10 Absolutely Shocking Man Vs Food Challenges Ever

Source: The Spice House

The ghost chili is 10 times hotter than a habanero pepper, with a Scoville heat unit range of 855,000 to 1,041,427. It is said to be fiery enough to kill a human. Doesn't this challenge suddenly seem a little scarier than the habanero pepper wings? Also, when it came to spicy wing challenges, Richman didn't have the best track record. 

The wings at Munchies, on the other hand, proved to be direct from Hell's fires. During the challenge, he commented, "It's the hottest thing I've ever eaten."

Richman stated he was on the point of passing out after two wings and decided to quit the challenge with a glass of milk. The chef then admitted to pouring a whole bottle of ghost chili extract on the wings, which explains why he felt like he "couldn't breathe" in an interview.

Dagwood Challenge, Ohio Deli, Columbus

Source: Food Republic

Food challenges based on quantity seemed to be especially difficult for Adam Richman, and he appeared to have been put through the wringer by the end of numerous episodes. Richman was saddled with the responsibility of eating a comically big sandwich and a pound of fries when he went up against this lunch at the Ohio Deli.  

While the Dagwood match was far from the most difficult for him, it was one of the most important for the show's success. According to Richman, it was a valuable learning experience that taught him the need of developing a particular game plan when quantity-based challenges.

72-ounce steak, The Big Texan, Amarillo

Source: Bring Fido

The 72-ounce steak is the ultimate food challenge boss, and participants have barely an hour to devour it. Richman also had to eat a shrimp cocktail, baked potato, salad, and dinner roll, as if biting on what appears to be an entire cow wasn't enough. On the positive side, if he finished it all and didn't die, the supper was free. YAYYY!

Richman was able to eat not just the steak, but the entire challenge without suffering a heart attack that day, thanks to the food gods. It's impressive that his jaw didn't dislocate from chewing that steak, but the true feat is that he did it in under 30 minutes. Whaaaat?!

Hellfire Wings, Smoke Eaters, San Jose

Source: YouTube

It might appear that scarfing down 12 wings in under 10 minutes is possible. In principle, one should be able to simply shove them into their mouth and walk away. The issue is that these wings have six ounces of dried habanero spice on them. The good news is that Richman actually lost the competition. However, the amount of discomfort he was in before and after the challenge is enough to make anyone think twice about eating another hot wing. Richman had to lick the viscous sauce off his fingers or be disqualified as if eating the wings wasn't horrible enough. Richman had to sit in tongue-searing misery for five minutes after eating the wings and licking his fingers clean.

The Gigante, Sweet P’s BBQ, Knoxville

Source: Campus Grotto

On 'Man v. Food,' burritos were a frequent foe for Richman, and more than once the show ended with food triumphing over man. Richman had to take down the Gigante's tag-team partners, a half-pound of banana budding and a half-pound of mac n' cheese, in addition to the four-pounder burrito.

Nobody had ever gone into the ring with the Gigante and come out victorious. Richman would receive tremendous MVF recognition simply by defeating Gigante and winning his first burrito challenge. He went one step further, devouring half of the burrito just five minutes into the hour-long contest, becoming Gigante's sole victor.

Hawaiian Mac Daddy Pancake, Mac 24-7, Honolulu

Source: TripAdvisor

Richman and the Man v. Food team flew to Hawaii specifically to face a stack of pancakes the size of the Pacific Ocean. Sure, three pounds of pancakes and a pound of toppings sound amazing, but let's be honest: consuming that many carbs seem impossible. According to the chef at MAC 247, the challenge has a success record of less than 1%. Unfortunately for Richman, he wasn't able to increase this success rate, and he reached a syrupy wall halfway through.

15 Dozen Club, Acme Oyster House, New Orleans

Source: Acme Oyster House

Even the most ardent oyster fans would turn green at the prospect of devouring 180 of the slimy sea animals. Nonetheless, Richman was up against a difficult task, and it took its toll on him.

When this episode aired in 2009, over 150 individuals had tried and only 28 had succeeded, but Richman was able to pound through the oysters and, in the end, became a member of the 15 Dozen Club. If you're thinking about stepping up to the plate at Acme Oyster House, proceed with care. If you take up the challenge, it could ruin seafood for you.

Kodiak Arrest, Humpy’s Great Alaskan Ale House, Anchorage

Source: Bite and Booze

Wild salmon cakes, grilled vegetables, mashed potatoes, and three pounds of crab legs and reindeer sausage make up the six-pound Alaskan feast. And dessert, because three pounds of crab flesh isn't complete without some ice cream.

Richman had 90 minutes to finish the supper suited for a lumberjack camp, and no one had ever succeeded before him. Richman could have been doomed to failure after spending 15 minutes cracking up the crab legs without eating a single bite. But, Richman pushed through to give the Kodiak Arrest its first win. No wonder Richman confessed that this was his favorite challenge in the entire series.

The Kitchen Sink, San Francisco Creamery, San Francisco

Source: YouTube

The Kitchen Sink ice cream challenge consisted of an absurd two-pound confection with eight scoops of ice cream, toppings, and whip cream. Being able to choose your own ice cream flavors had to be a benefit, but fighting this frozen giant required a starchy approach.

Richman appeared to be on the verge of passing out after a sugar high, but he ordered fries to counteract the sweetness. As he pushed forward and swallowed the last drops of melted ice cream, he shouted, "I'm going to wrestle it to the ground like a monster cobra." The Kitchen Sink is one of those MVF tasks that has become legendary.

Spicy Tuna Rolls, Kobe Sushi, Salt Lake City

Source: Lindsey Eats

The Hellfire is not your typical sushi challenge, as contestants must first pass qualifying heat rounds before entering Kobe Sushi's seventh ring of fire. It may only be a six-piece tuna wrap, but with layers of Thai chilies lining the inside, it's no easy task. Fortunately, the challenge has no time limit, so Richman was free to drink and eat as much as he wanted to cool down.

Richman's advance to and completion of the seventh ring of Hellfire is impressive, given that he appeared to be on the verge of exploding. This isn't a challenge that the average sushi fan would take on, but it's fascinating to watch Richman adopt a no pain-no-gain mentality.

Now that we are at the end of the list, have you lost your appetite yet? You should know that since Man vs Food, Adam has now committed to a healthier diet and is in relatively good shape. 

The Reality Of 'Man V. Food'

Man vs Food was a blockbuster hit for the Travel Channel from 2008 to 2012 and it rapidly made the show’s host, Adam Richman, widely recognized.

The recipe of Man vs Food wasn’t like out of the box, it was simple, yet effectively addictive for audiences. It influenced the world of competitive eating and some of the most famous dinner food challenges. 

I remember when I used to watch his show, I thought I probably could eat that 30-pound pizza, but the truth is I could barely finish three slices. You are either a lover of this show or loathed it, there’s a lot you probably do not know about Adam Richman and the show that gave him his big break. Keep reading to find out the facts you never knew about Man vs. food.

Adam Richman food challenge-free audition

You might think the biggest challenge of hosting Man vs Food is eating that large quality of food, but Richman says when he auditioned for the gig, the one thing they didn't ask him to show was his ability to eat an insane amount of food in a single sitting. 

In an interview, he told HeeB, “I auditioned for Man v. Food. I had nothing to do with the conception or creation of it, at least in the initial stages. I auditioned,  no challenges along the way, it was just talking about food."

Richman added saying it took six rounds of auditions before he finally got the job in hand, and said the biggest thing they’re interested in was finding someone who could talk about food and engage with people entertainingly. 

In the auditions, of course, there were interviews and screen tests, and they had him eat a few things, but the actual challenges came later. Later he got the the chance for final screen test which was at a place near and dear to his heart: Katz's Deli in New York City. Richman says it wasn't difficult "I walked into Katz's and that smell was like ambrosia."

Do you know Adam Richman consulted with doctors before starting the show? 

The Man vs Food guy was never a trained competitive eater before he landed the show in 2008. In fact, Richman was an actor and Yale drama school graduate who acted in a bit role on many television dramas and soap operas like Joan of Arcadia, All My Children, Guiding Light, and Law & Order.

As per a live chat he did with ESPN during Man vs Food’s heyday in 2010, Richman said that he went to specialists ahead of time because he wanted to start with a baseline of good health, versus correcting bad health down the road. He may have discussed the risks with his doctors, but that didn't stop him from packing on the pounds during the show's four-season run.

Richman would go without eating a day before a Man vs Food challenge

Adam usually skipped meals leading up to challenges to increase his eating capacity, but in an interview with 411 Mania in 2009, he said that because of the tight show schedule, it was sometimes tough to prepare the way he wanted to before a challenge. 

Richman further told the entertainment blog, "If I do have a day off I don't eat, or eat very low amount of food, and I drink a lot of water and club soda to keep my stomach stretched and full and to keep myself hydrated. The most important part is that I work out like a beast. I work out like a beast the night before and the morning of."

Man Vs Food Guy couldn't finish a Small Challenge on the Show

Most Man vs. Food fans tuned in to watch Richman plow his way through gargantuan sandwiches and steak dinners, but surprisingly, he couldn't finish one of the smallest challenges on the show. 

In this challenge which was in Sarasota, Florida, Richman was faced with ten little chicken wings at Munchies 420 Cafe. These wings called the “Fire In Your Hole,” were slathered in a tongue-torching brutal mixture of habanero peppers, run-of-the-mill hot sauce, cayenne pepper, chili powder, garlic, crushed red pepper flakes, and ghost chili extract.

Adam Richman had to finish those ten wings in 20 minutes without drinking milk. He was able to eat a few wings before he threw in the towel, guzzled some milk, and ran into the back of the restaurant, spitting in his hands, and holding back tears. 

However, the cameras didn’t show the audience when Adam experienced how the wings got their namesake. Richman didn’t feel that bad about losing this challenge, as the odds were up against him from the beginning. Many say about 90 percent of those who take the challenge fail.

Still, it didn’t hurt that Richman was damaged. Since employees were caught using around an entire bottle of hot sauce on his small plate of wings, it indicates that the odds were definitely stacked against him. 

Despite Illness, Richman Tackled Denver's Food Challenges

According to a Q&A Richman did in 2010, he was battling with his immune system when he was doing a seven-pound breakfast burrito challenge in Denver, at the Jack-N-Grill Cafe. 

Richman stated that it was the worst challenge he’s ever done, a smothered and covered breakfast burrito which has been dubbed the fattiest food in Colorado saying, "I was extremely ill with a 101 fever, a bronchial and sinus infection. Also, I hate chunks of ham and green pepper in food and that dish had both. Truly a sucky experience."

Adam Richman’s Most and Least Favorite Challenges

Man v. Food is interesting for all kinds of reasons, from the regional food to the challenges and, by extension, curiosity about what eating that massive amount of meals does to someone's body.  That’s why fans are too curious to know all, but when Richman stopped by to chat with BroBible, he made it clear that he hates being asked a lot of questions

But fortunately, In 2015, Richman did an AMAA on Reddit and talked about some things that fans have been wondering about for years. There he stated that his favorite challenge was Humpy’s Alaskan Alehouse’s Kodiak Arrest, and his least favorite challenge came with a caveat. That was the challenge he did at Munchies in Sarasota, Florida, and he says the owner allegedly cheated, it was a mystery challenge of ghost chili hot wings, and he completely failed.