Skip to content
Link copied to clipboard

'Man v. Food' to eat its way through the Jersey Shore this season

Man vs. Food heads to the Shore

'Man v. Food' host Casey Webb with the bahn mi challenge from Lu’s Sandwich in Minneapolis.
'Man v. Food' host Casey Webb with the bahn mi challenge from Lu’s Sandwich in Minneapolis.Read moreTravel Channel

The last time Travel Channel's Man v. Food came through the area, we were a little disappointed in their typical picks for Philly's biggest food. But since host Casey Webb is a New Jersey native, maybe the show's trip down the Shore this season will be a little better.

Webb, who hails from Red Bank and Little Silver, returns to his hometown area for the show's season premiere, which airs May 28 at 9 p.m. on Travel Channel.

As part of the episode, Webb makes stops at places like Asbury Park's The Speakeatery where Webb chows down on its Hand Grenade sandwich, which includes ribs and mac and cheese. At Bahrs Landing in Highlands, meanwhile, Webb takes on a six-pound crabmeat-stuff lobster.

But Papa Pancho Pizza in Edison is the episode's focus. There, Webb competes in the restaurant's Spicy Pizza Challenge, which features a pie topped with extremely spicy ghost chili sauce, for his spiciest challenge yet. It's so hot, in fact, that Papa Pancho's made him sign a liability waiver before chowing down.

"I'm hungry for more of what the country has to offer, and I'm pumped to hit the road to meet new people and take on more outrageous challenges," Webb said of the show via a release. "I want to know more about a city's over-the-top must eats and the people who create them."

Webb came to Philadelphia with the show earlier this year, when showed big Philly eats like Spread Bagelry's Whale Challenge. A 14-pound bagel sandwich with all the fixings, the Whale is big, but it's been featured on TV several times before. Though, he does get props for putting Jakes Sandwich Board's 100/100 — two feet of roast pork, bacon, and cheese — and Mac Mart's Mac 'n' Cheesesteak in the episode.

Previously, Man v. Food came to Philly in 2009 with host Adam Richman, who attempted Tony Luke's five-pound Ultimate Cheesesteak challenge. However, Philly is home to plenty more ginormous food challenges, as Philly native Josh Denny's TV show, coincidentally titled Ginormous Food, showed last year on Food Network — but that show also featured the Whale, as did a 2014 episode of NBC's 1st Look.

So, Man v. Food, if you ever want to come back to Philly, we've got a few picks for what to stuff yourself on when in town, and only two of them are cheesesteaks. After all, the Shore isn't that far away.