Adam Richman transitioned from 'Man v. Food' to 'Man v. Food Nation' (Wednesdays, 9PM on Travel) at least partly so he wouldn't have to keep facing America's food challenges by himself. He got more help than usual when he recruited some of the Harlem Globetrotters to face a challenge called "The Squealer" at the Rack & Soul in Harlem.

The Squealer is, as Richman put it, "an ultra-spicy sandwich." The spicy part comes not from hot sauce, but from a liquefied pure pepper extract, which gave all three Globetrotters a reason to pause after just one bite. As they went on, the Squealer burnt their lips and throats, and one Globetrotter said it felt "like hell."

Conan O'Brien is one lucky son of a bitch. He may have lost one of the greatest jobs in the history of show business but he's got more awesome offers on his plate right now than Anthony Bourdain at an all-you-can-eat exotic animal buffet.

He's gotten an offer to appear on next season's Sons of Anarchy as an IRA tough guy. A station in Fargo, North Dakota wants him to be the sidekick on their wacky morning zoo show. He's been offered his own starring role in a porno film. That last one doesn't say if they'll also get Andy Richter as a "package" deal (insert "bow-chika-wow-wow" music here).

This one may just be the most awesome of them all. The Washington Generals have offered both Conan and Andy a starting spot on this season's team against the world famous Harlem Globetrotters. Conan, if you don't take this offer, I WILL.

(S15E07) Poor Ericka. In tonight's episode of The Amazing Race, she didn't look quite like Miss America. Stress will do that to you. It seems each week a team or two make what might be a fatal error in the game. Oh, not something that could kill them -- just one which could lead to being Philiminated. This leg wasn't only tough on Brian and Ericka. One of the Globetrotters had to don a dress. Thankfully, it seemed to be specially tailored to fit him.

1974 -- the start of the second revolution of live-action, Saturday morning programming. There's no clear reason why, after nearly a decade-and-a-half, the networks decided to infuse their schedules with more live-action fare. Perhaps, after 10 years of non-stop animation, they decided to mix the formula up. Perhaps they were looking to further model the Saturday morning schedule like their primetime partners. Or, perhaps they realized that ordering live-action programs was cheaper than ordering new cartoons.

IIIIII'mmmm going with 'cheap' as the main reason.

Of the fourteen shows that premiered in the 1974-75 season nearly a third of them were live-action programs. Only one of them came from the Sid and Marty Kroftt factory. The others came from two studios that hadn't had much experience with 30-minute, live-action fare...Filmation and Hanna-Barbera. The rest of the schedules were filled with animated retoolings of primetime programs, talking motorcycles, and dogs who performed karate. As we've done of the last few installments the 1974-75 season will be split into two parts. This time we'll look at CBS's schedule. So, if your Schwinn is in the garage, let's journey back to a far simpler time.

On a cursory glance at the 1970-71 Saturday morning schedule, one would think it was another year of classic children's fare. Yet, on closer examination, one would notice something else about the schedule. It was a bit dull. Oh, there were certainly some classics that premiered during this time -- many of them remembered to this day -- but the rest of the shows were somewhat forgettable.

It was almost like the networks and production studios had run out of steam when it came to Saturday mornings and weren't sure what to do. Understandable, since strict network standards as well as lobby groups like Action for Children's Television (ACT) put a stranglehold on what could and could not be shown. The result was a mix of animated spin-offs and live-action series that were a bit on the bland side. It would be a trend that continued through the first few years of the 1970s.

So, if you have your bowl of Cap'n Crunch on-hand, let's journey back to 1970.