My Reality Vice

I have long been anti-reality TV. There are several reasons for this. First, it adds to the voyeuristic nature of our country, and creates ridiculous false celebrities. Two, it adds to the dumbing down of America. And three, because they are cheap, it's damaged the creativity in scripted programming — which is somewhat uneven in America.

In the summer of 2000, I watched the first "Survivor." It seemed like a novel concept and I thought it would be fun. By the end, I realized that reality TV was contrived, and that reality TV competitions would ultimately be unsatisfying because it takes a certain type of person to win. And, of course, those are not the types of people you'd feel good about seeing win.

That's been true, for the most part, as reality TV has expanded. Now, too, we have "America" weighing in, which is even worse. I used to watch "Last Comic Standing" because I enjoy good comedy, but after seeing so many hilarious comics eliminated so Dat Phan could win, I renewed my disgust with the format and the genre.

And that strategy remained blissfully true until last summer, when my sister's friend stayed with me for two weeks. During that time, as I arrived home one day, I saw they were watching a marathon of a show called "Man vs. Food." From the moment I saw that first glorious beef dip sandwich cross the screen, I knew I was hooked.

For those that haven't seen the show, Adam Richman basically makes your mouth water and your tummy rumble for 30 minutes at a time on the Travel Channel. It's food porn, but sometimes that can be incredibly satisfying. (Though I do recommend you only watch while full or eating. It doesn't matter that the food you're eating isn't as good as what you're seeing, it just helps to be eating. Trust me).

Basically, the first iteration of the show featured Richman traveling around the country, showing you great food, and participating in an eating challenge at the end. I could take or leave the challenges, which seem a bit like glorifying our national obsession with excess, but the survey of food was enchanting.

With his new show, Richman is touring the country to find the best sandwich. After watching the two premier episodes on Wednesday, I am already getting travel ideas. Again, just make sure you're not watching it after a day of fasting and prayer.

While I still don't love reality TV, it does have its place. At least when it comes to showing me all the beautiful culinary treasures from cities around the country.

Richman's sandwich search continues Wednesday night at 9 p.m. on Travel Channel!