TVSquad

Howdy from Pasadena! Anyone who's been following either TV Squad's or my personal Twitter feed has noticed that I've been busy at the first day of the TCA press tour. Cable is up first; today was a relatively light day, with the Travel Channel, Fox Reality, and Turner making presentations. AMC will have a cocktail party later today, where I'm sure Matthew Weiner is going to be bombarded by reporters with Mad Men questions before he even reaches the shrimp spread.

The first panel was for the Travel Channel's ode to regional food and gluttony, Man v. Food. Host Adam Richman and executive producer Charlie Parsons took questions from the critics about their upcoming second season and about why they pick the cities they pick. I love the show, but I always wondered how Richman was able to withstand the quantity challenges he puts himself through in many of the episodes. Richman's answer? A workout regimen that makes him sound more like a GNC employee than a guy scarfing seven pound cheeseburgers.

"The single greatest tool I have is exercise to rev my metabolism," he told the critics. "The night before a quantity challenge I work out like a beast. I combine strength training with running."

He's consulted with hot dog eating champ Joey Chestnut on how to stay fit for his gastric challenges; Chestnut "stressed the importance of staying hydrated," which makes sense, since you need something to wash all that food down. But I've always noticed that Richman does better with the heat challenges than the quantity ones. His food industry training is what's helped him over the years. "I worked with a chef of Indonesian descent; he told me to train my palate to taste pepper not heat. That's honestly what i do. I really enjoy spicy food, just as a taste."

He and Parsons both feel that the show celebrates the "taste" of a city rather than celebrate just the eating challenges. So when confronted by a critic on the topic of whether the quantity challenges are appropriate given the country's obesity epidemic, Richman was ready with a pithy response:

"At no point do I, the network or the show espouse overeating. This about once in a blue moon indulgences. In this economy so too is travel. If you do take steps to stave off adverse effects of things you can truly have your cake and eat it too."

Not sure if nutritionists see it that way. And, Richman may be working out like mad to stay in relatively good shape, but I'm sure some of the plumper and more sedentary among us might take up some of his challenges, and on more than an occasional basis. I'm more intrigued by his heat challenges, anyway (hottest thing out there: the "ghost chili," which he'll eat this season). Cities Richman will visit: Philadelphia, Vegas, Anchorage, and Sarasota, and Springfield, IL, among others.

I talked a little with Richman after the panel; I wanted to know about the extreme measures he took to get the job, why he drank an egg nog shake during one challenge, and if he's going to be haunting the hot dog and diner capital of the world, Northern New Jersey, anytime soon.

Adam Richman of Man v. Food (5:59)