas, for the Vaca Acosta (English: "Sleeping Cow") Challenge: an 8-pound (3.6 kg) sirloin steak platter on a bed of lettuce, barbecue sauce, and fries, all covered with a mushroom, bacon, onion, and chorizo gravy and sprinkled with shredded Parmesan cheese, that had to be finished in under 40 minutes. Only 3 people had completed the challenge up to this point. Adam started strong, finishing the first steak in five minutes; however, as the challenge progressed, he slowed down as the meat sweats started. At the end of it, he finished about half of the fries and most of the steaks before time ran out. Had he finished the challenge, the meal would have been free and he would have received a T-shirt and $100 in cash.
Adam returned to New York, this time visiting various restaurants throughout Long Island, located east of his native New York City. The adventure began at Ciao Baby in Massapequa Park, where Adam sampled the 7+1⁄2-pound (3.4 kg) "Nonna's Old World Meat Platter", which featured rigatoni topped with hot and sweet sausages, "softball-sized" Ciao Baby meatballs, homemade San Marzano tomato sauce and melted Parmesan cheese;[14] he tried the dish (and other menu items) in a traditional Italian-family dinner setting. The second stop for Adam was the International Delight Café in Bellmore,[15] where he tried "The World", a 2+1⁄2-US-gallon (9.5-litre) gelato sundae (featuring 30 scoops of any combination of flavors) with toppings including hot fudge, caramel, marshmallow cream, Belgian waffles, and whipped cream. Lastly, Port Royal Pub & Grille in Islip was the setting for this episode's challenge: a 7-pound (3.2 kg) platter of seafood (featuring snow crabs, shrimp, mussels, fried clam strips and stuffed flounder, along with sauteed vegetables, coleslaw, and a salad) known as the Davy Jones Locker Challenge.[16][17] Adam's task was to finish this meal in an hour, which was accomplished by only one person out of several dozen up to this point; victory would get Adam the meal for free, a T-shirt, and a spot on the pub's Wall of Fame. During the challenge, Adam downed the crabs in the first 15 minutes, and then mixed the shrimp, mussels, vegetables, and salad into a bigger salad that he finished in just 5 minutes. After knocking out the clam strips and coleslaw, he struggled at the stuffed flounder. After lamenting the fact that he saved the flounder for last, Adam bounced back to finish the challenge with 12 minutes and 4 seconds to spare, becoming only the second man to ever defeat the challenge.
NOTE: Following the airing of this episode and in honor of Adam's visit, Ciao Baby made a challenge out of Nonna's Old World Meat Platter; any challenger who can finish the entire meal in one sitting would get it for free.[18]
Post-episode update: According to multiple reviewers on Yelp and Foursquare, Ciao Baby and Port Royal Pub & Grille have both permanently closed.
The next leg of Adam's culinary quest took him to Oklahoma City. Adam's first stop was the Cattlemen's Steakhouse, Oklahoma City's oldest restaurant, where he sampled the "Presidential T-Bone" (named by former U.S. president George H. W. Bush), which is prepared with secret seasonings and drenched in au jus. Adam then visited Sid's Diner (located in El Reno, 30 miles (48 km) west of Oklahoma City), where Adam tried the city's signature sandwich: a fried onion burger, which featured Spanish white onions cooked right into a 1⁄3-pound (151 g) beef patty, making the result a one-pound (454 g) creation; Adam topped his with pickles and mustard, also a tradition for onion burgers. This episode's challenge took place at the Steak & Catfish Barn in Edmond,[19] where Adam took on the Fried Catfish Challenge (a.k.a. the Top Cat Challenge); he attempted to earn the title of "Top Cat" by eating 29 fried catfish in an hour (the record at the time of the taping stood at 28). A normal serving of fried catfish at the Steak & Catfish Barn is a plate of 5 catfish. The challenge took place once a year[20] and was also served with two sides (Adam went for two sides of coleslaw). By combining bites of the catfish with the coleslaw, Adam was strong throughout, eating 25 catfish in the first 35 minutes with little trouble (and even ordering another serving of coleslaw when running out during the challenge), and broke the record shortly thereafter; he earned a trophy for his efforts.
Post-episode update: The Steak and Catfish Barn closed for good in August 2013 when the owners decided to retire.[21]
Adam visited Kansas City, Missouri for their unique food offerings and to get a taste of Kansas City–style barbecue. His first stop was at Oklahoma Joe's Barbecue, located in Kansas City, Kansas, where he tried some brisket and enjoyed some authentic Kansas City burnt ends. At the second stop, Stroud's Oak Ridge Manor, Adam sampled some of their signature pan-fried chicken and gravy-topped mashed potatoes. This episode's challenge was at Papa Bob's Bar-B-Que in Bonner Springs, Kansas,[22] where Adam attempted to be the first to defeat the Ultimate Destroyer Challenge: a five-pound (2.3 kg) hoagie stacked with 7 different smoked meats (pulled pork, sliced pork, ham, turkey, hamburger, beef brisket and sausage, all drenched in homemade barbecue sauce) and also served with 1+1⁄2 lb (680 g) of crinkle-cut fries that must be completed in 45 minutes or less; winners get an "I Survived the Ultimate Destroyer" button and their picture posted on Papa Bob's Wall of Fame.[23] At the time this episode was taped, nobody had ever defeated this challenge. Adam started by cutting the sandwich in half, but soon realized that he had to work on even smaller chunks of the sandwich to try to finish it in the allotted time. He looked strong at first by finishing the first third of the sandwich in just 5 minutes, after which he started on the second segment while eating the fries, but the starchiness of the hoagie buns and white bread, combined with the dry texture of the smoked hamburger patties, ultimately proved too much for Adam. As time ran out, Adam had only finished half of the hoagie and about 65% of the fries. He was given a small "I Failed Miserably Trying to Eat the Ultimate Destroyer" pin for his attempt as he graciously accepted his defeat.
Post-episode updates: According to the Papa Bob's BBQ Facebook page, the owners decided to close the restaurant in July 2018 for personal reasons. Also in 2014, Oklahoma Joe's changed its name to Joe's Kansas City Bar-B-Que.
Adam visited Indianapolis, home of the legendary Indianapolis 500 motor race. His first stop was the Edwards Drive-In, known for its homemade root beer, crispy onion rings, and its signature 1⁄2-pound (227 g), deep-fried Pork Tenderloin Sandwich; Adam, however, was presented with a "Man"-sized, 9-pound (4.1 kg) version of the sandwich at his table, much to his surprise. Next, Adam visited the Gray Bros. Cafeteria, located in Mooresville, to sample their homemade ketchup-topped meat loaf and strawberry pie. After paying a visit to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to get helpful motivation from IRL racer Tony Kanaan and run his own personal race, Adam took on the Big Ugly Burger Challenge at Bub's Burgers & Ice Cream in Carmel.[24] His challenge was to try to consume four of their 22-ounce (624 g) "Big Ugly" burgers (which altogether made it a 6-pound (2.7 kg) challenge). The challenge had no time limit, and eating one burger got the challenger a 4 in × 6 in (102 mm × 152 mm) photograph of them on the restaurant's "Champions of the Big Ugly" Wall of Fame, while two burgers increases the picture size to 8×10; three burgers nets them a poster-sized picture on the Wall of Fame, and four places a life-size cutout of the challenger on the Wall. In 42,000 attempts prior to Adam's, no one had ever been able to eat 4 Big Ugly Burgers; 95% of previous challengers managed to eat one burger, but only 20% have finished 2, and just 3 challengers had ever eaten 3. Making the challenge harder was the fact that each bun was brushed with an entire stick of butter. During the challenge, Adam ate the first burger in 10 minutes with no issues, and then finished the second at the 22-minute mark. But for Adam though, he was visibly full by the time he started the third burger, and after just over an hour, he was finally forced to give up after eating a total of 21⁄4 burgers, which was good enough for an 8 in × 10 in (203 mm × 254 mm) picture of himself on the Wall of Fame. Ultimately, however, Adam called it a victory for Food since he did not eat four burgers as he intended to, even though he technically did win.
Post-episode update: Edwards Drive-In closed in January 2022. According to the owner, the rising cost of food and the lack of labor were among the factors in the decision to close the restaurant.[25]
Adam headed to the Jersey Shore for some beachside cuisine.[26] At the first stop, Maruca's Tomato Pies (located in Seaside Park), he tried a Trenton-style tomato pie. The tomato pie, in this case, was a thin crust topped with a bed of mozzarella cheese and a spiral of tomato sauce. Adam also visited Hoffman's Ice Cream in Point Pleasant Beach to help prepare gallons of their award-winning ice cream flavor, Fudge Mint Cookie, and also to try the "Octopus", a large 8-scoop, 8-topping sundae topped off with whipped cream in the shape of an octopus, hence the name. This was all before Adam took on the Ludicrous Wings Challenge at The Chicken or the Egg in Beach Haven.[27][28] This challenge involves eating 12 jumbo-sized habanero-infused chicken wings. The wings are first breaded and fried (hot sauce is used to make the breading stick to the wings), then mixed with hot sauce, dried habanero and cayenne, two secret spices, and an ultra-spicy habanero extract dubbed as "Devil's Blood". Adam had just 15 minutes to eat all 12 wings. Before the challenge, he noted that this was the most intense spicy wings challenge he would be facing, as it weighed in at over 2 pounds (907 g) (which is more than any previous challenge of this kind weighed). Prior to Adam's attempt, 3 out of thousands of challengers have beaten this challenge. During the challenge, Adam was allowed to drink milk or beer (both were provided) along with blue cheese sauce and (optional) celery and carrot sticks. He employed a strategy of removing all the meat from the bones first (which he spent the first 7 minutes doing before taking the first bite), then eating the meat in forkfuls. Adam ate fast, but struggled through the intense heat of the sauce. Though he did not have enough time to use any cooling agents during the challenge due to time constraints, Adam's game plan worked as he was able to finish the entire challenge with only two seconds left. As a reward for winning, Adam earned a T-shirt and a spot on the "Wall of Flame".
Adam stopped by Syracuse, home to Syracuse University. On June 8,[29] he paid a visit to the biker-themed Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, where he tried the "Pork-Sket", a large sandwich with half a pound each of beef brisket and pulled pork (both slow-cooked at low heat) topped with melted white cheddar, pickled jalapeño peppers and coleslaw. The next day, Adam traveled to Liverpool (just north of Syracuse) to try red frankfurters and white Coney dogs at Heid's of Liverpool; while enjoying a mixed double (one red frankfurter and one white Coney on a single bun), Adam was visited by Syracuse Orange men's basketball coach and Heid's regular Jim Boeheim.[30] On June 10, the show filmed a segment at Mother's Cupboard,[31] where Adam took on the Frittata Challenge: a 6-pound (2.7 kg) dish loaded with pepperoni, broccoli, sausage, peppers, onions, and home fries, all held together by four scrambled eggs and also topped with toasted ends of Italian bread. This challenge had no time limit, but Adam did have to follow the restaurant's "mother"-themed rules (sitting up straight, keeping elbows off the table, etc.). Before the challenge, Adam fantasized himself as a member of Syracuse University's lacrosse team. During the challenge (which 95% of several thousand challengers had failed up to this point), he employed a strategy of tackling each pound of the frittata in separate bowls, which would allow him to let the steam out of the frittata. The strategy worked in Adam's favor, but the potatoes started to fill him up after he finished the first 4 pounds (1.8 kg). Staying determined, though, Adam used hot sauce to give his frittata more flavor and he ultimately went on to finish the challenge; he was rewarded with a free T-shirt and a spot on the restaurant's Wall of Fame.
Adam traveled east to Portland, Maine to enjoy New England–style cuisine. On July 6,[32] he visited the Lobster Shack Restaurant in Cape Elizabeth to sample steamed lobster with drawn butter, as well as a lobster roll. The day before, Adam visited Nosh Kitchen Bar in Portland, where he tried bacon-dusted fries and the Apocalypse Now Burger, a 4-patty cheeseburger topped with pork belly, bacon, foie gras, macerated cherry spread, and homemade mayonnaise. For this episode's challenge, Adam went up against the 5-pound (2.3 kg) Manimal Challenge (which only 4 people out of dozens had completed before this episode was taped) at the Tradewinds Café in Arundel. Adam had to eat an 8-patty onion-topped cheeseburger (known as the "Ochoburger"), 2 coleslaw-topped hot dogs, a side of crinkle-cut fries, a soda, and a "Mother Futcher" milkshake (made with three scoops of butter pecan ice cream, milk, and Grandmother Futcher's coffee cake) – all in under 20 minutes. Adam started the challenge by splitting the Ochoburger in half, and though he struggled with how hot the burger was, his strategy allowed him to finish it all in the first 5 minutes; next, he went after the hot dogs, but started to slow down after eating the first one. Undeterred, Adam finished the second hot dog, the fries and the soda with 7 minutes to go, leaving him with the milkshake. While struggling with the thickness of the shake (and the amount of chewing needed for the coffee cake), Adam went on to finish it with only 5 minutes to go; his time of 15 minutes set a new record for the challenge. He became the 5th person to complete the challenge, and as a reward for finishing, he won a "Manimal" T-shirt.
Adam headed to Niagara Falls. His first stop was the Riverstone Grill, located in Grand Island, New York, where he tried the "Bone in the Stone", which consists of a 48-ounce (1.4 kg) ribeye steak topped with creamy blue cheese, crumbled blue cheese, and crispy onion strings, while served over a bed of regular and sweet potato fries and with a side of roasted corn on the cob;[33] this dish normally costs $36 at the restaurant.[34] At the second stop, Lewiston, New York's Silo Restaurant, Adam tried the "Haystack", a large toasted roll stuffed with one pound (454 g) of Angus steak, melted mozzarella cheese, and crispy hash browns. Adam's challenge this week was at Mick & Angelo's Eatery & Bar (located on Lundy's Lane in Niagara Falls, Ontario), where he was faced with the 7-pound (3.2 kg) Italian Challenge: a 10-course meal consisting of lasagna, spaghetti and meatballs, cannelloni, manicotti, hot Italian sausage, chicken Parmesan, a whole loaf of garlic bread, a cup of Italian wedding soup, a salad, and an apple crisp dessert (served with ice cream),[35] all of which must be eaten in under an hour and a half. Prior to Adam's attempt, 300 people had attempted this challenge with only 20 completing it successfully. During the challenge, Adam employed a strategy of combining many of the dishes, such as putting the sausage on the spaghetti and meatballs, and stuffing the chicken Parmesan into the garlic bread, before eating. He finished the lasagna in only 3 minutes before going at the manicotti, which he then finished in the next 4 minutes. At 11 minutes, he finished the cannelloni and went to work on his chicken Parmesan sandwich. He finished it at the 30-minute mark, after which he proceeded to down the sausage, soup and salad. With 40 minutes to go, Adam began to struggle at the spaghetti and meatballs; to help his taste buds, Adam ate the dessert, but soon realized that he was unable to continue with the spaghetti and meatballs, forcing him to give up the challenge with 24 minutes to go. Had Adam finished, he would have received a T-shirt and a spot on the restaurant's Wall of Fame; instead, his photo went onto the Wall of Shame. The segment at Mick & Angelo's Eatery & Bar is the first that the show has ever filmed in Canada.
Post-episode update: According to the Riverstone Grill's Twitter account, the restaurant closed permanently on April 2, 2012.[36]
In this episode, Adam visited Butte for more mountain-style eatery. He first visited Joe's Pasty Shop to sample a pasty, which is ground beef, round steak, potatoes and onions in a firm crust. Adam tried his with a tomato sauce and a topping of chili, cheese and onions. For his second stop, Adam visited Muzz and Stan's Freeway Tavern where he tried a local sandwich called the "Wop Chop", a deep-fried pork chop sandwich made with trimmed and pounded pork loin which is first coated with secret ingredients, then dipped in a batter before being placed in the fryer and topped with mustard and pickles. For this episode's challenge (taped during the weekend of August 7–8,[37]), Adam went to Trimbo's Off the Hook Pizza for the Jumboli Challenge: a 5-pound (2.3 kg) stromboli that must be eaten in an hour or less.[38] The Jumboli consists of three and a half pounds of assorted meats and vegetables, tomato sauce, and ricotta and mozzarella cheeses, encased in one and a half pounds of dough, the equivalent of a large pizza pie. At the time Adam faced it, no one had ever beaten this challenge. In addition to only having an hour to eat and retain the Jumboli, Adam was also not to leave the table during the challenge. He started off very strong, despite the fact that the stromboli was still very hot, and finished the first half within the first 10 minutes. However, as the stromboli cooled, the cheese started to solidify and Adam hit the "food wall", visibly struggling as he got down to the final four bites, but Adam was able to beat the challenge with 14 minutes to spare and was the first one to defeat it. For his efforts, he received a T-shirt and an 8 in × 10 in (203 mm × 254 mm) picture on the Wall of Fame.
The next stop on Adam's culinary tour was Sacramento, the capital of California. His first stop was the California State Fair at the Cal Expo, where he tried various deep-fried treats served on sticks; he tried deep-fried catfish on a stick at Minnie's Cornbread House, then the "Twister Dog", a hot dog on a stick wrapped with a "Tornado Potato" (a potato cut in a spiral fashion) at its namesake, Tornado Potato, and finally the "King Twinkie", three Twinkies dipped in pancake batter and deep-fried into one large Twinkie, then dusted with powdered sugar and topped with chocolate sauce, at Sweet Cheeks. Adam's second stop was Jim-Denny's, located in Downtown Sacramento, which is well known for their large breakfasts; here, he tried "The Works", a large 3-egg,omelet filled with 5 vegetables, 4 meats, Jack and cheddar cheeses, and served with hash browns and a large pancake on the side. This episode's challenge was at Parker's Hot Dogs, located in Roseville. Here, Adam went up against the Knucklehead Challenge: 5 1⁄4-pound (113 g) steamed hot dogs stuffed into a 16-inch (41 cm) baguette and smothered with 3 pounds (1.4 kg) of chili, plus jalapeño nacho cheese, tomatoes, diced onions, pickles, and tortilla strips. Served with a 1-pound (454 g) side of fries, this challenge weighed in at just over 5 pounds (2.3 kg), and Adam had to finish it in under 20 minutes. Prior to Adam, only one person out of 100 had previously finished this challenge. During the challenge, Adam employed a strategy given to him by the challenge's only winner, Roland Lujan (who finished the challenge in just 9 minutes and 3 seconds): eat the hot dogs first then attack the bun, and let the chili soak the fries so that they would be easier to consume. Roland was among the crowd on hand to cheer on Adam, who started off strong by eating all the hot dogs in the first 4 minutes. He started to slow down when consuming the chili and bun, but managed to finish off 3 pounds (1.4 kg) of the challenge with 8 minutes to go. It was then that the beans of the chili started to give him trouble, and this ultimately led to his downfall; while he fought hard to the end, Adam ran out of time with less than half the chili and fries remaining.
Adam traveled to Des Moines to check out its culinary scene. The first stop was High Life Lounge, where he sampled broasted chicken and bacon-wrapped tater tots (which are also filled with pickled jalapeño peppers and topped with melted cheese). Then he visited Black Market Pizza in Ames, which is known for creating pizzas based on popular sandwiches, to take in their Reuben pizza (which is topped with corned beef, Swiss cheese, mozzarella cheese, sauerkraut, Thousand Island dressing, and pickles). The challenge took place at Jethro's BBQ,[39] where Adam went against the Adam Emmenecker Challenge (named after the former Drake University basketball star), where he had to finish off a huge sandwich (containing many of Emmenecker's favorite foods— a pork tenderloin, a bacon cheeseburger, beef brisket, 2 fried white cheddar cheese cubes, and 2 buffalo chicken tenders, all covered in white cheddar cheese sauce[40] and topped with a spicy pickle) with a 1-pound (454 g) side of waffle fries in under 15 minutes. Prior to Adam, just 2 people out of several hundred had ever finished this challenge successfully. Before the challenge, Adam was impressed with the making of the sandwich and was excited to begin. He decided to split the sandwich into segments, costing him a bit of time, and during the challenge was surprised by the heat of the spicy pickle. Although he took down half of the meats and the two cheese cubes, the volume of the sandwich and waffle fries ultimately proved too much and after trying to combine the remaining parts of the sandwich together, time ran out on the challenge with more than 2 pounds (907 g) to go. Adam's picture which went on the Wall of Shame was dated August 16, 2010. Emmenecker himself made a cameo to cheer Adam on with about 4 minutes left in the challenge.
Post-episode update: Black Market Pizza closed in April 2015 due to high overhead costs and being located in a bad location, according to the owner. They will continue in a food truck and on grocery store shelves.[41]
In this episode, Adam headed to Knoxville, Tennessee, home of the University of Tennessee. His first stop was Ye Olde Steak House, located on ChapmanHighway in South Knoxville, which allows customers to order any size steak they choose; there, Adam tried a 60-ounce (1.7 kg) New York strip, which he enjoyed so much, it left him speechless. Adam's second stop was at Dixson's Bar-B-Q, where he tried a Pig Burger: a ground pork patty steamed, topped with steamed onions, then placed between 2 slices of white bread and doused in hot and sweet barbecue sauces. For this episode's challenge, Adam ventured to Sweet P's Barbeque and Soul House to take on the El Gigante Comida Challenge: a 4-pound (1.8 kg) "Gigante" Burrito (filled with barbecued pulled pork, white and pinto beans, coleslaw, shredded cheddar cheese, and barbecue sauce), along with a 1⁄2 pound (0.23 kg) each of macaroni and cheese and banana pudding in under an hour.[42] Dozens had tried this challenge prior to Adam, but no one had ever succeeded. The burrito was so massive that it required 4 tortillas to build. Before the challenge, Adam's fantasy sequence saw him channeling East Tennessee native Davy Crockett while battling, then sharing a burrito with a bear. Adam started the challenge by attacking the burrito first, and looked strong out of the gate by finishing half of it in the first 5 minutes, but then began to fill up on the second half. Adam then decided to combine bites of the macaroni and cheese with the burrito. At 22 minutes, Adam finished the macaroni and cheese, but struggled with the last few bites of the burrito; it was then that he realized that he had not previously won any burrito challenges on the show, and so he pushed himself to finish off the burrito at the 25-minute mark, leaving him with only the banana pudding. The pudding posed no problem for Adam as he easily ate it all at the 29-minute mark to win the challenge. He won a free T-shirt and a poster as a reward for being the first person to ever beat the challenge.
Post-episode update: According to multiple reviewers on Yelp and Foursquare, Dixson's Bar-B-Q has permanently closed.
For the third-season finale, Adam visited Ann Arbor, Michigan to experience life at the University of Michigan and its culinary offerings. The first segment of this episode took place at Krazy Jim's Blimpy Burger (filmed on September 7),[43] where Adam tried a 5-patty "Blimpy Burger" (with each patty weighing only one-tenth of a pound (45 g)) topped with various ingredients (including Adam's picks of grilled onions squirted with Worcestershire sauce, a fried egg, bacon, and blue and Swiss cheeses). Adam also visited the Maize and Blue Delicatessen (filmed on September 6),[44] where he tried the "Triple Play Reuben", a corned beef and pastrami sandwich topped with sauerkraut, Swiss and Jarlsberg cheeses, and Russian dressing, all grilled on a sandwich press. On September 9, Adam visited Tios Mexican Café[45] to do battle with the Mount Nachismo Challenge: a 5-pound (2.3 kg) plate of loaded, multi-layered nachos (with toppings ranging from refried beans and shredded Monterrey Jack and cheddar cheeses to beef, chicken and pulled pork, to guacamole and spicy queso) that he had to complete in under 45 minutes. This challenge is daunting enough that it has defeated over 90% of its previous challengers. Adam started the challenge strong by eating two-thirds of the nachos in the first 30 minutes, but soon after, the beans started to slow him down. Fighting hard, Adam took it down to the wire and finished the challenge with just 3 minutes to spare. For his victory, Adam received a T-shirt and a spot on the café's Wall of Fame.
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