Andrew Hawkins

Morocco aired for the first three were Morocco, Spain, Ecuador. And I was so proud. And I was like, I can't believe I'm on TV. And by the way, the network only bought the first 10 episodes. Right. And you're just so lucky to get there. And no, so few people get to that point. Even fewer get a second season. Right. I mean, it just doesn't happen to be doing what we do.

Morocco aired for the first three were Morocco, Spain, Ecuador. And I was so proud. And I was like, I can't believe I'm on TV. And by the way, the network only bought the first 10 episodes. Right. And you're just so lucky to get there. And no, so few people get to that point. Even fewer get a second season. Right. I mean, it just doesn't happen to be doing what we do.

for as long as we've done it is super rarefied air, right? And I just remember being overwhelmed with happiness, but also overwhelmed with this feeling of, please let me do more of these. The joy, the personal satisfaction The adventure of traveling. I mean, the selfish, the healthy selfishness part of it.

for as long as we've done it is super rarefied air, right? And I just remember being overwhelmed with happiness, but also overwhelmed with this feeling of, please let me do more of these. The joy, the personal satisfaction The adventure of traveling. I mean, the selfish, the healthy selfishness part of it.

And I had no idea, except through looking back on it, that actually 25 years later when I made What's Eating America, I was like, oh, no, no, no, that's the apex, right? I mean it just – the goalposts keep moving, right? If I had been satisfied with stopping at the first season of Bizarre Foods and just said, you know something? I've reached my dream. I'm putting – it's like knives down.

And I had no idea, except through looking back on it, that actually 25 years later when I made What's Eating America, I was like, oh, no, no, no, that's the apex, right? I mean it just – the goalposts keep moving, right? If I had been satisfied with stopping at the first season of Bizarre Foods and just said, you know something? I've reached my dream. I'm putting – it's like knives down.

That's it. The buzzer has gone off. I would have undersold myself. But I – The next week, what's really, really, really interesting is how lucky we get in life because the next week, the show rated exactly the same number, which was a very small number. Very few people watched the first episode of Bizarre Foods. Very few people watched the second episode of Bizarre Foods.

That's it. The buzzer has gone off. I would have undersold myself. But I – The next week, what's really, really, really interesting is how lucky we get in life because the next week, the show rated exactly the same number, which was a very small number. Very few people watched the first episode of Bizarre Foods. Very few people watched the second episode of Bizarre Foods.

What what networks look at is episode number three. If it hasn't caught fire by then, they're not going to buy a second season, especially in the unscripted lifestyle space, which is the space that I occupy. And so week three, we had a lot riding on it and the number came in. It aired that third Monday of the season. We did not get a great number. It was a few percentage points lower than

What what networks look at is episode number three. If it hasn't caught fire by then, they're not going to buy a second season, especially in the unscripted lifestyle space, which is the space that I occupy. And so week three, we had a lot riding on it and the number came in. It aired that third Monday of the season. We did not get a great number. It was a few percentage points lower than

points lower than weeks one and two, which I think were the same, identical numbers. And that means the audience is not coming back. It means you're not growing audience. It is the episodic number they look at. And all I'm thinking is, well, it was, I mean, I got that first year. I'm going to have to think about what the next show I want to sell is.

points lower than weeks one and two, which I think were the same, identical numbers. And that means the audience is not coming back. It means you're not growing audience. It is the episodic number they look at. And all I'm thinking is, well, it was, I mean, I got that first year. I'm going to have to think about what the next show I want to sell is.

If I want to keep doing this, what else would I want to do? How do I take this first season and get a book deal? I mean, all that stuff is going through my mind.

If I want to keep doing this, what else would I want to do? How do I take this first season and get a book deal? I mean, all that stuff is going through my mind.

Phone rings Wednesday morning to the Jay Leno Show Booker from the Jay Leno Show and says, we saw this clip that was sent around of you in episode three getting spat on, lit on fire, having your whole body break out in hives because you're beaten with these poisonous bushes.

Phone rings Wednesday morning to the Jay Leno Show Booker from the Jay Leno Show and says, we saw this clip that was sent around of you in episode three getting spat on, lit on fire, having your whole body break out in hives because you're beaten with these poisonous bushes.

They were beating guinea pigs, live guinea pigs against your chest until the guinea pigs died, hitting you so hard with a live animal. in this shaman's, basically a brujera, an exorcist, exorcised demons from me in a small little town called Orovalo in Ecuador. And we put it in the show, and I had actually made that scene happen. It was me, a producer, and her boyfriend, later husband.

They were beating guinea pigs, live guinea pigs against your chest until the guinea pigs died, hitting you so hard with a live animal. in this shaman's, basically a brujera, an exorcist, exorcised demons from me in a small little town called Orovalo in Ecuador. And we put it in the show, and I had actually made that scene happen. It was me, a producer, and her boyfriend, later husband.

Friday, I go on the Leno show. You know, we weren't supposed to be shooting that. Everyone was on lunch break. I'm walking around. I'm curious. I go in. I realize I can pay this guy five dollars. He'll perform an exorcism on me. I'm like, Shannon, Mike, let's shoot this. They said, OK, begrudgingly at first and then way into it.

Friday, I go on the Leno show. You know, we weren't supposed to be shooting that. Everyone was on lunch break. I'm walking around. I'm curious. I go in. I realize I can pay this guy five dollars. He'll perform an exorcism on me. I'm like, Shannon, Mike, let's shoot this. They said, OK, begrudgingly at first and then way into it.