# TV shows that never show anyone eating or drinking. Read full OP for more info **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 13, 2018, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-never-show-anyone-eating-or-drinking-read-full-op-for-more-info/817842 "2018-07-13T15:42:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Textual\_Assault](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/34f0e0/32.png) [@Textual\_Assault](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Textual_Assault)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2018, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-never-show-anyone-eating-or-drinking-read-full-op-for-more-info/817842/1 "2018-07-13T15:42:30Z")
What tv shows have NEVER shown anyone eating or drinking. Now I know that on dramas and sitcoms they don’t actually swallow, at least not most of the time, and have spit buckets next to them, but the whole fake drinking and eating thing counts for this thread. You don’t like that, too bad. The only one I could think of was _The Joy of Painting with Bob Ross_, but I don’t know if he ever painted a horse taking a drink or something. Oh, animals count, so the contestants in the Puppy Bowl are drinking, so that show doesn’t make the cut. ---
**Author:** ![DavidwithanR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@DavidwithanR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidwithanR)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2018, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-never-show-anyone-eating-or-drinking-read-full-op-for-more-info/817842/2 "2018-07-13T16:09:24Z")
I’m guessing that, by your oddly strict criteria, any show that includes a live fish would be automatically out, because a fish takes water in through its mouth? Ha! I have it! There is NEVER any eating or drinking in an animated show, because it’s pictures. If you’re going to be as literal as you are, then I’m going to be literal right back. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2018, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-never-show-anyone-eating-or-drinking-read-full-op-for-more-info/817842/3 "2018-07-13T16:11:08Z")
Anything on the Weather Channel or the Home Shopping Network. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2018, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-never-show-anyone-eating-or-drinking-read-full-op-for-more-info/817842/4 "2018-07-13T16:12:29Z")
> [@Textual\_Assault](#): > > The only one I could think of was _The Joy of Painting with Bob Ross_, but I don’t know if he ever painted a horse taking a drink or something. If you’re going to allow non-fiction shows like this, then examples will abound. Most game and lottery shows, most educational-instructional shows, and a good number of news programs and talk shows have probably never shown someone eating or drinking. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2018, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-never-show-anyone-eating-or-drinking-read-full-op-for-more-info/817842/5 "2018-07-13T16:14:21Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Anything on the Weather Channel or the Home Shopping Network. Man you’ve never watched the Home Shopping Network. They sell prepackaged food, and they sell kitchen implements - which are sold via the tactic of showing what you can cook with the stuff, live. Those people eat well on air! ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2018, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-never-show-anyone-eating-or-drinking-read-full-op-for-more-info/817842/6 "2018-07-13T16:16:12Z")
sort of related: for a long time TV never mentioned anyone going to the bathroom but All in the Family had the noise of the toilet flushing and characters talking about going to the bathroom. That might have been one of the first bathroom related scenes ---
**Author:** ![Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/channing_idaho_banks/32/250_2.png) [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Channing_Idaho_Banks)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2018, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-never-show-anyone-eating-or-drinking-read-full-op-for-more-info/817842/7 "2018-07-13T16:32:04Z")
whenever I see people on TV they tend to be talking with their mouth full. What director thought this would be a good idea? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2018, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-never-show-anyone-eating-or-drinking-read-full-op-for-more-info/817842/8 "2018-07-13T17:58:06Z")
> [@DavidwithanR](#): > > Ha! I have it! There is NEVER any eating or drinking in an animated show, because it’s pictures. If you’re going to be as literal as you are, then I’m going to be literal right back. 🙂 Well, not to be _anal_ about it, but… there was a Halloween episode of _The Simpsons_ where Bart and Lisa were trapped inside the television and being chased by Itchy and Scratchy while Homer handled the remote and flipped through the channels. At one point the animated Bart and Lisa and Itchy and Scratchy literally crashed the live-action _Live with Regis and Kathie Lee_, landing in a large pot of soup which splashed both hosts. It is not inconceivable that one or the other accidentally swallowed some of it. ---
**Author:** ![Serenata67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/serenata67/32/10646_2.png) [@Serenata67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Serenata67)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2018, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-never-show-anyone-eating-or-drinking-read-full-op-for-more-info/817842/9 "2018-07-13T18:56:13Z")
I would think most game shows fit in this category. I’ve never seen Alex Trebek chow down between clues. I don’t think Pat Sajak is sipping tea on air. Family Feud may have categories about food, but no one eats on the show. Yes, Match Game has always had celebs drinking their asses off on air, but most game shows don’t have people eating/drinking on air. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2018, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-never-show-anyone-eating-or-drinking-read-full-op-for-more-info/817842/10 "2018-07-13T19:12:56Z")
Does anyone on Meet the Press ever drink from a mug on camera? ---
**Author:** ![Textual\_Assault](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/34f0e0/32.png) [@Textual\_Assault](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Textual_Assault)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2018, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-never-show-anyone-eating-or-drinking-read-full-op-for-more-info/817842/11 "2018-07-16T18:31:51Z")
> [@psychonaut](#): > > If you’re going to allow non-fiction shows like this, then examples will abound. Most game and lottery shows, most educational-instructional shows, and a good number of news programs and talk shows have probably never shown someone eating or drinking. an Actually you’d be surprised how many talk shows have shown someone drinking. Mind you I’m not talking about about a segment devoted to beer or winemaking or whatever, but something like Meet The Press where the camera catches one of the panelists sipping from the Meet The Press mug in front of them. As for news programs, seriously? setting aside that any number of local news shows have a “New hot restaurant in town” segment, invariably around the July 4 there will be news stories about the Nathan’s contest complete with gross out footage of the people chawing down. As for educational instructional shows, if you are referring to kids stuff like Sesame Street/Mister Rogers you’re wrong. Actually I just thought of a couple more, “20 Minute Workout” and the yoga/exercise shows that are on early on PBS. ---
**Author:** ![Textual\_Assault](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/34f0e0/32.png) [@Textual\_Assault](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Textual_Assault)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2018, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-never-show-anyone-eating-or-drinking-read-full-op-for-more-info/817842/12 "2018-07-16T18:37:12Z")
> [@DavidwithanR](#): > > I’m guessing that, by your oddly strict criteria, any show that includes a live fish would be automatically out, because a fish takes water in through its mouth? > Ha! I have it! There is NEVER any eating or drinking in an animated show, because it’s pictures. If you’re going to be as literal as you are, then I’m going to be literal right back. 🙂 No you aren’t being literal, you’re being nit picky AND annoying, not cute. And obviously you think your post is just the cutest and most hilarious thing ever. It wasn’t. But to counter counter your counter point, why wouldn’t animated shows count? There are millions of people who ‘treat’ shows like the Simpsons as if the characters are real. As for fish, they have to take water in through their mouths in order to stay alive. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2018, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-never-show-anyone-eating-or-drinking-read-full-op-for-more-info/817842/13 "2018-07-16T19:49:20Z")
> [@Textual\_Assault](#): > > No you aren’t being literal, you’re being nit picky AND annoying, not cute. And obviously you think your post is just the cutest and most hilarious thing ever. > > It wasn’t. Stop by sometime and I’ll explain the meaning of inoffensive, lighthearted humor. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2018, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-never-show-anyone-eating-or-drinking-read-full-op-for-more-info/817842/14 "2018-07-16T20:22:00Z")
> [@Textual\_Assault](#): > > As for news programs, seriously? setting aside that any number of local news shows have a “New hot restaurant in town” segment, invariably around the July 4 there will be news stories about the Nathan’s contest complete with gross out footage of the people chawing down. I was not thinking of hour-long newscasts, but more the kind sandwiched in between programs at the top of the hour, where it’s just a reporter at a desk with no cuts to on-location footage. Maybe this sort of program isn’t common where you live but they are (or were) not unusual on some European networks. > [@](#): > > As for educational instructional shows, if you are referring to kids stuff like Sesame Street/Mister Rogers you’re wrong. No, I’m not. I’m thinking more along the lines of Bob Ross or the exercise shows you mentioned. There are also plenty of distance learning shows for higher education that consist of nothing more than a mathematician or scientist scribbling lecture notes, diagrams, and equations on a chalkboard. Sometimes there is no live action at all; the material are displayed using computer imagery with a voice-over. ---
**Author:** ![Chingon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chingon/32/17645_2.png) [@Chingon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chingon)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2018, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-never-show-anyone-eating-or-drinking-read-full-op-for-more-info/817842/15 "2018-07-16T20:29:48Z")
Bob Ross feeds some squirrels in an episode. ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2018, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-never-show-anyone-eating-or-drinking-read-full-op-for-more-info/817842/16 "2018-07-16T21:51:52Z")
> [@Textual\_Assault](#): > > As for fish, they have to take water in through their mouths in order to stay alive. Well sure, but so do I. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2018, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-never-show-anyone-eating-or-drinking-read-full-op-for-more-info/817842/17 "2018-07-16T22:36:51Z")
**Textual Assault** , if you start a nitpicky thread, you’re going to get nitpicky replies. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2018, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-shows-that-never-show-anyone-eating-or-drinking-read-full-op-for-more-info/817842/18 "2018-07-17T00:20:44Z")
The _Yule Log_ show.