Adam Richman

Last updated

Adam Richman
Adam Richman (cropped).jpeg
Richman in 2014
Born
Adam Montgomery Richman

(1974-05-16) 16 May 1974 (age 50)
New York City, U.S.
Education Emory University (BA)
Yale University (MFA)
Occupation(s)Actor, television host
Years active1995–present

Adam Montgomery Richman [1] is an American actor and television host. He has hosted various dining and eating-challenge programs on the Travel Channel, History Channel, and Discovery+.

Contents

Early life and education

Richman, an only child, was born into a Jewish family in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, and raised in the Sheepshead Bay neighborhood. [2] [3] He attended "a Solomon Schechter school through eighth grade and then a Talmud Torah high school", [4] ultimately graduating from Midwood High School. [3] He completed his undergraduate degree in international studies at Emory University, [2] and earned a master's degree from the Yale School of Drama. [5] While attending Emory University, Richman was a member of Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity. [6]

Career

Early acting career

Richman's acting career has included guest roles on Guiding Light , All My Children , Law & Order: Trial by Jury , and he portrayed God as a butcher on Joan of Arcadia in 2004. In addition to appearing in regional theater productions throughout the United States, he was also seen in several national television commercials.

Food expertise and travel journal

As a self-educated food expert and trained sushi chef, [7] Richman has kept a travel journal that includes every restaurant he has visited since 1995.

Man v. Food (2008–2012)

Richman began as a TV host in 2008, with the Travel Channel show Man v. Food , which shows Richman visiting various cities and taking part in eating challenges there. Richman's tenure on the show lasted for four seasons, until 2012. (It was revived in 2017 with a new host, Casey Webb.) To maintain his health while taping the show, Richman would exercise twice a day. [5] [8] When the schedule permitted, he would not eat the day before a challenge. He also tried to stay hydrated by drinking a lot of water or club soda and forgoing coffee and soft drinks. [9] For the show's fourth season, it was re-titled Man v. Food Nation , and Richman did not engage in the eating challenges himself, but rather coached others to do so. He stated at the time that this change was not done because he wanted to avoid eating large amounts of food, but rather in order to keep the show interesting. [10]

Richman wrote the book America the Edible: A Hungry History from Sea to Dining Sea, which was released on November 9, 2010, by Rodale Publishing.

On January 23, 2011, Richman appeared on Food Network's Iron Chef America as a judge for a battle with Gruyère as the theme ingredient.

Richman hosted Travel Channel's The Traveler's Guide to Life, which debuted on January 26, 2011, and Amazing Eats , a spin-off of his popular series Man v. Food and Man v. Food Nation, which premiered on January 11, 2012.

Post Man v. Food (2012–2014)

During his time as a competitive eater, Richman gained a considerable amount of weight and became depressed. After retiring from competitive eating, he lost 60 pounds (27 kg). [11] Richman was a paid spokesman for Zantac during Season 3 of Man v. Food. [12]

Adam Richman's Best Sandwich in America (2012)

Richman also hosted the TV series Adam Richman's Best Sandwich in America which premiered June 6, 2012. This 11-episode weekly series documented Richman's "nationwide quest to find the best thing since sliced bread 'on' sliced bread." [13] He ultimately declared the roast-pork sandwich from Tommy DiNic's in Philadelphia's Reading Terminal Market his "Best Sandwich in America".

Fandemonium and Food Fighters (2013–2015)

Richman hosted the Travel Channel's Adam Richman's Fandemonium, which ran for one season in 2013; the series showed him taking part in various fan events around the United States, such as sporting competitions. [14] He hosted the NBC cooking competition show Food Fighters , which ran for two seasons from 2014 to 2015. [15] [2]

Instagram controversy and vegan diet (2014–2015)

In June 2014, Richman posted a photo of his newly svelte physique on Instagram and boasted about his 70-pound weight loss, adding the hashtag "#thinspiration". The post caused controversy because this hashtag was said to be linked to eating disorders. [16] Some Instagram users responded with criticism of the hashtag, and Richman responded to some of them with insults, referring to them as "haters" and telling one to "grab a razor blade & draw a bath". [17] He later apologized, but the Travel Channel postponed Richman's series Man Finds Food , which was meant to begin airing in July 2014, until April 2015. [18] In 2015, Richman told The Independent that he eats a vegan diet when training for soccer. [19] Also in 2015, Richman was a judge on the British television series BBQ Champ , hosted by Myleene Klass and broadcast on ITV.

Recent work (2019–present)

Richman is a leading contributor on the History network's The Food That Built America , which began airing in 2019. In February 2021, he began hosting the History series Modern Marvels [20] and the next year began hosting Adam Eats the 80s. [21]

In March 2024, Adam Richman Eats Britain premiered on Discovery+ in the UK. [22]

Filmography

YearTitleRoleNotes
2004 Joan of Arcadia Butcher God CBS (USA)
All My Children Andy ABC (USA)
2006My Ex LifeCafe Patronuncredited
Law & Order: Trial by Jury Officer Marty Cataldo NBC (USA)
Guiding Light Lurker CBS (USA)
2008–2012 Man v. Food Himself/host Travel Channel (USA)
2009 The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien Himself NBC (USA)
2011 Iron Chef America Himself/ICA Judge Food Network (USA)
The Traveler's Guide to LifeHimself/host Travel Channel (USA)
Man v. Food Nation Travel Channel (USA)
2012 Amazing Eats Travel Channel (USA)
Adam Richman's Best Sandwich in America Travel Channel (USA)
2013 Epic Meal Time Himself/guest YouTube
Adam Richman's FandemoniumHimself/host Travel Channel (USA)
Last Call with Carson Daly Himself NBC (USA)
2014The Trip: 2014Himself/host Travel Channel (USA)
Sunday Brunch Himself/guest Channel 4 (UK)
2014–2015 Food Fighters Himself/host NBC (USA)
2014–2017 Man Finds Food Travel Channel (USA)
2015 BBQ Champ Himself/judge ITV (UK)
Celebrity Juice Himself/guest ITV (UK)
2020–2023 The Food That Built America History Channel (USA)
2021 Modern Marvels Himself/host History Channel (USA)
2022 Adam Eats the 80s History Channel (USA)
2024–presentAdam Richman Eats Britain Discovery+ (UK)
2024 James Martin's Saturday Morning Himself/guest1 episode, ITV (UK)

Personal life

Richman is a fan of the baseball team New York Yankees, soccer teams Tottenham Hotspur [23] and Grimsby Town, [24] and American football team Miami Dolphins (especially their Hall of Fame quarterback, Dan Marino). [25]

On June 8, 2014, Richman represented the "Rest of the World" team in the annual Soccer Aid match against England at Old Trafford, Manchester, in a game that combined former professional players and celebrities. Richman was quoted as saying that he lost 30 kilograms (66 lb) for the game, and cried when he was asked to take part. [26]

Richman faced controversy in the summer of 2014 when in an instagram post celebrating his recent weight loss he used a pro-anorexia hashtag, #thinspiration. When commenters wrote about the problematic language, Richman responded with disparaging comments such as "grab a razor blade and draw a bath. I doubt anyone will miss you." He has apologized, though, this seems to have led to his popular show "Man v. Food" to be taken off the air. [27]

Ties to United Kingdom

Richman has a large fan base in the UK and has been appearing on shows in the region for the past 10 years. In 2024, he remarked: “I think globally British food is largely misunderstood and maybe unfairly maligned… We acknowledge Spain’s impact on food, Japan’s impact on food, Italy’s impact on food – all of which are profound – but people slag off Britain. Then you stop and you go, the sandwich has roots here, Cheddar has roots here, Angus beef has roots in Britain.” [28]

English football

In June 2020 Richman became a shareholder in English football club Grimsby Town; he had also previously put money into the club via a fan fundraising scheme called "Operation Promotion". [24]

Robbery

On October 23, 2024, while filming the second series of Adam Richman Eats Britain for Discovery+, Adam Richman's belongings were stolen from a vehicle at the London Gateway Services on the M1 in Barnet. After wrapping up filming on November 14 in Tottenham, North London, Richman received a notification via the tile tracker app that his keys were nearby, around Muswell Hill Playing Fields. After three hours, with the help of a bodyguard, they were able to recover the items Richman valued most, including a book from his mother and a birthday card from his deceased father. Richman commented on the incident, noting the presence of both negative and positive elements in the situation. [29]

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References

  1. ↑ "Adam Richman on Twitter". Twitter. Archived from the original on August 24, 2021. Retrieved August 24, 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 "Get to Know Adam Richman". Food Fighters (official site) / NBC. Retrieved July 15, 2014.
  3. 1 2 Simpson, Willie (September 30, 2013). "TV Food Star Adam Richman Remembers His Sheepshead Roots". SheepsheadBites.com. Archived from the original on July 27, 2014. Retrieved July 15, 2014.
  4. ↑ Moses, Jeremy (August 28, 2009). "Interview: Man v. Food v. Jeremy " Mixed Multitudes – My Jewish Learning: Exploring Judaism & Jewish Life". Myjewishlearning.com. Archived from the original on November 7, 2009. Retrieved February 18, 2012.
  5. 1 2 Friedlander, Whitney (January 27, 2009). "Travel Channel's Adam Richman digs into 'Man v. Food'". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on January 24, 2009.
  6. ↑ "Adam Richman of Man v. Food Chats with Heeb". HeebMagazine.com. March 29, 2011. Retrieved February 18, 2012.
  7. ↑ Keller, Joel (June 23, 2009). "Adam Richman Hunkers Down to a Third Season of 'Man v. Food'". TV Squad.
  8. ↑ Aromin, Joshua (February 5, 2009). "Travel Channel's 'Man vs. Food' a worthy contender". The Good 5¢ Cigar. The University of Rhode Island. Archived from the original on August 19, 2009.
  9. ↑ Norton, Al (February 11, 2009). "411mania Interviews Man v. Food's Adam Richman". 411mania. Archived from the original on September 14, 2012. Retrieved May 31, 2017.
  10. ↑ "So why Man v. Food Nation? « Man v. Food Nation Blog". Travel Channel. April 22, 2011. Archived from the original on April 25, 2011. Retrieved February 24, 2012.
  11. ↑ Arnold, Ben (September 19, 2013). "Man Vs Food star loses four stone after quitting show". yahoo.com. Retrieved September 20, 2013.
  12. ↑ "Zantac Teams with Travel Channel for "Beat the Heat" Tour". Taste Of Buffalo. May 14, 2010. Archived from the original on January 5, 2011.
  13. ↑ "Scripps Networks Newsroom: "Adam Richman's Best Sandwich in America" Embarks on the Ultimate National Competition for the Title of Tastiest". Archived from the original on July 12, 2012. Retrieved April 17, 2012.
  14. ↑ "About The Show". Travel Channel . Retrieved September 20, 2013.
  15. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (March 12, 2013). "NBC Picks Up Culinary Game Show Hosted By Adam Richman & Produced By Electus". Deadline. Retrieved July 9, 2013.
  16. ↑ Dockterman, Alan, "Man v. Food's Adam Richman Begs Forgiveness After '#Thinspiration' Controversy", Time , July 2, 2014.
  17. ↑ Yahr, Emily (June 30, 2014). "Adam Richman's new show pulled from Travel Channel in wake of crude Instagram rant". Washington Post.
  18. ↑ "Adam Richman's new show pulled from Travel Channel in wake of crude Instagram rant". The Washington Post . Retrieved July 1, 2014.
  19. ↑ Jenn Selby, "Man v. Food's Adam Richman: 'I've been vegan for three months'" The Independent, April 8, 2015.
  20. ↑ "The History Channel to Premiere Season 2 of the Food That Built America". BroadwayWorld. Wisdom Digital Media. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
  21. ↑ Major, Michael (January 31, 2022). "History Channel Sets ADAM EATS THE 80s Series Premiere". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
  22. ↑ "Adam Richman Eats Britain". discovery+. Retrieved November 15, 2024.
  23. ↑ "Man vs. Food star's emotional visit to Tottenham stadium". amp.usatoday.com.
  24. 1 2 "Man Vs Food star Adam Richman buys Grimsby Town shares". Grimsbylive. June 19, 2020.
  25. ↑ "Famous Fin Fan: Adam Richman". miamidolphins.com. Archived from the original on October 24, 2012. Retrieved October 14, 2012.
  26. ↑ Ella Alexander (June 9, 2014). "Adam Richman loses Man vs Food weight and makes Soccer Aid debut" . The Independent. Archived from the original on June 15, 2014.
  27. ↑ Beaumont-Thomas, Ben (July 2, 2014). "Man vs Food star has show taken off air after 'thinspiration' rant". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved September 13, 2024.
  28. ↑ title=Man v Food star Adam Richman says ‘people slag off’ British food around the world |url=https://www.irishnews.com/life/food-drink/man-v-food-star-adam-richman-says-people-slag-off-british-food-around-the-world-GAHU4RQCURLEVFIX6PNJBXEX34/ |website=irishnews|date=March 11, 2024
  29. ↑ Demetriades, Olivia (November 14, 2024). "Adam Richman Man V Food star finds possessions in north London". BBC News. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
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