← Food: Fact or Fiction?

Season 2

13 episodes · 2016

  1. 1Hole in One

    24 Oct 2016

    Host Michael McKean shares the "hole" story of everyone's favorite middle-missing baked goods. See if donuts helped bring about the end of World War I, if the secret to New York bagels lies in the city's water and how bundt cakes went from headlining brunch to saving lives.

  2. 2The Kitchen of Good and Evil

    31 Oct 2016

    Host Michael McKean separates the good from the bad on some downright wicked food tales. He uncovers whether beer's spirits were put there by witches, if the pretzel is pious or if its story is full of twists and if the heavenly-tasting angel food cake is really just a little devil.

  3. 3Hungry Eyes

    07 Nov 2016

    Host Michael McKean chases rainbows to explain how our food's color can leave us tickled pink or feeling blue. Michael uncovers if cheddar cheese is really orange and if color can cause a taste bud blackout. Miss this golden opportunity to find out, and you may be left green with envy.

  4. 4Thanksgiving Winners

    14 Nov 2016

    Host Michael McKean gives thanks for our favorite Thanksgiving grub. He uncovers whether the turkey or the country came first, how burnt marshmallows ended up on sweet potatoes and if a lawyer gave up his career to put cranberries in a can.

  5. 5Breadly Combinations

    21 Nov 2016

    Host Michael McKean opens up a sandwich discussion and cuts the crust off some "deli-cut" issues. He finds out if the sandwich was actually named after a guy named sandwich, the correct name for an Italian sandwich and if the burrito is on the docket of sandwich court.

  6. 6Eat Your Words

    28 Nov 2016

    Host Michael McKean minces words to get to the bottom of some famous food phrases. He finds out if the extra muffin a baker's dozen could save a baker's life, what's really so cool about cucumbers and if you can literally butter someone up.

  7. 7Rags to Riches

    05 Dec 2016

    Host Michael McKean takes a look at how some favorite foods went from paupers to princes. He looks at lobster's prison past, whether creme brulee was always the cream of the crop, and if champagne's fizz almost burst its bubble.

  8. 8Power Couples

    12 Dec 2016

    Host Michael McKean takes a look at how some favorite food combinations got hitched. Michael traces the origins of peanut butter and jelly to the trenches of World War II, sees how spaghetti and meatballs went from Italy to America and finds out if chicken and waffles met after a late-night jazz set.

  9. 9Some Like it Hot

    19 Dec 2016

    Host Michael McKean cranks up the heat on food myths, discovering who invented chili, if hot wings bond people closer together and if "spicy" is just in our heads. Grab the oven mitts and plenty of ice-water to find out if there's truth in these five-alarm facts.

  10. 10State Fare

    26 Dec 2016

    Host Michael McKean takes a road trip around the US to uncover the stories behind our favorite state plates, including what baked Alaska has to do with Alaska, who put the Big Apple in New York cheesecake and if the California roll is from California, Japan ... or Canada!

  11. 11Eat to Win

    02 Jan 2017

    Host Michael McKean goes to bat finding out how our favorite stadium goods got tickets to the big leagues. Michael traces the football tailgate to a Civil War battlefield, shows how important the hot dog is to baseball's existence, and uncovers how the difficult-to-eat nachos became a stadium standard.

  12. 12Carnie Knowledge

    09 Jan 2017

    Step right up, as host Michael McKean juggles carnival classics with stories that will amaze and astound. His big top tales include whether cotton candy is at the root of a cavity conspiracy, if popcorn kernels saved the silver screen and if saltwater taffy pulled itself into the middle of a giant legal war.

  13. 13Up in the Airfinale

    16 Jan 2017

    Fasten your seatbelt and put your tray table in the upright position, host Michael McKean is taking our favorite foods up and away. He discovers if there's a scientific reason you may not love airline food, why hungry astronauts tend to float over to spicy shrimp and how a corned beef sandwich could sabotage a space mission.