I don't know what they are called, but I'm interested in everyone's take on those shows like Man vs Food where they eat gigantic amounts of food?

I have friends that like to watch them, but from my perspective they make me really sick.

I'm sure I can put down my fair share of food, but for whatever reason the sight of someone eating a large amount of anything makes me physically sick.

I can hear stories about someone 'eating 43 hot dogs in 3 minutes' and it will make me physically queasy for the rest of the day.

I would like to understand why they make me so sick actually, it seems odd, because I do like food so much.

Anybody want to weigh in??

IMHO, it's a waste of food and disgusting. I'm glad I'm not the only one who gets kinda sick by these shows.

I feel inspired and awe-stricken. I have always dreamed of being a competitive eater. And since I've had problems with binge eating, it never seems like that much food...

I think they are interesting to watch... not about eating it or calories or anything, just interesting tv to see the different foods and food challenges from around the country

I do like Man Vs. Food, but not for the quantity he eats - I will see that and be dumbfounded and every time my first thought is "What is he doing to his stomach and organs!?"
But the spicy food challenges he eats, I'm all over that Some of them I'd love to try just because I love chilli peppers, curries etc . . . but on sheer quanitity challenges . . . I don't get why you'd even try it, it floors me.

I'm not a big fan of Man Vs. food, but I do love Andrew Zimmern's Bizarre Foods. It's not the same type of show really, but the host eats a lot of food; he travels from country to county sampling the culinary faire. I think that his show is great because it teaches people and children about the value of trying new things, food and otherwise. I love that fact that the host of this show is willing to go to great lenght to experience the food, even if it means a dangerous mountain hike or lengthy boat ride.

I think they're fun to watch. Maybe I'm living vicariously...

I consider watching food shows a guilty pleasure Like above poster, I'm living vicariously.

The spicy challenges are too hardcore for me though. The portion sizes are ridiculous I do admit.

it's a modern day freak show just like a lot of the other reality shows.

I find Man vs. Food kind of disgusting and offensive, but I still watch it sometimes because it's like a carwreck that you can't look away from, lol. It just seems so, so excessive and wasteful, and just the epitome of everything that is wrong with western attitudes toward food. I know that logically there is no way to literally take the extra food we have in North America at any given moment and give it to people in other countries who don't have enough to eat, but even so I still find his extreme portion sizes and waste offensive because it seems like America is rubbing its excess in the face of starvation and hunger.

The other thing is that the vast majority of the foods Adam eats are focused on meat, meat and more meat, oh and more insane quantities of meat (although there have been a few episodes with clams or seafood or sweets/desserts, but mostly meat). Now, this may get me pegged as a self-righteous vegetarian, but I actually really don't have a problem with people eating meat (almost all of my friends do and I totally respect how awesome they are in their choices). However, I do find it kind of irresponsible or unethical for him to take pride in eating like 3 lbs. of meat in one sitting. What foods you want to eat and feel "ok" with eating is totally a personal choice, but 3lbs of meat should be enough to feed one person for an entire week, not just for one meal. Doesn't he ever think about his environmental footprint??? Consuming lbs and lbs of meat every day is horrible for the environment, because meat more than any other food takes far more energy and fuel to "harvest", store and ship, and creates more waste. I know occasionally he has visited diners where they mention that the beef is from a local farm, "cow to plate" kind of thing, but that seems to be the exception on the show since most of the time where the meat comes from is not mentioned. I'm all for eating meat in healthy quantities if that's your personal decision, but with his excess I shudder to think of what his environmental footprint must be like..

Oh, how I love Man vs Food. Adam cracks me up... And I like seeing the little intresting parts of the country and the little divey places that he goes.

Also, I'd loooooove to try some of those "spicy" ones, becase I <3 spicy food. When we get wings, I generally get the hottest sauce, and my DH can't even smell it. But, oh, how I love it, lol.

I hope he works out, .

It's a morbid fascination for me, I can't believe the amounts of food, it just makes me feel good about not eating that much

I love both "Man Vs. Food" and "The Phantom Gourmet" and it's funny, I can watch both shows without getting hungry. I also like the little travel segments on "Man Vs. Food" as well, as travel is a huge thing for me (I have a diploma in Travel and Tourism, so I've always had the wanderlust). I guess I like living a little vicariously, although if I ever get to some of the places Adam goes to on Man V. Food I will probably at least try some of the restaurants he's filmed at (but no challenges). I am going to Niagara Falls for New Year's and plan to eat at the one Canadian restaurant that show has filmed in, and next time I'm in New York I want to go to some of the places he's filmed at in Manhattan and Brooklyn. A friend and I are talking about timing a trip to Boston someday around the Phantom Gourmet Food Festival. I am a foodie, which is why I've had a weight problem, but oddly, as I've mentioned, watching these shows doesn't make me hungry, and that could be because of the fact that I live in a very rural area. My hometown doesn't even have one restaurant, so if I get hungry from watching these shows, there's no restaurant nearby that I can hop in the car and go to. The next town, where I go to school, is about 20 or so miles away, and I am usually never hungry enough to drive that distance just to get something to eat, so that is never a problem.

I love that about these shows too, sometimes you never get to see the local favs when you visit somewhere new. I love Diners, Drive ins and Dives for that reason. Some of the dishes on that show look unbelievably good.

Niagara on New years sounds awesome, I love visiting my friend there every chance I get, oddly enough we never cross over to the US though its right there lol.

^^^Mmm, yeah, I've often thought a lot of the foods on MvF look really good, and I'd like to try them in smaller portions! And often, it is the diners and drive-ins that have the best food.

The American side is worth a look, although all the "flash" is on the Canadian side. I've gone over there to eat, and would like to try the diners MvF visited on the American side, but I think I read somewhere that those other diners are not actually in Niagara Falls, NY, but in other towns a little further away. Not sure if that's true, though...if they are, I'm trying them too!