Eating History is an Americandocuseries that airs on theHistory Channel and premiered in 2020.[1][2] In the series, collectors Josh Macuga and Gary "Old Smokey" Mitchell try vintage foods and related products, such as 1970sFritos, 1913hardtack,Pepsodenttooth powder, andNew Coke.[1][2]
Hosts Gary Mitchell and Josh Macuga met throughYouTube.[3][4]
Gary Mitchell became interested in vintage foods viatobacco: he collected and smoked old cigarettes and other tobacco-related products, giving him the nickname "Old Smokey".[2] This, together with his interest in his grandfather's time in the military, led to eating preserved vintagemilitary rations.[2][5] He started trying a variety of military rations from different countries and time periods and made YouTube videos about it.[2] Through this interest, he met Ken Conley, who suggested that he might be interested in hostingEating History when the series was being developed.[2]
Josh Macuga began collecting old food because of his family: when he was a child, his father and his uncle collected old bottles and other containers.[1] Like Mitchell, he has a YouTube channel.[3]
The production team includes a medic and atoxicologist, who do not allow the stars to eat foods that they deem unsafe, for example because of the risk ofbotulism.[1] The series is produced bySharp Entertainment.[6]
The series has one season consisting of ten episodes.[7]
| No. | Title | Original release date | U.S. viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Brush with History" | March 25, 2020 (2020-03-25) | N/A |
| 2 | "Breakfast of Champions" | March 25, 2020 (2020-03-25) | N/A |
| 3 | "Expiration Unknown" | April 1, 2020 (2020-04-01) | N/A |
| 4 | "Apocalypse Chow" | April 1, 2020 (2020-04-01) | N/A |
| 5 | "Once You Pop" | April 8, 2020 (2020-04-08) | N/A |
| 6 | "From a Galaxy Far, Far Away" | April 8, 2020 (2020-04-08) | N/A |
| 7 | "A Space Odyssey" | April 15, 2020 (2020-04-15) | N/A |
| 8 | "The Candy Man" | April 22, 2020 (2020-04-22) | N/A |
| 9 | "Leave it to Beaver Tail" | April 29, 2020 (2020-04-29) | N/A |
| 10 | "Flavor Explosion" | May 6, 2020 (2020-05-06) | N/A |
Some viewers have describedEating History's premise as a gimmick, but Mitchell says that the series also educates viewers: "There’s so much history behind everything we encounter."[3][8]