Drinking Made Easy
Drinking Made Easy is a pub-crawl television series that premiered in 2010[1] and airs on AXS TV in the United States. Comedian Zane Lamprey hosts a humorous bus trip around the United States and Canada, exploring the local drinking culture of various cities in the countries. In each episode, Lamprey samples popular or original cocktails and beers from bars and breweries in the area.
| Drinking Made Easy | |
|---|---|
| Starring | Zane Lamprey |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 61 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Editors | Travis Ford Eric Grabowski |
| Running time | Approx. 30m |
| Release | |
| Original network | AXS TV |
| Picture format | 1080i (HDTV) |
| Original release | October 6, 2010 – December 26, 2012 |
| External links | |
| Website | |
Season two premiered with an hour long episode on October 5, 2011,[2] on HDNet.
Format
Each episode begins with an overview of the highlights of the episode. Throughout the show Zane and his friend Steve McKenna visit popular bars, breweries, and distilleries where they sample different offerings from the establishments. At bars, Zane is typically behind the bar interviewing the bartender, as well as making cocktails with the help of the bartender. At some point during the episode, McKenna (and sometimes Lamprey) will engage in an eating challenge where he attempts to eat a large portion of a signature dish from a restaurant in the area. Sometimes McKenna is trying to set a record at the restaurant, othertimes he and Zane are racing to finish first or eat the most.
Another segment found only in season one is an interview led by Marc Ryan. He typically visits a brewery or distillery on his own, and tries to learn the history and story of the business, as well as sample what they produce.
Zane and Steve hold a competition in each episode called the "Six Six-Pack Challenge" where Lamprey and McKenna face off in some sort of game and bet each other six six-packs on the outcome. The games are usually inspired by the location of the episode or the bars they visit.
Cast
- Zane Lamprey: Host.
- Steve McKenna: Sidekick to Zane Lamprey. He typically accompanies him to all of the bars and breweries, tries the drinks Zane mixes, and participates in the food challenge(season 1 only) and six six-pack challenge.
- Marc Ryan: Correspondent who does his own interviews. Only in season one.
- Wes DuBois: Wears the Pleepleus costume in each episode.
Drinking game rules
The show also doubles as a drinking game, introduced after the first commercial break in each episode. The rules are as follows:
- The first person to see Pleepleus in a shot can make someone else drink.
- The first person to notice a continuity error can make someone else drink.
- Whenever Zane and Steve compete during the show, pick a side. If you lose, you drink.
- When Zane burps, the last person to make the "Good Burp" sign (putting your thumb to your forehead) has to drink.
- When Marc touches someone the first person to say "touché" can make someone else drink.
Eating Challenges (Only in Season 1)
In each episode Zane challenges Steve to an eating contest. This usually involves Steve trying to finish a restaurant's specialty or Zane racing Steve to eat the most of a certain food. The eating challenges were discontinued after the first season. Zane said the reason for this was because he had always won them, which made it unfair for Steve.
| Episode | Location | Challenge | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| S01E01 | Phoenix | Steve has to eat a 5 pounds of Tater Tots in an hour at Chuey's Mini Bar. | Not clear |
| S01E02 | Santa Fe | Steve takes the Fireman's 10 LB Burrito Challenge: a burrito with 10 eggs, 2 lbs potatoes, 0.5 lbs bacon, 0.5 lbs sausage, 0.5 lbs pork, 0.5 lbs beans, 0.5 lbs red chile, 0.5 lbs green chile, 0.5 lbs cheese, and 3 tortillas at Cecilia's Cafe. | Fail |
| S01E03 | Austin | Steve tries to break the restaurant record of 9 breakfast burritos at Juan in a Million. | Fail (6.5 burritos) |
| S01E04 | Dallas | Steve has to eat 10 lbs chicken fried steak with 5 lbs of potatoes at the Cowtown Diner. | Fail |
| S01E05 | New Orleans | Steve and Zane race to see who can eat 100 Cajun spiced crawfish first at Tony Moran's. | Zane (100-79) |
| S01E06 | Florida | Steve has to eat the "Kitchen Sink" (4 heaping scoops of ice cream, covered in multiple syrups, whipped cream, bananas, nuts, and maraschino cherries) at Jaxson's Ice Cream Parlor. | Fail |
| S01E07 | Atlanta | Steve tries to break the restaurant record of 14 peach cobblers at Gladys Knight & Ron Winans Chicken & Waffles | Fail (9 peach cobblers) |
| S01E08 | Virginia | Steve tries to eat eight Stupid Wings at Caliente. | Fail |
| S01E09 | Philadelphia | No eating challenge. | - |
| S01E10 | New York | Zane tries to eat 30 oysters and drink a pint of Guinness in two minutes at Tracks. | Success (1:05) |
| S01E11 | Boston | Steve tries to eat two quarts of Clam Chowder. | Success |
| S01E12 | Chicago | Steve and Zane race to finish a deep dish pizza at Giordano's. | Zane |
| S01E13 | Milwaukee | Steve and Zane challenge each other to eat the most scorpions at Bad Genie. | Zane |
| S01E14 | St. Louis | Steve and Zane race to eat the most fried ravioli in twenty minutes at Blueberry Hill. | Zane (26-22) |
| S01E15 | Kansas City | Steve, Wes and Zane race to eat three BAR-B-Q Sundaes (6 oz pork, 5 oz coleslaw, 6.5 oz beans) at B-B's. | Zane |
| S01E16 | Denver | Steve, Wes, and Tabor (owner) race to eat the most rocky mountain oysters in ten minutes at the Wood Cellar Bar and Grill. | Tabor |
| S01E17 | Salt Lake City | Steve and Zane race to eat the most Jello cups in ten minutes. | Zane |
| S01E18 | Boise | Steve and Zane race to eat the most french fries in ten minutes at Donnie Mac's Trailer Park Cuisine. | Zane |
| S01E19 | Portland | Steve and Zane race to eat the most hazelnut butter and marian berry sandwiches in two minutes. | Zane |
| S01E20 | Napa | Steve and Zane race to eat the most stuffed grape leaves. | Zane |
| S01E21 | San Francisco | Steve and Zane race to eat a sourdough bread bowl and cup of New England Clam Chowder. | Zane |
| S01E22 | Las Vegas | Steve paired with Ryan (from the restaurant) race against Zane to eat the most fried Oreos in one minute at Aces and Ales. | Zane |
| S01E23 | San Diego | Steve and Zane race to eat the most fish tacos in ten minutes at Pacific Beach Shore Club. | Zane |
| S01E24 | Los Angeles | No eating challenge. | - |
Six Six-Pack Challenges
In each episode Zane and Steve challenge each other to a contest. The winner gets six six-packs. Marc always chooses a side before the game begins.
Season 1
| Episode | Location | Challenge | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| S01E01 | Phoenix, AZ | Miniature golf | Zane |
| S01E02 | Santa Fe, NM | Keg foot (keg walking) | Steve |
| S01E03 | Austin, TX | Billiards | Steve |
| S01E04 | Dallas, TX | Field goal kicking | Zane |
| S01E05 | New Orleans, LA | First to finish a frozen drink | Zane |
| S01E06 | Florida | Golf ball driving for distance | Zane |
| S01E07 | Atlanta, GA | Keg throwing | Zane |
| S01E08 | Virginia | Bar shuffleboard | Zane |
| S01E09 | Philadelphia, PA | Race up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art | Zane |
| S01E10 | New York, NY | Beer checkers | Steve |
| S01E11 | Boston, MA | Batting cage | Zane |
| S01E12 | Chicago, IL | Go kart racing | Steve |
| S01E13 | Milwaukee, WI | Bowling | Zane |
| S01E14 | St. Louis, MO | Darts | Steve |
| S01E15 | Kansas City, MO | Beer pong | Zane |
| S01E16 | Denver, CO | Hockey shoot out | Steve |
| S01E17 | Salt Lake City, UT | Alpine sled racing | Zane |
| S01E18 | Boise, ID | Sack race | Zane |
| S01E19 | Portland, OR | Washoos | Zane |
| S01E20 | Napa, CA | Bocce | Steve |
| S01E21 | San Francisco, CA | Backwards keg roll racing | Steve |
| S01E22 | Las Vegas, NV | Blackjack | Steve |
| S01E23 | San Diego, CA | Gold fish racing | Steve |
| S01E24 | Los Angeles, CA | No challenge | - |
| Wins: | Zane: 13, Steve: 10 | ||
Season 2
In season two, the challenge was changed to simply the "Six Pack Challenge".
| Episode | Location | Challenge | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| S02E01 | Maui, HI | Bike race down mountain | Zane |
| S02E01 | Maui, HI | Paddleboarding race | Zane |
| S02E02 | Kauai, HI | While snorkeling, 1st to take a picture of Hawaii's state fish | Zane |
| S02E03 | Monterey, CA | Golfing | Zane |
| S02E04 | Key West, FL | Oyster shucking speed contest | Zane |
| S02E05 | Miami, FL | Play Jai alai | Zane |
| S02E06 | Tampa, FL | Sea-Doo race | Zane |
| S02E07 | St. Augustine, FL | Atlatl (Seminole spear) hay-bale target practice | Steve |
| S02E08 | Savannah, GA | Fencing match | Zane |
| S02E09 | Washington, D.C. | Target practice at a gun range | Zane |
| S02E10 | Baltimore, MD | Lacrosse | Steve |
| S02E11 | Newport, RI | Tennis | Zane |
| S02E12 | Cape Cod, MA | Sextathalon (6-event competition at Cape Cod Brewery) | Steve |
| S02E13 | Portland, ME | The Wife Carry (Carrying a partner around a pond) | Zane |
| S02E14 | Memphis, TN | Clay pigeon target shooting with a shotgun | Steve |
| S02E15 | Nashville, TN | Roller derby race | Steve |
| S02E16 | Asheville, NC | Beer taste and match test | Steve |
| S02E17 | Charlotte, NC | White water rafting race | Steve |
| S02E18 | Charleston, SC | Underwater hockey | Zane |
| S02E19 | Seattle, WA | Footrace to the top of the Space Needle | Zane |
| S02E20 | Vancouver, BC, CA | Footrace up Grouse Mountain | Steve |
| S02E21 | Spokane, WA | Paintball | Zane |
| S02E22 | Missoula, MT | 1-on-1 game of basketball | Steve |
| S02E23 | Santa Barbara, CA | Grape stomping to fill a 1-gallon jug | Zane |
| S02E24 | Aspen, CO | Sled race down a snow hill | Zane |
| S02E25 | Southern California | 200 cup beer pong game | Steve |
| Wins: | Zane: 16, Steve: 10 | ||
Season Three
The first episode of Season 3 aired on October 3, 2012 at 8pm eastern time. The episodes were:
- Episode 1 - Houston
- Episode 2 - San Antonio
- Episode 3 - Baton Rouge
- Episode 4 - Louisville
- Episode 5 - Indianapolis
- Episode 6 - Anchorage
- Episode 7 - Juneau
- Episode 8 - Quebec City
- Episode 9 - Montreal
- Episode 10 - Burlington
- Episode 11 - Providence
- Episode 12 - Montauk
- Episode 13 - Angel City
Future
According to the official website of the show, "Due to the re-branding of AXS TV and despite the overwhelming support of the fans, Drinking Made Easy will not be continuing with a 4th season on AXS TV. While there is still a chance that the show could be picked up by other networks, Zane and the rest of the crew decided to use this opportunity to return to an international format through the new show Chug. Most of the crew of Drinking Made Easy will continue on with the new project and even crew from Three Sheets, like Executive Producer, Mike Kelly, will be joining the team. "[3]
Awards and recognition
| Award Ceremony | Year | Category | Nominee | Result | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The People's Telly Awards | 2011 | TV Program / Segments | Drinking Made Easy | Nominated | [4] |
| The Tasty Awards | 2011 | Best Drink or Beverage Program: Television | Won | [5] | |
| The Tasty Awards | 2011 | Best Comedy Series | Nominated |
References
- "Internet Movie Database".
- Drinking Made Easy [@drinkingmadeasy] (31 August 2011). "It's official! Season two of Drinking Made Easy premiers with a one-hour episode on October 5th. Set your kegerators!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- "drinkingmadeeasy.com/featured/the-future-of-drinking-made-easy/". Missing or empty
|url=(help) - "The People's Telly Awards".
- "2nd Annual TASTY Awards".