To the best of my understanding, the Student Association Programming Board (SAPB) is under fire due to a controversial figure they brought to the University recently to ‘perform.’

It seemed like it was Snooki vs. The World, and nobody seemed to be cutting her ‘ or the SAPB ‘ any slack. But now that her 15 minutes at Binghamton have come and gone, it’s time to look ahead to BU’s next guest performer and perhaps, once again, to let the controversy ensue.

It was announced last week that Adam Richman, the star of the Travel Channel’s ‘Man v. Food,’ would be coming to campus to speak in mid-November.

For those of you unfamiliar with the show, Richman is a food enthusiast who tours eating establishments across the country, seeking out and taking on the most outrageous eating challenges he can find. Whether he tests his ability to withstand immeasurable spice and heat or pushes his stomach capacity to unfathomable limits, the show is always a nice (and sometimes disgusting) pleasure.

But if students were looking to stir up some controversy, they should take their blinders off and look past the Seaside Heights boardwalk, and toward Adam Richman.

As American obesity becomes an epidemic and many nations across the world still endure famine and hunger, bringing the star of ‘Man v. Food’ to campus just seems to send the wrong message.

Now, Adam Richman is no Nicole Polizzi. He received his undergraduate degree from Emory University and earned a master’s degree from the Yale School of Drama. He is, in a word, smart.

The subject matter of his show, however, is the unnerving part. It is a true representation of American gluttony. Richman stomachs unthinkable quantities of food as droves of locals flock to cheer him on.

And it seems that the Travel Channel was incredibly self-aware in their decision to hire Richman to host the show. His impish charm and charisma makes an audience forget all about the gluttony the show represents; his ‘everyman’ image makes him a sympathetic character, and it’s almost heartbreaking when he loses a challenge.

Adam Richman has pulled off quite a con. It seems he’s duped everyone, the SAPB and myself included, into believing that the subject matter of ‘Man v. Food’ is ethically sound.

It’s worth mentioning that I’m an avid fan of ‘Man v. Food’ and that most of my devotion can be accredited to my affinity toward Richman himself. As a fellow husky, Jewish performing artist/food enthusiast from the downstate New York area, I wouldn’t mind being where Richman is in 15 years.

I was ecstatic when I sat in the Glenn G. Bartle Library, reading the SAPB e-mail that announced Richman’s performance. I was lucky enough to be in a sound-proof group study room on the fourth floor of the Bartle Library, otherwise I might have broken every rule of library etiquette in the book.

What happens on ‘Man v. Food,’ though thoroughly entertaining, is not ethically sound. As good an entertainer as Adam Richman is, should we be paying good money to bring someone to our campus who represents what many would consider a deplorable activity?

It’s a question that many students here might be contemplating, which may be why there hasn’t been public outcry yet.

It was easy to take a stance on Snooki. With a character so polarizing, it’s obvious that someone would either love or hate her. Opposition was able to conglomerate and act quickly.

Not so with Adam Richman. He’s a generally likable guy and people may find it difficult to separate the man from the program he represents. It was a problem nobody seemed to have in judging Snooki.

I’ll probably wind up attending the Adam Richman event, but with some trepidation. If you’re a fan of Richman and the show, I recommend you do the same. But remember what ‘Man v. Food’ represents, and unlike the spirit of the show, take it with a single grain of salt.