Episode list

Glutton for Punishment

Nettle Eating Competition
Stinging nettles are the British equivalent of poison ivy. Just brush up against them and they cause a painful rash. When cooked, nettles quickly lose their sting and taste like spinach. But in the Nettle Eating Competition in Dorset, England, the nettles are eaten raw - with natural accompaniments such as caterpillars, slugs and other nettle loving bugs. Bob must train himself to endure intense pain while attempting to swallow 40 linear feet of raw nettles. Has Bob finally bitten off more than his (swollen) lips can chew?
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Goat Milking Competition
Bob has faced a lot of competitors in his day, but he is about to meet his match - a mean-tempered 150lb nanny goat. Bob must take on this milking dairy goat at the Goat Milking Competition in Pennsylvania - America's Mecca for goat and sheep. To train for the big event, Bob works on a local goat farm, where he learns the proper technique of milking a goat. With his freshly pumped spoils, he'll learn how to make products made with goat's milk such as unpasteurized milk and goat cheese. Then it's time for the contest where Bob must chase down his chosen goat, roll up his sleeves and get the most milk in a bucket in a timed event. Will Bob succeed? Or be udderly defeated?
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Kung-Fu Tea Challenge
The Kung-fu tea (Kungfu cha) ceremony remains an important part of social etiquette in Hangzhou, China. This is no timid tea party though. Combining piping hot tea with martial art moves, it's more like the flair bartending of caffeinated drinks. The server must pour the tea from great height and from behind his back with great flair and precision. Bob's challenge is to master the tea ceremony and then perform it for a tough panel of judges. His skills will be critiqued at the Tai Ji Tea House where the tea master expects one thing - precision.
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Ice Cream Making Competition
In smoking hot Austin, Texas, ice cream is not just a treat, it is a lifesaver! At the Austin Ice Cream Festival, competitors make ice cream the old-fashioned way - by hand-cranking freezing cream until it sets. It takes a strong arm and considerable stamina, but true ice cream purists know it is worth it. In his quest to take home the prize for best new flavour, Bob uses his nouvelle cuisine perspective to re-invent a classic. In true Bob style, he devises his own foot-crank bicycle ice-cream maker. But will it play in Texas?
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Sushi Masters Competition
Sushi has been a treasured part of Japanese culture for hundreds of years. And these days, virtually every North American neighborhood seems to have a sushi joint. In this episode, Bob has five days to learn the intricacies of cutting raw fish, assembling a traditional sushi plate and creating his signature roll. Then he'll go head-to-head against a seasoned group of sushi chefs in the Sushi Masters Competition - a live competition that showcases a mastery of sushi art and style. Bob's mentor has his work cut out for him since Bob has never made sushi in his life! But by week's end, Bob will have to prove that he's ready to embrace the Zen of sushi. Will he come out of the competition with his knife held high?
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Slice & Dice Competition
Bob, a self-trained chef, has never had his culinary skills tested at a culinary institution. In this challenge, he will find out if his knife skills are sharp enough to compete against culinary professionals in a Knife Skills Competition at Kendall Culinary College in Chicago. He will take on the professionals in a triathlon knife skills challenge that includes culinary cuts, vegetable carving and the longest daikon radish roll. Whichever competitor is the fastest and executes with the most precision in the competition is the winner. Will Bob be able to slice and dice himself to victory, or have a dull execution?
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Bagel Roll-Off

Sun, Feb 14, 2010
Bob loves bagels, but mastering the art of the hand-rolled Montreal bagel takes time that he does not have. In five short days, Bob has to learn how to make this legendary Montreal staple from start to finish, and then tackle the toughest skill of the process, hand-rolling perfect bagels, before he goes before the entire team of bakers at the famous St Viateur Bakery, in a challenge to roll 44 bagels in just five short minutes. Bob's arms will ache, he'll be wiping sweat from his brow, and his reputation will be at stake. Can he rise to the challenge, or will he get toasted?
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Potato Peeling Competition
Bloody fingers, cuts, scrapes, and sore hands await Bob as he takes to the stage, grabs a peeler and strives to be the fastest at the annual Potato Days Peeling Contest in tiny Barnesville Minnesota. The inhabitants of Barnesville, one of the best potato producing areas in the US, pride themselves on their spuds. Bob finds himself against some stiff competition. Will Bob be able to beat his nimble-fingered competition?
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Chinese Dumpling Competition
Bob heads to a popular Chinese dumpling restaurant in Vancouver, where he'll have five days to learn how to make dumplings in a fast-paced kitchen where screaming chefs slam out thousands of dumplings a day. Bob's task is to learn the most difficult one -xialongbao (soup dumpling) - a dumpling with a complex filling and twenty-four intricate folds. Later Bob goes head-to-head against Dim Sum Pros in a Dumpling Making Competition at the Night Market in Richmond, BC. Here Bob and his competitors have five minutes to roll and fold the dumplings, steam them and serve them to the judging panel. Does Bob have what it takes or will he end up crying in his soup (dumpling)?
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Coconut Husking Competition
Bob is strong, but does he have the strength to husk the bark off a bundle of coconuts in seconds - with his bare hands? He had better to compete in the 13th Annual Coconut Festival. Bob trains by learning the proper technique of removing the husk from his Polynesian teacher, a master at all things coconut. With his freshly cracked coconuts, he will travel to the island of Kauai to discover the many uses of this delicious nut, from making coconut milk to creating haupia, a traditional Hawaiian coconut pudding used in luau. Will his love of coconuts help him endure this challenging competition?
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Edible Car Race
Bob loves cars and food but he has never combined them together. This changes when he is pitted against elite engineering students in the Edible Car Competition at Brown University, an Ivey league school in Rhode Island. Students build and race vehicles made entirely out of food - ranging from loaves of bread, to butternut squash. Bob sees how the food is re-purposed back into the land through compost and sustainability plans while touring local farms, and working at Brown University's own cafeteria. Can Bob outwit some of the brightest students to create the ultimate speed racer, or will he be left in the dust by a vehicle made out of rice cakes and zucchini?
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Gumbo Cook Off

Sun, Mar 21, 2010
Gumbo, a stew containing poultry, shellfish, and smoked pork served over rice, is a staple in many homes across Louisiana. Bob is put to the test to see if he has what it takes to win the Gumbo cook-off in New Iberia, Louisiana - The Gumbo Capital of the World. They mean business in New Iberia and they want to show this hot shot from Hollywood that he might as well quit before he even begins. Bob's training for the competition includes learning what makes a tasty gumbo from local champs. He also ventures into the muddy swamps of Louisiana to catch the ingredients for his creation. Does he have what it takes to beat these local competitors, or will Bob's perception of "The Big Easy" change when the competition starts?
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Chocolate Fashion Show
There was a time when chocolate was for kids, but in these days of gourmet, vintage, fair trade, rare bean bars, chocolate has become a distinctly grown-up affair. In this episode Bob must master the tempering and blending of his own unique chocolate creation under the watchful eye of his mentor, a master chocolatier. Bob learns the ins-and-outs of the world's favourite confection and then enter his unique wearable chocolate creation into a Chocholate Hat Fashion shown in the Salon Passion Chocolat & de la Gourmandise in Montreal. Along the way, Bob submerges himself into a complex world of chocolate and millinery! Think Willy Wonka meets Project Runway.
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