Alton Brown: Man v. Food Gluttonous, Embarrassing, "Wasteful," "Disgusting"; Richman Responds

Eater.com:

In an interview with Zap2It, Alton Brown called the Travel Channel's eating-challenge show Man vs. Food "disgusting." He said: "That show is about gluttony, and gluttony is wrong. It's wasteful. Think about people that are starving to death and think about that show. I think it's an embarrassment."

Later, to try to set the record straight, Man vs. Food's host Adam Richman replied on Twitter

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Comments

[kelvinstinks]

10:50 AM on 10/12/2010

Alton is just mad he didn't think of the show first.

[48thGuy]

09:17 AM on 10/09/2010

Alton Brown..The only thing Alton Brown knows about food is how to jam it down his mouth and blow it out his a##!

[mytwocents02]

07:17 PM on 10/07/2010

Richman seems determined to dig his grave with his own knife and fork. Rich and fatty foods are like destiny: they too, shape our ends. Sure, Man vs. Food is about indulgence, overindulgence to be accurate, and it isn't all that different from gluttony.

[Chumleysmom]

10:40 AM on 10/07/2010

I don't watch Man v. Food because the gluttony and waste IS truly disgusting. Neither do I watch Iron Chef or its current Iron Chef contest. The waste on that show is equally upsetting. And the judges' pretentiousness is just as offensive as Bubba with barbeque sauce slathered all over his face.

[Wongson]

10:53 PM on 10/06/2010

I agree with Alton and have been a fan of his for many years. I love the way he teaches you the history and science with food. I love the fact he doent believe in uni-products. The Man Vs Food guy just shoves large amounts of food in his face - its disgusting. You learn nothing of value. With this country having such a large obese rate shows like that hurt society not help it. Kudos for you Alton for calling it like it is!

[dididangerlove]

05:37 PM on 10/06/2010

I'm with Alton. I like his show because it's about food and cooking and creating. I don't like the contest shows because I morally reject the idea of wasting the flesh of an animal who lost its life for no apparent reason. I'm not saying everyone should be a vegetarian, but respect where your food comes from and what is involved. If you want to see pain, drive through the panhandle of Texas and look at feedlots.

[avon96734]

12:10 AM on 10/07/2010

I really like Alton's show, and the concept of "Man v. Food" doesn't appeal to me, so I don't watch it, but I'm not on Alton's side here. I think a lot of people have a problem with his comments b/c it reeks of hypocrisy. It's strange coming from someone with his own food show on the Food Network. BTW, he's the expert commentator (basically the host) on Iron Chef America, one of those contest shows.

p.s. You are so right about the feedlots! Everyone should watch Food, Inc.

[Matthew Breslin]

07:15 PM on 10/05/2010

So don't watch the show then, Mister Complainy Pants.

I, for one, celebrate this show. Gluttony may be a sin, but it's a uniquely American sin - have you read our obesity stats lately? Also, this guy is a true everyman. He's not a model, not a fake person, he comes across as real, genuine, and friendly. Next, the show showcases cities across America and gives free publicity to mom-and-pop restaurants. Each episode features three eateries, and only the third one offers a challenge. For the majority of every episode, he's meeting real people and showcasing some wonderful eateries. If that's too real for you, there's always "American Idol" and "Dancing With The Stars" I suppose...

[Alien Nation]

07:00 PM on 10/05/2010

This man speaks the truth. Most people watching MvF are just waiting for doods heart to pop and his face to fall into his plate.

[RIPRNC]

05:42 PM on 10/05/2010

MvF is not nearly as disgusting as Dancing with the Stars. That show makes me want to vomit.

[Brice Lewis]

05:41 PM on 10/05/2010

OK, Man vs. Food is a lot about pigging out and extremes, but from what I've seen of the upcoming Food Network show "Meat and Potatoes" seems to feature similar extremes. Would Alton care to weigh in on it? On a similar vein, Food Network has a knockoff of "Food Wars" called "Food Feuds". Sounds like the creative well is drying up.

[hulagirrrl]

05:07 PM on 10/05/2010

My teen loves Alton Brown, and got me to watch him. Thanks to Mr. Brown my son made the Oatmeal in a slow cooker, we did the fish with a salty crust and our favorite is home made granola. I think his show is really unique and for kids such a great history lesson. The more we disengage our children from food by telling them to eat this not that and taking away the true pleasures of food we are not doing them a service. Alton Brown is talking to curious kids and grown ups alike, great show. I also agree with him 1000 percent about MvF, that show is stupid and takes our relationship with food into a wrong direction.

[RGKahn]

02:05 PM on 10/05/2010

gluttony |ˈglətn-ē|
noun
habitual greed or excess in eating.

If this isn't an example of the definition of gluttony I don't know what is.

"We're not sure how Brown's nerdy food science show Good Eats inspired Richman to eat things like a 6-pound two-foot-long burrito or a 5-pound cheesesteak made with three pounds of beef, one pound of American cheese, and a half-pound of fried onions — all in one sitting, mind you. But sure thing! Inspiration takes many forms." http://eater.com/archives/2010/09/28/alton-brown-calls-man-v-food-gluttonous-and-disgusting.php

[chloe4455]

01:23 PM on 10/05/2010

I bet he is in alot of pain on the toilet

[grumbles]

09:40 PM on 10/04/2010

i couldnt agree more. what an example of wasteful overabundance in America......this show is the epitomy of the ugly American...........

[Puffin16]

11:22 AM on 10/04/2010

Taking into consideration the obesity epidemic that has hit America, perhaps when Mr. Richman is indulging in a 6 pound burrito he can first show what the correct portion size should be. He could then have the other 12 people that this burriot could feed sit next to him and watch as he eats it.