Although he dreamed of becoming an actor when he was young, Adam Richman eventually found his way to the TV screens not through film but through the reality show which enchanted many food lovers, Man v. Food.
This show is one of those realities which became huge hits practically overnight. Seeing Richman exploring different cultures and visiting restaurants offering plenty of unique dishes is what turned him into a celebrity loved by many.
Man v. Food first aired on the Travel Channel in 2008 and was on for four years during which a huge number of people saw their favorite host not only present them with distinct food from all over the country, but getting engaged in eating challenges.
So how did it all start for Richman and how did he find himself in the show?
As a young man, Richman got to visit plenty of places. Whenever he would try anything new, he would keep track of that experience in a food journal.
“It happened randomly. I had a monster break-up with a Jewish girl from New Jersey. I bought one of those Moleskine books probably to write, like, kind of douche-y, sappy, college-boy broken-heart poetry,” he told Heeb Magazine.
“And then I just kept doing it and then eventually that journal became a reference tool, if you will. I kept it up through living in all these places.
“I kept auditioning, kept acting. Got into Yale. Got agents out of school. Began doing regional theater and television and in so doing, again, augmented my journal.”
Richman earned a master’s degree from the Yale School of Drama and had several appearances in some TV series, but he never got a role that would path his way to Hollywood. However, that didn’t bother him much because the audition for the new food show caught his attention and he decided to try his luck.
“I had nothing to do with the conception or the creation of it at least in the initial stages. I auditioned. It was a six-round process. No challenges along the way, it was just talking about food,” Adam recalled. “So you had to eat this-and-that and the other and they needed to see that you can eat.”
He passed several stages of the auditions and the last screen test was taking place at the famous Kat’z Deli in New York.
“If you’re a New York Jew, you know f***ing Katz’s. I went there a day before, learned it, just fine-tuned it and came in,” Richman told Heeb Magazine.
“And I came in and I worked out like a beast that morning, didn’t eat that much the day before, and I walked into Katz’s and that smell was like ambrosia. To be given a reuben and fries and slaw and whatever from Katz’s deli for free — it wasn’t a challenge.
“And it was interviews, screen tests, this-that-and-the-other and they said basically “You have the job, provided there’s a job to have.”
Although the show was an instant success, it did take its toll. Richman was consuming plenty of food, in fact, those were unhealthy amounts of mostly junk food. As a result, he gained weight and started feeling bad about the way he looked.
“When I started the show before the first episode was filmed, I went to specialists ahead of time because I wanted to start with a baseline of good health, versus correcting bad health down the road,” he told ESPN.
“Plus as a single man, I wanted to bring sexy back a little bit. I enjoy seeing my toes in the shower.”
All those eating challenges didn’t only affect Richman’s physics, but his mental health too.
In 2012, he felt like he couldn’t do it any longer, not because of his health, however, but because of other reasons. He believed it was time to turn to other projects, so Adam Richman’s Best Sandwich in America, Food Fighters and Man Finds Food followed.
“A lot of people thought the transition to [Man Vs. Food Nation] was motivated by health, doctors, me having a premonition of death. Quite frankly, I felt it’s incumbent upon me as a producer to stay ahead of the curve and bring something new to people,” Richman told Chicago Tribune.
“How much of the same guy doing the same stuff can anybody watch? I was talking to my co-(executive producer), one of my best friends, Dan Adler, and said ‘Dude, let’s just get back to basics’.
“People tell me they use Man v. Food for a travel guide. I said ‘Dude, let’s just show the best sandwiches in America. Every culture has got a sandwich, every income bracket has a sandwich.’ And that’s how it was born. “
Ever since he left the show, Richman lost around 60 lbs and is now looking better than ever. At the moment, he’s hosting the History Channel show Modern Marvels.
Speaking of Man v. Food, the host revealed to Cooking Light, “I mean, I miss my crew. We were very much a family, and we’re still in touch. But I miss them very much. I miss going to the mom and pop restaurants very much. People always wanted me to say, ‘Oh! I love having all the barbecue. I love having all the fried chicken.’
“That’s cool. But anyone can go to these restaurants and buy that. But it was the people and seeing the country, I think, that I miss and value the most.”
We are always more than happy to see Adam Richman on our TV screens.