Canadian YouTube channel and web series
Epic Meal Time
is a Canadian
YouTube
cooking show
known for creating extremely
high-calorie
meals, generally out of
meat
products (with particular emphasis on
bacon
) and including
alcohol
(especially
Jack Daniel's
). It debuted in October 2010, and since then has started to release an episode every Tuesday.
[1]
It is hosted by
Harley Morenstein
and a group of his friends. They are now represented by
The Gersh Agency
and
Brillstein-Grey Entertainment
,
[2]
and have signed with
multi-channel network
Collective Digital Studio
.
[3]
Epic Meal Time
won the 2011
Shorty Award
in the Food Category.
[4]
[5]
The series began in
Montreal
,
Quebec
, the group's place of origin, but episodes have been filmed in
California
, where guest stars including
Tony Hawk
,
Kevin Smith
, and
Arnold Schwarzenegger
have made appearances.
In December 2012,
Epic Meal Time
spawned a spin-off series titled
Epic Chef
, inspired by the
Food Network
series
Chopped
. 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]
History
The idea for
Epic Meal Time
was created when a friend filmed Morenstein eating a
Wendy's
hamburger
that contained six
beef patties
and eighteen
bacon
strips to the theme song from
The 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 of
Epic 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 Montreal to purchase ingredients for said pizza. The two men purchased a box of
KFC
popcorn chicken
, a
Taco Bell
Crunchwrap Supreme, a
McDonald's
Big Mac
and
Chicken McNuggets
, a
Wendy's
Baconator
and
french fries
, and an
A&W
Teen Burger (
bacon cheeseburger
) and
onion rings
. Using a plain
cheese 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", and
Epic 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 for
G4TV
.
[12]
They were formerly signed with
Revision3
, an Internet-based television network,
[13]
before leaving the network in July 2012.
Format
Each episode (typically 3?6 minutes in length) features Morenstein as the host. His
profanity
is
bleeped out
by
bird calls
.
[1]
The episodes are filmed with a
Canon 7D
digital single-lens reflex camera
.
[14]
The episode begins with Morenstein, other recurring
Epic Meal Time
members, and occasionally other guests, cooking the meal itself. Most of the meals are meat-based, with alcoholic beverages (particularly
Jack Daniel's
whiskey) and bacon strips often included. In most episodes, as components are added to the meal, on-screen
counters
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 with
AirHeads Xtremes Sweetly Sour Belts
, which have been affectionately called "gay bacon strips" due to their
rainbow
color.
[16]
The episode ends with a group of people eating the meal, often very messily with their hands and sometimes incorporating unusual
serving 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 eat
Cabbage Patch Kids
."
[19]
Episodes
Cast and crew
The main
Epic Meal Time
cast members are Harley Morenstein (born July 20, 1985), a
Canadian
, and his friend Sterling Toth.
[20]
[21]
Morenstein is a former substitute high school teacher from
Montreal
.
[1]
[22]
He co-created the show with Sterling Toth, who acts as the cameraman.
[23]
Also frequently involved is Alex Perrault, a
personal trainer
whose character, "Muscles Glasses",
[14]
[17]
[24]
[23]
is known for his reflective
aviator 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]
Income method
Epic Meal Time
uses merchandising to raise money for the show, currently selling a line of branded
T-shirts
. In interviews, Morenstein and Toth have also discussed the creation of a
cookbook
and an
iPhone app
.
[23]
The episodes also contain advertisements, generated by YouTube using
Google AdSense
. More recently, the group has participated in
referral programs
for other companies such as
Netflix
and
Gamefly
.
[25]
Most of the referral codes are given through the
Epic Meal Time
website, though the group has occasionally directly mentioned them in videos.
[26]
[27]
An
EpicMealTime video game
was released as an
app
on the
Android
and
iOS
for purchase and download on July 26, 2012.
[28]
The game is somewhat similar to that of
Fruit Ninja
and it revolves around one of the Epic Meal Time crew. The playable characters, beginning with Harley Morenstein, eat unhealthy food such as
pizza
,
meat
and
bacon
while avoiding and pushing away more healthy consumables, mostly
vegetables
. 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]
Reception
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 a
Shorty 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 like
Food Network's
Bitchin' Kitchen
.
[4]
[5]
Parodies
A parody show entitled
Regular Ordinary Swedish Meal Time
shows a group of
Swedish people
preparing traditional
Swedish 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 as
Epic Meal Time
.
[33]
Kings of Kaukau
is a parody show created by the
Hawaiian
comedy troupe One Hundred Thirty Plus Zero Creative Team, which combines
Epic Meal Time
'
s style of cooking with Hawaiian culture.
[34]
[35]
YouTuber
boogie2988
made a parody episode of the show entitled "Francis Meal Time: Mountain Dew Stew" which features every type of
Mountain Dew
as well as various types of candy and sugary sweets such as
marshmallows
and
candy corn
.
[36]
Appearances
Epic Meal Time
appeared in their first
late night
interview on
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
on March 17, 2011, where they created an "inside-out"
shepherd's pie
variation (made with
mashed potatoes
,
Kraft Dinner
,
pastrami
,
prosciutto
,
Velveeta
,
bacon
, and
barbecue sauce
) that was shaped like a car. Afterwards, actor
Rainn Wilson
, Leno's other guest that night, made an appearance to assist in eating it.
[37]
Epic Meal Time has also appeared on other
YouTube
channels, including a cross-over episode with
The Key of Awesome
in "Epic Mealtime Showdown of AWESOME",
[38]
and in a skit with
Freddie Wong
entitled "Epic VFX Time".
[39]
They appeared at the 2011
Comic Con
, where they performed a live show.
[40]
In August 2011, Epic Meal Time made an appearance on the
DC 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's
Shark Week
.
[42]
On November 11, 2015, Josh Elkin competed in the "Superstar Sabotage" charity tournament on the
Food Network
series
Cutthroat Kitchen
. He was eliminated in the first round, but won $2,500 for
Autism Speaks
. In March 2016, he became one of the judges on
Cooks vs. Cons
, another Food Network series.
On October 11, 2016, Ameer Atari competed on the Food Network series
Chopped
, in an episode whose contestants all hosted online cooking shows. He was eliminated in the first round ("Appetizer").
Lawsuit and controversy
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 Quebec 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 titled
The Legend of Muscles Glasses
, which chronicles the adventures of different men from different eras wearing the Aviator sunglasses.
[46]
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b
c
d
e
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.
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2011
.
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.
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. Retrieved
17 February
2011
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- ^
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. Retrieved
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2 May
2011
.
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Friar, Christine (25 April 2011).
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.
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2011
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"
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.
- ^
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"
'Epic Chef,' Food Competition Show From Epic Meal Time, Features Talented Chefs And Gross Challenges (VIDEO)"
.
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.
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.
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(YouTube)
(Television production). Canada: Epic Meal Time
. Retrieved
16 February
2011
.
- ^
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Fast Food Pizza Cake
(YouTube)
(Television production). United States: Epic Meal Time
. Retrieved
18 October
2011
.
- ^
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Fast Food Pizza Cake
(YouTube)
(Television production). United States: Epic Meal Time
. Retrieved
18 October
2011
.
- ^
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"Pilot Announcement"
.
Twitter
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2011
.
- ^
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. Revision3. Archived from
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.
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. Retrieved
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2011
.
- ^
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. Retrieved
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2011
.
- ^
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Candy BBQ
(Television production). Epic Meal Time
. Retrieved
19 October
2011
.
- ^
a
b
"Epic Quebecois Time"
. The Score
. Retrieved
19 April
2011
.
[
permanent dead link
]
- ^
"Meatball Deathstar"
. Epic Meal Time
. Retrieved
5 May
2011
.
- ^
Morenstein, Harley (host); Toth, Sterling (cinematographer) (1 February 2011).
The Sloppy Roethlisberger
(Television production). Epic Meal Time
. Retrieved
27 October
2011
.
- ^
Horowitz, Julia (25 January 2011).
"Montrealers grab YouTube fame with Epic Meal Time"
.
The Brock Press
. Archived from
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on August 4, 2013
. Retrieved
August 19,
2011
.
{{
cite web
}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (
link
)
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"Men gone wild -with food"
.
The Gazette
. Archived from
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on September 2, 2012
. Retrieved
August 19,
2011
.
{{
cite web
}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
link
) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (
link
)
- ^
Katz, Neil (27 January 2011).
"Epic Mealtime's 87,000 Calorie "Slaughterhouse" is Probably Worst Thing You Could Ever Eat"
.
CBS News
. Retrieved
17 February
2011
.
- ^
a
b
c
Forbes, Paula (20 January 2011).
"Epic Meal Time: A Bunch of Dudes, Just Making it Happen"
.
Eater National
. Retrieved
17 February
2011
.
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a
b
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"Montrealers grab YouTube fame with Epic Meal Time"
.
The Brock Press
. Archived from
the original
on 15 February 2013
. Retrieved
17 February
2011
.
- ^
"Epic Deals"
. Epic Meal Time. Archived from
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on 23 June 2011
. Retrieved
8 June
2011
.
- ^
Morenstein, Harley (host), Toth, Sterling (cinematographer) (24 May 2011).
Ninja Turtle Soup
(Television production). Epic Meal Time. Event occurs at 1:50.
- ^
Morenstein, Harley (host), Toth, Sterling (cinematographer) (6 June 2011).
Epic Hors D'Oeuvres
(Television production). Epic Meal Time. Event occurs at 3:14.
- ^
Molecube.
"Epic Meal Time - Android Apps on Google Play"
.
google.com
. Archived from
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on 12 November 2014
. Retrieved
22 January
2015
.
- ^
George Wong.
"Epic Meal Time game now on Android and iOS"
.
Ubergizmo
. Retrieved
22 January
2015
.
- ^
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.
The Suburban
. Archived from
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on 2 March 2011
. Retrieved
20 April
2011
.
- ^
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.
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. 14 January 2011
. Retrieved
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.
- ^
Forbes, Paula (24 January 2011).
"Regular Ordinary Swedish Meal Time Spoofs Epic Meal Time"
.
Eater National
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17 February
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"Parody: Epic Meal Time (Kids Edition)"
.
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. Retrieved
29 April
2011
.
- ^
"Video : 'Epic' Manupua"
.
hawaiiweblog.com
. 12 April 2011.
- ^
"Epic Kaukau Time"
. Eater.com. Archived from
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on 1 October 2011
. Retrieved
2 June
2011
.
- ^
"Francis Meal Time - Mountain Dew Stew (Epic Meal Time Parody)"
.
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. Retrieved
22 January
2015
.
- ^
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"Epic Meal Time Do Leno, Make Giant Meat Car"
.
Urlesque
. Archived from
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. Retrieved
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2011
.
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"Epic Mealtime Showdown of AWESOME"
.
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. Retrieved
24 January
2011
.
- ^
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. Stuff I Stole from the Internet. Archived from
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. Archived from
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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