Ep 1. New Haven, CT

In the season 4 premiere of Man v. Food, host Adam Richman travels to New Haven, CT – a city known for its signature “apizza” (pronounced “ah-beets”) style of pizza. Adam sets out to take on three of the city’s most famous and challenging pizza challenges.

First, Adam heads to Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana, which has been serving up pizza since 1925. Here, Adam takes on the “White Clam Challenge,” which consists of a twelve-inch white pie topped with clams, garlic, olive oil, and grated cheese. Adam loves the combination of flavors, but as he soon finds out, the challenge is to finish the whole pie by himself. Will Adam be able to handle the onslaught of clams and garlic, or will he be defeated by the famous challenge?

Next, Adam heads to Sally’s Apizza, another legendary pizza joint that opened its doors in 1938. Here, Adam tries the “Apizza Amore Challenge,” which is a massive sixteen-inch pie topped with homemade mozzarella, sauce, and toppings of the customer’s choice. Adam chooses sausage, peppers, and onions as his toppings, but as he soon learns, the real challenge is in the size of the pie. Will Adam be able to finish this behemoth of a pizza, or will he be forced to tap out?

Finally, Adam heads to Modern Apizza, a family-owned pizzeria that has been around since 1934. Here, he takes on the “Italian Bomb Challenge,” which is a sixteen-inch pizza topped with pepperoni, sausage, bacon, mushroom, onion, pepper, and garlic. But that’s not all – the pizza is then folded over and baked again, creating a stuffed pizza “bomb” that weighs in at over four pounds. Will Adam be able to handle the sheer mass of this challenge, or will he be brought to his knees by the mighty “Italian Bomb”?

Throughout the episode, Adam also explores the history and culture of New Haven’s pizza scene, which he describes as “a battle of the epicurean titans.” He visits other famous pizza joints in the city, interviews pizza-makers and food critics, and even learns how to make his own pizza from scratch.

By the end of the episode, viewers will have a newfound appreciation for the unique and delicious pizza culture of New Haven, CT – and they’ll also see if Adam Richman is able to conquer the city’s toughest pizza challenges.