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On the August 3 Celebrity Catch Up: Life After That Thing I Did podcast episode, Man v. Food star Adam Richman opened up about his near-death experience in 2018. The 48-year-old recalled how he figured something was wrong at a Michelin event in Zurich in 2018.
Richman disclosed on the podcast that he'd found a growth in one of his mustache follicles that swelled up like a pimple. Later, the actor and television personality revealed that the infection caused his lips to inflate to the size of a banana.
The Brooklyn native, who is best known as the host of several food challenge programs, including Travel channel’s Man v. Food, added that the complication stemmed from the Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection.
Adam Richman’s life-threatening infection in 2018
According to the TV presenter, he contracted the staph infection in Zurich, Switzerland, in 2018. In his interview on the Celebrity Catch Up: Life After That Thing I Did podcast, Adam Richman further revealed:
“One of my mustache follicles just looked like a pimple and it was just not healing well. I'd gone to a doctor and then eventually my lip inflated like a banana - it was grotesque. I remember I went to tear a piece of medical tape and I couldn't get to my teeth.”
Adam Richman was treated with surgical intervention along with multiple antibiotics to ward off the infection. At the time, he was reportedly told about how the infection could become intracranial and possibly spread to his brain.
Richman was informed that the infection located on his mustache follicle was in a region known as “danger triangle” as it could migrate to the cranium, leading to a life-threatening situation.
However, as per the food enthusiast, Richman is still not sure about the cause behind his MRSA infection. He said:
“The doctor said it could have been anything from a water glass to a hotel towel, shaking someone's hand and then invariably (touching my face). There's any number of ways.”
Rickman further added how dire the situation would have been if he had not recovered properly, saying:
“At the moment, it never felt like 'you're going to die' - it was never something that they posited, but it was always sort of understood. I think they didn't want to freak me out.”
What is MRSA infection?
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), aka MRSA super bug, is a group of bacteria that causes staph infection. They are extremely difficult to treat as the bacterias are extremely resilient and develop a certain resistance to many antibiotics.
The MRSA infection can spread severely if left untreated and can even cause sepsis. This can escalate to a life-threatening emergency which can trigger the immune system, resulting in other organs being affected.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):
“Anyone can get MRSA. The risk increases with activities or places that involve crowding, skin-to-skin contact, and shared equipment or supplies. Some of the people who carry MRSA can go on to get a MRSA infection. Non-intact skin, such as when there are abrasions or incisions, is often the site of an MRSA infection.”
What happened to Adam Richman after Man v. Food?
After being the presenter of Travel Channel’s hit show Man V. Food, which started in 2008, Adam Richman departed the show in 2012 following his 88th episode. At the time, there had been speculations that Richman had departed the show over health concerns. However, the former host reportedly denied such claims.
A year after he left the show, Adam Richman opened up to PEOPLE magazine and expressed how he had lost 60lbs since his departure from Man v. Food, saying:
“People expect me to order the biggest, richest dish, but it's nice saying no. I'm no human Dyson.”
Following the end of Adam Richman’s run on Man v. Food, the TV presenter hosted several food-documentary series, which included Man Finds Food, Modern Marvels, and The Food That Built America, among numerous others.
