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Talk to any competitive eater and they'll tell you that, much like a professional athlete, what they do requires training. They work out, watch what they eat, get plenty of rest and hydrate. A lot. Same holds true for someone who eats large quantities of food for a living, as does Casey Webb, who returns for his second season as host of the Travel Channel series "Man v. Food," starting Monday, Dec. 4. In taking on the show's culinary challenges, be they downing a 2 1/2 pound burrito complete with scalding hot sauce or consuming a plate-sized prime rib, he finds having a healthy routine invaluable in attempting something that is by definition unhealthy. And like a professional athlete, a good shot of adrenaline helps, too, in getting him to the finish line. That's where the crowd that attends these tapings comes in. "I kid you not," Webb says, "the crowd really makes a difference between winning and losing and at least going the distance on these challenges. They really bring it and they bring it even more to the point where I rallied when I thought I wasn't going to finish something and I have and I was able to just, let's say, defeat it. ... It's like a gladiator sport of crazy proportions and that's kind of how I'm treating it. I'll walk out into the mega-dome and battle it out for however long – the 30 minutes to an hour I have." The new season takes Webb across the country to locales such as Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Seattle, San Diego, Boise (Idaho), Grand Rapids (Mich.) and Daytona (Fla.) to push his digestive tract to the limit and down meals outsized and overheated. In Monday's season opener, Webb lands in Los Angeles to try the 2 1/2 pound zombie burrito with hot sauce, and Boston to attempt a 4 1/2 pound Irish breakfast. "There's bangers, there's mash, there's eggs, there's blood pudding or white and black pudding," he says with a laugh. "There was fruit. There was Irish brown bread and then sourdough bread and the list just keeps going on. Pancakes. There were things not traditional to Irish breakfasts that were on this breakfast. It was monstrous and once you see it when the episode airs, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about. "It was a spectacle, for sure, and those fans are so great, just Boston fans in general for sports," he continues. "They really came out to support and really rallied me on. You'll have to tune in to see the outcome, of course, but it was exciting nonetheless." Casey Webb What book are you currently reading? "I just picked it up this week for the road. It's Leo Buscaglia, it's called 'Love.' He was a professor and he wrote this book in the '70s about the topic of love." What did you have for dinner last night? "In my neighborhood, I had a chicken shawarma. Really good." What is your next project? "My next project is potentially another show outside of 'MvS.' I didn't give away too much. Under wraps. (laughs)" When was your last vacation, where and why? "I was just in the Catskills for a wedding weekend where I officiated a wedding for friends. But my next vacation that's being planned is back to Pittsburgh. We had just filmed there and I love it so much I want to go back right before the holidays, squeeze it in right after the end of the season. So that's a two-part answer." BY GEORGE DICKIE Webb gets his game face on for Travel Channel's 'Man v. Food' Page 8 December 4 - 10, 2017 On or Off-Site Catering All Occasions Dine under the glow of gas lanterns Breakfast and Lunch Meals also available Open Tuesday through Saturday PICK UP y o u r c o p y a t : t h e h A R T Your source for arts, entertainment and culture news in Elkhart County

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