Eating History is an American docuseries that airs on the History 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 1970s Fritos, 1913 hardtack, Pepsodent tooth powder, and New Coke.[1][2]
Cast and crew
editHosts Gary Mitchell and Josh Macuga met through YouTube.[3][4]
Gary Mitchell became interested in vintage foods via tobacco: 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 vintage military 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 hosting Eating 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 a toxicologist, who do not allow the stars to eat foods that they deem unsafe, for example because of the risk of botulism.[1] The series is produced by Sharp Entertainment.[6]
Episodes
editThe series has one season consisting of ten episodes.[7]
| No. | Title | Original air date | U.S. viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Brush with History" | March 25, 2020 | N/A |
| 2 | "Breakfast of Champions" | March 25, 2020 | N/A |
| 3 | "Expiration Unknown" | April 1, 2020 | N/A |
| 4 | "Apocalypse Chow" | April 1, 2020 | N/A |
| 5 | "Once You Pop" | April 8, 2020 | N/A |
| 6 | "From a Galaxy Far, Far Away" | April 8, 2020 | N/A |
| 7 | "A Space Odyssey" | April 15, 2020 | N/A |
| 8 | "The Candy Man" | April 22, 2020 | N/A |
| 9 | "Leave it to Beaver Tail" | April 29, 2020 | N/A |
| 10 | "Flavor Explosion" | May 6, 2020 | N/A |
Reception
editSome viewers have described Eating 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]
References
edit- ^ a b c d "Josh Macuga dares to munch old food in Eating History". ocanada. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f Lynch, Bill. "WV man taking a bite out of history -- literally". Charleston Gazette-Mail. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
- ^ a b c Moore, Camille (24 April 2020). "10 Things You Didn't Know about Eating History". TVOvermind. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
- ^ Neale, April (25 March 2020). "Eating History Josh Macuga interview exclusive, why foods of yesteryear fascinate us all". Monsters and Critics. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
- ^ "Old Smokey – Eating History Cast | HISTORY Channel". The HISTORY Channel. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
- ^ "A+E Networks". www.aenetworks.com. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
- ^ "Eating History". TVGuide.com. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
- ^ Stezano, Martin. "Chewing the Fat with Eating History's Josh and Old Smokey". The HISTORY Channel. Retrieved 7 April 2022.