Man V Food Challenges That Seemed Almost Too Easy

For the most part, the challenges Adam Richman and Casey Webb have faced are pretty darn tough. In fact, some of the most colossal challenges of "Man v. Food" are downright impossible (enter The Absolutely Ridiculous Burger). So, we wouldn't really call any of the show's featured challenges "easy." However, there are some standouts that Adam Richman or Casey Webb seemed to handle with ease.

Casey Webb is a self-proclaimed "Man v. Food" underdog, a sentiment that a lot of fans seem to agree with when looking at the two hosts together. You may be surprised that not all of these food challenges were directed at him, as Richman got off relatively easy a few times, too. Webb is the current "Man v. Food" challenger, while Richman is still very much active in the food world — both men are worthy competitors.

Some of the challenges that made this list may have had the "Man v. Food" champions putting in work. However, there's just something about them that didn't quite meet the bar of a real challenge. From large desserts that slide down the gullet to small but scorching meals, these "Man v. Food" challenges seemed almost too easy for the beloved hosts.

At first glance, Manhattan in the Dessert's skyscraper of a sandwich looks like a challenge worthy of the biggest eater. The stacked layers of corned beef, turkey, pastrami, Swiss cheese, and roast beef look like a cartoon come to life. It's one that Shaggy and Scooby would have loved to gulp down in just a few bites, but it takes Casey Webb just a bit longer.

Webb did triumph over the sandwich, though, and once he actually started chowing down on the meat-packed deli sandwich, the "Man v. Food" host made it look quite manageable. He started by laying the stack on its side, and pulling off mini sandwich sections. There was no time limit on this challenge, but that didn't stop Webb from making quick work of it. It only took him 5 minutes to swallow the bottom layer, which was around a third of the whole thing.

Webb was able to stand and gloat after beating the Manhattan Sized Sandwich Challenge. He even asked, albeit jokingly, for dessert. Most commenters on the YouTube clip of the challenge agree that they'd actually try and beat this challenge, as it looks doable. The hardest thing about the challenge would be the lack of condiments, but the side of coleslaw it's served with could help moisten the sandwich.

Casey Webb has downed some pretty epic desserts on "Man v. Food," but the Tchoupitoulas Challenge at Creole Creamery was seemingly one of the easiest ones. It's 4 pounds of ice cream and toppings, but the eight scoops of ice cream actually looked much smaller than most food challenges. Webb blew through the dense sundae without much trouble at all, minus a brain freeze or two, and became the 672nd individual to beat the challenge.

In addition to the eight scoops of ice cream, which Webb was able to hand pick flavors himself, the sundae was loaded with toppings. Webb chose six servings of fruit plus two servings of chocolate sprinkles. In addition to a mandatory eight servings of toppings, the Tchoupitoulas sundae comes with a mountain of whipped cream, rainbow sprinkles, cherries, and triangle wafers.

The unexpected ease of this challenge likely came from no time limit being placed on Webb. In fact, if he had taken it a bit slower, he likely would have avoided the whole brain freeze situation entirely. However, the freshness and pure artistry of the ice cream added to how near-effortless the challenge is. Creole Creamery creates New Orleans-inspired flavors, like Creole Cream Cheese and Blood Orange and Star Anise, that are made in house.

Five pounds of meat, cheese, and bread isn't anything to scoff at, but Adam Richman conquered this challenge. He was the first to ever try Tony Luke's Ultimate Cheesesteak Challenge, and Richman went in incredibly confident. Claiming cheesesteak is one of his favorite foods, Richman stated, "I don't see how anything can stop me from finishing this awesome sandwich."

Spoiler alert: nothing did stop him, but the cheese did come close. Over half way in, Richman slowed way down, claiming the cheese turned into a glue-like throat block. Despite this, the challenger gave Tony Luke's credit in saying that the meat and sandwich all together was absolutely delicious. Despite having difficulty near the end, the pure enjoyment "Man v. Food" host derived from the sandwich had viewers wanting to take it on, too.

The challenge is made up of what appears to be three hulking cheesesteak sandwiches. Each sandwich, or section, had around a pound of meat each with melty cheese, onions, and a substantial amount of crafted in-house bread holding it all in. He was given an entire hour to down this 20-inch sandwich, but needed less than half of that. Richman's demolition of this challenge combined with its quality taste makes this giant cheesesteak one of the easier food challenge faced on "Man v. Food."

Adam Richman took "Man v. Food" to Tennessee to experience some real Southern BBQ at Sweet P's BBQ and Soul House. The Knoxville meat slingers served up a massive 5 pound burrito. The Gigante is one of the shocking challenges to make this list, due to its enormity and the fact that no one had beaten the challenge before Adam Richman took it on. Still, it only took him a mere five minutes to down half the burrito.

The Gigante contains 2 pounds of pulled pork, and another 2 pounds of toppings, including four tortillas to wrap up all the goodness. Richman takes down 4 pounds with relative ease, as evident in a number of other challenges. However, the burrito is just the main course at Sweet P's. The challenge is paired with a ½ pound of mac and cheese and another ½ pound of banana pudding, which is just about the most dense sides they could offer.

Though he had to pound down a 5 pound, very filling meal, Sweet P's did give him a hefty amount of time to do it. Out of the hour he was allotted, Richman pulled the Gigante off in a beautiful 25 minutes. As the first burrito challenge Richman was ever able to conquer, this makes it one of the easiest burrito challenges he has competed in. Also, it was very likely a golden moment for the "Man v. Food" host.

There are two types of people in this world: those who like spice, and those who tear up at the thought of a dash of paprika. Where does Adam Richman fall? Well, let's just say that one untold truth of Richman is that he can handle the heat of the kitchen. He tends to do the best when a challenge has some kick to it, at least if we disregard Richman's worst "Man v. Food" experience. That's likely the reason why he kicked the "Great Balls" off of Salvador Molly's Fire Challenge back in Season One. 

The aim of the Great Balls of Fire Challenge is a simple one — eat five house-made habanero fritters coated in sauce. Things, of course, get a little more complicated when you consider these fritters are packed with spice and the sauce is referred to as "hell raising." Tho make this hotter than hot sauce, those nearby need gloves, eye protection, and a mask to protect themselves from the second-hand heat. Remember not to touch your face after walking through this kitchen, because even the smallest drop would take you down.

After coming out the other side, Richman earned himself a spot on the "Wall of Flame." Interestingly enough, the wall did not look very crowded at that time. According to the many other challengers who have attempted to eat the Great Balls of Fire (via Reddit), the actual challenge comes after you've won, especially for spice newbies.

Casey Webb is like the "Man v. Food" host that came before him, in that he himself has said that he tends to perform better when spice is a factor in a challenge. Though Superb Sushi specialized in large sushi rolls, their Demon's Delight was famous for a whole different reason. It brings on the pain, in the form of some major spice — right up Webb's alley.

The challenge consists of one bowl of spicy soup, which was made and infused with habanero peppers. He knocked it out of the park with Superb Sushi's Demon's Delight challenge. This "underdog" downed the bowl of "lava" soup in just 23 seconds, and we're shocked he didn't breathe fire after. He followed the feat up with the equally spicy sushi roll and an entire side of Death sauce. He took his last bite, red faced, at just under six minutes.

Sadly, your chance to try this fiery challenge is gone, because this challenge is no longer available. Superb Sushi closed permanently back in 2018. With grocery stores selling top sushi, you could easily DIY the Demon's Delight sister at home — just don't open a portal to hell while you're at it.

It's not often you come across a serving of soup so large there's no dining bowl to fit it, but Pho Saigon aims to impress. Their massive Man Vs. Pho Challenge is served straight to the table in a stainless steel mixing bowl. It takes 12 hours to infuse the broth with flavor, so you know that each bite of this massive pho bowl is singing laments straight to your taste buds. Part of this challenge's ease comes from how tasty it is, but also because consuming the actual broth is optional. Just 2 pounds of meat and 2 pounds of noodles stood between Casey Webb and victory.

This giant bowl of pho is no longer available, as the pho restaurant went out of business in 2020. However, pho is a popular city food and if you find a Vietnamese shop close to you, you can put on a makeshift challenge attempt. You may raise some eyebrows ordering 4 pounds worth of the noodle soup for your own challenge, but glory needs that kind of nerve.

Considering that Webb ate his bowl of pho in under 30 minutes, we'd wager you've got a good chance of victory. Fans who are lovers of pho also reckon they could down the challenges easily. In exchange for filling his belly, Webb received a winner's t-shirt and his bowl as a trophy.

The King was known for his contributions to rock 'n' roll, but also for getting down with a good PB&J. Elvis Presley's favorite sandwich was a Fool's Gold Loaf sandwich, which is basically just an extreme version of a peanut butter and jelly. Succotash in Kansas City, Missouri loads up their loaf with bacon, egg, and cheese. Their spin on the dish employs almond butter and blueberry jam, which all but promises a gourmet experience.

Succotash staff put 30 minutes on the clock for Webb to gobble down the large sandwich, and he didn't disappoint. He took his last bite of the 3-pound sandwich in dramatic fashion, just as the clock ran out. Dinner came with a show, too. In addition to the usual crowd of onlookers cheering Webb on, an Elvis impersonator showed off his moves in support. While this Elvis may not have made the challenge easier, the humorous distraction may have done just that.

As far as prizes go for a food challenge, Succotash has a pretty epic one. Challengers who take on the huge Fool's Gold Loaf in the allotted times will go home with an Elvis-styled cape. Knowing that this waits for eaters on the other side of the sandwich likely makes the gooey loaf all the more easy.

Texas has some seriously big foods, and Lulu's Bakery in San Antonio boasted a supersized cinnamon roll. At 3 pounds, Lulu's gooey pastry was relatively small compared to the other challenges that are featured on "Man v. Food." Of course, compared with other cinnamon rolls, this challenge was monstrous. Naturally, Casey Webb destroyed the 3 pounds of dough and icing, and seemed to enjoy it quite a bit. Instead of shoveling the pastry in like the start of many other challenges, Webb seemed to take a bit more time to savor the sweetness here.

Okay, well Webb did begin by shoving his hand right in the center to pull out the heart of the roll. However, the host did seem to interact with the crowd and camera a bit more during this challenge. With hands covered in sticky icing, Webb took the last bite of this mess of a challenge before his allotted 30 minutes were up. He earned a t-shirt for his sweet win.

The hardest part of this challenge was getting past the extensive frosting that coated the oversized roll. The thick, sugary icing was dense and the roll was drenched in it. Webb's tactic of going for the sweetest part of the pastry first brought on a sugar rush, but it worked out for him in the end.

Hot dogs are a classic food challenge for competitive eaters, so it's really no surprise that Adam Richman is really good at downing a dog. The Roast Grill in Raleigh, North Carolina challenged the "Man v. Food" host to eat 17 chili dogs in under an hour. Considering some competitive eaters can eat dozens of hot dogs in just 10 minutes, this challenge was understandably a breeze for a Richman.

The Roast Grill has been in the glizzy business since 1940, and before Richman successfully guzzled 17 hot dogs, the previous number to beat was 16. Since then, though, a new competitor has upped the ante to a whopping 26 hot dogs. To be honest, though, Richman could have eaten more than the 17 he committed to. He ate his prepared chili dogs with ease, and had plenty of energy left to joke around.

Besides how effortlessly Richman ate his 17 chili dogs, the flavor of the dogs likely made the challenge pretty easy as well. The Roast Grill takes their chili as seriously as their dogs, and the made in-house chili is likely why the hot dog restaurant has had such success.

We're ending our list with another spicy challenge, which we already know that Casey Webb has a leg-up on. Charlie's Five Alarm Fire Burger Challenge from the Little Bitty Burger Barn in Houston, Texas is the size of a healthy burger. Where this challenge pops off is in the sauce, which is made up of some horrifically spicy peppers.

The spicy sauce that tops the Five Alarm Fire Burger is made up of seven different types of pepper additions, all with a different level of spiciness. Ghost pepper sauce and extract is added to fresh habanero, serrano, and jalapeños peppers. Louisiana hot sauce and cayenne pepper are also added to the mix.

Webb had 30 minutes to take down the hellish burger, a time that has been shortened in more recent years. The "Man v. Food" host had an easier time with this challenge than modern day competitors, plenty of which are successful, but he could likely be successful with the modern day 5 minute time limit as well. He earned a t-shirt and a place on the Little Bitty Burger Barn's 5 Alarm Wall of Fame for his masterful performance.