Epic Meal Time | |
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![]() Epic Meal Time logo | |
Genre | Cooking show (food porn) Comedy Parody |
Created by |
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Starring |
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Country of origin | Canada |
Original language | English |
No. of episodes | 350(list of episodes) |
Production | |
Producer | Evan Rimer |
Cinematography | Sterling Toth |
Camera setup | Canon 7Ddigital single-lens reflex camera |
Original release | |
Network | |
Release | October 17, 2010 (2010-10-17) – present |
Epic Meal Time is a CanadianYouTubecooking show known for creating extremelyhigh-calorie meals, generally out of meat products (with particular emphasis onbacon) and including alcohol (especiallyJack Daniel's). It debuted in October 2010, and since then has started to release an episode every Tuesday.[1] It is hosted byHarley Morenstein and a group of his friends. They are now represented byThe Gersh Agency andBrillstein-Grey Entertainment,[2] and have signed withmulti-channel networkCollective Digital Studio.[3]Epic Meal Time won the 2011Shorty Award in the Food Category.[4][5]
The series began inMontreal,Quebec, the group's place of origin, but episodes have been filmed inCalifornia, where guest stars includingTony Hawk,Kevin Smith, andArnold Schwarzenegger have made appearances.
In December 2012,Epic Meal Time spawned a spin-off series titledEpic Chef, inspired by theFood Network seriesChopped. In this series, two chefs battle the 45-minute clock to create a meal using three secret ingredients mixed with a briefcase full of bacon and the featured alcoholic drink of the day.[6][7]
The idea forEpic Meal Time was created when a friend filmed Morenstein eating aWendy'shamburger that contained sixbeef patties and eighteenbacon strips to the theme song fromThe Terminator. They posted the footage on YouTube, where it gathered thousands of hits.[8]
It was from that video that the idea for the first episode ofEpic Meal Time, titled "The Worst Pizza Ever!", came about. In the episode, which was filmed on July 9, 2010, Morenstein and his friend Alex Perrault drove around to various fast food restaurants in Montréal to purchase ingredients for said pizza. The two men purchased a box ofKFCpopcorn chicken, aTaco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme, aMcDonald'sBig Mac andChicken McNuggets, aWendy'sBaconator andfrench fries, and anA&W Teen Burger (bacon cheeseburger) andonion rings. Using a plaincheese pizza they also purchased as a base, Morenstein and Perrault stacked the fast food items on top of and covered the entire dish in cheese, and placed it in an oven to melt the cheese and secure the fast food items to the pizza. The entire meal totaled 5,210 calories and 286 grams of fat. It was posted on YouTube on October 17, 2010.[9] On October 17, 2011, one year after their first video, they re-made their first ever meal, but this time in a cake.[10] On October 16, 2012, two years after their first video, they re-made their first ever meal, but this time as a deep dish pizza.[11]
Morenstein admits the show is "Jackass in the kitchen", andEpic Meal Time's logo is closely modeled after the American stunt and prank show's own skull and crutches logo.[1] An upside-down cooking pot rests on the skull, while the crutches have been replaced by crossed carving knives.
The group filmed a pilot forG4TV.[12] They were formerly signed withRevision3, an Internet-based television network,[13] before leaving the network in July 2012.
Each episode (typically 3–6 minutes in length) features Morenstein as the host. Hisprofanity isbleeped out bybird calls.[1] The episodes are filmed with aCanon 7Ddigital single-lens reflex camera.[14] The episode begins with Morenstein, other recurringEpic Meal Time members, and occasionally other guests, cooking the meal itself. Most of the meals are meat-based, with alcoholic beverages (particularlyJack Daniel's whiskey) and bacon strips often included. In most episodes, as components are added to the meal, on-screencounters display the calorie and fat content of each new addition and of the overall meal. In "Maximum Protein Experience", the group also included a protein counter.[15] In episodes that involve candy and no meat, bacon strips are substituted withAirHeads Xtremes Sweetly Sour Belts, which have been affectionately called "gay bacon strips" due to theirrainbow color.[16]
The episode ends with a group of people eating the meal, often very messily with their hands and sometimes incorporating unusualserving utensils like wooden paddles, a chainsaw, and hockey sticks. Morenstein ends each episode with his "Next time" line, telling viewers what the group will eat next time, which is usually random and completely irrelevant to the show.[17][18] For example, in one episode, he says, "Next time, we eatCabbage Patch Kids."[19]
The mainEpic Meal Time cast members are Harley Morenstein (born July 20, 1985), aCanadian, and his friend Sterling Toth.[20][21]
Morenstein is a former substitute high school teacher fromMontreal.[1][22] He co-created the show with Sterling Toth, who acts as the cameraman.[23] Also frequently involved is Alex Perrault, apersonal trainer whose character, "Muscles Glasses",[14][17][24][23] is known for his reflectiveaviator sunglasses.Concordia University students David Heuff (Cousin Dave), Tyler Lemco, Josh Elkin (Epic Mook), and Ameer Atari (Prince Atari) also appear frequently.[24] Evan Rimer is their producing partner.[2]
Epic Meal Time uses merchandising to raise money for the show, currently selling a line of brandedT-shirts. In interviews, Morenstein and Toth have also discussed the creation of acookbook and aniPhone app.[23] The episodes also contain advertisements, generated by YouTube usingGoogle AdSense. More recently, the group has participated inreferral programs for other companies such asNetflix andGamefly.[25] Most of the referral codes are given through theEpic Meal Time website, though the group has occasionally directly mentioned them in videos.[26][27]
AnEpicMealTime video game was released as anapp on theAndroid andiOS for purchase and download on July 26, 2012.[28] The game is somewhat similar to that ofFruit Ninja and it revolves around one of the Epic Meal Time crew. The playable characters, beginning with Harley Morenstein, eat unhealthy food such aspizza,meat andbacon while avoiding and pushing away more healthy consumables, mostlyvegetables. Gameplay shows the EMT member being fed and opening his mouth to receive the food that flings in from both directions, while the player then navigates the food to go to the member's mouth and pushes away healthy items. The game starts with three strikes and if the player consumes three healthy items, the game ends. There are no "levels" but simply playing for score as "games" are counted every time the player retries. Challenges can be unlocked as well as more food items, backgrounds, crew members and hats.[29]
The show has become extremely popular, receiving millions of views per episode, prompting Morenstein to quit his job as a teacher and Toth to quit his as a graphic designer.[1][30] Morenstein explained the popularity by saying, "In this day and age, I feel like there's a big emphasis on organic foods or a lot of negative media in regards to obesity and stuff like that. We are there eating this, and [viewers] are eating vicariously through us."[31]
In March 2011, Morenstein and Toth won aShorty Award in the food category. The Shorty Awards recognizes social media and Twitter fan-favorites.Epic Meal Time won ahead of Twitter phenomenon Ruth Bourdain and shows likeFood Network'sBitchin' Kitchen.[4][5]
A parody show entitledRegular Ordinary Swedish Meal Time shows a group ofSwedish people preparing traditionalSwedish cuisine in an over-the-top manner.[32] Another parody, "Epic Meal Time – Kids Edition", shows a young boy creating a macaroni and cheese meat lasagna in a similar style asEpic Meal Time.[33]Kings of Kaukau is a parody show created by theHawaiian comedy troupe One Hundred Thirty Plus Zero Creative Team, which combinesEpic Meal Time's style of cooking with Hawaiian culture.[34][35] YouTuberboogie2988 made a parody episode of the show entitled "Francis Meal Time: Mountain Dew Stew" which features every type ofMountain Dew as well as various types of candy and sugary sweets such asmarshmallows andcandy corn.[36]
Epic Meal Time appeared in their firstlate night interview onThe Tonight Show with Jay Leno on March 17, 2011, where they created an "inside-out"shepherd's pie variation (made withmashed potatoes,Kraft Dinner,pastrami,prosciutto,Velveeta,bacon, andbarbecue sauce) that was shaped like a car. Afterwards, actorRainn Wilson, Leno's other guest that night, made an appearance to assist in eating it.[37] Epic Meal Time has also appeared on otherYouTube channels, including a cross-over episode withThe Key of Awesome in "Epic Mealtime Showdown of AWESOME",[38] and in a skit withFreddie Wong entitled "Epic VFX Time".[39] They appeared at the 2011Comic Con, where they performed a live show.[40] In August 2011, Epic Meal Time made an appearance on theDC Shoes promo video "Ken Block's Gymkhana Four: The Hollywood Megamercial".[41] On August 3, 2013, the Epic Meal Time crew appeared on "Shark After Dark" during the Discovery Channel'sShark Week.[42]
On November 11, 2015, Josh Elkin competed in the "Superstar Sabotage" charity tournament on theFood Network seriesCutthroat Kitchen. He was eliminated in the first round, but won $2,500 forAutism Speaks. In March 2016, he became one of the judges onCooks vs. Cons, another Food Network series.
On October 11, 2016, Ameer Atari competed on the Food Network seriesChopped, in an episode whose contestants all hosted online cooking shows. He was eliminated in the first round ("Appetizer").
In 2011, Harley and Darren Morenstein attempted to lock out co-creator Sterling Toth claiming that Toth was not fulfilling his role as cameraman and chief technician, to the detriment of the company. Toth responded to these allegations by taking up the issue in the Québec Superior Court, where he obtained a judgement ordering the Morensteins and Nexttime Productions Ltd. to provide him with a monthly account of sales, salaries and deductions, and obtain signed authorizations for any cash withdrawals from Nexttime intended for them or members of their family.[43] Subsequent legal proceedings were settled out of court, though neither party has alluded to the exact details of the settlement. Toth was no longer part of the company following the lawsuit.[44]
In 2013, Perrault and Lemco left the show; Perrault cited conflicts with Morenstein and his brother, saying, "Essentially, I felt like I wasn't being treated fairly considering the value I brought to the show. Other than Harley, no other member of the crew had any ownership of the company." When asked about his departure, Lemco replied, "Business got in the way of it being fun."[45]
In a video blog, Morenstein explained that he co-created the Muscles Glasses character and Perrault was an actor hired to fill that role. Following Perrault's departure, Morenstein expanded the Muscles Glasses character into a spin-off series titledThe Legend of Muscles Glasses, which chronicles the adventures of different men from different eras wearing the Aviator sunglasses.[46]
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