Woolever and Bowden with Man v. Food Nation Star Adam Richman. Photos courtesy of Travel Channel.
A nearly six pound Black Angus burger with cheese, a head of lettuce, tomatoes and an oversized bun to hold it all together. No problem, right?
Two University of Wisconsin Oshkosh fraternity brothers will have the answer on Nov. 2, when their Man v. Food Nation debut is expected to air on the Travel channel. A viewing party will be held at UW Oshkosh’s Titan Underground at Reeve Union.
Zach Woolever, a senior econ major, and Harrison Bowden, a junior radio-TV-film major, heard about the opportunity to be on Man v. Food Nation and quite literally indulged.
“We made an audition tape right away,” said Woolever. “It all happened in like three days.”
And before the duo could even put together a strategy for how they would tackle the competition for two – a full 12 pounds of food – at Champion’s Bar & Grill in Ashwaubenon, they were headed there. Admittedly, they were a little nervous and a lot excited.
Of course, the UW Oshkosh students were thrilled to meet the show’s star, Adam Richman, who has scoured the country, competing in some of America’s most compelling and over-the-top food challenges. The premise of Man v. Food Nation is to recruit local talent to take on hometown challenges like the one at Champion’s in Ashwaubenon. Along the way, Richman provides coaching for the competitors and tries out other close-in-proximity to Lambeau Field eateries.
“It was really interesting to see how they made the show,” said Woolever, who works at Reeve Memorial Union sometimes starring in marketing videos.
While Woolever and Bowden cannot say whether they completed the challenge until the show airs, they can say being a part of Man v. Food Nation was a great opportunity as a student.
“As a radio-TV-film major myself, being on the show actually gave me a lot of networking options. It was awesome meeting with representatives from Travel Channel,” said Bowden. “Plus, it was awesome working with Adam Richman.”
Woolever said he built confidence through the experience.
The eating duo said they would not call themselves competitive eaters, but they did try to complete the Polito’s pizza challenge locally. Even though they weren’t successful, they still went into the Champion’s challenge with an open mind…and belly.
“We just started eating,” said Woolever. “I can eat a lot!”
The world will see just how much “a lot” is when the episode hits the Travel Channel on Nov. 2 at 8 p.m.
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