A third happy viewer added that “it’s always great to see the UK[’s] favourite American back on UK TV”.
He “loves his football” and “sits with ordinary supporters”, according to one person who commented.
However, some fans were not that pleased to see the former food show presenter talking about the beautiful game.
One insisted that Richman is “pushing me to listening to radio coverage every time”, while another asked: “What does Adam Richman have to do with the World Cup exactly??”
Richman, a big Tottenham Hotspur fan, revealed on X that he met footballing royalty Zinedine Zidane this week, and was “shaking” as he told the Ballon d’Or winner that his cat is named “Zizou”, the World Cup winner’s nickname.
And he thanked a fan who described the attacks on him as “slander”, saying: “I obviously don’t put too much stock in other people‘s stupid negativity, but the messages of support that I’ve received really mean the world”.
He was the original presenter of Man v. Food, which launched in the US in 2008 and ran until 2012 – for four seasons, comprising a total of 85 episodes. It was revived in 2017 with a new presenter.
The show saw Richman travel across the US, exploring the gastronomic culture of different cities and the ‘big food’ which he could find there, before attempting a mammoth eating challenge at a local establishment.
Challenges included a 72-ounce (two kilogram) steak in Texas, 180 oysters in New Orleans, and a 30-inch pizza in Georgia – each of those undertakings coming with a time limit of one hour.
Richman before the 180 oyster challenge in season 1, episode 10 of Man v. Food (photo: Youtube / DMAX UK)[Missing Credit]
Richman was born in Brooklyn but his family originates from Leeds. He is proudly Jewish; he told the JC in 2012 that “I still wear a Magen David while I'm eating all these bacon cheeseburgers on TV”.
And in a JC interview in 2015 he said that he grew up being fed his grandma Rose's gefilte fish, his grandma Gildred's meatballs, and his mother Sharron's matzah lasagne.
Viewers can catch him during the World Cup on ITV, which is jointly providing the UK’s coverage alongside the BBC. The tournament began on Thursday and will run until July 19.
