Food: Fact or Fiction? — Season 2

Aired 24 October 2016

Host Michael McKean shares the "hole" story of everyone's favorite middle-missing baked goods. See if donuts helped bring about the end of World War I, if the secret to New York bagels lies in the city's water and how bundt cakes went from headlining brunch to saving lives.

Aired 31 October 2016

Host Michael McKean separates the good from the bad on some downright wicked food tales. He uncovers whether beer's spirits were put there by witches, if the pretzel is pious or if its story is full of twists and if the heavenly-tasting angel food cake is really just a little devil.

Aired 7 November 2016

Host Michael McKean chases rainbows to explain how our food's color can leave us tickled pink or feeling blue. Michael uncovers if cheddar cheese is really orange and if color can cause a taste bud blackout. Miss this golden opportunity to find out, and you may be left green with envy.

Aired 14 November 2016

Host Michael McKean gives thanks for our favorite Thanksgiving grub. He uncovers whether the turkey or the country came first, how burnt marshmallows ended up on sweet potatoes and if a lawyer gave up his career to put cranberries in a can.

Aired 21 November 2016

Host Michael McKean opens up a sandwich discussion and cuts the crust off some "deli-cut" issues. He finds out if the sandwich was actually named after a guy named sandwich, the correct name for an Italian sandwich and if the burrito is on the docket of sandwich court.

Aired 28 November 2016

Host Michael McKean minces words to get to the bottom of some famous food phrases. He finds out if the extra muffin a baker's dozen could save a baker's life, what's really so cool about cucumbers and if you can literally butter someone up.

Aired 5 December 2016

Host Michael McKean takes a look at how some favorite foods went from paupers to princes. He looks at lobster's prison past, whether creme brulee was always the cream of the crop, and if champagne's fizz almost burst its bubble.

Aired 12 December 2016

Host Michael McKean takes a look at how some favorite food combinations got hitched. Michael traces the origins of peanut butter and jelly to the trenches of World War II, sees how spaghetti and meatballs went from Italy to America and finds out if chicken and waffles met after a late-night jazz set.

Aired 19 December 2016

Host Michael McKean cranks up the heat on food myths, discovering who invented chili, if hot wings bond people closer together and if "spicy" is just in our heads. Grab the oven mitts and plenty of ice-water to find out if there's truth in these five-alarm facts.

Aired 26 December 2016

Host Michael McKean takes a road trip around the US to uncover the stories behind our favorite state plates, including what baked Alaska has to do with Alaska, who put the Big Apple in New York cheesecake and if the California roll is from California, Japan ... or Canada!

Aired 2 January 2017

Host Michael McKean goes to bat finding out how our favorite stadium goods got tickets to the big leagues. Michael traces the football tailgate to a Civil War battlefield, shows how important the hot dog is to baseball's existence, and uncovers how the difficult-to-eat nachos became a stadium standard.

Aired 9 January 2017

Step right up, as host Michael McKean juggles carnival classics with stories that will amaze and astound. His big top tales include whether cotton candy is at the root of a cavity conspiracy, if popcorn kernels saved the silver screen and if saltwater taffy pulled itself into the middle of a giant legal war.

Aired 16 January 2017

Fasten your seatbelt and put your tray table in the upright position, host Michael McKean is taking our favorite foods up and away. He discovers if there's a scientific reason you may not love airline food, why hungry astronauts tend to float over to spicy shrimp and how a corned beef sandwich could sabotage a space mission.